As Safe as Yesterday Is

Last updated

As Safe as Yesterday Is
As Safe As Yesterday Is cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1969 [1]
Recorded1969
Studio Olympic Studios, London
Genre Blues rock [2]
Length47:20
Label Immediate
Producer Andy Johns
Humble Pie chronology
As Safe as Yesterday Is
(1969)
Town and Country
(1969)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg link
Disc and Music Echo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Rolling Stone Record Guide (1st ed, 1979)Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg
The New Rolling Stone Record Guide (2nd ed, 1983)Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg
The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed, 1992)Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg

As Safe as Yesterday Is is the debut studio album by English rock band Humble Pie, released in August 1969. The band had been formed by singer/guitarists Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton. The album features a blend of heavy blues, crushing rock, pastoral folk, and post-mod pop music. It peaked at number 32 in the UK Albums Chart. [5] [6]

Contents

Background

While the group, featuring Steve Marriott (former frontman of Small Faces) and Peter Frampton (former frontman of the Herd), had technically formed in January 1969, Marriott's final touring commitments to his former band followed by legal wrangles with Frampton's old management had delayed any album releases until August, during which time the band rehearsed and recorded enough material to fill at least three albums.

Songs

Marriott contributed six songs to the album, one co-written with Frampton, who also contributed two solo efforts. The opening track is a cover version of Steppenwolf's "Desperation". The track "Growing Closer" was written by ex–Small Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan, who rehearsed with Humble Pie early on, before deciding to regroup with Small Faces bandmates Kenney Jones and Ronnie Lane as the Faces, joined by newcomers Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. [7]

The single-only track "Wrist Job" (the UK B-side of "Natural Born Bugie") is a reworking/completion of an unnamed backing track that Marriott originally wrote for the Small Faces, which was provisionally titled "The Pig's Trotters" by either the staff at Immediate Records or by future Small Faces archivists. It is thought to be one of the last tracks Marriott recorded with the Small Faces before leaving them in early 1969, and if finished it may have been intended for the band's abandoned fourth album. This original version of the track was not officially released until it appeared on the Small Faces' first complete Immediate recordings box set in 1995. Humble Pie's finished version of the track, now complete with lyrics, had long been rumoured to prominently feature Small Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan. In truth however, while McLagan is indeed known to have rehearsed with the new group at least once while considering his post-Small Faces options, the distinctive keyboard part on the Humble Pie recording is performed by Marriott himself.[ citation needed ]

Embryonic versions of "Bang!" and "What You Will" were recorded in French by singer Johnny Hallyday in December 1968, with the Small Faces and Peter Frampton serving as Hallyday's backing group. Although now recognised as solely Marriott compositions, the Hallyday versions of "Bang!" and "What You Will" were recorded before the Small Faces' breakup in January 1969, and so there the music was credited to Marriott and Lane (as per the duo's publishing agreement that saw both credited no matter which of them actually composed a particular song).[ citation needed ]

Reception

American rock critic Mike Saunders is credited with one of the first coinings of the term "heavy metal" for a genre in a 1970 review of As Safe as Yesterday Is for Rolling Stone , in which he wrote: "Here they were a noisy, unmelodic, heavy metal-leaden shit-rock band, with the loud and noisy parts beyond doubt." [8] [9]

New Musical Express called it "a good LP and one that will grow in estimation with each listen," though "a sameness on certain numbers" was observed. [10] A review in Melody Maker said, "Critically speaking Humble Pie aren't offering anything particularly new. It would be nice to hear more of their instrumental and vocal ability showcased as it gets submerged in the production, but as a team they work well together and given a fair chance and hearing, the group will develop into an important musical entity." [11] A retrospective review by heavy metal historian Martin Popoff gave the album an 8 out of 10 and noted "a Stonesy rock 'n' roll immediacy gripping the proceedings, a number of these tracks sounding very much like the blueprint for The Black Crowes, especially Desperation and the title track, both languid and loud, confident at the road ahead." [12]

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Desperation" (John Kay) – 6:28
  2. "Stick Shift" (Peter Frampton) – 2:22
  3. "Buttermilk Boy" (Steve Marriott) – 4:22
  4. "Growing Closer" (Ian McLagan) – 3:13 (US version omitted "Growing Closer" in favour of the single "Natural Born Bugie")
  5. "As Safe as Yesterday Is" (Frampton, Marriott) – 6:05

