May 2009
Both albums featured songs that would become quickly recognizable. For Little Feat it’s "Willing" and "Truck Stop Girl"; for the Allmans it's "Midnight Rider," "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed," and "Revival." While both groups had top-echelon musicians, it was the cohesiveness of the sound that made the public take notice. That the Allman Brothers hit it big while Little Feat toiled in relative obscurity can be chalked up to both their individual labels' PR work (or lack thereof) and the vagaries of the public’s musical tastes. Sound-wise, neither album is of sufficient strength to make it demo material, yet both of these reissues are probably the best-sounding versions extant thanks to the remastering work performed by Mobile Fidelity’s Shawn Britton. The dense mix of Little Feat is cleaned up enough to allow the original four musicians’ efforts to be heard, as well as the use of horns that would soon come to be an integral part of the band's sound. Lowell George’s guitar sears through the mix, making its presence known at all times. Deep bass and extreme treble are both missing to a great extent, the lack of bass robbing the music of its drive. Idlewild South offers more of both the bass and treble without sacrificing the all-important midrange, so it boogies along a bit better than the Little Feat record. Duane Allman's and Dicky Betts' guitars don’t have that same searing quality of George’s, but they are still unmistakable, especially Allman's slide work. The twin drummers used by the Allmans crash and snap with authority, if not the utmost clarity, but the cymbal work sounds far more realistic than that delivered on the Little Feat LP. In their Mobile Fidelity guise, each of these albums will be a must-own for fans as well as a great introduction to anyone who has yet to hear what makes these two bands so important. GO BACK TO: |
The Allman Brothers Band - Idlewild
South
Little
Feat