THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It’s fitting that Little Feat is on the road this summer as the group celebrates the upcoming 45th anniversary deluxe edition of Waiting For Columbus, one of the greatest live albums ever made. Released in 1978, the live double album featured memorable performances of songs (Dixie Chicken, Willin’ and Time Loves A Hero) that spanned the group’s fantastic career.
To make the album, Little Feat (backed by the Tower Of Power horn section) recorded several shows in the U.K. and U.S. during the band’s 1977 summer tour. Three of those performances — which were recorded in Manchester at Manchester City Hall (7/29/77), London at The Rainbow (8/2/77), and Washington D.C. at Lisner Auditorium (8/10/77), and have never been released — are included in the new Waiting For Columbus Super Deluxe Edition, an eight-disc box, which also features a remastered version of the original album.
Little Feat originally released Waiting For Columbus on Feb. 10, 1978. The platinum-certified double album cemented the band’s reputation as one of the premier live bands of the 1970s. When it was recorded, the group included: Lowell George (vocals, guitar), Paul Barrere (guitar, vocals), Bill Payne (keyboard, vocals), Richie Hayward (drums, vocals), Sam Clayton (percussion, vocals) and Kenny Gradney (bass).
Waiting For Columbus touches on songs from all six of the studio albums Little Feat released between 1971 and 1977. The dynamic performances showcase the sextet’s inimitable fusion of blues, country, jazz, and New Orleans R&B on signature tracks like Fat Man In The Bathtub, Oh Atlanta and Sailin’ Shoes. Waiting For Columbus Super Deluxe Edition is the definitive edition of this classic. It includes unreleased live versions of songs that appeared on the original (Rocket In My Pocket, Spanish Moon), along with several that didn’t, like Cold, Cold, Cold, Rock And Roll Doctor, Skin It Back and a cover of Allen Toussaint’s On Your Way Down.”
