HUMBLE PIE/AS SAFE AS YESTERDAY IS IMSP 025 (-69) UK
After leaving Small Faces Steve Marriot teamed up with Peter Framton from Herd, Greg Ridley from Spooky Tooth and teen drummer Jerry Shirley. At first Small Faces keybordist Ian McLagan participated, but left for the new "Faces" formation. They were labeled "supergroup" and first single "Natural Born Bugie" reached #4 in UK. This debute LP has been called "hard rock" and was the first album ever to be tagged "heavy metal" (from a 1970 reveiw in Rolling Stone magazine). That may be, but to me most of it sounds like a follow up to the Small Faces album "Ogdens Nut Gone Flake". It's the same kind of mix and audio, partly unbalanced and very loud. Jerry Shirley has the exact same style and timing as Kenney Jones and most of the guitars and organ could have been on any Small Faces Immediate recording. "Afterglow" from ONGF and the cover of "Desperation" on this could switch albums and fit perfectly on either. Production here is credited to Andy Johns, otherwise it sounds like recorded in the same studio with about the same crew. It's funny - the reformed "Faces" (early on still called "Small Faces" in the US) had three members from the old combo and two from Jeff Beck group and didn't remind of any of those. This band has a whole new name and members from three prominent groups, but all I hear is Small Faces getting heavier. The audio isn't top notch, but the loud, partly crappy sound fits the music just right. Sixties hard rock as it should be. First US on Immediate (IMOCS 101). Premiere UK had label as shown here, matt cover and lyric/credit inner. (YDÄ*)(SXÅH*)
Not quite in the same league as SF's, IMO. But an enjoyable hard-rocking blue-eyed soul band. The Steppenwolf cover is the highlight on this record, which is truly remarkable when you think of all the top-notch material Marriott (co-)wrote for the Small faces' last album (and before that),
And you're right, the sound quality is really crap on this one. The 2nd album, which supposedly was culled from the same sessions, sounds ten times better.
I can live with the sound quality, just see it as a sign of the times - too loud on four channels.
Desperation cover is a gem and still hits me even if I listened to it 1000 times or more. Of all Humble Pie albums I dig the two on Immediate most. Don't know why, maybe it has to do with the feeling or the fact they still in some way remind me of Small Faces.
Not quite in the same league as SF's, IMO. But an enjoyable hard-rocking blue-eyed soul band. The Steppenwolf cover is the highlight on this record, which is truly remarkable when you think of all the top-notch material Marriott (co-)wrote for the Small faces' last album (and before that),
SvaraRaderaAnd you're right, the sound quality is really crap on this one. The 2nd album, which supposedly was culled from the same sessions, sounds ten times better.
I can live with the sound quality, just see it as a sign of the times - too loud on four channels.
SvaraRaderaDesperation cover is a gem and still hits me even if I listened to it 1000 times or more. Of all Humble Pie albums I dig the two on Immediate most. Don't know why, maybe it has to do with the feeling or the fact they still in some way remind me of Small Faces.