Little Feat – Sailin’ Shoes (Deluxe 2-CD)

Produced by Ted Templeman and released in 1972, Sailin' Shoes marked a vast improvement over Little Feat's promising but inconsistent debut—introducing several songs that would become permanent fixtures in the band's setlists for the next five decades. This deluxe 2-CD edition presents the 2023 remaster alongside a treasure trove of outtakes, demos, alternate versions, and a previously unreleased complete live show from the Palladium in Los Angeles recorded August 28, 1971.

The original album showcased Lowell George's emergence as a singular songwriter and vocalist, with Cold, Cold, Cold, Tripe Face Boogie, and A Apolitical Blues establishing the template for Little Feat's distinctive blend of blues, country, and R&B. The reworked Willin'—which had appeared on the debut—became the definitive version, later covered by Linda Ronstadt, Seatrain, and Commander Cody. Sailin' Shoes also introduced Neon Park's surrealist cover artwork, which would grace all of the band's subsequent releases and become inseparable from their visual identity.

The Hotcakes, Outtakes, Rarities disc includes early demos for the Doobie Brothers, alternate versions revealing different approaches to familiar songs, and the full Palladium show capturing the original four-piece lineup months before the classic seven-piece formed. For fans of the band's early, rawer sound—before the New Orleans funk fully took over—this deluxe edition provides essential context for understanding Little Feat's evolution.

Deluxe 2-CD: 2023 remaster plus demos, alternate versions, and complete live show from The Palladium, Los Angeles (8/28/71).