Little Feat - St. Valentines Day Massacre (2015)

Few bands that formed in the early 1970s have managed to survive and continue touring to the present day. Little Feat is one of the few that have, in no small part due to their outstanding musicianship and the idiosyncratic songwriting of founding member, Lowell George, which has stood the test of time. This 1976 Winterland performance is one of the finest examples of Little Feat during the prime years of Lowell George, when the group had established a reputation as one of the most exciting and original bands on the planet. Lowell George's innate ability to craft songs with sophisticated melodies and intriguing lyrics, as well as the high production standards on the group s studio recordings, were key to the group's popularity and longevity. However, it was concert performances, such as this one, that truly established such a dedicated fan base that remains to the present day. This concert, when Little Feat was opening for Jeff Lyne s Electric Light Orchestra, remains one of their most legendary performances. Broadcast live on KSAN radio, parts of this performance were immediately bootlegged to vinyl and rapidly began circulating under various titles, the most common being Rampant Syncopatio and Chinese Bejeezus, titles rumored to have been supplied by Lowell George himself. It's no wonder that this performance became so popular, as it captures the band at the peak of the Lowell George era, promoting the release of The Last Record Album. This album signaled the emergence of jazzier elements being incorporated into the band s sound, as well as stronger contributions from guitarist Paul Barrere and keyboardist Bill Payne, which added greater diversity to the group's material. The recording kicks off with a smokin' version of A Apolitical Blues, followed by a double dose of funky New Orleans flavored rock, with sizzling takes of Skin It Back transitioning into Fat Man In The Bathtub. This establishes a deep groove that continues to intensify as the set progresses