The Last Record Album

The Last Record Album is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1975 on the Warner Bros. label.

The Last Record Album
Cover artwork, with giant orange jelly, by Neon Park
Studio album by Little Feat
Released	October 17, 1975[citation needed]
Recorded	1975
Studio	The Sound Factory, Los Angeles
Length	38:17
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Lowell George
Little Feat chronology
Feats Don't Fail Me Now (1974) The Last Record Album (1975) Time Loves a Hero (1977)

Background

The album title and cover illustration by Neon Park^[1] both allude to the 1971 film The Last Picture Show as well as the title typography on the film's poster, with Hollywood Boulevard turned into a desert leading to the apparent visual pun of the Hollywood Sign Jell-O mold "dessert". At left, Frederick's of Hollywood has long since closed, but the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre at right is still a landmark.

The album's back cover includes the record's lyrics. One song, "Hi Roller," was marked out in black ink with the annotation "Maybe Next Time". The song was indeed included on their next album Time Loves a Hero (1977).

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Christgau's Record Guide	B−[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
Rolling Stone	(not rated)[5]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "For a very short album – only eight songs – too many of the cuts fall flat. Those that succeed, however, are quite good, particularly Paul Barrère and Bill Payne's gently propulsive 'All That You Dream,' Lowell George's beautiful 'Long Distance Love,' and the sublime 'Mercenary Territory' .... There are enough signs of Little Feat's true character on The Last Record Album – the three previously mentioned songs are essential for any Feat fan – to make it fairly enjoyable, but it's clear that the band is beginning to run out of steam."^[2]

The track "Long Distance Love" was placed at number 26 in John Peel's 1976 "Festive Fifty".^[6] The album was voted number 555 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).^[7]

Writing for The Guardian in 2010, after the death of Richie Hayward, Adam Sweeting commented:

The Last Record Album (1975) was a less cohesive effort, but continued the group's upward commercial progress. In hindsight, there is bleak irony in the way George chose to decorate the album's sleeve with the medical bills racked up by Hayward following a serious motorcycle accident ... During his final illness, when he had moved to Canada, Hayward's lack of medical insurance left him facing huge bills for treatment.^[8]

Cover versions

• Carly Simon recorded a version of "One Love Stand" for her 1976 album Another Passenger.^[9]
• Elvis Costello recorded a version of "Long Distance Love" for the 2024 album Long Distance Love: A Sweet Relief Tribute to Lowell George by various artists.^[10][11]

Track listing

Side one

1. "Romance Dance" (Barrère, Gradney, Payne) – 3:49 (lead vocals: Bill Payne, Paul Barrère)
2. "All That You Dream" (Barrère, Payne) – 3:52 (lead vocal: Lowell George)
3. "Long Distance Love" (George) – 2:43 (lead vocal: Lowell George)
4. "Day or Night" (Payne, Fran Tate) – 6:24 (lead vocals: Bill Payne, Paul Barrère)

Side two

1. "One Love Stand" (Barrère, Gradney, Payne) – 4:26 (lead vocal: Lowell George)
2. "Down Below the Borderline" (George) – 3:41 (lead vocal: Lowell George)
3. "Somebody's Leavin'" (Payne) – 5:07 (vocal: Bill Payne)
4. "Mercenary Territory" (George, Hayward, Elizabeth George) – 4:27 (lead vocal: Lowell George)

Charts

Chart (1975)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12]	51
US Billboard 200[13]	36

Personnel

Source: The Last Record Album, Warner Bros. Records – K 56156, & BS 2884, 1975, liner notes.

Little Feat

• Paul Barrère – vocals, guitar
• Sam Clayton – congas
• Lowell George – vocals, guitar
• Kenny Gradney – bass
• Richard Hayward – backing vocals, drums
• Bill Payne – vocals, keyboards, synthesizer

Additional musicians

• John Hall – guitar ("All That You Dream")
• Linda Ronstadt – backing vocals (“All That You Dream”)
• Valerie Carter – backing vocals ("Long Distance Love" and "One Love Stand")
• Fran Tate – backing vocals ("Long Distance Love" and "One Love Stand")

Production

• Lowell George – producer
• George Massenburg – engineer
• Neon Park – cover artwork