Once you become a Deadhead, becoming a Little Feat fan is almost a given. While the two bands don't really sound alike at all, they do seem to attract the same crowd. At least, that's how I got into them, through my Deadhead friends, at a time when  the band was no more, and I was too late to appreciate them live. I mourned for that, because Waiting for Columbus was, and still is, the best official live album I had ever heard.

Lowell George was a guitarist in Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention in 1969, and he used to catch a lot of crap from bandmate Jimmy Carl Black about his tiny feet. "If you ever start a band, you should call it Little Feet", and somesuch. One day, Lowell showed Zappa a song he'd written called Willin', and Zappa promptly fired him. He told Lowell that he was too good to be a member of someone else's band, and should form his own. That he did, taking bassist Roy Estrada with him. He called them Little Feat, changing the "e" to an "a" in homage to the Beatles.

The fact that it's really difficult to descibe their sound is one of the main reasons I love them. They're rock, but also country, and that pianist is frequently up to some jazz, and there's some island flavor in that percussion, with a rich gravy of cajun hoodoo slathered all over it. That kind of says it.

Throughout the 70s, Little Feat made a name for themselves not necessarily as a jam band, but as a band that could really jam. Then in 1979 a still-too-young- Lowell George died after a concert of a heart attack. No evidence of drugs was found.



After that, Little Feat was simply a sweet memory. For a while. They staged a triumphant return in 1988 with frontman Craig Fuller. I first saw them opening for Jimmy Buffett (in what was one of the most insane crowds I've ever been in) and saw them several more times during the Fuller years. He's since been replaced by Shawn Murphy, but they're still Little Feat. They're still writing new music and jamming with the same groove (well, maybe a little slower now). But still jamming well nonetheless. Below is a live photo of the current band (btw- Shawn is the woman).



Another thing I love about the current band is their whole-hearted approval of the trading scene. They even have a link to my favorite trading site, Dime-a-Dozen, on their official website.

My intention here, however, is to praise the artistry of Mr. George. Ultrasonic Studios in Hempstead NY was host to many fine concerts in a studio setting. There is an audience, but you can tell that it's very small. This was probably a "Playboy After Dark" type of party with more casual dress. Like the Paris Theater shows recorded by the BBC, however, these sessions led to some very fine professional recordings of some very fine performances by some very fine musicians, all made for radio rather than commercial release. I've got Ultrasonic recordings of several bands, and some may appear here.

Little Feat played there at least twice, on April 10, 1973 and September 19, 1974 (there may have been others that I haven't found yet). I have both and they are both fantastic shows. I'm not going to play the 1974 show, because you can listen to it yourself, by downloading the whole thing legally and for free right here. No special software needed, just click and point. You can get the format you want, but I would take the flac files. Download this free program to decode them, and burn to one CD. I suggest this because then you get an accurate digital copy of the original recording, whereas the other file types available all cut sound frequencies out of the song to make the file smaller. What's the sense of that? If I want to hear music, I want to hear ALL of it.

Anyway, jollykay is the only one who gets the 1973 show (well, O'Tim knew it too, so he can have one if he wants). I am fortunate to be able to post three songs in one track that all blend one into another, and show what this band was capable of even in their early days. The songs are called Cold Cold Cold, Dixie Chicken, and Tripe Face Boogie. Let me know what you think.

  

In two weeks: His band has a sousaphone in place of a bass guitar.
(The first to post the answer wins a copy of the show!)

In other news, it seems that my favorite herb can help stave off the mental ravages of Alzheimer's Disease. Not that this knowledge would be anything but further impetus for the government, owned in part as it is by the pharmaceutical industry, to do anything but try harder to clamp down on it. After all, the medical industry is about making Pfizer and Merck rich enough to continue that lucrative lobbying and election financing. If some people are cured along the way, well, that's okay too.

One thing bugs me, though. I've known chronic use of the Chronic to make some people forgetful. Some really heavy users even become absent-minded.

Just how easy is it to tell the difference between a 75 year old with Alzheimer's and a 75 year old that's been stoned for 60 years?????

