Sailin' Shoes

Sailin' Shoes
Studio album by Little Feat
Released	May, 1972
Recorded	Late 1971 at Amigo Sounds, Sunset Sound and T.T.G.
Genre	Southern rock, blues rock, roots rock, swamp rock
Length	38:00
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Ted Templeman
Little Feat chronology
Little Feat (1971) Sailin' Shoes (1972) Dixie Chicken (1973)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Rolling Stone	(favorable) [2]

Sailin' Shoes was the second studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1972. It is notable for several reasons.

First, it introduced the work of Neon Park to the group, with his design of a sailing shoe of a cake swinging on a tree swing that adorned the front cover, which seems to be an allusion to The Swing by painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Second, it was a more refined album than predecessor, signaling a shift from that album into the next. Third, it marked the last album original bassist Roy Estrada appeared on.

Highlighted by a reworked group version of "Willin'," the track that had led Frank Zappa to sack guitarist and vocalist Lowell George from The Mothers of Invention, it also featured such enduring tracks as "A Apolitical Blues," "Easy to Slip" and the title track, all by guitarist and lead vocalist Lowell George, the second co-written with Martin Kibbee (a.k.a. Fred Martin), a former bandmate (The Factory), and the first appearance of the "George/Martin" credit on a Little Feat record.

It was the last full Little Feat record to be produced by an outsider until 1977's Time Loves a Hero, the three albums in the interim produced nearly in their entireties by Lowell George.

In 1972, Van Dyke Parks covered "Sailin' Shoes" on his album Discover America.

In 1988, Van Halen did a cover of "A Apolitical Blues" on their album, OU812. However, at least some cassette copies (and original vinyl LP) of the album don't include this song.

In 2008 the album was released as Gold CD (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab).

Track listing

• All tracks by Lowell George, except where noted.

1. "Easy to Slip" (Lowell George, Fred Martin) – 3:22
2. "Cold Cold Cold" – 4:01
3. "Trouble" – 2:19
4. "Tripe Face Boogie" (Richie Hayward, Bill Payne) – 3:16
5. "Willin'" – 2:57
6. "A Apolitical Blues" – 3:28
7. "Sailin' Shoes" – 2:53
8. "Teenage Nervous Breakdown" – 2:13
9. "Got No Shadow" (Payne) – 5:08
10. "Cat Fever" (Payne) – 4:37
11. "Texas Rose Café" – 3:42

Band members

• Lowell George - vocals, guitar, harmonica, baritone saxophone, drum machine
• Richie Hayward - drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Bill Payne - piano, organ, accordion, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Cat Fever"
• Roy Estrada - bass, backing vocals (last album with group)

Additional personnel

• Milt Holland - percussion on "Easy to Slip" and "Trouble"
• Sneaky Pete Kleinow - pedal steel guitar on "Willin'" and "Texas Rose Café"
• Debbie Lindsey - vocals on "Cold Cold Cold" and "Sailin' Shoes"
• Ron Elliott - rhythm guitar on "A Apolitical Blues"

References