"Take A Heart Plus The Pye A & B Sides And More" by THE SORROWS featuring DON FARDON Solo Material - December 1965 UK Debut Album on Piccadilly Records in Mono Plus Non-LP 45-Single Sides, Outtakes and Don Fardon Solo Material (December 2021 UK Beat Goes On 50-Track 2CD Compilation - Their 1965 Debut LP Plus 38 Bonuses - Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Pink Purple Yellow And Red..."

 

The last time the hugely collectable Sixties Beat and Mod darlings The Sorrows had their lone-album-plus-singles output given a proper do over was Castle Music's brilliant "Take A Heart" 2CD set in 2006 (Sanctuary/Castle Music CMDDD 1290 - Barcode 5050749412904). That deleted and subsequently pricey digital rarity packed a huge 42-cuts including the full album in Stereo over on CD2. But years have passed and their Freakbeat legend grown even more frenzied. Time for another wallet shuffle me hearties. 

 

This December 2021 Beat Goes On 2CD Compilation out of the UK (itself delayed from August 2021 due to COVID-19) gives us a huge 50 tracks - throwing in ten further Don Fardon solo releases including the hugely popular Top 5 hit "The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian". 

 

Why the heat when it comes to The Sorrows? By the time you're less than five or six boombox grooves into their December 1965 debut album "Take A Heart" - a truly great Mod-Beat blaster of an LP originally on Pye's Piccadilly Records - it's easy to hear why both it and their 45-releases trade for such serious spondulicks amongst collectors. The Sorrows rocked as hard as The Kinks and were just as cool as The Small Faces, but unlike those 60ts Heroes, never got the breaks. However, both The Sorrows and Don Fardon had sizeable careers in Europe, The Sorrows singing seven foreign language versions of their spiky tunes, whilst Fardon had four French and German exclusives - all eleven included here on CD2 (very thorough). 

 

There's a heap-ton of misery and sorrow to sort out, so once more my intrepid blue-eyed travellers to the Beat Caves of Coventry, those Bad Boys of Variety lurking with winkelpickers within (they speak several languages too you know)...

 

UK released 10 December 2021 - "Take A Heart plus the Pye A & B Sides and more" by THE SORROWS (including some DON FARDON solo tracks) on Beat Goes on BGOCD1442 (Barcode 5017261214423) is a 50-Track 2CD compilation of New Remasters based around their 1965 debut/only LP "Take A Heart" that plays out as follows...

 

CD1 (61:45 minutes): 

TAKE A HEART 

1. Baby [Side 1]

2. No No No No 

3. Take A Heart 

4. She's Got The Action 

5. How Love Used To Be 

6. Teenage Letter 

7. I Don't Wanna Be Free [Side 2]

8. Don't Sing No Sad Songs For Me 

9. Cara-Lin 

10. We Should Get Along Just Fine 

11. Come With Me 

12. Let Me In 

Tracks 1 to 12 are their debut album "Take A Heart" - released December 1965 in the UK on Piccadilly Records NPL 38023 (Mono) and NPLS 38023 (Stereo).

BONUS TRACKS: 

13. I Don't Wanna Be Free 

14. Come With Me 

Tracks 13 and 14 are the Mono A&B-sides of their debut UK 45-single, January 1965 on Piccadilly 7N 35219 

 

15. Baby 

16. Teenage Letter

Tracks 15 and 16 are the Mono A&B-sides of their second UK 45-single, April 1965 on Piccadilly 7N 35230

 

17. Take A Heart 

18. We Should Get Along Fine 

Tracks 17 and 18 are the Mono A&B-sides of their third UK 45-single, August 1965 on Piccadilly 7N 35260

 

19. You've Got What I Want  

Track 19 is the Non-LP Mono B-side to "No No No No", their fourth UK 45-single, August 1965 on Piccadilly 7N 35277

 

