Label: Victor Entertainment Inc. (Japan), VICP-63558
Style: Rock, Blues Rock, Acoustic Rock
Country: Moreton, Essex, England, UK
Time: 46:43
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 317 Mb
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.
(nowherebros.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/humble-pie-town-and-country-1969/) Review by nowherebros. July 8, 2013
01. Take Me Back (04:52)
02. The Sad Bag Of Shaky Jake (02:59)
03. The Light Of Love (03:00)
04. Cold Lady (03:22)
05. Down Home Again (02:56)
06. Ollie Ollie (00:50)
07. Every Mother's Sun (05:43)
08. Heartbeat (02:33)
09. Only You Can See (03:38)
10. Silver Tongue (03:20)
11. Home And Away (05:55)
12. 79th Street Blues (03:01)
13. Greg's Song (04:28)
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