It seems that Humble Pie didn't quite hit the US the right way. Widely touted by the British press as a true "supergroup," the band's members were relatively unknown here. They also had the misfortune to be on Andrew Oldham's Immediate record label which was bankrupted before Humble Pie's second album could be released. Their first album, As Safe as Yesterday Is, was so badly recorded (it sounded as if the music had been strained through an old sock into a trash can) that it created scarcely a ripple in the US and when Immediate folded, leaving them without a record label, it appeared that we would never hear from them again.
second album in Great Britain,
Town and Country, and those of us who forked over five bucks for it in import shops were treated to one of the best albums in recent years. Unfortunately,
Town and Country has not yet been released in the US and may never be released here because of legal problems.
After numerous proverbial trials and tribulations (including one member of the group slamming his hand in a car door), Humble Pie were signed to record for A&M under the supervision of Glyn Johns and months later the eagerly awaited album humbly entitled Humble Pie was released. Contrary to everything that you may have read about it in Rolling Stone it was a fairly good album though it was a little too "country and western" for my taste.
Humble Pie's new album, Rock On, represents a considerable advance over the band's two previous American releases though it is still not quite up to the level, in terms of performance and production, of Town and Country. Among Humble Pie's strong points are their arsenal of good vocalists and the instrumental versatility of all the members. Steve Marriott who is at times rock's best vocalist does a fine job on guitar, harp, and keyboards.
Probably the brightest talent in the group is Peter Frampton who has developed enormously since the days when, as leader of the Herd, he was the idol of Britain's mini-boppers. Frampton is a strong and sensitive vocalist and an excellent writer, but he really stands out as a guitarist. His lead work is extraordinarily fluid and powerful and his tasteful understatement helps him avoid the excesses of many lead guitarists. The group is rounded out by Greg Ridley (vocals, bass, and guitar), whose singing adds much body to the band, and Jerry Shirley who has really become a first rate drummer.
All the cuts are quite good, with perhaps the exception of Muddy Water's "Rolling Stone," which is rather tedious. It's hard to single out individual cuts but a few deserve mention. I think that "Strange Days" is one of the best songs that Humble Pie has recorded, showing off everyone's abilities well and displaying the group's exceptionally good grasp of dynamics to great advantage. Marriott's singing is particularly good on a "A Song For Jenny" as is
