Customer Reviews

Natural Born Bugie

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By 1972 Humble Pie was a concert favorite. Their live album "Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore" peaked at No. 21 and musically they had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. But this wasn't until after they had switched record labels to A&M in 1970.

In 1969 they had released two albums on the Immediate label--"As Safe As Yesterday Is" (tracks 3-12)and "Town and Country" (tracks 13-23)--featuring frontman Steve Marriott, who had just left the Small Faces, and 19-year-old Peter Frampton. The melodic songwriting and sometimes acoustic arrangments on these two albums make it difficult to recognize them as the same band that two years later would plod through a 16-minute version of Muddy Waters' "Rollin' Stone" or a 24-minute rendition of "I Walk on Gilded Splinters."

In addition to these two albums presented in their entirety, you also get their first single "Natural Born Bugie" b/w "Wrist Job," which went to No. 4 in the UK. Also, there are numerous previously unreleased tracks, including a take on Ray Charles' "Drown In My Own Tears" and a slowed-down version of the Yardbirds' "For Your Love." This is a kinder, gentler Humble Pie than the boogie 'n' blooze image of their later albums. As such, it is also my favorite. RECOMMENDED

This double-disc set features the entire 1969 output of one of Rock's most underrated bands - Humble Pie. It features the first two albums, the first single and about 8 unreleased cuts from these sessions.

The music here is phenomenal: it shifts from classic rock, to soul, country, blues, folk, a bit of prog and sweet old rock and roll. It is very different from the boogie sound of later albums as Rockin' The Fillmore and Smokin'. I figure its because Peter Frampton had more influence on the band's sound.

Take it, put it in the stereo, and get addicted to it. You will not believe the amount of magic those two discs contain.

This CD contains Humble Pie's complete Immediate output ( two albums plus one single ) along with 11 rare tracks ( outtakes, demosm backing tracks etc. ).

Humble Pie started off as a "supergroup" featuring former members of Small Faces, Herd and Spooky Tooth. These two albums Immediate albums clearly shows that Steve Marriott ( Small Faces ) was the major force in the band and their main song-writer ( his material clearly outshines the others').

The music is not very unlike that of the Small Faces though it is generally given a harder approach; especially on the first album "As Safe as Yesterday Is". "Town and Country" features several acoustic tracks.

The band was an immediate success with the single "Natural Born Bugie", a charming Chuck Berry/Get Back rip-off thing. Unfortunately they were not able to repete this success, so they left the Immediate label after only 2 years. They left behind two solid, though to a certain extent, unfulfilled albums. The direction they searched out on "Town and Country" had deserved more appreciation, and it's quite a shame that they more or less got stuck with the hard stadium type of rock which eventually ruined Marriott's fine voice.

Personally I believe that "Heartbeat" from T&C had the hit-potentials that could have given them their second hit single. Another song that deserved to be brought forward is Marriott's great bluesy acoustic tune "Every Mother's

Son" - among the bonus-tracks a fine alternate version with funny studio talk can be found, too.

The out-take "79 Street Song" is another great addition - how could this great song be left out?

A lot of great stuff here recommended for every fan of Small Faces!