20. Let The Live Live 

21. Don't Sing No Sad Songs For Me

Tracks 20 and 21 are the Mono A&B-sides of their fifth UK 45-single, April 1966 on Piccadilly 7N 35309

 

22. How Love Used To Be

Track 22 is the Mono 7" Single Mix B-side of "Let Me In", their sixth UK 45-single, August 1966 on Piccadilly 7N 35336

 

23. Pink Purple Yellow And Red

24. My Gal

Tracks 23 and 24 are the Mono Non-LP A&B-sides of their seventh UK 45-single, June 1967 on Piccadilly 7N 35385

CD2 (73:11 minutes):

MORE BONUS TRACKS 

1. Gonna Find A Cave 

2. I Take What I Want 

3. Baby All The Time 

4. Baby (1966 Version)

5. Nimm Mein Herz ("Take A Heart" in German)

6. Sie War Mein Girl ("We Should Get Along Fine" in German)

7. Mi Si Spezza Il Cuore ("Take A Heart" in Italian)

8. Vivi ("Baby" in Italian)

9. Verde, Rosso, Giallo, Blu ("Pink Purple Yellow And Red" in Italian)

10. No No No No (Italian Language version)

11. Zabadak 

12. La Liberta Costa Cara ("How Love Used To Be" in Italian)

13. Hooky 

14. You're Still Mine 

15. Armchair King 

16. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Tracks 1 to 4, 11 and 13 to 16 were unreleased recordings done between 1964 and 1967 first issued 2006 on the Sanctuary/Castle Music 2CD set "Take A Heart"

 

DON FARDON Releases

17. The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian

18. Dreamin' Room

Tracks 17 and 18 and the A&B-sides of UK a 45-single that was issued three times. First was 3 November 1967 on Pye 7N 25437, second was 8 October 1968 on Pye 7N 25475 and third was the same songs reissued 4 September 1970 on Youngblood YB 1015 - third version finally charted and peaked at No. 3 in the UK

 

19. Daytripper

Track 19 is Track 2, Side 1 on a November 1967 French 4-Track "The Letter" on Vogue Records EPL 8583

  

20. Goodbye 

Track 20 is the Non-LP B-side to "Treat Her Right", issued March 1968 in Germany on Hit-Ton HT 300158

 

21. We Can Make It Together 

22. Coming on Strong 

Tracks 21 and 22 are the Non-LP A&B-sides of a UK 45-single, 31 January 1969 on Pye Records 7N 25483

 

23. Good Lovin' 

24. Ruby's Picture's On My Wall

Tracks 23 and 24 are the Non-LP A&B-sides of a UK 45-single, 21 March 1969 on Pye 7N 25486

 

25. Running Bear 

26. I Need Somebody

Tracks 25 are 26 are the Non-LP A&B-sides of an April 1969 German 45-single on Vogue DV 14860

Apart from being pretty, the outer card slipcase lends these BGO reissues a feeling of event and the 20-page booklet has seriously great new liner notes courtesy of ROGER DOPSON. Photos of Lead Guitarist Pip Whitcher, Rhythm Guitarist Wez Price, Vocalist and Songwriter Don Maughn (better known of course as Don Fardon) with Bassist Philip Packham and Drummer Bruce Finley dot the text as do the Schroeder liner-notes to the Debut LP and small label shots of those Piccadilly British 45s, rare Dutch picture sleeves. Dopson waxes affectionately (and quite rightly to) of Don Fardon's moody and menacing vocal delivery combined with the biff-bang-pow guitar work of Coventry's Pip Whitcher and also tells of how Italy, Germany and other European destinations offered them a career outside of Blighty which seemed determined to ignore their myriad 7" single releases. 

The new ANDREW THOMPSON Remasters are all sparkly, but I'm buggered if I can tell whether or not the actual album is all in STEREO - seems like a combo of Mono and Stereo to me. The punch out of the stand-alone MONO 45-sides is kicking, just as you would want it to be.

