Analogue Productions Serves a "Smokin'" Piece of Humble Pie!

A long out-of-print audiophile reissue gets repressed

Whether the members of Cream were considered “cream of the crop” players or ELP debuting before a crowd of 600,000 at the Isle of Wight, supergroups became a hot-button commodity that granted success in the late 1960s. Although Humble Pie may have included members of Small Faces, The Herd, Spooky Tooth, and the Apostolic Intervention, they were keen to distance themselves from any preconceived connotations by the music press. 

The foursome established a sound rooted in heavy blues and acoustic-driven folk on their two Immediate albums, As Safe as Yesterday Is and Town and Country, the former described as “heavy metal” by Rolling Stone magazine. Upon acquiring new management and a deal with A&M Records, Humble Pie honed in on a harder-edged sound on their eponymous third album and Rock On, rivaling contemporaries like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Their raucous rendition of the R&B staple “I Don’t Need No Doctor” contributed to the success of the double-live album Performance Rockin’ The Fillmore, which became their first gold-certified album. 

Just as Humble Pie started to hit paydirt, guitarist Peter Frampton left the group to pursue solo ventures, and Clem Clempson filled the vacant spot. Steve Marriott’s assertion as the group’s leader allowed them to diverge into a more soulful R&B sound. This musical shift resulted in the album Smokin’, released in March 1972. 

Humble Pie wasn’t shy about reinventing old blues numbers and rock and roll staples on most of their albums. Their grooving renditions of Eddie Cochran’s “C’mon Everybody” and Junior Walker’s “Road Runner” make the originals sound primitive and light-hearted. Another tip of the hat comes in Cecil Grant’s “I Wonder,” which maintains the slow bluesy nature of the original, yet the band lets loose with extended solo spots. British blues legend Alexis Korner lends some tiple twang on “Old Time Feelin’,” and Stephen Stills joins in on organ during the “G Jam” section at the tail end of “Road Runner.”

Covers aside, originals such as “The Fixer” and “Sweet Peace and Time” are absolute barn burners. “You’re So Good For Me” is a tender acoustic ballad that takes off to gospel heights with the assistance of vocalists Doris Troy and Madeleine Bell. Driven by the singles “Hot ‘n’ Nasty” and “30 Days in the Hole,” Smokin’ became Humble Pie’s commercial breakthrough and best-selling album. 

Vintage pressings of Smokin’ aren’t hard to come by, but they don’t light a match to Analogue Productions’ stunning reissue of this boogie rock classic. Don’t let the dead wax deceive your eyes since it’s a repress of their initial reissue, which dates back to 2009 and bears Kevin Gray’s “ATM” etchings when he was associated with Acoustech Mastering (KG's mastering facility located within Record Technology Incorporated's pressing plant). The packaging is a deluxe thing to behold, with the band’s name and album title brought out with a spot varnish finish against a matte Stoughton jacket. Instead of faithfully replicating the original single-pocket jacket, the packaging expands with a gatefold of Michael Putland’s photos from the recording sessions. 

Perhaps it lends itself to Humble Pie’s musical style, but the Analogue Productions pressing of Smokin’ has an undeniable element of liveliness. Michael Putland’s gatefold photos prove that the whole band cut the backing tracks live, and their tightness comes across through the grooves. Jerry Shirley’s drum sound, particularly during the introduction to “Hot ‘n’ Nasty,” emphasizes the room with plenty of air for the recording to breathe. Most of Steve Marriott’s vocals are dry and intimate throughout the album, but “You’re So Good For Me” hits a sweet spot when his and the gospel vocals come out of nowhere. The dynamic highlight of the album is the slow brewer “I Wonder.” Marriott’s lead guitar takes center stage, and while the track’s arrangement is sparse throughout, it reaches an intense climax as the whole band vamps during the final two minutes. 

The unspoken hero of this pressing is bassist Greg Ridley. The bass rides more in the front of the mix, but Kevin Gray’s mastering allows the bottom end to have this incredible muscle; you might want to dial back your subwoofer! Tracks like “The Fixer,” “C’mon Everybody,” and “Sweet Peace and Time” are textbook definitions of meat-and-potatoes hard rockers that will have the listener nodding their head to the beat. However, the bottom end doesn’t cancel out the delicate intricacies of what the top end has to offer. On the heavier tracks, Jerry Shirley’s cymbals provide plenty of sizzle. The acoustic guitars on “You’re So Good For Me” have heavy compression, bringing out their rich harmonic structure. Alexis Korner’s triple work on “Old Time Feelin'” twinkles with crystal-clear acoustic guitars and lifelike-sounding piano.

Kudos to Analogue Productions for repressing this sonic wonder for those who missed its initial release. Instead of shelling out $100 with overseas shipping on Discogs, $40 will get you by rightly for this pressing that sounds, in a word, smokin’!