Side two

  1. "Bang!" (Marriott) – 3:24
  2. "Alabama '69" (Marriott) – 4:37
  3. "I'll Go Alone" (Frampton) – 6:17
  4. "A Nifty Little Number Like You" (Marriott) – 6:11
  5. "What You Will" (Marriott) – 4:20

CD bonus tracks

  1. "Natural Born Bugie" (Marriott) (Single A-side) – 4:12
  2. "Wrist Job" (Marriott) (Single B-side) – 4:14

Personnel

Humble Pie

Additional musicians

Technical personnel

Charts

Chart (1969)Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [13] 6
UK Albums (OCC) [14] 32

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small Faces</span> English rock band

The Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The band were one of the most acclaimed and influential mod groups of the 1960s, recording hit songs such as "Itchycoo Park", "Lazy Sunday", "All or Nothing" and "Tin Soldier", as well as their concept album Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake. They evolved into one of the UK's most successful psychedelic bands until 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Marriott</span> English guitarist and singer (1947–1991)

Stephen Peter Marriott, known professionally as Steve Marriott, was an English musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded and played in the rock bands Small Faces and Humble Pie, in a career spanning over 20 years. Marriott was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces.

<i>Small Faces</i> (1967 album) 1967 studio album by Small Faces

Small Faces is the second studio album by Small Faces, released through Immediate Records on 23 June 1967. Although this was their first album for new manager Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label, recording actually commenced during their tenure with Decca Records, whom they left in January 1967 after severing professional ties with original manager Don Arden. As a result of the switch of label and management, Decca and Arden released an outtakes compilation album, From the Beginning in early June 1967 in order to sabotage the chart success of the Immediate Small Faces release - something that it managed to do to some extent when From the Beginning reached number 17 in the UK charts. The Immediate album shares its name with their 1966 Decca debut album, which has led to some confusion regarding the titles. As a result of this, it has been unofficially dubbed The First Immediate Album by several fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humble Pie</span> English rock band

Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by singer-guitarists Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. Often regarded as one of the first supergroups in music, Humble Pie experienced moderate popularity and commercial success during the 1970s with hit songs such as "Black Coffee", "30 Days in the Hole", "I Don't Need No Doctor", "Hot 'n' Nasty" and "Natural Born Bugie" among others.

<i>Town and Country</i> (album) 1969 studio album by Humble Pie

Town and Country is the second studio album by rock band Humble Pie, released in November 1969. It was released only in the UK.

<i>Smokin</i> (Humble Pie album) 1972 studio album by Humble Pie

Smokin' is the fifth studio album by English rock band Humble Pie, released in 1972 by A&M Records. It was the band's international commercial breakthrough, peaking at number 6 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, and hit number 20 in the UK and number 9 in Australia.

<i>Rock On</i> (Humble Pie album) 1971 studio album by Humble Pie

Rock On is the fourth album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in March 1971. It reached #118 on the Billboard 200. It is the last Humble Pie studio album to feature guitarist/singer Peter Frampton, who left the band towards the end of the year.

<i>Humble Pie</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Humble Pie

Humble Pie is the third studio album by English rock band Humble Pie. Released in 1970, it was their first album with A&M Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Ridley</span> English rock bassist (1947–2003)

Alfred Gregory Ridley was an English bassist who was the bassist and a founding member of the rock band Humble Pie and Spooky Tooth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Shirley</span> Musical artist

Jeremy Duncan Tipson Shirley, known professionally as Jerry Shirley, is an English rock drummer, best known as a member of the band Humble Pie, appearing on all their albums. He is also known for his work with Fastway, Joey Molland from Badfinger, Alexis Korner, Billy Nicholls, Syd Barrett, John Entwistle, Sammy Hagar and Benny Mardones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tin Soldier (song)</span> 1967 single by Small Faces

"Tin Soldier" is a song released by the English rock band Small Faces on 2 December 1967, written by Steve Marriott. The song peaked at number nine in the UK singles chart and number 38 in Canada. It has since been covered by many other notable rock artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sha-La-La-La-Lee</span> 1966 single by Small Faces

