This Weeks Forgotten Gem of the 80s Little Feats Hate to Lose Your Lovin

The attempt to replace a rock and roll frontman as distinctive as Little Feat's Lowell George was going to be an extremely risky one no matter when it happened. As it turned out, 1988's reformation of the band - nine years after George's tragic, early death - benefited from the best possible choice to fill the void. Craig Fuller, founding member of '70s country-rock band Pure Prairie League - a successful enough outfit in its own right - never attempted to mimic George in his contributions to Feat's comeback record, Let It Roll. Instead, the newcomer naturally sounded enough like his predecessor to allow for the application of Fuller's own distinctive songwriting stamp and passionate lead vocal style to a batch of new Feat material. This is a very strong, underrated late-'80s rock record precisely because the teaming of Fuller with George's old bandmates was a sound and well-conceived one.

The album's title track certainly scores with its rollicking, sweeping ensemble sound, but lead-off track and chart-topping Billboard mainstream rock single "Hate to Lose Your Lovin'" probably stands out as a more purely classic Feat performance. Strains of "Dixie Chicken" notwithstanding, the song's shuffle exudes pure fun, and the combined lead vocals of co-songwriters Paul Barrere and Fuller deftly deliver the soul. When you throw in tasty boogie piano and Barrere's nimble slide guitar, this track takes on the complexity of George-era Feat and at the same time retains an undeniable connection the heart and guts necessary to make defining rock and roll. There may not be much about this fine track or the album it comes from that feels particularly of the '80s, but this was music sorely needed on the rock music landscape circa 1988.

• Sample or download "Hate to Lose Your Lovin'" here.
• Roots Rock Genre Profile
• Top Heartland Rock Songs of the '80s

Single Cover Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.