 

Although Page 2 of the booklet lists only the 'Mono' LP code of NPL 38023 as the version used for CD, the new liner notes mention that seven of the twelve on the debut album had been 45-single sides in Mono prior to the LP's December 1965 release, but also that some of those single-sides were re-recorded in Stereo for the LP. Although I admit I'm guessing here, my ears tell me that "We Should Get Along Fine" and "Come With Me" and "Teenage Letter" are among the 'Stereo' versions.

 

The five new cuts to the debut LP are "She's Got The Action", "How Love Used To Be", "Don't Sing No Sad Songs To Me", "Cara-Lin" and "Let Me In". Band member Miki Dallon penned two Beat and Mod corkers - "She's Got The Action" and the incendiary "Let Me In". Prime slot amongst the newcomers is The Sorrows cool cover version of The Strangeloves September 1965 US 45-single "Cara-Lin" on Bang Records B-508. 

 

Among the re-records, I would admit that their cover of "Teenage Letter" (a Fifties R 'n' B bopper closely associated with Big Joe Turner on Atlantic Records) is lesser in Stereo somehow, but still has that wicked Harmonica solo. The Mono single cut (Track 14) is fantastic and has punchier audio. Killers amidst the Bonus Tracks are many - especially the Mod-tastic groove of "You've Got What I Want" - an August 1965 B-side to "No No No No" that outdoes The Kinks in sheer passion of attack while The Small Faces and Steve Marriott might have looked longingly at "Let The Live Live" - a cracking stand-alone April 1966 7" single telling its listeners to mellow out and let people be people. Freakbeat and Fuzz Guitar aficionados will worship at the alter of the wild "My Gal" - a ball-breaking B-side that will set your wallet back the guts of £200 - if you can find one. In fact, the mind boggles even more when you hear they did Italian language versions of both these bruising sides - Tracks 7 and 8 to you buddy over on CD2. Wow!

Among the originally unreleased 60ts material, "Gonna Find A Cave" (Track 1 on CD2) is a truly fantastic discovery and I'm sure someone is petitioning Ace Records as I speak to find a place in their schedules-heart to put it out on a Kent-Dance 45-single resplendent with their equally cool cover of the Sam & Dave classic "I Take What I Want" as its flipside. "Baby All The Time" successfully shares two lead vocals while "Baby" is a more menacing wanting-you cut that could easily have been another killer 45. Weirdo entries include the Joe Meek Telstar-sounding "Zabadak" is some foreign language that has a pretty melody and would Bob Stanley weak at the knees. "Hooky" is a slip-away and make-love-to-you dirty guitar bopper where the boys are clearly trying to channel Immediate Records 1967 Steve Marriott (feels unfinished but is cool). "Armchair King" is Pop best forgotten and their early stab at The Platters "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" feels like another band caught in getting a hit no matter what (it's not that bad, but I dare say the band would probably cringe at it now). 

 

By way of welcome relief comes the speaker-to-speaker taught our English to their young John Loudermilk cover version - "The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian" – both cool and cheesy in equal amounts. Its very Georgie Fame Brass and Organ R&B B-side "Dreamin' Room" is a wee bit of a flipside gem too. Even his easy-way-out cover of The Beatles' "Daytripper" is sufficiently funked up and jiggered about to make it more than a slavish copy - possibly even a Mod dancer. "Goodbye" shows Dallon's knack for a melodrama melody. But they are trumped by the very Dusty Springfield/Scott Walker feel to "We Can Make It Together" and its mega-desirable bass-driven "Coming On Strong" - another great B-side with Fuzz Guitar and wild soloing. Fardon's cruelly overlooked March 1969 7" single A-side "Good Lovin'" and the languid smoocher B-side "I Need Somebody" to the next 45 both offer a great way to go out on a fabulous twofer. 

 

England's Beat Goes On (BGO) have treated The Ivy League, The Searchers, The Rockin' Berries, Jimmy James and The Vagabonds and Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band to these 4LPs-worth-of-material Remastered onto 2CD sets (I've reviewed a few) and they really are so damn good as comprehensive anthologies. 

