Smokin' (Humble Pie album)

Smokin' is the fifth studio album by English rock band Humble Pie, released in 1972 through A&M Records. It was the band's international breakthrough, peaking at number 6 on the US Billboard 200 album chart,^[3] and hit number 20 in the UK and number 9 in Australia.^[4]

Smokin'
Studio album by Humble Pie
Released	March 1972 (1972-03)
Recorded	February 1972
Studio	Olympic Studios, London
Genre	Blues rock hard rock
Length	43:48
Label	A&M
Producer	Humble Pie
Humble Pie chronology
Performance Rockin' the Fillmore (1971) Smokin' (1972) Eat It (1973)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[2]

Background

The album was Humble Pie's first following the departure of guitarist Peter Frampton, which placed singer and co-founder Steve Marriott as the band's de facto leader. Smokin' is the band's best-selling album, due in large part to the success of the single "30 Days in the Hole".

Smokin' includes dramatically slowed down versions of Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody", Junior Walker's "Road Runner", and the wah-wah laden slow blues "I Wonder". "You're So Good for Me", which begins as a delicate acoustic number, ultimately mutates into a full-bore gospel music rave-up, an element that would later influence bands like The Black Crowes.

Alexis Korner guests on the track "Old Time Feelin'", Marriott's vocals take a back seat as the main vocals are provided by Clem Clempson and Korner who also plays a Martin Tiple, mandolin-type guitar. Its sound is reminiscent of the song "Alabama '69" on their first album.

Stephen Stills guests on "Road Runner 'G' Jam" (the title is a nod to the band's habit of developing songs out of jam sessions), by adding his backing vocals that were over-dubbed on "Hot 'n' Nasty" a slow-burning and then dynamic R&B song, after he strolled in after recording his own sessions next door.^[5]

Marriott insisted on producing the album himself for the challenge of creating a compact R&B sound with a high-tech 24-track mixing board. Marriott collapsed with exhaustion in February. The New Musical Express (NME) reported at the time: "Following intense recording sessions with Humble Pie, Steve Marriott collapsed with nervous exhaustion and doctors told him to rest".^[6]

With this album the group were seen as leaders of the boogie movement in the early 1970s.^[7]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer	Length
1.	"Hot 'n' Nasty"	Marriott / Ridley / Clempson / Shirley	3:22
2.	"The Fixer"	Marriott / Ridley / Clempson / Shirley	5:02
3.	"You're So Good for Me"	Marriott, Ridley	3:50
4.	"C'mon Everybody"	Jerry Capehart, Eddie Cochran	5:13
5.	"Old Time Feelin'"	Traditional, lyrics by Marriott	4:00

Side two

No.	Title	Writer	Length
6.	"30 Days in the Hole"	Marriott	3:57
7.	"Road Runner/Road Runner's 'G' Jam"	Holland-Dozier-Holland, Humble Pie	3:43
8.	"I Wonder"	Cecil Gant, Raymond Leveen	8:53
9.	"Sweet Peace and Time"	Marriott / Ridley / Clempson / Shirley	5:48
Total length:			43:48^[1]

Personnel

Humble Pie

• Steve Marriott – lead and backing vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards
• Clem Clempson – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Old Time Feelin'"
• Greg Ridley – bass, backing vocals
• Jerry Shirley – drums, piano on "You're So Good for Me"

Guests

• Alexis Korner – vocals, tiple (similar sound to mandolin) on "Old Time Feelin'"
• Stephen Stills – backing vocals on "Hot 'n' Nasty"
• Doris Troy – backing vocals "You're So Good for Me"
• Madeline Bell – backing vocals "You're So Good for Me"

Production

• Album cover art designed by Kosh
• Engineers: Alan O'Duffy, Keith Harwood
• Recorded at Olympic Studios, London, February 1972.
• Produced by The Pie

Charts

Weekly charts Chart performance for Smokin' Chart (1972) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[8] 9 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[9] 13 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[10] 26 UK Albums (OCC)^[11] 20 US Billboard 200^[12] 6

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Smokin' Chart (1972) Position US Billboard 200^[13] 36

Release history

• 1990 CD A&M
• 1972 LP A&M
• 1990 CS A&M
• 2007 CD Universal
• 1995 CD Universal/A&M
• 2007 CD Universal Japan
• 2017 LP Box Disc 4 A&M ('The A&M Vinyl Boxset 1970–1975', released on 16 June 2017)

References

1. Smokin' at AllMusic
2. Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Humble Pie". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 398. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
3. "Humble Pie". Billboard. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 144. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
5. Twelker, Uli; Schmitt, Roland. The Small Faces (The Faces, Peter Frampton, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Steve Marriott Humble Pie & other stories). Sanctuary. pp. 90–91. ISBN 1-86074-392-7.
6. The Small Faces (The Faces, Peter Frampton, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Steve Marriott Humble Pie & other stories). pp. 89–90.
7. "Humble Pie, Smokin'". allmusic. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 145. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
9. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7698". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Humble Pie – Smokin'" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
11. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
12. "Humble Pie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
13. "Humble Pie on Billboard Charting History & Albums – Year-End 1972". Billboard 200. Retrieved 6 March 2021.

External links

• - Domain for sale
• The official Steve Marriott website - 404 Error