Top 10 Little Feat Songs (2024)

Photo: Bryan Ledgard [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

Our Top 10 Little Feat songs list takes a look at the songs Little Feat recorded during the decade of the 1970s. Even though Little Feat broke up in the late seventies, just after the passing of Lowell George, they did reform in 1987 and continued on into the 2010s. Our focus on just the 1970s period should not be misinterpreted as disrespecting the band’s later period. There is just simply too much material to cover over a fifty-year period. We will cover the band’s later period in a subsequent article. Additionally, the band’s 1970s period is unique because it’s the only period they recorded with founding member Lowell George.

Little Feat released their first album in 1971 entitled Little Feat. The band at that time featured Lowell George, Bill Payne, Roy Estrada, and Richard Heyward. Little Feat released their follow-up album one year later, in 1972, entitled Sailin’ Shoes.The album featured the same lineup of musicians that performed on the band’s debut. The following year, Little Feat released the album Dixie Chicken in 1973. It would become the band’s breakout album. Kenny Gradney replaced Roy Estrada on bass on the record. The album also features the newest member, Sam Clayton, on percussion. That lineup would continue to define Little Feat through the 1970s.

# 10 – Strawberry Flats

We open our list of top 10 Little Feat songs with the excellent track “Strawberry Flats.” The song was released on the band’s debut album, Little Feat, in 1971. It might not be the band’s most famous song, but it feels like the right place to start. The personnel on the album features Lowell George on lead, rhythm, and slide guitars, providing lead vocals on most tracks and contributing harmonica and backing vocals. Bill Payne’s on keyboards, Roy Estrada’s bass and backing vocals, and Richard Hayward’s drums and backing vocals.

# 9 – Perfect Imperfection

“Perfect Imperfection” is probably one of their catalog’s most underrated Little Feat songs. This slow blues number sung by Lowell George was released on the band’s final 1970s album titled Down On The Farm. The album represented a challenging chapter in the band’s history as it emerged as the seventh studio album in the wake of the tragic passing of the band’s founder and frontman, Lowell George, in 1979. The band announced their breakup in June 1979 amidst the album’s production, making “Down on the Farm” their last original work before reconvening in 1987.

# 8 – Long Distance Love

This one rips your heart out. Lowell George shines so brightly on this one. The instrumentation, the backing vocals, and the guitar solo. It’s so brilliant and so moving. Her lies were so sweet! Oh, stab me in my heart. The song was released on Little Feat’s record entitled The Last Record Album.

# 7 -Sailing Shoes

Songs like “Sailing Shoes” establish cult followings like the one that eventually formed around Little Feat. This classic song was released on the album of the same name, Sailing Shoes. Produced by Ted Templeman, who many fans would come to know from his work with Van Halen, the band’s second album quickly signified a shift in musical direction. It also stands as the last album to feature original bassist Roy Estrada, marking the end of an era for Little Feat’s initial lineup.

# 6 – Spanish Moon

Feats Don’t Fail Me Now was one of Little Feat’s best albums. The album was released in 1974; The Feats Don’t Fail Me Now album featured Bonnie Raitt and Emmylou Harris on backing vocals. Adding the Tower of Power horn section gave the album a sound and feel that had not been presented on any previous Little Feat albums. Just listen to them on this great track.

# 5 – Time Loves a Hero

The Doobie Brothers meet Little Feat on this fabulous album. The great record Time Loves A Hero was released in 1977. The album featured guest musicians Michael McDonald, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, and Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers on various tracks. The song “Time Loves A Hero” received heavy airplay on album-oriented rock radio in the 1970s when it was first released.

# 4 – Tie – Feats Don’t Fail Me Now/ Rock and Roll Doctor

The band’s 1974 album Feats Don’t Fail Me Now is so good we could have easily fit every track from the album on this top 10 Little Feats songs list. It’s what makes composing these top 10 lists so tricky, as so many great ones are left off. There was not room enough for both of these so we cheated and created a tie.

# 3 – Fat Man in the Bathtub

In the number three spot on our Little Feat songs list, we present the song “Fat Man In The Bathtub.” The song was released on the band’s legendary album entitled Dixie Chicken. The album featured the lineup of Lowell George on vocals, guitar, and flute, Paul Barrere on guitar and vocals, Sam Clayton on congas, Kenny Gradney on bass, Richie Hayward on drums, and the great Bill Payne on keys.

# 2 – Willin’

The legendary Little Feat song “Willin’ was written by Lowell George. The song is legendary for various reasons. One reason is that it helped Little Feat secure a record contract with Warner Brothers Records. The other reason is based on multiple stories of how Lowell George showed this song to Frank Zappa when Lowell George was a member of The Mothers Of Inventionand got kicked out of the band because of it. No one knows for sure the real reasons why because both musicians have passed away. That story will probably remain a mystery.

# 1 – Dixie Chicken

We close out our top 10 Little Feat songs of the 1970s with the band’s signature song, “Dixie Chicken.” If one is going to compose a best-of-little-feat song list from the 1970s, one has no choice but to list this one as number one. It’s the honorable thing to do. Little Feat’s legendary song “Dixie Chicken” was released in 1973. It was issuedon the album Dixie Chicken.

Everything that we loved about 1970s Little Feat is defined in this brilliant recording. The song “Dixie Chicken” was written by Lowell George and Fred Martin. The album Dixie Chicken featured backing vocals from soon-to-be famed slide blues guitarist and vocalist Bonnie Raitt.