WILLIN: THE STORY OF LITTLE FEAT PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Ben Fong-Torres | 296 pages | 12 Nov 2013 | The Perseus Books Group | 9780306821318 | English | Cambridge, MA, United States Willin: The Story of Little Feat PDF Book He gets it in dribs and drabs here, and, artistry aside, we finally get a better picture of what '70s rock fans might consider one of that decade's more enviable love lives. Nov 10, Sally Anne rated it it was ok. As time progressed George became increasingly autocratic even locking other members out of the studio as he insisted on producing albums by himself. Preview — Willin' by Ben Fong-Torres. I am a "Feat Head" as it turns out. Apr 19, Doug rated it really liked it. Little Feat's "Waiting for Columbus" is widely regarded as one of the best live albums of all time. I am being generous, only because I did learn some things about Little Feat. As grateful as I was to get some information on this decades-long, brilliant band, this has to be one of the worst written bios I've ever read. Seven shows were recorded and the resulting Waiting For Columbus , produced by George, was released in March Average rating 3. Weather Report? They couldn't ask for a better apologist than a writer whose byline is instantly familiar to anyone who read Rolling Stone in its pre-disco heyday and whose graceful way of telling a story is undiminished. Ben Fong- Torres' new biography of the band, "Willin'," makes you wish there had been a filmmaker on hand to shoot that particular run of shows in , too, since his account of the group falling apart makes it sound like a documentary could have been a "This is Spinal Tap" before its time. While admired by many, Little Feat never achieved the warranted respect. Dec 05, Sansan Gilbreath rated it it was amazing. The author also leaves a fine trail of band members influences and other contributions to expand ones destinations on a listening journey. Want to Read saving…. Little Feat entered a near decade fallow period where all the members joined other concerns before reuniting in and releasing Let It Roll Warner Brothers, Return to Book Page. A nice addition to the history of great American music. Reading the bio of this terrific band during the C19 quarantine provided me with the time to listen to the bands output loud and chronologically while reading each chapter. This book went on way too long. Well worth the ride. Ben Fong-Torres can be proud. Other Editions 5. For a band that has rolled into its fifth decade of music, Little Feat deserves to have its story told, and Fong-Torres should be commended for his effort. Related Searches. Hachette Books. Fills in the history of some of the shorter-term band members and covers the lives of the long-term ones sufficiently. View Product. It really deserves no more than two stars. Ben Fong-Torres. Fong-Torres comes not to bury the group with incriminating s anecdotes although, thankfully, there are a decent number of those but primarily to praise them, and to make the case for the band as one of rock's all-time great ones. There are no grizzly stories of drug use or road tales, only the simple statements of what was what. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Current Issue Details. Mar 17, Bob rated it it was amazing. Their stories, and subsequent two decades of band history, are told in 31 pages, while George dominates over Jan 12, John Brooks rated it did not like it. Michelle Miller rated it it was amazing Mar 02, What deeper reflection the book includes is generally in the form of directly reported interviews will the participants. Five stars because it is The Feats story. Love Little Feat, and did greatly enjoy legendary RS writer and editor Ben Fong-Torres' take on the found, times and ultimate end of the original incarnation of the band with Lowell George's untimely death. If you're a fan of rock music in the s to the s I believe you'll enjoy this book. Enlarge cover. Willin: The Story of Little Feat Writer Want to Read saving…. If you are fan of Little Feat I believe you'll really enjoy this book. There are bands too hip for the room, but band leaders too hip for their band? May 23, David Ward rated it liked it Shelves: music , non-fiction , rock-and-roll. And anyone who could join the Mothers of Invention for one of his first gigs and go toe-to-toe with Frank Zappa in willful weirdness hardly had shrinking violet written all over him. Nov 03, Richard rated it it was amazing. The post — George years of the book while interesting are not nearly as fascinating as the early years which is no surprise but the tone of book at that point is just this side of hagiography. Little Feat's "Waiting for Columbus" is widely regarded as one of the best live albums of all time. In real life, Fong-Torres was a writer and senior editor of Rolling Stone from almost the magazine's inception. I never realized how much Little Feat influenced my musical tastes until I read this book. All in all, Fong Torres did a phenomenal job of capturing the ebb and flow of one of the finest bands still performing today, or as he says on p. With that in mind, he does fine: he's written a blow by blow march through the story of Little Feat from Lowell George's early life in the Hollywood hills to the current incarnation of the band led by Bill Payne and Paul Barrere. Fong-Torres paints an even-handed picture of George and the band as they change music in the s. A seemingly eternal coda on the jam-band circuit is sure better than nothing, though. There's a cautionary tale here, if you look for it, on how drugs can work as a driver until they really, really don't, as George's initial flurry of insane creativity slows down to the point that his final release - a five-years-in-the-making solo album - had almost no new, original material and was panned as the laziest possible way to go out. For a band that has rolled into its fifth decade of music, Little Feat deserves to have its story told, and Fong-Torres should be commended for his effort. Refresh and try again. Readers also enjoyed. Reading the bio of this terrific band during the C19 quarantine provided me with the time to listen to the bands output loud and chronologically while reading each chapter. One such band was Little Feat, that eclectic Los Angeles band who wowed the critics but not the masses,composed songs others made famous and, regrettably, are known to most for a single song, "Dixie Chicken. Willin': The Story of Little Feat is a love letter to the technical and temporal value of music made during a golden time. Phish has covered the song live on occasion. A lot of good info about Feat's early albums even details about the album covers and songs, which I really wanted to know about. More Details Those are the bare facts. Love the band more after reading. Namespaces Article Talk. Members save with free shipping everyday! This book went on way too long. The band reunited fifteen years later or so, which implies a catching up work with their latest music fronted by Fuller and Shaun Murphy. Preview — Willin' by Ben Fong-Torres. They released it on their Little Feat album. But when the survivors regroup almost a decade after George's death, their comeback results in a mixed legacy. No other band can wrap a rhyme around a second line like Little Feat with Lowell George. Views Read Edit View history. Little Feat entered a near decade fallow period where all the members joined other concerns before reuniting in and releasing Let It Roll Warner Brothers, Ben Fong-Torres gets it down like it's never been told before. A very readable and enjoyable overview of Little Feat which helped to create a solid narrative for me of their history. Fong-Torres takes pains to point out that the group had other great songwriters besides George, which is a fair correction to popular perception. Hachette Books. Mr Fong Torres strength was describing how each members arrival and departure contributed to the evolution of the band. Not least of the sorrows involved is George's death in at the age of 34, under circumstances seemingly but not officially drug-related. Willin: The Story of Little Feat Reviews Average rating 3. I am a "Feat Head" as it turns out. Group founder Lowell George dies around p and I wonder why I even bother with the remaining pages. Well worth the ride. For every Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne carving their piece of big label pie, there were dozens more supporting them, living with less temporal if not financial success. A German patrol wiggles through Russian lines to return with details of Soviet defenses. This relative lack of editorializing is often refreshing but sometimes frustrating because t Fong-Torres is a journalistic, not a cultural historian. Biographical markers accurately and neatly describe the various paths that led to Lowell and Little Feat, first in , then again in when the quartet replaced its bassist and added a percussionist and second guitar.