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REVIEWS - CD’S, LIVE PERFORMANCES, ETC.
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“Do You Get The Message?” Humble Pie (CD)
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Date: 26th June 1972
Venue: Maple Leaf, Toronto, Ontario
Half way between recording Rocking the Fillmore and King Biscuit, I guess you
would expect it to be blistering. I saw the band in Scotland four months later - and blistering they certainly were.
Sound: Fair to Average
It's taped from an audience mic. - and those of you familiar with a lot of Pie
tapes, know that in the early 70's this didn't make for good quality. This one
is OK. It's not muffled or bass heavy or anything. The sound was low. I think
I've sorted that. However, the vocals fade into the background a bit when Steve
isn't at full throttle - and it's hard to make everything out. Some fans I know
can work magic on these with remastering - so we'll see
On to the gig......Pie at their peak ! A really interesting performance. It's
a pity this wasn't a soundboard recording- it would have been an absolute belter !
What else to start but "Four Day Creep" - and off to a driving start. Clem
really very much to the fore - as he would remain all night - it's one of the
most Clem-centric gigs I've heard Humble Pie play. But when it comes to Steve's
verse - the vocals cut through the venue like a bell - he is in excellent voice
- and brilliant to hear that voice again live without any of the ravages that
came from too many US tours. Great start.
"Now we're going to play some faaat rolliiiinng"...now where have I heard that
before ?....and in comes "C'mon Everybody". Again Clem rips out. But what strikes me is the grungey sound they've got on this one. Before grunge was invented !
Phew ! a bit of an abrupt end brings us back to earth and on with the show.
Being an audience mic. it's funny to hear all the sounds of "sit down ! sit
down ! everybody sit down !" It seems that the crowd were already letting rip,
to the annoyance of some audience members.
It's also interesting to hear continual shouts for "Stone Cold Fever" and
"Thirty Days in the Hole". Remember, Thirty Days in the Hole only came out a
few months previous...but was already a classic in the minds of Pie fans.
In the event, they didn't play either of these.
"I got so many things making me feel good" sings Steve in that soulful voice "
I want to pay a tribute to the Rolling Stones"
..and into Honky Tonk Woman, but VERY interestingly, much slower - a Stones
guitar type intro rather than the drum intro on "Eat It", very much a laid back
version, much closer to the Stones original......although Greg's bass piles in
at the same place he does on "Eat It" which was recorded a few months later.
Again, Clem much more to the fore than I've heard him.
"Here come the blues - here come the blues" sings Steve as an intro into the
Clempson showcase I usually call "Blues Interlude". This one is much longer - clocking in at four minutes - with much more evidence of Steve accompanying below the solo. "There's your man" shouts Steve at the end.
"I Wonder" follows....."I wanna get down and sing you a blues tune - it goes
like this". Excellent version - the show is really cookin' by this time. "Get down on the floor" sings Steve as Clem goes into a solo - with Steve playing underneath.
Beautiful ! Beautiful !
Some more magic is in evidence as Steve sings "I got something in my pocket
shove it in my mouth try to play some sweet note, that's what I'm aaaallll about."
In common with many gigs at this time, they segue into the next song
"I wanna know where you've been, and what you've been doing, and who you've
been doing it with, 'cos Hallelujah I Love her So" Good stuff. This song is still swinging a bit in this show ! Latterly it rocked more.....but here it swings. And what's this? A jazz solo from Clem - don't think I've heard
that before, although I know Clem considers himslef a jazz player.
"Let Jerry boy get us into this" and Shirley marks his trademark drum intro
into what turns out to be "Roadrunner". Funnily enough, this one is the one that really turns the heat up in the set.
"I Don't Need No Doctor"....more chugging than usual - faster verse - chugging
like a runaway train going down hill - great. A classic rock moment, when the guitar solo suddenly stops and Steve 's tuneful voice, "It looks like Clem's broken a string - so we'll sing".
And before you know it the show is at an end.
They come back, with organ, for "Hot n Nasty" "I want to play something for you to just rock out ! just rock out!" and it's really smokin'.
