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Ok about Greg, lets see, it was back in the seventies and Humble Pie was doing their first gig without Frampton. It was at the New Haven coliseum mid winter if my memory serves me correctly. I had seen HP a year or so earlier in 1970 or 1971 when Frampton was with them. The earlier show with Pete stunned me. I mean it really affected me in a positive way as I had never seen a four piece group with the intensity and tightness of these guys in fact I had nevereven heard of HP. I was there to see Ten years after but was blown away by the show HP put on. We didn't stay for Ten Years After, as there was no use after seeing Pie. Some cops were messing with some people and Steve came unhinged pacing back and forth across the stage and he was PISSED OFF. Steve threatened to stop the show if it didn't stop and man he was not afraid to tell the cops what he thought.
Seems as though Steve's true personalty in the band was already apparent at this time as he was not holding back at all. Shortly after the show went on with one brilliant song after another. I recognized Steve's voice from Itchycoo Park. Hey I grew up in a small town in Iowa and I was young so I wasn't all that familiar with the Small Faces. That voice was unforgettable. Steve had the red guitar with one pickup the Epiphone, Crestwood or Gibson made guitar and he sounded fantastic as he laid down his rocking rhythms. Steve wore green pants with suspenders and a gray tee shirt, he sported a mustache at the time. On the other side, the left was Peter in a flannel shirt and jeans peering out into the crowd with his eyes shut and a big smile on his face while he played some of the most incredible leads I have ever heard. At this point I knew Frampton would bewell known at some point as he was terrific. Pete played on top of Steve's rhythms with a jazzy, rocking, psychedelic sound that kills his sound todayand I think its because he has so much shit in line that it affects the sound.But this guy was the best guitar player I had ever heard and that concert wasthe best I have ever heard to this day. It was the same rocking the Fillmore line up and I was in the sweet spot as far as sound went and I could see well also.
Here was a band where every one in it was superb and they all traded off duties that resulted in an incredible and awesome spectacle. I wish I could describe it better so others could understand just how wonderful these guys were. At that time “Rockin The Fillmore” wasn't out yet and I got all the otheralbums starting with “Rock On” then backward to “Humble Pie” and Safe As Yesterday”. When “Rocking The Fillmore” came out it was a relief as that was the show I saw and in my opinion the best live ever. You have to keep in mind that no album can ever sound as good as a live show so if you weren't there you didn't hear what I did. Anyway, Frampton left the band and I was very upset with that sorry set of circumstances, but there was nothing I could do about it except to follow both bands and both did suffer in my opinion although I do love “Smokin’”. Now we are back to the first show with Clem at New Haven. It was a killer blues based show now that Clem was on board even though they played tunes from “RTF” for the most part.
Steve wore these big white baby shoes and Clem played the shit out of his Les Paul through the Cry Baby Wha-Wha but I missed Frampton. Out back after the show we noticed three stretch white limo's gassed up and running. Greg came first and I approached him and commented on how much I enjoyed the show and that I had seen them earlier with Frampton. He put his guitar in the trunk then grunted and pretty much ignored me as if I weren't there. I was a bit hurt by his attitude but maybe he was quiet or just having a bad day. Or maybe he only talks to the babes, I don't know.
Just then Steve came out chanting Rock On, Rock on. He was very polite to us and took the time to answer our questions out there in the freezing night and I was impressed how kind he was to us and that he even took the time to talk. Who knows once they got into the limo's they might have said, “I finally got the geezers off me” but we were just fans saying hello to our idols so give us a break Greg. We still dig you Greg so don't get me wrong. I think he is just quiet or hard to pin down at any rate my life would not be as full had I not been exposed to Humble Pie.
Great work guys I will never forget you......Wild Bill
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