Easy To Slip

Album: Sailin' Shoes (1972)
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Songfacts®:

  • This was written by guitarist/singer Lowell George and his frequent collaborator Martin Kibbee. Kibbee had the original idea, then played it for George, who added the guitar part.
  • This is probably the song that convinced Warner Bros. not to drop the band because it showed their commercial potential. Ironically, neither the song nor the album charted.
  • Kibbee and George started their own publishing company around this time called Naked Snake Music because they had lost the rights to their earlier songs.
  • Kibbee was often credited, including on this song, as Fred Martin. This meant that the writing credit would go to "George/Martin." George Martin was the producer for The Beatles and this was their way to pay tribute to him.
  • The inability of this song to chart led to the personnel changes that added guitarist Paul Barrere and expanded the lineup from four people to six.

Comments: 8

  • Roseanna from RofoWho sings easy to slip...it doesent sound like Lowell...
  • John from Beltsville, MdI swear I read somewhere that Linda Ronstadt sings backup on this tune.
  • Mark from Kansas City, KsYes steve but you have to mention the fact that after the albums on Zappa label(the other factor ---no promotion...signed w/Warner bros.{work with Raitt helped {and she learned soo much slide from Lowell}) They did sessions in London for Robt. Palmer(Sneekin Sally {great cover!!} and SPCDWTL) and worked with Bonnie Raitt.(Home Plate) that where they met they met Grady and Clayton. It's the bottom beat that made the band.Sorry but Roy was bad bassist and Zappa wanted weird???
    Anyway this song has touched my life and is the reason I'm still here because "It's so easy...."

    BTW "Salt Lake City"on Weir's album is one of the best songs ever!
  • Barry from New York, NcBob Weir included this song on his "Heaven Help The Fool" LP (released in January 1978). Although he never played it with the Grateful Dead, it was frequently performed with Ratdog and other Weir solo bands.
  • Michael from Queens, NyThis song was covered by Bob Weir (Grateful Dead)on what he calls his "L.A." solo album, which was produced by Keith Olsen who had just did the Dead's Terrapin Station. Olsen was one of the first outside producers hired by the Dead (since their early Warner Bros. days)due to Clive Davis new label, Artista, wanting to make money by having the Dead sound more commercial. Olsen had just turned around Fleetwood Mac from blues to more of a Pop rock sound. Instead the Dead was split on the whole Terrapin LP and went on to hire Lowell George, lead singer & slide guitarist of Little Feat, as producer for the next LP Shakedown Street.

    Yeah Steve from Louiville-
    Sam Clayton actually wanted to be a Basketball playeer (but that fell through when his knees went) so he hit the Bongos & did Percussion work for Little Feat.
  • Steve from Hamilton, Canada"Hoy Hoy" was a compilation album released in 1981. It included some alternate and live versions of familiar tracks, and some (like this one) that were identical to the versions released earlier. Also a few previously unreleased songs, whose omission from earlier releases is surprising as they're very good, especially "Gringo" written by Bill Payne and "China White" by Lowell George.
  • Ted from Loveland, CoWasn't this from an album called "Hoy Hoy"?
  • Steve from Louisville, KyThat's partially accurate. The band actually broke up after Sailing Shoes, due to commercial disappointment and other factors I'm not sure about. By the time they reformed to do Dixie Chicken, bassist Roy Estrada had departed to play with Captain Beefheart, so they got Kenny Gradney (who had played with Delaney and Bonnie), and added Berrere and Sam Clayton. They broke up pretty often throughout the 70's...the title of the 5th album, "The Last Record Album" was a toungue in cheek joke about this phenomenon....every album had a good chance of being the last.
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