Little Feat – The Last Record Album

Little Feat – The Last Record Album

The Last Record Album is the fifth studio album from Little Feat, released in 1975 on Warner Bros. Records and produced by frontman and founding member Lowell George. Arriving during the band's celebrated mid-70s period, the album blends their trademark Southern-fried roots rock and blues with increasingly sophisticated jazz-rock, funk and boogie influences.

By this stage, Little Feat's classic six-piece line-up of Lowell George, Paul Barrère, Bill Payne, Richie Hayward, Kenny Gradney and Sam Clayton had fully developed the loose, groove-heavy sound that made the band such a favourite among musicians and roots-rock fans. The Last Record Album also marked a shift in the group's creative balance, with Barrère and Payne taking a more prominent songwriting role and introducing further jazz-rock elements into the band's sound.

The album opens with Romance Dance, immediately establishing the band's relaxed but intricate groove, before moving into the much-loved All That You Dream. Co-written by Paul Barrère and Bill Payne, the track became a longstanding Little Feat live favourite, combining infectious rhythm, layered guitars and the band's trademark rhythmic interplay.

Lowell George's Long Distance Love provides one of the album's most memorable moments. A beautifully understated ballad, it showcases the more reflective side of George's songwriting and became particularly well regarded among Little Feat fans. The track was also selected by BBC DJ John Peel for his 1976 Festive Fifty, reaching No. 26.

The expansive Day Or Night demonstrates the band's growing interest in jazz-influenced arrangements, while One Love Stand and Down Below The Borderline return to Little Feat's distinctive blend of funk, blues and Southern rock. Somebody's Leavin' brings another soulful dimension before the album closes with the excellent Mercenary Territory, one of the record's standout performances.

Although the title might suggest a farewell, The Last Record Album was certainly not Little Feat's final record. The title and the striking cover artwork by Neon Park were instead a playful reference to the 1971 film The Last Picture Show. The album would ultimately prove to be the final studio record of the band's original classic era before their sound and internal creative balance changed significantly.

For collectors of Little Feat vinyl, Southern rock, American roots rock and 1970s blues-rock, this is an essential release. It's particularly suited to fans of The Band, Lowell George, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, Steely Dan and the more groove-oriented side of 1970s American rock.

A superb example of Little Feat's sophisticated, groove-heavy approach, The Last Record Album captures the band at a fascinating crossroads between Southern roots music, blues, funk and jazz-rock, just before the classic era reached its conclusion.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Romance Dance – 4:04
2. All That You Dream – 3:52
3. Long Distance Love – 2:43
4. Day Or Night – 6:24

Side B

1. One Love Stand – 4:28
2. Down Below The Borderline – 3:41
3. Somebody's Leavin' – 5:07
4. Mercenary Territory – 4:27