I had Stevie Marriot night the other night and stayed up listening to various Humble Pie clips and reading about him. What a talent he was. Great voice and his guitar playing was far better than people give him credit for (as mentioned in another thread recently). Pity things went the way it did for him with financial issues and drink etc. Also, I never knew he was lined up to replace Mick Taylor in the Stones, I wonder how that would have turned out. Apparently in the audition he needed to sit back and just play the guitar parts but that was never him and Mick knew he'd be upstaged and put a block on it. Can you imagine what it would have been like with Stevie and Mick strutting around trying to out do each other!
I also watched a documentary about the Whisky a Go Go. I didn't know Humble Pie had played there so much and also that they had inadvertently burned the place down! Peter Frampton had some really nice words to say about Stevie, saying he was lucky to work with somebody with so much talent, he said basically he's the best there's ever been.
I listened to 60's / 70's blues rock for years and have moved on a bit, bored of the re told cliches, but Humble Pie seem to go under the radar a bit, so it was nice to discover something new from that era. (Documentary on an Sky Arts I think btw).
Anyway, just a few musings about the little fella with the big voice
Comments
'Frampton Comes Alive' is one of my favourites
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
A great loss, IMHO
My mates dad used to tell us a great story when we were 12/13. He was good friends with Sticky Wickett - the final drummer in Packet of Three with Steve. He was invited down to one of their gigs at The Half Moon in Putney and during the show, Steve's microphone kept cutting out. Steve, getting visibly annoyed each time, eventually shouted "FACK THIS!!" and booted the mic out of the way. Then proceeded to count the band off into the next song, stand on the lip of the stage and sing unaided above the band until the engineer got it sorted. He said you could hear him clear as a bell!
(formerly miserneil)
Tin Soldier is one of my all time favourites.
Don't talk politics and don't throw stones. Your royal highnesses.
I do like a husky singing voice and his has always been up there with the best.
Like others have said, he was none too shabby playing a guitar either.
Red Balloon is my favourite featuring him. Great song and singing.
I can't help about the shape I'm in, I can't sing I ain't pretty and my legs are thin
But don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to
(formerly miserneil)
(formerly miserneil)
Duration 1:02:21
https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdQvh1pR5CU
Just Dynamite.
Good read and insight to Stevie, Greg (Ridley - Bass player and equally terrific voice) and Humble Pie.......
Jerry was a teenager when he joined Humble Pie and was only in his early 20's when they split......