 

"Baby, can you understand, I'm your man..." Don Fardon of The Sorrows sang on the seriously great organ grinder "Good Lovin'". I hear you baby and I hope many others will too...

"Juicy Lucy/Lie Back And Enjoy It/Get A Whiff A This" by JUICY LUCY – September 1969, October 1970 and August 1971 UK Albums on Vertigo and Bronze Records (June 2021 UK Beat Goes On Compilation – 3LPs Plus Two Bonus Tracks Remastered Onto 2CDs – Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Returning To Zelda's Plums..."

In many respects, this is a clever and smart reissue from England's Beat Goes On.

Juicy Lucy's first three studio albums have been CD-reissued before – first by Castle of the UK and Repertoire of Germany in the Nineties and then by Cherry Red's UK label Esoteric Recordings in October 2010 (first two) and April 2013 (for the third) - but they're all deleted now and have been picking up nasty secondhand price tags for years. Their fourth LP "Pieces" from 1972 on Polydor Records issued before they disbanded is not included in this BGO compilation and is also hard to find on CD.

Both the debut "Juicy Lucy" and their second "Lie Back And Enjoy It" were originally issued on the now famous Vertigo label - the first in September 1969 (UK charted April 1970 on the strength of the February 1970 "Who Do You Love" single - a fantastic slashing slide-guitar cover of the Bo Diddley classic) - whilst "Lie Back And Enjoy It" was rush-released for October 1970 – only to chart for one week and clock-up disappointing sales. By the third platter and its cheesy farting/drugs artwork, Juicy Lucy weren't shifting zip let alone doing zippy licks and would bother the charts no more.

So what do you get this time around? This April 2021 UK compilation lumps together the first three albums of their catalogue with two quality non-album B-sides as Bonuses onto two CDs, remasters the lot, puts on a nice-looking (if not suitably garish like their original artwork) card slipcase on the outside and adds a chunky 24-page booklet inside - the whole shebang for under eleven quid new in most digital depots.

Truth and time has told us that the albums are all patchy - especially the spent-force third outing "Get A Whiff A This" from August 1971 originally on Bronze Records. But I've always loved them – had a soft spot for a band that were nailed down by one storming 45 that the mother albums never matched (Ashton, Gardner & Dyke were the same). Juicy Lucy were a band that could have been huge, but fell apart with ever increasing personnel changes and shifts away from the original musical vision.

So with Zelda Plum's modesty covered up by squished apples, pears and (ahem) humungous melons, let's return to the Blues Rock, Country Rock, Gilded Splinters and Bo Diddley Guitar Mania of JUICY LUCY. Here are fruity details...

UK released April 2021 - "Juicy Lucy/Lie Back And Enjoy It/Get A Whiff A This" by JUICY LUCY on Beat Goes On BGOCD1441 (Barcode 5017261214416) offers 3LPs Remastered onto 2CDs with Two Non-Album B-sides as Bonus Tracks and plays out as follows:

CD1 (41:09 minutes):

1. Mississippi Woman

2. Who Do You Love?

3. She’s Mine, She’s Yours

4. Just One Time

5. Chicago North-Western

6. Train

7. Nadine

8. Are You Satisfied

Tracks 1 to 8 are the debut album "Juicy Lucy" - released September 1969 in the UK on Vertigo VO 2 (874 901 VTY) and March 1970 in the USA on Atco SD 33-325. Band was Ray Owens on Lead Vocals, Glenn Ross Campbell on Steel Guitar, Mandolin, Marimbas and Vocals, Neil Hubbard on Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Chris Mercer on Saxophone and Keyboards, Keith Ellis on Bass and Vocals with Pete Dobson on Drums.