What are they going to play now ? Incredibly it's "Rolling Stone" - which clocks in at some 23 minutes....Versions of this song after the Fillmore album just seemed to
keep getting longer and longer - which is maybe why they eventually had to drop
it from the act. More's the pity !
The first two lines go "I feel like I got a f****** harness round my neck
I wanna sing you a song in two parts" Now it's a pity the vocals kind of buried here - it's hard to hear Steve. But he does go into what I call the "sandwich rap" If any of you don't have alternative versions of Rolling Stone live - try to get them - they are often quite different from RTF. They always centre around his girlfriend Susan - and events in her house.
"So I'm sitting there every Sunday ham sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, jam sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, ham sandwiches....I gotta swear to you - I got sandwiches coming out my f******* ears !"
Then onto the mother. "Mother came up behind me, she had a robe on
I thought nothing of it 'cos she had rollers in her hair, teeth in a glass
Susan stuffing her face with sandwiches...Will you come to my window
I said which one - she said that one" delivered in classic Marriott style.
He also sings a great deal about his new shoes - until he's undressed, "freezing my rocks off, with my new shoes still on. If you like you're bacon streaky and crispy then I'm alright ! ... Do you Love Me? says Susan. Well I was 18 years old, I was full of shit and I figured tomorrow's another day"
The classic lines in here just keep piling up !! But it comes to a crescendo when Susan says "I don't want you hanging with no loose woman. Wherever you go, I'm going with you"
"HOLD IT"
And on into the famous finale.......much longer again...and much faster.
Brilliant, though, "Like a stone, rolling through, I ain't going nowhere"
And that has to be it ?
"We 'ope we made you 'appy" says Steve. "We've done a lot of rocking together. I want to do a bit of rolling" ...and Steve starts his guitar on the kind of thing that would later be called "Steve's Boogie" on various bootlegs; but before you know it the rest of the band are joining in, the harmonica comes out, and blow me if it doesn't meander into a stunning version of "Route 66"....which I have never heard Humble Pie play pre-Bobby Tench. It's a slow rhythm & blues version, reminiscent of what Packet of Three would later do.
Verse 3 gets imperceptibly faster, and it's back to the rolling train feeling -
harmonica very much to the fore again, with a kind of chug-chug guitar.
Fabulous!
"I wanna sing you one last verse" and into "the highway I love best"
Brilliant Brilliant They don't make them like this any more
...and the crowd are by now too wasted to even shout for more.
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Empire, Koln” Steve Marriott & The DT’s (CD)
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Date: 29 June 1984
Venue : Half Moon, Putney, scene of many Marriott gigs between
1980 and 1991
Sound : Average ***
Those of you who have the "Singing the Blues Live" CD will see it described as
a formative gig in the UK in the summer of 1988. Well, this is the real thing.
My personal opinion is that post Humble Pie, Steve's best live acts were the
Official Receivers and the DTs. Here are the DTs in full flight !
Date: 7 Sep 1988
Venue: Empire Cologne
Band - Steve Walwyn- guitar (left the DTs within 6 months to join Doctor Feelgood)
Simon Hickling-harp/vocals (moved with Marriott to the Next Band, and subsequently joined Nine Below Zero)
Greg Rhind-bass
Alan "Stickey" Wickett-drums ( joined Steve's last touring band Packet of Three)
Sound - Very Good
Performance - Excellent
"OK - we're gonna play a few songs for you, and then we're going to bring Steve
Marriott on stage" The DTs launch into a spirited "Have a Good Time", and manage to avoid shouts of "Steve!", "We want Steve" and "Bring on Steve" for about three minutes!
In truth they're really good - and Alan Sticky Wickett, who joined the German
tour on place of regular DTs drummer Chas Chaplin, really drives the group.
Next is "Everything's Going to be Alright", one of the strongest Hickling
numbers, and one which translated into the Next Band setlist.
After that the old Chuck Berry song "Promised Land", and it's clear to see why
this is a top notch outfit even without Marriott. The more laidback swing of
"Cow Gun" shows their versatility. The shouts for Marriott finally get to the band, who sarcastically announce "ok this next one is called I Don't Need No Doctor."