 

Since Angus is pushing 16 years now, his walks have become shorter and more local. He doesn't have the stamina for the long hikes anymore. In fact, he can't get in and out of the Bronco without a lift. So, when I wanted to go for a hike in the Sandia foothills the other day, I took Hito.

Hito is my neighbor's dog. He's a strapping young man of about two years. He's boisterous, friendly and fun loving. He has a big smile that he greets you with. He scares the crap out of people when they see him coming. In fact, that fear led someone to stab the poor guy once. He is easily misunderstood. You see, Hito is a pit bull.

Pit bulls have a pretty bad rep these days. Every time one attacks someone, it is big headlines. There have been local pushes to make the breed illegal altogether. As it stands, there are laws that make pit bull owners a bit more liable for aggressive acts of dog than owners of other breeds.

It is known that in many of these cases, the dog has been taught to be mean. Many people will get a pit bull specifically for that purpose. Tie it on a short leash to a wall and beat the tar out of the poor thing until it hates everyone, that's the way to do it. Then set it loose in the yard. That'll keep those old junk cars safe.

Most people don't consider that, however. They just know that once again, one of those pits attacked a neighbor kid that he wasn't supposed to attack. It "just went wild". Many people believe that this breed is a powder keg, ready to go off at a moment's notice. "They're nice dogs, until something just switches in their heads and they go for your throat." That's what Dad told me when warning me to be wary of Hito, a dog he's never even seen. People just think that with pit bulls, there's something wrong with the animal itself..

I was thinking about this while Hito and I walked along the trails, Hito stopping to sniff everything in sight. He didn't drag on the leash at all. He didn't try to take off after anything. He didn't growl at anything, with the exception of a biker that he barked at from the back of the Bronco. I think he just likes to freak them out a little. I've seen that twisted sense of humor in other breeds, too. In fact, he was a near perfect little gentleman on our walk, better behaved than Angus usually was on walks until the age of 13 or so. As usual after dealing with Hito, I wondered about the people who think that there's "something wrong with the animal". It seems pretty clear to me that a dog raised by peaceful people grows to be peaceful.

Then I got home and checked out the news. I found this.  I remembered this. In fact, I remember a lot of news items like this from the last few years.

Then I see this.

And this.

It isn't hard to find this stuff. And every time you do, you see people trying to reason it out.

Did he have a mental illness? Was she driven to it by her husband? Was he molested as a child? Treated poorly by schoolmates? Beaten by a mean stepdad? Didn't get the draedel he wanted for Christmas?

Even when they aren't trying to justify the event, people will still be looking for some clue to its' origin. They have to find a reason for a rational being to do irrational things. After all, people don't just drown their own kids, right? Something must have made her do it. There has to be a cause for all this.

And that's when I thought "Maybe there isn't."

What if these folks just snapped? What if the switch just flipped? Perhaps there is no rhyme or reason to it all. Maybe upbringing and personal history have nothing to do with it. Maybe there is something inherently defective in the species we call "human".

Maybe there is something wrong with the animal itself.

It seems that when it comes to pets, just picking one type isn't the issue that music is with a lot of folks. There were some definite preferences stated, with only four classes of critters even making the board. Cats and dogs were split evenly at 44%, with fish and horses each getting 6%. The poll was, of course, which you'd choose if you could only have ONE. I dig my Ball Python, but if I could only have one, it wouldn't be a snake, it would be a cat.

I always had both when I was a kid, but I became a cat person as an adult. Being young and a deadhead, I found cats an easier fit in a "pick up and go on a three-day road trip" lifestyle. Leave plenty of food, a clean box, and a thin drizzle in a sink or tub and they will be fine for a few days. Mind you, I don't regret one second of my 15 years with Angus, but adopting him did create more work in preparing for a trip. And his chewing on the furniture to express his displeasure at the situation didn't oil our relationship any in those early days, either.

As O'Tim said, "cuz there's just no bestester pals" about dogs, and he is right to an extent. One can be just as close to a cat as to a dog, it's just that the relationship with a cat takes time and effort. For cat people, it's the forming of that bond with what is essentially a wild animal that is fulfilling. Dogs give that instant buddyhood that many people prefer. The people who say that their cat "is just like a dog" are simply trying to say "This cat is one of the many that is affectionate like dogs usually are, so you can approach it like you would the dogs you're more used to." A cat can be a great cat without that quality, though. These people aren't saying this to make excuses for their cats. Cats need no one to make excuses for them.

