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Music gives soul to universe, wings to mind, flight to imagination, charm to sadness, and life to everything.

Plato

Friday, February 18, 2011

Humble Pie - Smokin' (1972 uk, great classic rock, 2007 japan remaster)



Often considered to be the very best Humble Pie album, Smokin' is a bluesy hard rocking record that, like so many albums from the 60s and 70s, suffered a large drop in quality when it was transferred to CD. The original remaster of the album from the early 90s sounds muddy and tinny, too often turning Steve Marriott and Clem Clempson's guitar work into a indistinct sea of distortion and dampening the power of the rhythm section. Until now, those seeking a better mastering of the record have had to search for the 2007 limited edition Japanese remaster. With the release of a new SACD version of Smokin' from Analogue Productions comes a new way to hear the album.

The first thing you notice about the remastering is how crisp and clear the guitars sound. The sound of Clempson's wah-wah pedal is no longer lost in the mix. Greg Ridley's bass has a new prominence, providing a larger low end to anchor the band's riffs. Jerry Shirley's drums are so well mixed it can be hard to get used to--the hi-hats and cowbells ring out so loudly they can almost become distracting. The only sound that remains tinny and flat is the acoustic guitar on “You're So Good For Me”, though I think I prefer it to the too-prominent sounds of the nylon guitar strings on “Old Time Feeling” - you can hear the pick scraping against the strings!
by Daniel Krow


Tracks
1. Hot 'N' Nasty 3:22
2. The Fixer 5:02
3. You're So Good To Me 3:51
4. C'mon Everybody 5:13
5. Old Time Feelin' 4:01
6. 30 Days In The Hole 3:57
7. Road Runner / Road Runner's 'G' Jam 3:44
8. I Wonder 8:53
9. Sweet Peace And Time 5:48

Humble Pie
* Steve Marriott - Vocals, Guitar, Harp, Keyboards
* Clem Clempson - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
* Greg Ridley - Bass, Vocals
* Jerry Shirley - Drums, Keyboards
Guest Musicians
* Alexis Korner - Vocals, Mandolin-type
* Stephen Stills - Organ,  Vocals
* Doris Troy - Vocals
* Madeline Bell - Vocals
* Martin Tipple - Guitar

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5 comments:

  1. Thanks Marios these posts have made me revalue the Humble Pie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Marios for these fantastic posts.
    I love Steve Marriott in all his incarnations.
    At Prhockers you uploaded "The Small Faces - Green Circles (1967 uk and rhythm and blues and psychedelic Sequel records edition 2nd album with 03 bonus tracks"
    The links are not there.
    Do you still have it?
    I would love to catch it in lossless.
    Thanks, Tommy Duque.

    ReplyDelete
  3. can we get a re-link? Free Text is only 'text' on the page - thanks in advance, Joe

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks a lot! The music stills smoking!
    Cheers

    ReplyDelete