However, Steve finally hits the stage. "It's f****** greeat to be back in
Cologne. My favourite German city. I hope you can hear my voice better than I
can", before raising the temperature with a blistering "Watch Your Step" - the
best version of this I've heard him do. Mind you - there's benefit in having a whole top notch band behind and concentrating on the singing !! "Dig this", says Steve, and "Let's Work Together" follows, then "My Babe".
Very few Marriott catalogue songs in this set - which at the time made Steve
feel that he was more of a contemporary artist, rather than a cabaret/nostalgia
act.Understandable - and also very good.
"World in a Jug" follows. The DT tracks (like this and Cow Gun) tend to be the
longer ones. Even "Five Long Years" later in the set is pretty short. Really
good though The truth is (well at least partially) that Steve thought that doing things this way was an easy gig for him - put up his feet for the first part of the
show, come on and sing a few songs, play a bit of guitar, have the DTs take up
the slack in between. He felt it was an easier way to make a buck.
The set builds again with Steve on vocals for "Before You Accuse Me" (take a
look at yourself). The set is following an identical path to the "Sing the
Blues Live" CD......but certainly on this one the band are blistering. Somebody shouts (improbably and hopefully) for "Rolling Stone"...but it's into
"Don't You Lie to Me", another highlight, and much better than the Receivers or
the Small Faces a decade before.
Another DTs high-spot which made it on to the Next Band is "I Don't Know Where
I've Been", with it's familair "sing baby sing" chorus, as the set heads
towards conclusion.
A typical Marriott blues boogie (extended) precedes "Five Long Years", "Walking
By Myself" and a kind of leaden "All or Nothing" to finish things off
They come back for "Just Your Fool" and "High Heeled Sneakers" before heading
off into the German night
Excellent little show this. Different from all other Marriott eras too!
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“Look Out” Packet Of Three (CD)
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Curious little gig this......Packet of Three at their peak in mid '84, well
versed in their "first" setlist, which is standard stuff, as is the performance. The tape is somehow more reminiscent of Humble Pie recordings rather than Packet of Three performances, maybe because of the sound quality, maybe because in early Packet of Three there was still the hangover from US rock circuit performances - but probably because Steve's voice is a bit strained, which brings back memories of the earlier days.
Opening up with obligatory Marriott comments about West Ham, and also Celtic (I
knew you had taste, Steve) -it's quickly into Whatcha Gonna Do About It. Fool for a Pretty Face and Shame, Shame, Shame suffer from tape damage, so there's not a great deal to report there, before Bad Moon Rising, the slow wailful version, gets things on track again.
Then there's Cockney Rhyme - and the "joke with Marriott" section
"What do you call a Pakistani who'd forgotten his key ?" "Gunga Din!"
"What do you call someone from Greece with a Tampax in their ear ?" "Absorba
the Greek !"
Maybe you had to be there !
"Rubbish!" shouts out the barman. " So is your beer" retorts Steve
Not the standard intro to what turns out to be a blazing "The Fixer", and one
of the highlights of the night comes to the fore. Steve's guitar playing is at times as good as I've heard him - really blazing, and also Fallon's drumming, which must have been fantastic to hear live on this night, driving the Packet along.
All Shook Up features some more great Marriott guitar, and All or Nothing sets
things up nicely for the finale.
Five Long Years continues to build the atmosphere, before a final section which
comprises the drum solo, Thirty Days and I Don't Need No Doctor - all segued
together in a wild 30 minutes. The drum solos are never the highlight of P3 gigs, but this one is a exception, with Fallon melting his kit for a full four minutes.
Thirty Days in the Hole and Doctor are faster than normal, wilder, shades of
the stadium rock again.
Thirty Days has two or three false endings, which is more reminiscent of the later reformations of Humble Pie.