For people who like to share outdoor activities with their pet, dogs are the better choice. You can't go mountain biking with your kitty.

Still, cats are a lot of fun. No, you can't play with one like you can with a dog. However, if you play with one like you can with a CAT, then the cat is a very fun toy, and will think the same of you. "You can't teach a cat to play fetch", the dog people say. So what? The dog has no idea how much fun a three foot length of string can be.

People will use the same arguments to say that dogs are smarter than cats, which is of course palpable nonsense. "You can't teach a cat anything". Bullshit. My cats, for example, were taught all the areas they were NOT welcome in. Fifteen years hasn't gotten Angus out from underfoot. We played games, as well. No, I never taught Sybyl to fetch, but we made up some games together that were a lot of fun. True, you don't see police cats, but I've never seen a dog housebreak itself in one hour, either. They're both smart in different ways, let us say. If they had an industrial society, dogs would be the workers, and cats would be the planners.

I think the most germane difference in the cat/dog argument, however, is in the owners. I know many dog lovers that hate cats. I know few if any cat lovers that hate dogs. Cat lovers seem to be more likely to be all around animal lovers, whereas there are a lot of people who seem to like ONLY dogs. Once again, I think that is because dogs make the relationship stage fast and easy, and some folks just have to have it like that.

Anyway, new poll to the right. Be HONEST, now.

The biweekly Trollling the Underground contest for this week is still unwon, folks. As you may know, the first person to guess the artist I'll feature next gets a full copy of the bootleg recording I'll be featuring a cut from. Last week's clue was:

When one mother made fun of another, a future band got its' name.


Now I'll give you another:

Their music has been covered by the likes of Garth Brooks, Taj Mahal, Van Halen, and Kubota Makoto.

You have until Friday morning. Who says I don't love ya?

I have, for over a year now, been getting mail for one James H. Troll. Despite having the same surname, I have no idea who this person is. I can only tell you two things about him.

First, he evidently has better credit than I, since more credit card companies seem to want him as a valued cardholder. Second, he's advanced in years. This I know because the bulk of his mail concerns medical plans and, failing that, funeral arrangements. I tend to give it just the amount of attention required to throw it out.

He got some mail yesterday, in fact. If he attends a preview of Humana's 2007 Medicare Advantage health plans to learn about the exciting benefits and services, he will be treated to a big-screen viewing of Casablanca.

This one caught my eye. Not that I care about the programs - even if my new job DIDN'T provide bennies, which it does, I would be about 25 years shy of Medicare requirements. I sure would like to see that movie, though.

I mean, Casablanca is the classic of all classics. It was a chick flick that men could enjoy by virtue of the fact that it had Nazis, shooting, and heavy drinking as well as all that kissy stuff. It was well written, well cast, beautifully shot, and provided the largest number of readily recognized catch phrases in movie history. I can think of five right off the top of my head.

I've never had the chance to see this on a big screen. In fact, I've never had the chance to see MOST of my favorites on the big screen. I would love to own a revival theater for just that purpose.

In the mean time, however, if I want to see it, I guess I'll have to walk all hunched over, wear old smelly clothes, and try to cough a lot.

A small sacrifice to make for Ingrid Bergman. Rick gave up a whole lot more.

One thing I can say for last week's poll...... it sure outdid all the others, discussion-wise. You want to get people to say something, just mess with their music, I guess.

Given a choice of just ONE musical genre, most folks picked rock, with jazzz, blues, classical, country, and "other" getting a little love as well. Even Buffy got some.

Most folks also  became annoyed, regardless of what they actually picked. Just about all of us like to have some variety in their musical sphere, and felt the idea too constraining, although a few folks liked the idea of further narrowing their listening future (What do you mean Gaelic Gregorian Punk Folk Reggae isn't its' own category? It's all I listen to! Brother Angus "Pappy" MacMarley would be spinning in his grave!).

