Humble Pie
The Definitive Collection
# Audio CD (August 29, 2006)
# Original Release Date: August 29, 2006
# Number of Discs: 1
# Format: Original recording remastered
# Label: A&M
Tracks:
1. Natural Born Woman (aka Natural Born Boogie)
2. The Sad Bag Of Shaky Jake
3. Big Black Dog
4. Live With Me
5. I’m Ready
6. Shine On
7. Stone Cold Fever
8. Rollin' Stone
9. Four Day Creep - live
10. I Don't Need No Doctor - live
11. Hot 'N' Nasty
12. C’mon Everybody
13. 30 Days In The Hole
14. Black Coffee
15. I Believe To My Soul
16. Ninety-Nine Pounds
17. Road Hog
Alongside such other acts as Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, Free, Spooky Tooth, Cactus, and Foghat, Humble Pie combined blues, boogie, and raw, heavy rock power, that thrilled audiences the world over during the early and mid-1970's. This British combo was spearheaded by Steve Marriott (vocals/guitar/keyboards/harp), and also featured members Peter Frampton (guitars/keyboards/vocals), Clem Clempson (guitar/keyboards/vocals), Greg Ridley (bass/guitar/vocals) and Jerry Shirley (drums/keyboards) among its ranks. While the band was only together for a short time with their two classic line-ups (roughly six years) they had their share of top selling albums and sold out tours. Even though Marriott put together a reformed version of the band in the 80's, it never took off for him, and sadly he perished in a house fire in 1991. This collection looks at the years 1969-1975, essentially the Frampton and then the Clempson eras, and 17 of the best songs from that time period.
Marriott's aggressive blues/soul flavored vocals were a perfect fit for the heavy driving songs that the band wrote, and his gritty rhythm guitar riffs were a perfect foil for the lyrical lead guitar work and melodic vocals of the young Peter Frampton, who was still a few years away from his superstardom that would come with the release of Frampton Comes Alive. Songs like "Stone Cold Fever", "I Don't Need No Doctor", "Four Day Creep", and "Rollin' Stone" showcase Frampton's nimble and jazzy guitar work amidst powerful riff heavy blues-rock numbers, all featuring tight rhythms from Ridley and Shirley, and energetic vocals from Marriott, whose tough-guy rhythm guitar riffs fuel the entire band. After Frampton's departure in 1971, the underrated Dave "Clem" Clempson joined fresh from his stint in Colosseum, and the band tore head first into even bluesier hard rock, yet always with a soulful edge. Hit singles like "30 Days in the Hole" and "Natural Born Woman" are represented here from that era, as well as blistering rockers like "Hot 'n' Nasty", "Black Coffee", and "C'mon Everybody". Clempson was a very different guitar player than Frampton, perhaps a bit bluesier, which ultimately fit in better with Marriott's style of songwriting. Regardless of which player you favor, the result is still the same-kick ass rock and roll.
While the essential Humble Pie album is still and will always be Performance-Rockin' the Fillmore, this collection is a good start for those new to the band. And considering that most of the Humble Pie discography is out of print or never released on CD, as least here in the US, this is a good place to start as any.
Reviews:
The Definitive Collection unites original recordings from Humble Pie's early-'70s A&M output, highlighting the gravelly vocals of ex-Small Faces frontman Steve Marriott along with the driving guitars of first Peter Frampton and then Frampton's replacement, Dave "Clem" Clempson. During their peak years, Humble Pie were the premier boogie band. Their output of the era inundated album rock radio with the originals "Hot 'n' Nasty" and "30 Days in the Hole," Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody," and the Ray Charles-inspired epic "I Don't Need No Doctor," which was recorded live at the Fillmore and was Frampton's swan song with the band. Also included are several hard-edged cover versions of blues classics -- "Four Day Creep," "Rollin' Stone," and "I'm Ready" -- which were a significant part of their regular live set at the time. While there are other, more exhaustive compilations, such as the double-disc 1994 set Hot 'n' Nasty: The Anthology, this is the best concise overview of the group's career, containing the most hits on a single disc. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide
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Seeing as though A&M Records here in the United States has pretty much ignored Humble Pie's catalog (most are available from Japan as expensive imports) this collection is way long overdo. Founded by ex-Small faces Stevie Marriott and who's lineup included one highly talented guitarist/songwriter named Peter Frampton who originally was a member of The Herd, a British pop rock act, Humble Pie are best compared to Led Zeppelin in that they played soul combined with rock n' roll with lots of grunt. This collection includes seventeen tracks spanning the band's seventies career. The standouts are many including several songs from the band's excellent "Performance: Rockin' The Fillmore" album with "I Don't Need No Doctor" and "Four Day Creep". Other superb tracks include "Natural Born Woman", "Big Black Dog", "Live With Me", "Shine On", "Stone Cold Fever", "Hot N' Nasty", "30 Days In The Hole" and "Black Coffee". Frampton would leave after three years with the band to pursue what would become a highly successful solo career. Humble Pie continued to record several excellent albums following Frampton's departure such as "Smokin" and "Eat It" but unfortunately the followup albums "Thunderbox" and "Street Rats" were unsuccessful for the most part and when Marriott reformed Humble Pie in the eighties the few albums released then were hardly noticed. In 1991 talks of a reunion with Peter Frampton would unfortunately never materialize due to Marriott's death that year and the world lost an extremely talented singer/songwriter. The remastering on this "Definitve Collection" is excellent with crisp highs, increased midrange and extended output levels. A must have for classic rock fans worldwide.
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