Then the strangest of situations - Marriott starts schanting about the power
being turned off, and seems to be getting the crowd to sing "Turn the power
on!". When that fails he leads the crowd into a Singalonga mock "Itchycoo
Park", without any backing - just as the tape abruptly ends
As I said - curious this one
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Humble Pie - Live at the Steve Marriott Memorial Concert
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Date: 20 April, 2001 Venue: Astoria Theatre, London
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Events kick off with an intro from our very own Illegal Smile member John
Hellier and "Let's Hear it for Humble Pie....." John - for posterity, you
might have said "Ladies and Gentlemen, the finest rock and roll band in
the land - it's Humble Pie"
Anyway, no matter what John's introduction was, straight into history in
the making. Greg Ridley, Jerry Shirley, Dave "Clem" Clempson and Peter
Frampton-all on stage, the first time for the pairing of Clempson and Frampton.
FOUR DAY CREEP * * *
The only fitting opener - and great to see Greg Ridley back in his
rightful spot, stage centre, legs astride, with trademark leather pants and
white shirt. "I Want You to Love Me" sings Greg, and brings back haunting memories from across the decades. The voice may be just a little less strong on stage nowadays, but with Peter and Clem's twin guitars having already kicked in, we're off to a flyer.
Visually, a very poignant line-up. In the Frampton version of the band, I
recall as you looked at the stage Peter was on the left, Greg in the middle
and Steve on the right. In the Clempson version, it was definitely Steve on
the left and Clem on the right, again as you face the stage. In actual
fact, Peter Frampton was in his usual spot, as was Greg and Clem. So it wasn't
as if someone had just taken Steve's place, if you can relate to what I mean.
Anyway, Frampton takes the first solo, and a typical inventive effort....but
Clem really surprises - his singing has come on leaps and bounds over the years.
Never his strong point, he goes on to make a significant contribution to the
singing stakes throughout the night.
Let me be a touch controversial, because I know there are many opinions on
this. I thought Frampton did a FANTASTIC job. He really gave leadership to the band in Steve's absence (maybe the only one who you would even contemplate
trying), and he looked like he was REALLY enjoying himself. Good on yer Peter!
Peter then said he didn't recall ever playing the next one live. I've never heard it either...although there's video of them playing it live on television
programmes, etc.
NATURAL BORN BUGIE * * * 1/2
Nice driving beat - and Clem's first solo of the evening - again the
singing duties are shared of course, and what a job Clem made - particularly
as he had to handle Steve's part! Peter picks up the pace with a lovely
guitar break which is very close to the recorded version of the song.
HALLELUJAH I LOVE HER SO * * * 1/2
Something I never noticed on the night - but it's obvious that Humble Pie
really built up a head of steam, starting at the beginning, as you do, but
building all the way to the end of the set - with the audience also
getting more wound up as the time went on. Jerry and Greg, sounding like they
never parted, and back in the engine room together, with Frampton and Clempson
playing over the top and really showing what you can do when you've got two top notch professionals in gear. This song sees the first tentative guitar
interplays between the two of them, before Peter's voicebox makes it's obligatory appearance. Strange to hear it spit out "Hallelujah" instead of "Do You Feel
Like I Do".
Then another song Frampton said they hadn't played live, although I saw
Peter play it live as an encore when he was the support act on the night
Humble Pie recorded Eat It, and obviously it's on Frampton Comes Alive too
SHINE ON * * * *
The heat is really turned up a notch. "I haven't played with this guy for
30 years" said Peter, referring to Greg. "How do you think we sound, not
bad? Bloody good I think!" UNDERSTATEMENT
And before you know it, into the crowning glory....
I DON'T NEED NO DOCTOR * * * * *
Dirty - like the Humble Pie of old - and Greg's bass comes rolling in like
a steam train. This is a Killer ! I like Frampton's version of this, anyway, on his Live in Detroit CD - and here he handles the vocals excellently. and after all it is his riff!
"Are you Gonna Sing ?" says Peter.......and leads into "I Don't Need No ......” At this point Illegal Smiler Charlie Magri can be distinctly heard shouting "DOCTOR!" as he leaps into the air still holding his imaginary guitar.
Then into a lengthy trading of guitar licks between Frampton and Clempson which must have been made in heaven when you consider they hadn't played together before. They carry off a fitting tribute to Marriott in glorious style - but before you know it, this nine minute slice of real nostalgia has gone - and so has the re-union set.
Nice one guys !
Roll on the American tour !
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