BONUS TRACK:

9. Walking Down The Highway - non-album B-side to their debut 7" 45-single "Who Do You Love" (Track 2 on Side 1). It was released 6 February 1970 in the UK on Vertigo V 1 and entered the UK singles chart in late March 1970 at number 28 - eventually rising to Number 14 in mid April. On the strength of that popular rocker the album also belatedly charted in the UK in April 1970 - rising to Number 41.

CD2 (74:07 minutes):

1. Thinking Of My Life [Side 1]

2. Built For Comfort

3. Pretty Woman

4. Whisky In My Jar

5. Hello L.A. Bye Bye Birmingham [Side 2]

6. Changed My Mind, Changed My Sign

7. That Woman’s Got Something

8 and 9. Willie The Pimp/Lie Back And Enjoy It Medley

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Lie Back And Enjoy It" released October 1970 in the UK on Vertigo 6360 014 and November 1970 in the USA on Atco SD 33-345. The album charted at number 53 on the UK LP charts for one week in November 1970. Band was Paul Williams on Lead Vocals, Piano and Congas, Glenn Ross Campbell on Steel Guitar and Mandolin, Micky Moody on Lead Guitar (later with Snafu and Whitesnake), Chris Mercer on Saxophone and Keyboards, Keith Ellis on Bass with Rod Coombes on Drums.

BONUS TRACK:

10. I'm A Thief (Mono) - Non-album B-side to their second UK 7" 45-single "Pretty Woman" (Track 3 on Side 1). It was released September 1970 in the UK on Vertigo 6059 015 (also on the Spiral label) and peaked at No. 44.

11. Mr. Skin [Side 1]

12. Midnight Sun

13. Midnight Rider

14. Harvest

15. Mr. A. Jones

16. Sunday Morning [Side 2]

17. Big Lil

18. Jessica

19. Future Days

Tracks 11 to 19 are their third studio album "Get A Whiff A This" - released August 1971 in the UK on Bronze Records ILPS 9157 and September 1971 in the USA on Atco Records SD 33-367. Produced by NIGEL THOMAS and JUICY LUCY – it didn't chart in either country. Band was same as the second LP except with Jim Leverton (ex Noel Redding's Fat Mattress) replaces Keith Ellis on Bass.

Although the players changed across all three albums, the JUICY JUCY line-ups had impressive chops from the get go - Paul Williams had been with Zoot Money's Big Band, Chris Mercer with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and late comer Micky Moody was with Tramline, The Mike Cotton Sound and would later grace Snafu, Whitesnake and do duet work with Paul Williams on Blues Rock in the 90s. Ace axemen Glenn Ross Campbell had been with the much-loved Misunderstood while Neil Hubbard fretted for Graham Bond and Bluesology - only inexperienced but enthusiastic first album lead singer Ray Owens was new out of the box.

ROGER DOPSON gives us the new liner notes that include the latest recollections and 'changed' slants from founder member Glenn Ross Campbell - up to an including hard-hitting opinions on why they ultimately failed to capitalise on that "Who Do You Love" momentum and even the dodgy artwork for LP number three (fonder recollections on John Peel who discovered him wowing the crowds in The Misunderstood). Zelda Plum holds sway on the centre pages - the controversial but fun gatefold sleeve lady for "Juicy Lucy" - while most of the six-leaf foldout sleeve of the second LP is repro'd in the booklet too. There are trade reviews and magazine adverts in-between the text - it's a really decent stab at their recorded legacy. To the choons...

Even though you can't help thinking that at heart they really wanted to be a Blues Boogie band like say early ZZ Top - the first album is battling genres - several of their original songs flitting around Country Rock, New Orleans gumbo and even acoustic moments of Rock beauty (the ANDREW THOMPSON Remaster gorgeous for "Just One Time"). As well as their incendiary take on "Who Do You Love" made famous by Bo Diddley and subsequently by Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks (that version featured a young Robbie Robertson of The Band on guitar while it was Campbell the slide genius on the Juicy Lucy revival), other covers include their good-time boozy R&B version of "Nadine" by Chuck Berry and a near six-minute fuzzed-up guitar stab at the Buddy Miles song "Train" from his 1968 debut album "Expressway To Your Skull" on Mercury Records.