"Sha-La-La-La-Lee" was the third single by English R&B-influenced group Small Faces, recorded in December 1965 and released on 28 January 1966, reaching number three in the UK Singles Chart. It was also the first single by the group to feature Ian McLagan on keyboards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afterglow of Your Love</span> 1969 single by Small Faces

"Afterglow of Your Love" is a song by the English rock group Small Faces. The song was originally simply titled "Afterglow" on the album on which it first appeared in May 1968, Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake. Without authorisation from the band, the song was released as a single in 1969 and reached no. 36 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>The Autumn Stone</i> 1969 compilation album by Small Faces

The Autumn Stone is a posthumous retrospective double album, and the second compilation album released in the UK by Small Faces in 1969 on the Immediate label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural Born Bugie</span> 1969 single by Humble Pie

"Natural Born Bugie" is the debut single released in 1969 by English rock band Humble Pie, who were one of the first British supergroups. It was written as a mid tempo rock song by Steve Marriott, for Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label and became the band's first single release. The original UK B-side was "Wrist Job" and it was replaced with "I'll Go Alone" for a later release in United States. The three guitarists sang a verse each.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sad Bag of Shaky Jake</span> 1969 single by Humble Pie

"The Sad Bag of Shaky Jake" is a single released in 1969 by English rock band Humble Pie. The B-side "Cold Lady" was written by drummer Jerry Shirley in a R&B style and Shirley plays Wurlitzer piano and guitarist Peter Frampton plays the drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Black Dog</span> 1970 single by Humble Pie

"Big Black Dog" is a single released in 1970 by English rock band Humble Pie, one of the first British supergroups to form in 1969. It was the band's first single for A&M Records and the follow-up single to "Natural Born Bugie" (1969). It was written by the band's guitarist, Peter Frampton.

"(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?" is a song by English rock band Small Faces. It has a complicated release history and was issued by both Decca and Immediate Records in 1967. The track apparently had a working title of "Mystery" in 1966. Initially planned as the Small Faces debut single on Immediate in mid-1967, it was shelved due to threats from Decca.

<i>In Memoriam</i> (Small Faces album) 1969 compilation album by Small Faces

In Memoriam is the first posthumous album release by East London rock band Small Faces after the announcement of their break-up in early 1969. It was released on 1 May 1969 through Immediate Records in West Germany only. Their second compilation album following 1967's From the Beginning, In Memoriam is a collection of live cuts and unreleased studio tracks. The studio material was recorded during 1967 and the 1968 sessions for Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, and also included a few tracks possibly intended for their projected but unrealised fourth album 1862. The studio outtakes were complemented by five live tracks recorded on tour in November 1968.

References

  1. Hughes, David (9 August 1969). "Helpings of Humble Pie" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo . p. 9. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. "The Top 30 British Blues Rock Albums of All Time". Classic Rock . Future plc. 23 March 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  3. "Humble Pie—a great appetiser" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo . 9 August 1969. p. 12. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Humble Pie". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0857125958.
  5. Hewitt & Hellier 2004, p. 190.
  6. "Guide to British Music of the 1960s Humble Pie". Making Time 1995-2007. Archived from the original on 20 August 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
  7. Hewitt & Hellier 2004, p. 191.
  8. Weinstein, Deena (2014). "Just So Stories: How Heavy Metal Got Its Name—A Cautionary Tale". Rock Music Studies. 1 (1): 41–42. doi: 10.1080/19401159.2013.846655 .
  9. Saunders, Mike (12 November 1970). "Humble Pie: Town and Country; As Safe As Yesterday Is; Humble Pie". Rolling Stone via Rock's Backpages.
  10. "New Pie not Faces or Herd". New Musical Express . 9 August 1969. 10.
  11. "Future is bright for Humble Pie". Melody Maker . 16 August 1969. 20.
  12. Popoff, Martin (2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, Volume I: The Seventies. Collector's Guide Publishing Inc. p. 143. ISBN   1-894959-02-7.
  13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Humble Pie – As Safe as Yesterday Is" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  14. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
General sources