Humble Pie
Rock On (1971)
Think of the great English rock bands of the early 1970s and it's a fair bet that, unless you're some sort of musical genius or a preexisting fan, you won't mention the name 'Humble Pie'. Arguably, that's because unlike so many of their peers, they never really achieved a great status for any of their early releases. They were also, comparatively speaking, never particularly popular or well known in their own country (if you use album sales as any guide).
Humble Pie were formed when Steve Marriott left well known English band The Small Faces. He recruited drummer Jerry Shirley, bassist Greg Ridley and guitarist Peter Frampton (yes, THAT PETER FRAMPTON) to form the band. They released two albums late in the 60s to little fanfare, before deciding to embark on a harder, blues-rock sound with their self-titled album, and then continuing that sound on this, their fourth album, Rock On.
By request of my dad (yes, all of you who have made other requests will also get your requests done at some stage), let's review the album and see whether this Pie has any meat, or it's just a crusty mess.
The Album
We kick off with the steady blues of Shine On, a Frampton penned and vocalised tune. It has a pretty cool opening, some nice bluesy riffing which gives way to the smooth double-tracked vocal stylings of a man who would later bore us to death with middle of the road adult contemporary rock. Sour Grain, a song about whiskey, introduces us to the man hailed by many musicians as one of the great rock vocalists of all time, Steve Marriott. He jumps straight in, that passionate wail mixed with a more refined, refrained delivery. Jerry Shirley's drumming is dexterous and flamboyant. It's a pretty cool track.
The next song, 79th and Sunset, is interesting; it draws on ragtime influences with its jangly piano plunking. Marriott's faux American (Fauxmerican?) twang makes us forget that this is an English rock band we are listening to, not a New Orleans ragtime blues band. Following that is one of the album's highlights, Stone Cold Fever. Frampton's guitar sounds dirtier than it ever would again as it pumps out a killer riff, and Marriott's voice is fucking brilliant. In fact, this is one song that you would use to justify all those voices of high praise for Marriott's rock vocal abilities. Although the song is largely a straight-up crunchy blues rocker, the mid-section is a radical departure; more jazzy in style, Frampton's solo is more reminiscent of something you'd hear a late 80s jazz-rock band play while Shirley's drums give the song some swing. The song closes with a return to blues riff land - it's a terrific song that grabs you and refuses to let go.
Rollin Stone is a cover of the Muddy Waters classic, and sees the band play a slower tempo Delta blues style tune. The first half of the song is pretty much the Steve Marriott show, in keeping with the original's stripped-bare sound; the second half, however, shows Frampton at his best, displaying some blues chops that would not have been out of place had they come from one of his more famous contemporaries (e.g. Beck or Clapton). In the last minute, though, the slow pace gives way to an acceleration and the song finishes at a comparatively breakneck pace. Definitely one of the highlights and leaves you wondering why Peter Frampton decided to stop playing this sort of music and churn out moderately listenable pap.
A Song for Jenny was written by Marriott about his then-wife, it's the only ballad on the album and it's pleasant enough. The backing vocals from the Soul Sisters (PP Arnold, Doris Troy and Claudia Lennear) add depth to the tune and are the best thing about this song. The Light is another Frampton song, and it contains definite signs of the musical direction he would head in as a solo artist. It's mostly organ driven with a few nice licks on the guitar, but lacks the punch of the majority of the album. Bassist Greg Ridley gets to sing on his only contribution, Big George, which may or may not be about some sort of criminal; his vocal is gruff and low, and it's a stock standard mid-tempo blues rocker that features some very Mitch Mitchellesque drum fills from Shirley. It must be said that it is a very catchy song ruined only by a needless saxophone solo.
The second last song, Strange Days, is fairly unusual compared to the rest of the album. Driven by a discordant piano riff, it's another showcase for Steve Marriott; his echo-drenched vocal dominates the song, while Frampton weaves in and out with some intricate guitar work. While it is mainly a blues song, there are moments where it sounds more like a jazz song with the odd piano and drumming. It also drags on a bit too long, and probably should have been pruned by a good minute and a half, to be honest. The final track, Red Neck Jump, sees Marriott return to the fauxmerican twang supported by a piano driven bluesy shuffle and some 1950s style doowopshawoddywop backing vocals. The whole song, in fact, sounds like Humble Pie's version of 1950s American rock and roll and it really didn't do anything for me. It was a disappointing end to the album.
The Verdict
Humble Pie are, in my opinion, at their very best when playing hard-edged blues-rock numbers. The high points on Rock On are the songs where Marriott's vocals display that manly, gravelly wail, Frampton's guitar sounds dirty and his soloing is musical and intricate, and Shirley's drumming shows nimbleness and impeccable timing. There are some genuinely great blues-rock songs on this album that, even today, are classic and timeless. Some of the other tracks are fairly disappointing and don't, in my view, encapsulate what the band was capable of at their best.
Rock On is a decent album, and if you're someone with a great appreciation for British blues-rock, is worth a listen. If, however, that doesn't float your boat, at least track down the harder-edged tracks and listen to a band that were capable of musical moments every bit as bluesy and dirty as anything Led Zeppelin did in their first two albums.
My rating: *** and a half
Standout Tracks
Rollin Stone
Stone Cold Fever
Sour Grain
Tomorrow, I review an album by one of Australia's most in-demand female songwriters....and she's also the only one who doesn't sound like Lisa Sarah Julia Kate Stone Mitchell Miller-Heidke Blasko.
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