Sailin' Shoes is the second studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1972. Produced by Ted Templeman, it marked a shift away from the sound of the band's eponymous debut, to that of their subsequent album, Dixie Chicken. It also introduced the cover artwork of Neon Park to the group, and was the last album appearance of original bassist Roy Estrada.
Music and recording
The music of Sailin' Shoes is a mixture of pop, rock, blues and country.[2] Highlighted by a reworked group version of "Willin'", the album 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, credited as "Fred Martin", a former band-mate from The Factory, and the first appearance of the "George/Martin" credit on a Little Feat record. The track "Texas Rose Cafe" is a tribute to a post-Houston concert visit by Lowell George and others to the hippie restaurant/club/beer garden. During refreshments upstairs George had said that he liked the place so much that he was going to write a song about it and it would be on their next album. It turned out to be true and not just so much "beer talk".
It was the last full Little Feat record to be produced by an outsider, until 1977's Time Loves a Hero, with each of the three interim albums being produced almost entirely by Lowell George. Noted Los Angeles-based session percussionist Milt Holland played percussion on "Easy to Slip" and "Trouble" and he also played tabla on the follow-up album Dixie Chicken. Ron Elliott of the Beau Brummels played rhythm guitar on "A Apolitical Blues" and Debbie Lindsey provided the female vocals on "Cold, Cold, Cold" and the title track.
Artwork
With his design for a "sailing shoe" of a cake swinging on a tree swing, the album's front cover by Neon Park seems to be an allusion to The Swing by painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard.[5] Park himself said of the cover: "The Sailin' Shoes cover was inspired by Louis XIV. I'd just seen Rossellini's film about Louis XIV. And it seemed to relate a lot to Hollywood. A situation ruled by someone who kept everybody under his thumb by keeping them in hock from buying fancy clothes seemed to relate to Hollywood somehow. Actually, the only thing that was missing was the Hollywood sign, which I was going to put in the background. I thought that would be gauche. But I had a chance to pick up on that later with The Last Record Album.”[6][5] The cover design also includes a giant snail and Mick Jagger dressed as Gainsborough's The Blue Boy[5] as Park had been inspired by the film Performance.[6]
In 1988, Van Halen recorded a cover of "A Apolitical Blues" on their album, OU812, although the song is not included on cassette and vinyl copies of the album.
In 2022, The Black Crowes recorded a cover of "Easy To Slip" on their covers EP, 1972.
Track listing
All tracks written and sung by Lowell George, except where noted.
Side One
"Easy to Slip" (Lowell George, Fred Martin) – 3:22
"Cat Fever" (Payne) – 4:37 (lead singer: Bill Payne)
"Texas Rose Café" – 3:42
Deluxe edition
A remastered and expanded edition of Sailin' Shoes was released on June 23, 2023. This new edition is a 2-CD set, with the original album on disc one, and bonus material on disc two labeled as Hotcakes, Outtakes & Rarities. Tracks 12 to 21 were recorded live in Los Angeles on August 28, 1971.
Disc two
No.
Title
Writer(s)
Length
1.
"Sailin' Shoes (demo)"
George
2:57
2.
"Easy To Fall (Easy To Slip) (demo for The Doobie Brothers)"
