Humble Pie - Town And Coutry '2006

Tracks list

Formed in 1969, Humble Pie was an English rock band led by ex-Small Faces
singer-guitarist Steve Marriott and a very young yet-to-be famous Peter
Frampton. Very much in the line of contemporary acts like The Faces, The Who and
Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie never really achieved the recognition and success of
their peers but did release a few good albums in the period between 1969 and
1975, whilst also building a reputation as a strong live act.

One of their earlier more experimental albums was 1969s Town and Country, their
second release and one of their best works. Stylistically Town and Country was
very different from the hard rock sound Humble Pie became known for in the
early-70s and contained an eclectic mix of acoustic folk, rock and roll, and
boogie rock. In fact, the album was very much in the mold of their live shows at
the time which contained an acoustic set followed directly by an electric set,
with softer tracks interspersed with heavier, guitar-driven material. This album
much like the band itself was very much a showcase for Frampton and Marriott to
display their talents, the former who would go on to establish a successful
career as a classic rock staple in the mid-70s, and the latter who had a
reputation to live up to in the form of one of the 60s most loved bands the
Small Faces. And showcase their talents they did, Frampton’s acoustic
guitar playing is incredibly layered and very much like that of the great
English folk players of the early-60s, while he gets a chance to display his
vocal qualities on tracks such as “Home and Away” and “Take Me
Back”. Because Frampton sings solo on several of the tracks and on
occasion in unison with Marriott, we hear less of Marriott and his amazing vocal
prowess. A shame considering he possessed one of the greatest voices to come out
of Britain. But when he does let rip on songs such as the soulful “Cold
Lady” and the rock and roll boogie of “Sad Bag of Shaky Jake”
his vocal delivery just oozes soul and gospel and is definitely one of the
highlights of the album. The singing on bonus track “Wrist Job” is
out of this world, with Marriott not only singing like a man possessed with that
gravely soulful voice of his but also showcasing his ability on the Hammond
organ with a blistering solo. Why this track missed the final cut for the album
is hard to fathom.

One criticism I do have of Town and Country is that there is probably a little
too much in the way of acoustic/folk tracks for my liking, especially as the
rockier tracks are of such good quality and not to mention Marriot’s
background as a great R&B singer. In some places the acoustic numbers have a
tendency to drift along without doing much to the point that it gets a bit
laborious to listen to, but I guess when you consider that the folk sound on
display is most unlike them musically we can accuse this and evidently credit
them for experimenting this early on in their career.

Although Town and Country did not do anything commercially, it gave a good
insight into the bands developing sound, as well as their folk and rock and roll
influences. Also from my perspective, it is a more enjoyable listen than some of
their later albums where they do get very heavy in gravitating towards a hard
rock sound. I think the combination of acoustic-folk with rock and roll tracks
gives the album plenty of balance and some nice diversity something that their
later work tended to lack on occasion. I believe Town and Country holds up
pretty well alongside some of the more popular albums from the period and is
worth a listen if you are into British rock from the late-60, early-70s.

Tracklisting:
01. Humble Pie - Take Me Back - Original (4:57)
02. Humble Pie - The Sad Bag Of Shaky Jake - Original (2:59)
03. Humble Pie - The Light Of Love - Original (2:59)
04. Humble Pie - Cold Lady - Original (3:21)
05. Humble Pie - Down Home Again - Original (2:58)
06. Humble Pie - Ollie, Ollie - Original (0:49)
07. Humble Pie - Every Mothers Son - Original (5:38)
08. Humble Pie - Heartbeat - Original (2:34)
09. Humble Pie - Only You Can See - Original (3:38)
10. Humble Pie - Silver Tongue - Original (3:22)
11. Humble Pie - Home and Away - Original (5:51)

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