Album: Sailin' Shoes (1972)

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Songfacts®:

• An early Little Feat song, "Easy To Slip" was written by the band's guitarist/singer Lowell George and his frequent writing collaborator Martin Kibbee. Kibbee had the original idea, then played it for George, who added the guitar part. It's one of those upbeat-sounding songs with lyrics that reveal dread and despair, with Lowell George singing about the good things that have slipped away, leaving him alone in a world gone cold. According to Kibbee, he wrote the song after his wife left him, which inspired the lyric.
• Little Feat was angling for a hit with this song, keeping it lively with a compact production by Ted Templeman, who produced the Doobie Brothers album Toulouse Street (the one with "Listen To The Music" and "Jesus Is Just Alright") that same year - 1972. "Easy To Slip" was issued as a single from Little Feat's second album, Sailin' Shoes. They won over critics with their self-titled 1971 debut album, especially with the song "Willin'," but it didn't translate to much radio play or sales. Sailin' Shoes faced a similar fate when "Easy To Slip" failed to chart. Their label, Warner Bros., stuck with the band and did reap some rewards down the road when their 1978 live album, Waiting For Columbus, went Platinum, but Little Feat never grew the huge audience many expected and remain one of those hidden gems in pile of '70s rock. Group leader Lowell George is a tragic figure: Drug use and poor lifestyle choices led to a heart attack in 1979 that killed him at age 34. The band returned to action in 1987, with keyboard player Bill Payne remaining the only constant member. "Easy To Slip" hasn't held up nearly as well as tracks like "Dixie Chicken" and "Oh Atlanta," which have anchored their setlists.
• The song's writers, Martin Kibbee and Lowell George, started their own publishing company around this time called Naked Snake Music because they had lost the rights to their earlier songs. Pre-Little Feat, Kibbee and George were in a band together called The Factory.
• Martin Kibbee was often credited, including on this song, as Fred Martin. This meant that the writing credit would go to "George/Martin." George Martin was the producer for The Beatles and this was their way to pay tribute to him.
• When "Easy To Slip" failed to chart, the band made some personnel changes, adding guitarist Paul Barrere and expanding the lineup from four members to six.

Comments: 9

• Bigwill from ChicagoSinger sounds so much like Stephen Stills
• Roseanna from RofoWho sings easy to slip...it doesent sound like Lowell...
• John from Beltsville, MdI swear I read somewhere that Linda Ronstadt sings backup on this tune.
• Mark from Kansas City, KsYes steve but you have to mention the fact that after the albums on Zappa label(the other factor ---no promotion...signed w/Warner bros.{work with Raitt helped {and she learned soo much slide from Lowell}) They did sessions in London for Robt. Palmer(Sneekin Sally {great cover!!} and SPCDWTL) and worked with Bonnie Raitt.(Home Plate) that where they met they met Grady and Clayton. It's the bottom beat that made the band.Sorry but Roy was bad bassist and Zappa wanted weird???
  Anyway this song has touched my life and is the reason I'm still here because "It's so easy...."
  
  BTW "Salt Lake City"on Weir's album is one of the best songs ever!
• Barry from New York, NcBob Weir included this song on his "Heaven Help The Fool" LP (released in January 1978). Although he never played it with the Grateful Dead, it was frequently performed with Ratdog and other Weir solo bands.
• Michael from Queens, NyThis song was covered by Bob Weir (Grateful Dead)on what he calls his "L.A." solo album, which was produced by Keith Olsen who had just did the Dead's Terrapin Station. Olsen was one of the first outside producers hired by the Dead (since their early Warner Bros. days)due to Clive Davis new label, Artista, wanting to make money by having the Dead sound more commercial. Olsen had just turned around Fleetwood Mac from blues to more of a Pop rock sound. Instead the Dead was split on the whole Terrapin LP and went on to hire Lowell George, lead singer & slide guitarist of Little Feat, as producer for the next LP Shakedown Street.
  
  Yeah Steve from Louiville-
  Sam Clayton actually wanted to be a Basketball playeer (but that fell through when his knees went) so he hit the Bongos & did Percussion work for Little Feat.
• Steve from Hamilton, Canada"Hoy Hoy" was a compilation album released in 1981. It included some alternate and live versions of familiar tracks, and some (like this one) that were identical to the versions released earlier. Also a few previously unreleased songs, whose omission from earlier releases is surprising as they're very good, especially "Gringo" written by Bill Payne and "China White" by Lowell George.
• Ted from Loveland, CoWasn't this from an album called "Hoy Hoy"?
• Steve from Louisville, KyThat's partially accurate. The band actually broke up after Sailing Shoes, due to commercial disappointment and other factors I'm not sure about. By the time they reformed to do Dixie Chicken, bassist Roy Estrada had departed to play with Captain Beefheart, so they got Kenny Gradney (who had played with Delaney and Bonnie), and added Berrere and Sam Clayton. They broke up pretty often throughout the 70's...the title of the 5th album, "The Last Record Album" was a toungue in cheek joke about this phenomenon....every album had a good chance of being the last.

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