Anyway, be it Elvis or the Sex Pistols, it seems that most of us are rockers at heart.

MAybe this week's poll will be easier. I doubt it.

When I was a teenager I made greater use of my oldest brother's record collection than he did. He was in his twenties, and of the great multitude that stop paying attention to any new music after age 19. I only listened to the rock, as I considered his liking for jazz to be pretty square. Now, as a jazz fan, I see that it was only his particular taste in jazz that was square.

This was why I was listening to Jefferson Airplane, the Doors, and CCR when my peers were listening to Journey and REO Speedwagon. I still listened to a lot of the "popular stuff", being the FM junkie and bucket of hormones that I was, but my lifelong love for 60's rock started there. This is where I first heard the band that would be my first live experience........The Moody Blues. 

The original Moody Blues were just that..... a moody blues band. In addition to the three longtime members Graham Edge (drums), Ray Thomas (flute, vox), and Mike Pinder (keys, vox) were short term members Clint Warwick (bass) and Denny Laine (guitar, vox, later member of Wings). They recorded about two l.p.s worth of singles, including the hit "Go Now", before a shift in both personnel and style.

When Justin Hayward (guitar, vox) and John Lodge (bass, vox) joined the band, they assumed most of the writing chores, and the band's sound sort of "melted". While keeping to their blues enough to justify the name, they became more "moody". The albums they almost immediately began recording are classics of psychedelia and straight pop. This was the Moody Blues that my brother's record collection introduced me to.

 

It was in 1981 that The Moodies, with Mike Pinder replaced by Patrick Moraz, had a big hit with their album Long Distance Voyager, and embarked on a world tour in support. Having blocked my hopes to see live rock shows on many occasions, dad allowed this because it was an outdoor show (and he couldn't use my asthma as an excuse to keep me home, away from the pot smoke) and because I'd be going with my older brother and his wife, who, being pregnant, could be trusted to keep a lid on things. Thus, I saw my first show on Saturday, July 18, 1981 at Poplar Creek Music Theater in Hoffman Estates, Il. It was the last date of the Moodies' American tour, and it is the same show that today's selection comes from. Here is the the Moody Blues that I saw:

Now, besides the thirteen items listed last week, I have also kept the World Tour program I bought that evening (Lord only knows what happened to that t-shirt!) That program's band history was the source for my original clue. To quote:

"Six years after its original release, 'Nights in White Satin' was re-released in America with the 'Days of Future Past' album and they both promptly soared to number one in both the singles and album charts repectively in the U.S. The release of their new album [ Seventh Sojourn ] at that time gave them the unprecedented achievement of having a number 1 and 2 slot in the American album chart - even the Beatles were unable to beat that."

Send any complaints, therefore, to the Moody Blues themselves. As it is, no one figured out that longtime McCartney collaborator Denny Laine was an original Moody. Wings Over America, in fact, features the song "Go Now". There were lots of good guesses, though. Maybe next time!

The song this week is one of my favorite Moody Blues songs, and was the wrapup song for the last show at Poplar Creek in 1981. Click here to listen to the Moody Blues asking a "Question."

 

In two weeks: When one mother made fun of another, a future band got its name.

As most of you are no doubt aware, my Trolling the Unerground feature comes with a contest. With every entry, I provide a clue to the next entry's topic. The first to figure out who it is wins a copy of the underground reccording that the post is derived from. Usually, it comes off without a hitch. This time, not so much.

The clue to my next entry was :

"This group was the first, and to my knowledge the only, to have albums in the #1 and #2 American chart slots at the same time."

The info I have says very clearly that this band was the first to do so, and even points out specifically that the Beatles had not done such a thing. However, jollykay has provided my with two sources that say the Beatles DID do it, and substantially earlier (insert Popeye- like under-the-breath muttering about wiseacre dames here). As a result, well, I just don't know. I'll tell you this much - the next topic is not The Beatles. (See how I narrowed that down for you?) So, to be fair, I will provide another clue. Here 'tis:

One of this group's original members later worked with a former Beatle.

See, I'm practically HANDING it to you. The Troll is nothing if not magnanimous. Deadline is this Friday.