Little Feat have announced the upcoming release of a Deluxe Edition of their fourth studio album, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now. The expanded title from Rhino features rare and unreleased alternate versions and outtakes from the album sessions, along with a previously unreleased 1975 concert. The set arrives June 14, 2024, to celebrate the 1974 original’s 50th anniversary. Listen to several alternate takes below. It joins the label’s growing list of Little Feat reissues, including 2023’s Deluxe Editions for Sailin’ Shoes and Dixie Chicken and 2022’s massive Waiting for Columbus boxed set.
The expanded Feats Don’t Fail Me Now will be available on 3-CD and 2-LP in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here. Both versions include the studio album newly remastered from the original multi-track and two-track stereo tapes. A previously unreleased alternate version of “Spanish Moon” from the forthcoming set was made available on April 8.
A wealth of unreleased music is included in the new Deluxe Edition, including alternate versions of album tracks (“Rock & Roll Doctor” and “Oh Atlanta”) and early versions of songs destined for future albums, including “Long Distance Love” (The Last Record Album) and an unfinished version of “Day at the Dog Races” (Time Loves a Hero).
From the April 8 announcement: The presence of any session recordings from Feats Don’t Fail Me Now is a minor miracle. The studio where the band made the album, Blue Seas Recording Studio in Baltimore, was a converted barge that sank into the harbor in 1977. Until recently, the session tapes were believed to be lost.
The CD version of Feats Don’t Fail Me Now (Deluxe Edition) includes a show recorded in Paris at L’Olympia in February 1975. The setlist leans heavily on songs from the album with “Skin It Back” and “Oh Atlanta,” while also weaving in earlier classics like “Willin’” and “Fat Man In the Bathtub.”
Originally released in August 1974, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now was the band’s fourth album overall but only the second recorded by the classic lineup of singer-guitarist Lowell George, drummer Richard Hayward, keyboard player Bill Payne, singer-guitarist Paul Barrere, bassist Kenny Gradney, and percussionist Sam Clayton. The album also features the R&B funk group Tower of Power on horns. The album went Gold and was the band’s first to reach the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #36.
On May 17, Little Feat are issuing their first new studio album in 12 years, Sam’s Place. Details here. They’re touring all summer. Tickets are available here and here.
Feats Don’t Fail Me Now (Deluxe Edition) 3-CD Track Listing
Disc One: Original Album (2024 Remaster)
“Rock & Roll Doctor”
“Oh Atlanta”
“Skin It Back”
“Down The Road”
“Spanish Moon”
“Feats Don’t Fail Me Now”
“The Fan”
“Medley: Cold Cold Cold / Tripe Face Boogie”
Disc Two: Hotcakes, Outtakes, Rarities
“Brickyard Blues” – Outtake
“Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” – Alternate Version
“Rock & Roll Doctor” – Alternate Version *
“Spanish Moon” – Alternate Version *
“Skin It Back” – Alternate Version *
“Oh Atlanta” – Alternate Version *
“All That You Dream” – Outtake
“Front Page News” – Alternate Version *
“Long Distance Love” – Outtake *
“Lonesome Whistle” – Alternate Version *
“Day At The Dog Races” – Unfinished Outtake *
“Spanish Moon” – Single Version
Disc Three: If You Got It, A Truck Brought It: Live at the L’Olympia, Paris, France (2/01/75)
“On Your Way Back Down” *
“Skin It Back” *
“Fat Man In The Bathtub” *
“Rock & Roll Doctor” *
“Oh Atlanta” *
“Medley: Cold Cold Cold / Dixie Chicken / Tripe Face Boogie” *
“Willin’” *
“Teenage Nervous Breakdown” *
* previously unreleased
