One of the most influential outfits of the ’70s, Little Feat was a powerhouse with guitarists Lowell George and Paul Barrere. Sailin’ Shoes, from ’72, finds the band still searching for a cohesive studio sound, though “Easy to Slip” is a flat-out rocker, and “Cold, Cold, Cold” shows the funk already in place. “Willin’” remains one of the finest folkie sing-alongs of the past 50 years. The section dubbed “Hotcakes, Outtakes, Rarities” adds 11 studio takes, plus 10 tracks from an L.A. concert.

1973’s Dixie Chicken is the Feat’s best-known studio LP, a masterpiece of swampy funk and slide guitar. The audio quality displays quantum improvement over Sailin’ Shoes, as heard on “Two Trains.” A glorious demo of “Fat Man in a Bathtub” is economical on the order of the Black Keys, while a half-dozen live cuts from a ’73 Boston show include the altered blues of “On Your Way Down,” sporting Barrere’s fuzzy (and seriously underrated) Strat under George’s slide. “Walkin’ All Night” is a firecracker, reaffirming their explosiveness onstage.

Well-curated, this pair of reissues supplement the remastered tracks with freshly unearthed material – but not overwhelmingly. Rather, it’s just enough to remind us of Little Feat’s once-in-a-generation brilliance.

This article originally appeared in VG’s December 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.