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Little Feat
In the mid-seventies, I had become something of a connoisseur regarding Little Feat, having seen them live nearly ten or so times, so Lowell George’s passing shocked me then in a way has only been surpassed by the death of John Lennon. As far as I was concerned, Lowell George was Little Feat, much like Pete Townshend was the Who, or David Bowie was, well, David Bowie. The other bandmembers were all extraordinary musicians, though, and Billy Payne and Paul Barrere had both proven themselves to be quite able songwriters, too, so I presumed that the band would carry on in some guise, maybe as solo artists or as studio musicians. I never presumed that they’d remain Little Feat.
They did. And I was appalled. I saw Little Feat live at Jones Beach some time after Craig Fuller took the front and center spot that belonged to Lowell George, and at first, the similarities were striking. From a distance, he sort of resembled the guy, and over the p.a., he even sounded like Lowell George. I guess it was a no-brainer for the band to snap Fuller up, but the effect was disarming to longtime fans. I remember feeling insulted by the neo-Lowell onstage, and I remember wondering if the band would soon start requesting that he wear George’s ubiquitous white overalls for their performances. Seeing Little Feat with Craig Fuller instead of Lowell George is akin to seeing the Beatles with Julian Lennon in the place of John. While it might offer some consolation, it is ultimately a terrible idea.
This 2-CD set could prove my point, if only it did a better job of representing the band’s most fruitful years, with Lowell George. Instead, only ten of the twenty-eight tracks are from the Lowell era, and they are far from representative of the man’s leadership and vision. The Craig Fuller years make up the lion’s share here, representing all of the balance except for five or so tracks that feature their most recent vocalist, the able but unspectacular Shawn Murphy. Raw Tomatos is strewn with Fuller’s interpretations of Lowell George. As such, it borders so closely on hero worship that it almost becomes a mockery of itself, with the real Little Feat backing this faux-version of what they remember themselves as being. The last straw, and the most telling moment, comes with the too-painful-to-listen-to-twice, self-aggrandizing, and just plain moronic road song, "Those Feat’ll Steer You Wrong Sometimes." As far as song titles go, how unintentionally prophetic is that? Guys, leave the truck-driving songs to Lowell, okay?
One last note: This CD is actually one of two that were released simultaneously. The other set, called "Ripe Tomatos" (isn’t there supposed to be an ‘e’ in tomatoes?), allegedly features better recordings. Raw Tomatos has the rougher stuff. Hey, I loved this band when they were in their heyday, but judging from some of these latter-day bits and pieces, it’s a good thing I wasn’t there with a few raw tomatoes of my own.
Grade: 
 
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