Humble Pie - As Safe As Yesterday Is [Gold]

Humble Pie's As Safe As Yesterday Is returns on limited, numbered gold vinyl, a fitting finish for the 1969 debut that launched one of British rock's great supergroups.

The band brought together Steve Marriott, fresh from the Small Faces, and Peter Frampton of The Herd, with bassist Greg Ridley and drummer Jerry Shirley completing the line-up. Frampton was still a teenager when they formed. Released on Immediate, their first album is looser and more eclectic than the hard-driving boogie they later became famous for, mixing heavy blues rock with folk and country touches as two gifted frontmen found their way around each other.

Their take on Steppenwolf's "Desperation" opens the record with brooding, slow-building weight, and "Stick Shift" rumbles along with bluesy swagger. "Bang!" is a punchy jolt of energy, while "Alabama '69" swaps amps for a rootsy, acoustic shuffle that hints at the range still to come. Marriott's raw, soulful howl sits beautifully against Frampton's lighter touch throughout.

It's the sound of two of the era's great talents pulling in the same direction for the first time. For anyone who loves late-60s British rock, this gold reissue is a handsome way to revisit where it all began for the band.