The debut LP also opens strongly with the menace boogie and Beefheart growl of "Mississippi Woman" (dig that geetar) and I have had a five-decades long love affair with the Dr. John Night Tripper voodoo vibe permeating all of the finisher "Are You Satisfied" (beautifully clear Bass and Mandolin). "Walking Down The Highway" is a very cool B-side too – in fact the only thing you could say against the opening salvo album and single is Ray Owens, whose vocals feel strained and not convincing enough.

The Paul Williams penned "Pretty Woman" was released as the second album's only single and you can instantly hear why – catchy as a cold in Margate. The cover of the Willie Dixon song he gave to Howlin' Wolf "Built For Comfort" is less successful as is the awful version of Zappa's "Willy The Pimp", although it redeems itself at about 5 minutes 34 seconds in as it fades out and suddenly turns into a lovely 2-minute long piano instrumental - not surprisingly called "Lie Back And Enjoy It". But the track I dig the most is "This Woman's Got Something" which was co-written by Moody, Campbell and Williams - it's a bluesy builder with great axe work and has graced more than a few 70's FEST CDs I've made up.

"Get A Whiff A This" is the kind of difficult third album that's long forgotten - and unfortunately it's very easy to hear why. To start with it's stylistically all over the place. Steve Ellis had just left the line up to join Boxer - replaced by Jim Leverton on Bass from Noel Redding's Fat Mattress. Lead singer Paul Williams was on his 2nd Juicy Lucy LP ("Lie Back And Enjoy It" was his first) – and the presence of ace-axeman Glenn Ross Campbell who did the stunning "Who Do You Love" took a Pedal Steel backseat to the Lead Guitar of Micky Moody – later of course with Snafu and Whitesnake. Moody's playing has always been a thing of wonder and he's sessioned with huge numbers of artists - Roger Chapman of Family, Mike Oldfield, Graham Bonnet, Alan Squire of Lindisfarne, played Acoustic on Gerry Rafferty's "City To City" and in the 90s and 00's with Tony Ashton, David Coverdale, Walter Trout, Uriah Heep, Gary Fletcher, Bernie Marsden and many more. His playing throughout "Get A Whiff A This" is one of the reasons to keep listening - slide licks and zippy flicks. And on it goes...

In hindsight it is easy to hear why Juicy Lucy are a footnote in the annals of 60ts and 70ts Rock. And yet despite their output dips and directional shortcomings - I return to this underrated British band with an affection that refuses to listen to reason. Dated or no, Juicy Lucy were fun and for an old-fart like me, that'll do nicely.

2021's BGOCD1441 is a great twofer-CD compilation and blindingly good value for money into the bargain, making available again Classic Rock Album rarities that would otherwise cost you a pretty bitcoin, something Beat Goes On has become rather good at of late.

In short - all hail Zelda and her ample offerings because this is one Reissue I won't be getting whiffy about...

"Natural Born Bugie: The Immediate Anthology" by HUMBLE PIE (October 2000 Sanctuary/Castle Music 2CD Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...A Nifty Little Number..."

I've had this truly fantastic HUMBLE PIE twofer-CD set for over 15 years now and meant to review it many times. Well, no time like July 2017.

Fronted by the mighty Steve Marriott (fresh from the Small Faces) and The Herd's lead singer Peter Frampton - over in the USA especially HUMBLE PIE achieved stadium-filling Rock legend but initially remained something of a subdued force back in their native Blighty.

