Don’t be deceived, like I was, by the title of this set from Humble Pie. Rather than a decade long history of the band, which would have been quite welcome, this five disc set is largely the last gasps of Steve Marriott’s band between 1980 and 1983 with a 1973 live disc tacked on for good measure. Aside from Mr. Marriott, drummer Jerry Shirley is retained from the classic lineup, with guitarist Bobby Tench and bassist Anthony “Sooty” Jones rounding out the band. What is abundantly clear is that Humble Pie found its niche in the early seventies and, damn it, that’s where they were going to stay. Between 1969 and 1975, the band’s mix of soul, R&B, blues and heavy rock resulted in radio staples like I Don’t Need No Doctor, 30 Days In The Hole, and Hot ‘n’ Nasty. Citing the inevitable “musical differences”, the band broke up in the mid-seventies. By the end of the decade, with Jerry Shirley’s latest band collapsing and Steve Marriott in dire financial straits, the two were encouraged to give Humble Pie another go.
Disc One is the 1980 album On To Victory, picking up where the band previously left off. Fool For A Pretty Face opens the album and could fit almost anywhere in the band’s discography. Marriott’s signature rasp is in fine form, giving rocking tunes like Infatuation and Take It From Here a bluesy sincerity. A high energy rendition of Baby Don’t You Do It dispenses with the Band’s pleading version for a musical spit in the face. Get It In The End and Further Down The Road call into question whether or not the Pie were ready for a new album. On the other hand, Otis Redding’s My Lover’s Prayer is a hand-in-glove fit for Marriott’s voice and approach; even so, it somehow misses the mark, largely due to a generic arrangement that seems to split the difference between country and R&B.
Go For The Throat is the 1981 offering that occupies Disc Two. All Shook Up begins promisingly enough, but falls apart with a musical interlude that feels unrelated to what came before. Teenage Anxiety relies on acoustic piano for a bit of something different, but it doesn’t feel like a comfortable fit. The band attempt to update the Small Faces tune Tin Soldier, but despite the female backup chorus, the song simply comes across as a lame retread. Driver is an attempt to infuse some ZZ Top boogie into the proceedings with only moderate success. Where you might expect the band to explode on a track titled Go For The Throat, you would be incorrect. The sound is tired and close to a parody of itself. By the time the album concludes with the swaggering Stones-inspired vibe of Chip Away (The Stone), it’s too little too late. Not surprisingly, the band broke up again following this recording.
Disc Three is a collection tunes that Marriott recorded following the dissolution of the band with musicians from the Atlanta area where he had relocated to. Ain’t You Glad (New York Can’t Talk) is a bluesy, organ-infused slow burn that proves there was still magic to be heard. Sweet Nuthins is basic elemental rock and rock, and its sparse arrangement suits the song. The reggae rhythms of Trouble You Can’t Fool Me add a new spice that enliven this short ditty. Middle Age Anxiety is another tune that shows promise, wearing its pop sensibilities on its sleeve, as does Lonely No More, both eschewing the basic guitar boogie for electric piano and organ. It’s ironic that the songs that never made it onto a proper Humble Pie/Steve Marriott disc (until now, that is) are some of the best of his latter-day career.
Unsurprisingly, it is the last couple discs that hold the most interest in this set. Disc Four is a 1983 show from Cincinnati, Ohio that proves, even at the end, The Pie were a powerhouse live act. Marriott’s potty mouth notwithstanding, the band run through an entertaining set of Pie classics old and new as well as some soul covers. Ray Charles’ Hallelujah (I Love Her So) rises above the poor sound quality to recall the early days of Humble Pie at the Fillmore, all attitude and puffed out chest. Rude/Drum Solo/30 Days In The Hole is sixteen minutes of bawdy limericks, unnecessary drum solos, and an amped-up version of 30 Days stripped of all finesse and played with the energy of an amateur garage band. Note that the band on this album is not the same band who recorded the studio material, but rather an uncredited lot. The performances are loud, raw, and ultimately boring. Fifteen minutes of I Don’t Need No Doctor feel more like fifteen hours. The encore of Big Train Stops At Memphis/Walking The Dog is another sixteen minutes of excruciatingly mind-numbing three chord rock that goes nowhere and takes forever doing it.
