Formed in the Spring of 1969, HUMBLE PIE were hailed as Pop’s first ‘Supergroup’, their personnel comprising singer/guitarists Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton from The Small Faces and The Herd respectively, alongside former Spooky Tooth bassist Greg Ridley and seventeen-year old drummer Jerry Shirley, from Apostolic Intervention. After establishing themselves in the UK and Europe with the radio-friendly ‘Natural Born Bugie’ and their debut album As Safe As Yesterday Is, they moved to the United States where an intensive touring programme established them as a major live draw. They enjoyed their biggest successes during the early 70s with four consecutive Gold albums, Rock On, Performance – Rockin’ The Fillmore, Smokin’ and Eat It, and were sufficiently well-entrenched that in 1972 they were able to survive the loss of founder-member Frampton, who was replaced by ex-Colosseum axeman Clem Clempson. After splitting in 1976 Marriott and Shirley reformed the band in 1980 with two new members, Bobby Tench and Anthony ‘Sooty’ Jones, cutting two further hit albums before finally calling it a day in 1982.
This 38-track, 2-CD set is the very first wholly comprehensive Humble Pie career overview, comprising sides from all their various LPs – including their US hit singles, ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’, ‘Hot’n’Nasty’ and ‘Fool For A Pretty Face’ – alongside non-album singles and collectors’ rarities. Kicking off with their very first hit, ‘Natural Born Bugie’, it features tracks from their two Immediate LPs, As Safe As Yesterday Is and Town And Country, alongside a couple of rarities from this period, including a stunning studio jam of Ray Charles’ ‘Drown In My Own Tears’. They subsequently signed with A&M, cutting a non-album single, ‘Black Dog’, before going on to cut seven killer albums for the label between 1970-75, viz: Humble Pie, Rock On, Performance – Rockin’ The Fillmore, Smokin’, Eat It, Thunderbox and Street Rats. In 1980 they reformed to cut two final albums for Atlantic’s Atco subsidiary, On To Victory and Go For The Throat. This unique package also features extensive liner notes, which were prepared in conjunction with Pie drummer Jerry Shirley.
Released on 26 April vis Universal Music
The cover is hideously cheap looking