And that’s where "Natural Born Bugie: The Immediate Anthology" comes rollicking in. This October 2000 Sanctuary Records/Castle Music 2CD reissue features their initial two albums with Andrew Loog Oldham's ill-fated 'Immediate Records' - both issued in the heady days of 1969 - "As Safe As Yesterday Is" in July 1969 and "Town And Country" in late November. Original drummer Jerry Shirley got involved in this reissue helping with the new remixes from original tapes and reminiscences for the liner notes. The set also offers both sides of a stand-alone 7" single (the titular "Natural Born Bugie" backed with the delightfully monikered "Wrist Job") and eleven other stragglers - a very tasty Nine Previously Unreleased Tracks with two further outtakes first issued on a German CD in 1992 (Tracks 7 and 8 on Disc 2). It's a big ole slice of forgotten Pie - so let's get to the many-headed details...

UK released 30 October 2000 (November 2000 in the USA) - "Natural Born Bugie: The Immediate Anthology" by HUMBLE PIE on Sanctuary/Castle Music CMDDD 054 (Barcode 5050159105427) is a 2CD 34-Track Set of Remasters that plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (74:00 minutes):

1. Natural Born Bugie

2. Wrist Job

Tracks 1 and 2 are the non-album A&B-sides of their debut UK 7" single released July 1969 on Immediate IM 082

3. Desperation [Side 1]

4. Stick Shift

5. Buttermilk Boy

6. Growing Closer

7. As Safe As Yesterday Is

8. Bang! [Side 2]

9. Alabama '69

10. I'll Go Alone

11. A Nifty Little Number Like You

12. What You Will

Tracks 3 to 12 are their debut studio album "As Safe As Yesterday Is" - released July 1969 in the UK on Immediate Records IMSP 025 and December 1969 in the USA on Immediate IMOCS 101 with the Ian McLagan track "Growing Closer" on Side 1 replaced with the single "Natural Born Bugie". It peaked at No. 34 in the UK, didn't chart USA.

13. Take Me Back [Side 1]

14. The Sad Bag Of Shakey Jake

15. The Light Of Love

16. Cold Lady

17. Down Home Again

18. Ollie Ollie

Tracks 13 to 18 are Side 1 of their 2nd studio album "Town And Country" - released November 1969 in the UK on Immediate Records IMSP 027 (No USA Release). It didn't chart in the UK

Disc 2 (70:34 minutes):

1. Every Mother's Son

2. Heartbeat

3. Only You Can See

4. Silver Tongue

5. Home And Away

Tracks 1 to 5 are Side 2 of their 2nd studio album "Town And Country" - released November 1969 in the UK on Immediate Records IMSP 027 (No USA Release). It didn't chart in the UK

6. I'll Drown In My Own Tears

7. 79th Street Blues

8. Greg's Song (Backing Track)

9. Hello Grass (No Regrets)

10. Road To Ride

11. BTMG's (Instrumental)

12. Zeptoe Through The Tulips

13. Leave No Turn Unstoned (alias Just A Riff) - Instrumental

14. Every Mother's Son (alias Jesse Hardin) ('Drunk Intro' Version)

15. The Sad Bag Of Shaky Jake

16. For Your Love (Studio Jam)

Tracks 6 and 9 to 16 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Tracks 7 and 8 first appeared on the 1992 German CD reissue of "Town And Country" on Repertoire REP 4231-WY (Barcode 4009910423127)

HUMBLE PIE was:

STEVE MARRIOTT - Lead Vocals, Guitars and Keyboards

PETER FRAMPTON - Lead Vocals, Guitars and Keyboards

GREG RIDLEY - Bass and Vocals

JERRY SHIRLEY - Drums and Percussion

Compiled by a name trusted by collectors JOHN REED - almost all of the Sanctuary/Castle Music CD reissues of the period favoured a fold-out inlay which is not only a tasty treat visually but an in-depth and knowledgeable read too. With liner notes from ROGER DOPSON, JOHN HOLLIER and JERRY SHIRLEY, the text is peppered with rare Euro 45 picture sleeves ("The Sad Bag Of Shaky Jake"), Immediate Records trade adverts and even the photograph of the brown-parcel artwork that featured on the "As Safe As Yesterday Is" sleeve. They've repro'd the rear covers of both LPs, an NME issue that featured HP on the front cover, black and white and colour snaps of the English rockers in full flight on varying stages and an A-Label demo of the band's lone British single on immediate - "Natural Born Bugie" that peaked at No. 4 on the UK singles charts in September 1969.