The 1973 San Francisco Winterland concert featuring the “classic” lineup of Marriott and Shirley with guitarist Clem Clempson and bassist Greg Ridley fares better. The sound is better, the songs tighter, and the selection performed by a band out to take no prisoners. The interplay between Marriott and Clempson alone makes this the jewel in the crown. Additional backing vocals by female trio The Blackberries gives the album extra heft and interest. Eddie Cochran’s C’mon Everybody is pure adrenaline, and the band’s extended take on the Stones classic Honky Tonk Woman benefits from the Humble Pie spin. Former guitarist Peter Frampton gets a nod with a bit of Stone Cold Fever, but it’s the three Ray Charles tunes that raise the roof. The Blackberries lift Blues I Believe To My Soul to the rafters, while this earlier version of Hallelujah I Love Her So is performed with a delicious combination of conviction and respect. I Don’t Need No Doctor is still lengthy at thirteen minutes, but listen to the difference that a band can make; this version is superior in every way. Even the rendition of encore Hot ‘n’ Nasty comes across as just that – hot and nasty, in the best possible way.
So, what do we learn from Humble Pie’s Hallelujah 1973-1983? First, the old adage that you can’t go home again feels apropos. When you have had a band as tight and talented as Humble Pie was in the early seventies, trying to replicate that magic with hired hands just doesn’t cut it. Second, its ultimately all about the songs. Sadly, good ones are in short supply for the early eighties version of the band. Just listen to the two versions of the tune that lends its title to this set. The difference is ten years and worlds apart. File under: For Completists Only.
TRACK LISTING
DISC ONE
– On To Victory (1980)
01. Fool For A Pretty Face (4:14)
02. You Soppy Pratt (4:08)
03. Infatuation (3:43)
04. Take It From Here (3:40)
05.Savin’ It (4:44)
06. Baby Don’t You Do It (3:25)
07. Get It In The End (2:44)
08. My Lover’s Prayer (4:05)
09. Further Down The Road (4:31)
10. Over You (2:22)
Time – 37:36
DISC TWO
– Go For The Throat (1981)
01. All Shook Up (2:40)
02. Teenage Anxiety (4:48)
03. Tin Soldiers (3:11)
04. Keep It On The Island (3:53)
05. Driver (3:18)
06. Restless Blood (4:03)
07. Go For The Throat (3:57)
08. Lottie And The Charcoal Queen (4:37)
09. Chip Away (The Stone) (4:58)
Time – 35:26
DISC THREE
– Pyramid Eye, Chattanooga, TN (1982)
01. Heartbreaker (2:09)
02. Ain’t You Glad (New York Can’t Talk) (4:40)
03. Sweet Nuthins (2:52)
04. Trouble You Can’t Fool Me (1:59)
05. Poor Man’s Rich Man (2:07)
06. Middle Age Anxiety (4:33)
07. Lonely No More (3:11)
08. I Need A Love (3:01)
09. Happy Birthday, Birthday Girl (3:03)
Time – 27:35
DISC FOUR
– Live At Annie’s Club, Cincinnati, OH (1983)
01. Intro/Whatcha Gonna Do About It (4:45)
02. Fool For A Pretty Face (6:00)
03. Hallelujah (I Love Her So) (5:03)
04. Five Long Years (11:13)
05. Rude/Drum Solo/30 Days In The Hole (16:11)
06. I Don’t Need No Doctor (15:09)
07. Big Train Stops At Memphis/Walking The Dog (16:24)
Time – 74:45
DISC FIVE
– Live At Winterland (1973)
01. Up Your Sleeves (3:58)
02. Four Day Creep (3:34)
03. C’mon Everybody (7:21)
04. Honky Tonk Woman (6:38)
05. Stone Cold Fever (1:06)
06. Blues I Believe To My Soul (5:20)
07. 30 Days In The Hole (7:49)
08. Road Runner (12:27)
09. Hallelujah (I Love Her So) (7:36)
10. I Don’t Need No Doctor (13:04)
11. Hot ‘n’ Nasty (7:19)
Time – 76:12
Total Time – 251:34
MUSICIANS
Steve Marriott – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Harmonica
Jerry Shirley – Drums (Discs 1,2 & 5)
Anthony “Sooty” Jones – Bass, Vocals (Discs 1 & 2)
Bobby Tench – Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals (Discs 1 & 2)
Cheryl Ashley, Marge Raymond, Lisa Zimmerman – Backing Vocals (Disc 1)
Robin Beck, Maxine Dixon, Dana Kral – Backing Vocals (Disc 2)
Musicians Uncredited (except Marriot) – Disc 3
Musicians Uncredited (except Marriot) – Disc 4
Dave “Clem” Clempson – Guitar (Disc 5)
Greg Ridley – Bass (Disc 5)
The Blackberries (Venetta Fields, Clydie King, Billie Barnum) – Backing Vocals (Disc 5)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 28th February 2025
LINKS
Humble Pie (Legacy) – Website | Facebook
Cherry Red Records – Info at Cherry Red Records
