When you think about great live albums, several immediately come to mind. The Who’s Live at Leeds. James Brown’s Live at the Apollo. The Allman Brothers Band’s Live at Fillmore East. Kiss’ Alive! Nirvana’s Unplugged. And, while it is sometimes unjustifiably forgotten, Little Feat’s Waiting for Columbus. The last essential album the rootsy California band made, it stands as the group’s magnum opus—a staggering confluence of energetic performances, skilled improvisations, and thematic expansion.

It also remains one of the greatest-sounding live records in history. And Mobile Fidelity, which spent more than two years getting this digital version exactly right, has now turned Waiting for Columbus into audiophile manna from heaven. Consider: Bass guitar lines that will rattle your windows. Drum kits that attack with punch, inertia, and rhythm. Positively explosive sounds and hues from the Tower of Power horn section. The unmistakably distinctive sound of guitars plugged into analog stomp boxes that are, yes, plugged into tube amplifiers. Oh, and speaking of guitars, wait until you hear Lowell George's ravishing playing, which you can now follow like the flight of a bee. Experienced via Mobile Fidelity's numbered limited-edition 24K 2CD edition, it's like sitting 12 rows back, dead center, in a hall noted for perfect acoustics.

So what exactly goes down on this record that's so amazing? Everything. Particularly when you factor in the history.

Joined onstage by the Tower of Power horn section, Little Feat accentuates and remakes familiar arrangements, using the stage as a laboratory for unbridled creativity, New Orleans-spiced fun, and spontaneous interaction. Bursting with enthusiasm and excitement, Waiting for Columbus is truly a live album for the ages—and one of a certain distinctive era.

“The abundance of great music, the culture of drugs, and the politics of Richard Nixon, which had everyone polarized and created more of a sense of community, all contributed to this incredible feeling that somehow we were on a collective journey. Waiting for Columbus is one of the last parts of that journey, and among the last vestiges of that scene.”
–Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne, as told to Bud Scoppa

Amazingly, the set came together under less-than-ideal conditions. In the months leading up to the seven 1977 Washington D.C. and London concerts that were taped for the record, leader Lowell George had removed himself from the band’s affairs. The chemistry was fractured, but the shows functioned as a molding agent. And did Little Feat ever respond. With every member of the sextet playing like their life depended on it, and a guest appearance by ex-Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, and mind-blowing sound, this is a must-have set.

Mobile Fidelity is proud to present Waiting for Columbus in the finest possible sound so that you can get a clear sense of the virtuosic musical interplay. It demands to be played loud! And yes, it beats the first MoFi version released decades ago. Strictly limited, this numbered edition will, like all good things, not last forever. Here’s your chance to own all four essential Little Feat titles—1971’s Little Feat, 1972’s organic rock jambalaya Sailin’ Shoes, and 1973’s funky Dixie Chicken—as well as this seminal live set in the very best fidelity possible. Talk about a collection builder.