My freshman college roommate had the excellent Little Feat live album, Waiting for Columbus. I listened to it a lot, it was a fun album with great energy. Dixie Chicken was one of their signature tunes, and it was my favorite track on the album.
I love it mostly for a particular moment: at 4:43, following a piano solo from Bill Payne and some dixieland horns from Tower of Power, drummer Richard Hayward kicks the song back into the main groove with a thunderous drum fill. The first time I heard it I had to rewind the tape so I could hear it again and again. After the quiet musical interlude, the return of the drums is really powerful.
The lyrics are fun, the chorus is memorable, and Lowell George had that smooth southern drawl, but I was all about the ensemble playing. After some rambling intro playing, Hayward puts the song in motion and Payne plays those high piano notes. The song is really a great showcase for Payne's bluesy barroom piano, but everyone else gets their licks in as well. After 6:30 or so, there is some excellent guitar from Paul Barrere.
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