![]() ![]() Finally there's the cathartic A Song For Jenny, another in the bursting canon of songs about the weariness of the road, lifted by the gospel-like chorus of the backup singers, the Soul Sisters.Īt this point, Humble Pie was another band with greater success still ahead of them. There's the sinister Strange Days - no connection to the Doors tune besides a similar dark and troubled theme. ![]() There's the bawdy humour of honky tonkers, Red Neck Jump and 79th & Sunset. There's the primal blues rock of Muddy Waters' cover Rollin' Stone, Stone Cold Fever, and Sour Grain. Sure, the album starts with Frampton written and sung, Shine On and the similarly luminescence-themed, The Light, and bassist Greg Ridley takes a gruff lead vocal about the lovably gruff Big George.īut the other seven songs showcase the genius of Steve Marriott. Rock On, the band's second album for A&M, really pushes Marriott to the forefront. Both elements place a greater emphasis on Steve Marriott. Only a year later, the band was on a new record label with a new manager who a) pushed them to a harder rock sound and b) worked hard to break the band in America. Mike Canoe: With the exception of catching 30 Days In The Hole on classic rock radio, Humble Pie seems to be another band of a certain vintage more heard about than actually heard - at least in the U.S.Īlready a legend with the Small Faces, singer Steve Marriott formed Humble Pie in 1969 with hotshot guitarist Peter Frampton after several failed attempts to get Frampton accepted into the Small Faces as second guitarist. Incidentally, I saw Frampton’s first solo tour when he opened for Johnny Winter. I’ve always loved the rawness of the band and this reminds me of early 70’s pool halls that had no issues with 14-year-old kids hanging out. This was about the time when I discovered them and Rockin’ the Fillmore and Smokin’ just hooked me. Richard Cardenas: Humble Pie was one of my favourite groups when I was a kid. This is early 70s soulful blues rock that straddles the gap between Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. This is a fantastic album, full of light and shade, showcasing Marriott's excellent voice as well as strong performances from the rest of the band. So it's not a huge surprise that I never listened to Humble Pie. was never a fan of Peter Frampton and Small Faces were a sub-Who psychedelic mod band so I didn't really pay them much heed either. The record has an undeniable live feel to it, due in part to Glyn Johns' humble yet precise recording, framing the group as if they were a boogie version of the Band." ( Rate Your Music (opens in new tab)) "Rock On proves exactly just how talented those musicians were and why Frampton deserved the superstar status he got years later, and why Marriott is recognised as one of the best amongst other musicians. They are becoming thoroughly Americanized by this time, much more so than their principal concurrents, the Faces: country, blues and bluegrass influences are all over this album, but Steve Marriott adds to everything his impeccable vocal stylizations, really bothering to sing and, okay, maybe 'articulate' instead of just barking and shouting his way through all the songs." ( Only Solitaire (opens in new tab)) "On this album the band really proves why in the early seventies it was considered one of Britain's greatest R'n'B outfits. Although Peter Frampton elevated himself to superstar status in just a few years, this album proves what an excellent lead guitarist he was." ( AllMusic (opens in new tab)) Led by the soulful Steve Marriot, the Pie was a great band in every sense of the word. "On this, their second album for A&M, Humble Pie proved that they were not the 'minor league Rolling Stones' as people often described them. If you wanna know where the Black Crowes learned to fly, look no further. The steak on the plate was funky come-git-some rockers like Sour Grain and the aforementioned Strange Days. Rarely has Marriott sounded as inflamed as on the bluesy Strange Days, while their sulphurous take on Muddy Waters’ Rollin’ Stone made other would-be badasses of the period sound like choirboys. Their final studio album with guitarist Peter Frampton, it contained wonderfully fresh tracks like Shine On and The Light.Ĭo-produced with the Small Faces’ old engineer Glyn Johns, standouts include Stone Cold Fever and Marriott’s tender ode to his first wife, A Song For Jenny, on which the band are joined by soul sirens Doris Troy, PP Arnold and Claudia Lennear. First - and released two months before Humble Pie's historic Fillmore shows (and the runaway success of the live Performance: Rockin’ The Fillmore) - the band's fourth album Rock On established their heavyweight credentials, with Steve Marriott singing R&B over heavy riffs the others came up with. ![]()
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