But the great news is quality sources for the Audio - 'Immediate Remasters' by Sound Recording Technology at St. Ives, mix downs for the previously unreleased material by Jerry Shirley and Andy Jackson at Dave Gilmour's Studios and the whole set Remastered by NICK WATSON at SRT. The first album is essentially a Rocker - whilst the poor-selling No. 2 LP was largely an Acoustic Folky affair - and both sound suitably brill to me – muscle and details galore. To the music...

Marriott wrote both sides of the "Natural Born Bugie" single where some copies credited the track as "Natural Born Woman" after the actual chorus lyric. It's a simple guitar and piano good-time Rock 'n' Roller with that fantastic Bluesy organ sound on "Wrist Job" being my preferred poison. The debut album opens with a storming Steppenwolf cover version - "Desperation" - just one of the John Kay-written highlights on their January 1968 "Steppenwolf" debut LP on ABC/Dunhill Records. By the way both Marriott and Frampton play and sing - you could be forgiven for thinking Humble Pie are a British version of that American juggernaut of a band - a style call I'll take any day of the week. Frampton gets his first credit with the slide guitar of "Stick Shift" whilst also contributing "I'll Be Alone" and a co-write with Marriott on the LP's superb title track "As Safe As Yesterday Is". Things kick into boogie mode with "Buttermilk Boy" where a country boy finds himself at the eager hands of an amorous city gal (this strapping lad will be needing a big breakfast come the morning). Ian McLagan's lone contribution to the LP "Growing Closer" is the kind of Small Faces-sounding harmonica rocker from the "Autumn Stone" period that I love - with Side 1 ending on the epic six-minute title track where Humble Pie's musicality comes to full fruition - what a tune and what a sound they made – minstrel of the night indeed.

The band had left for the USA, Immediate didn't promote the new record with a British single and were themselves weeks away from financial ruin anyway. Also unlike its rocking predecessor - the new album’s direction seemed more Folk than Natural Born Bugie. So when the 2nd Humble Pie album "Town And Country" appeared in late November 1969 – critics were baffled and the public either didn't know of its existence or worse - didn't care (it failed to chart in the UK and wasn't given an equivalent US release). Poor sales and disinterest are born out with my own decades of experience. I worked as a Rarities Buyer in Reckless Records in Islington and Soho for nearly 20 years (one of the best and busiest second-hand record shops in London) and while the A&M Humble Pie albums (especially the popular doubles "Performance" and "Eat It") would regularly show in people's record collections – the first two Immediate albums never did – especially the second "Town And Country".

But I've always loved it – even bought the 2008 Japanese SHM-CD reissue. Re-listening to the genius Sitar shimmy of "The Light Of Love" (could be a 1967 Summer of Love classic) or the Terry Reid cool keyboard groove of "Cold Lady" or the Sticky Fingers "Wild Horses" country-acoustic of "Every Mother's Son" or Frampton's fantastic vocal on "Only You Can See" – and I'm loving this wonderfully accomplished LP all over again. Hell I even like the 'rawk' cover of Buddy Holly's "Heartbeat" that HP make sound like a Small Faces outtake from a particularly boozy night out...

Both 1970's "Humble Pie" and 1971's "Rock On" – their opening gambits on A&M Records – are gems too – and equally difficult to find on original vinyl or for that matter reissue CD (outside of Japan that is). But I dig them all so much. Like so many great bands of the period - Humble Pie made a sound that is 'so' British Rock 'n' Roll and like the Faces and The Stones – engender an affection that is actually warranted and has lasted (now nearly into five decades).

"Natural Born Bugie..." is a brill little twofer-CD that's still available for about eight quid or less and it’s safe to say I’ll be returning to this set of 1969 yesterdays for years to come. Great stuff...

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