Next to England’s The Old Grey Whistle Test, Germany’s Rockpalast was (and continues to be) an important music television showcase for literally hundreds of rock bands and artists. Video clips from both programs can be easily had on YouTube, but entire performances by individual artists do not grow on trees. Fortunately, Little Feat’s 1977 appearance is one that’s been issued, not once, but twice, on DVD — this time with the title Skin It Back and a few extras to boot.
Fans of the band know that it was a bumpy road for the Feat. Even on the strength of albums like Dixie Chicken and Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, the group struggled in attracting a sizeable audience. There was also tension within the band, much it with regards to Lowell George, the slide guitarist, singer and chief songwriter. Increased drug abuse and dissatisfaction with the direction of the band made George a liability in the group’s ambitions. Nevertheless, when it came to laying it down on stage, Little Feat put any and all issues to the side and became a magical tight-fisted unit without pretense or rival.
As it was, the group was on track to record their seminal live album, Waiting for Columbus when they were invited to Germany to perform with Rory Gallagher and Roger McGuinn at the first Rockpalast concert on July 23, 1977. Whatever reservations the group may have had at the time, they delivered a stellar set, filled with potent porridge like “Fat Man In The Bathtub,” “Oh, Atlanta” and “All That You Dream.” George gets most of the camera time, although pianist Bill Payne is the glue that holds the group together. Together with guitarist Paul Barrere, drummer Richard Hayward, bassist Kenny Gradney and percussionist Sam Clayton, Little Feat bash out a rockin’ 11-song set the Germans are still, according to legend, talking about.
As if the jazzy intonations of “Day At The Dog Races” and fearless angst of “Willin’” weren’t enough to keep you glued to your seat, Skin It Back is enhanced with a six-song sound check for an even more intimate and thorough examination of the band in motion. Amongst the pile of regulars is a spirited “Rock N’ Roll Doctor,” missing from the Rockpalast set, but as riveting without the audience. Looking no worse for the wear, George owned the song as he slid the Craftsman socket bit up and down the neck of his guitar. It’s a sight to behold and a moment to cherish. Surviving members of Little Feat would reconvene years after George’s untimely demise and remain together to this day. No doubt, whenever the band steps on stage, the magic of Rockpalast must serve as both inspiration and reverence of a time when an odd, quirky band like Little Feat was probably just what the doctor ordered.
~ Shawn Perry
