If Dixie Chicken represented a pinnacle of Lowell George as a songwriter and bandleader, its sequel, Feats Don't Fail Me Now, is the pinnacle of Little Feat as a group, showcasing each member at their finest. Not coincidentally, it's the moment where George begins to recede from the spotlight, leaving the band as a true democracy. These observations are only clear in hindsight, since if Feats Don't Fail Me Now is just taken as a record, it's nothing more than a damn good rock & roll record. That's not meant as a dismissal, either, since it's hard to make a rock & roll album as seemingly effortless and infectious as this. Though it effectively builds on the Southern-fried funkiness of Dixie Chicken, it's hardly as mellow as that record -- there's a lot of grit, tougher rhythms, and plenty of guitar and organ. It's as supple as Chicken, though, which means that it's the sound of a touring band at their peak. As it happens, Little Feat are on the top of their writing game as well, with Bill Payne contributing the rollicking "Oh Atlanta" and Paul Barrere turning in one of his best songs, the jazzy funk of "Skin it Back." Each has a co-writing credit with George -- Payne on the unreleased Little Feat-era nugget "The Fan" and Barrere (plus Fred Martin) on the infectious title track -- who also has a couple of classics with "Rock and Roll Doctor" and the great "Spanish Moon." Feats peters out toward the end, as the group delves into a ten-minute medley of two Sailin' Shoes songs, but that doesn't hurt one of the best albums Little Feat ever cut. It's so good, the band used it as the template for the rest of their career. [Little Feat and WMG celebrated the 50th anniversary of Feats Don't Fail Me Now by pairing a new remaster of the 1974 album with two discs of rarities. The first bonus disc -- the one that's also added to a new vinyl pressing of the album -- features 12 tracks, eight of which are recently discovered alternates and outtakes that have never seen the light of day. The alternate versions of the songs on Feats aren't radically different -- they follow the same arrangements, they're just a little looser -- but it's a pleasure to hear the band play. More interesting are early versions of songs that popped up on Little Feat albums further down the road: a groovy, mellow reading of "Front Page News," a spare rendition of "Long Distance Love" that feels like little more than Lowell George and an acoustic guitar, an early stab at "Day at the Dog Races" that peters out, and a funky version of "Lonesome Whistle." The third disc, dubbed "If You Bought It, A Truck Brought It," contains a concert held at L'Olympia in Paris on February 3, 1975. The cleaned-up sound may remain a little rough, but the performance is dynamite, particularly in an epic medley of "Cold Cold Cold," "Dixie Chicken," and "Tripe Face Boogie" that rolls on for nearly 20 minutes.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine