''Street Rats'' was the eighth studio album by the English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group Humble Pie, released in 1975. The album went to number 100 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 album chart.

Background

''Street Rats'' was created at the same time as

Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded and played in the rock bands Small Faces and Humble Pie, in a career spanning over two decades. Marriott was inducted pos ...

was producing a solo album, and a collaboration album with

Greg Ridley Alfred Gregory Ridley (23 October 1941 – 19 November 2003) was an English bassist who was the bassist and a founding member of the rock band Humble Pie and Spooky Tooth. Career Ridley was born in Carlisle, Cumberland, England. Early in h ...

. He was not keen on producing another Humble Pie album, and did not want to tour the U.S. again, as they had been touring solidly for the past four years. While on the road, everything they wanted was paid for, but once they got back to England, four years and 21 tours later there was no money in the bank. Understandably, they were loath to tour and promote another album. Marriott: "We'd been on tour for about four years, and we were just very tired". But A&M as well as manager Dee Anthony were able to insist that Humble Pie were contracted to do another tour, and to do so without another album would have been an unwise move by the band. In early 1975, the record company, tired of waiting for the new album, "confiscated" material from Marriott's Clear Sounds Studio, but much of the material was not meant for Humble Pie, it was for a solo album and for his on-going project with Ridley. To make the best of a bad situation, A&M brought in

Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Loog Oldha ...

to mix and cut up the tracks and make them heavier, much to the disgust of Marriott. The title ''Street Rats'' was also thought up by A&M. Not surprisingly the band were never happy with the album, with Ridley saying: "It was terrible".

Clem Clempson David "Clem" Clempson (born 5 September 1949) is an English rock guitarist who has played as a member in a number of bands including Colosseum and Humble Pie. Career Clempson began his career in the late 1960s with the power trio, Bakerloo (or ...

elaborated on this. "The mixes were done by someone outside the band, ldham and when we heard it we were horrified". Marriott (1975): " "Street Rats" was a track with me, Ian Wallace and

Tim Hinkley Timothy Alan Hinkley (born 25 May 1946) is an English singer-songwriter, keyboard player and record producer. Born in London, Hinkley started playing in youth club bands in the early 1960s, with bands including the Copains, Boys and the Freeman ...

playing piano, It was nothing to do with Humble Pie". "Somebody stole the 16-track mix It was intended as the title track for my album". The album has different mixes for the US version. The UK version also has the track "Funky to the Bone" in place of "There 'Tis", Marriott stated in an interview that the song had nothing to do with Humble Pie. "It was just musicians up in my studio!" Five of the albums' eleven songs are covers; "Rain", "We Can Work it Out" and "Drive My Car" from

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

; "Rock and Roll Music" by Chuck Berry and "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker" by Reid/Clark/Wright and originally recorded by R&B artist Betty Wright in 1973. There are two song written by Marriott, "Street Rats" and "Road Hog". The remaining three are collaborations between the various band members. The album was produced by Loog Oldham and Marriott; it was recorded in Olympic Studios and Marriott's Clean Sounds studio at his home in

Essex, England Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

. The last word on the album by Ridley: "Humble Pie were better than that, but we were not really consulted." After the release of this album and their farewell tour, Humble Pie disbanded, citing musical differences. Marriott went on to produce his first solo album ''

Marriott Marriott may refer to: People *Marriott (surname) Corporations * Marriott Corporation, founded as Hot Shoppes, Inc. in 1927; split into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation in 1993 * Marriott International, international hote ...

'' and promptly moved back to the UK.

Track listing

# "Street Rat" (

) - 2:52 (Lead Vocal: Steve) (Drums: Ian Wallace) # "

Rock and Roll Music Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

" (

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

) - 2:55 (Lead Vocal: Greg) # "

We Can Work It Out "We Can Work It Out" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was first issued as a double A-side single with "Day Tripper" in December 1965. It also appeared on the 1966 US release '' Yesterd ...

" (

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

) - 3:18 (Lead Vocal: Steve) # "Scored Out" (

, Marriott) - 2:43 (Lead Vocal: Steve) # "Road Hog" (Marriott) - 3:08 (Lead Vocal: Steve) # "

Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...

" (Lennon, McCartney) - 5:58 (Lead Vocals: Steve and Greg) # "There 'Tis" (Marriott, Clempson) - 3:06 (Lead Vocal: Steve) # "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker" ( Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke, Betty Wright) - 5:57 (Lead Vocal: Greg) # "Countryman Stomp" (

, Clempson,

) - 2:20 (Lead Vocal: Greg) # " Drive My Car" (Lennon, McCartney) - 3:43 (Lead Vocal: Greg) # "Queens and Nuns" (Clempson, Marriott, Ridley, Jerry Shirley) - 3:04 (Lead Vocal: Steve)

2010 & 2016 Japanese reissue

Track 1 to 11 are Original UK mix # "Street Rat" (

) - 2:52 (Lead Vocal: Steve) (Drums: Ian Wallace) # "

" (

) - 2:55 (Lead Vocal: Greg) # "

" (

) - 3:18 (Lead Vocal: Steve) # "Scored Out" (

, Marriott) - 2:43 (Lead Vocal: Steve) # "Road Hog" (Marriott) - 3:08 (Lead Vocal: Steve) # "

" (Lennon, McCartney) - 5:58 (Lead Vocals: Steve and Greg) # "Funky To The Bone" (Fred Gowdy, Larry Wilkins) - 3:07 # "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker" ( Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke, Betty Wright) - 5:57 (Lead Vocal: Greg) # "Countryman Stomp" (

, Clempson,

) - 2:20 (Lead Vocal: Greg) # " Drive My Car" (Lennon, McCartney) - 3:43 (Lead Vocal: Greg) # "Queens and Nuns" (Clempson, Marriott, Ridley, Jerry Shirley) - 3:04 (Lead Vocal: Steve) # "Big Black Dog" (Humble Pie) – 4:05 (bonus track for CD release) # "Mister Ring" (G. Ridley) – 4:24 (bonus track for CD release) # "The Outcrowd" (G. Ridley) – 2:51 (bonus track for CD release) # "I Don't Need No Doctor (Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Jo Armstead) (Single Version From Performance Rockin' the Fillmore" – 3:58 (bonus track for CD release)

Personnel

Humble Pie *

– guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals, producer *

– guitar, slide guitar *

– bass guitar, vocals * Jerry Shirley – all drums except on "Street Rat" Additional personnel *

Mel Collins Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947, Isle of Man) is a British saxophonist, flautist and session musician. Collins has played in several progressive rock groups, having been a member of King Crimson on two occasions (the first from ...

– saxophones *

– keyboards * Ian Wallace – drums on "Street Rat"

Tour

References

External links

Information on Humble Pie
{{Authority control Humble Pie (band) albums 1975 albums Albums produced by Andrew Loog Oldham Albums produced by Steve Marriott A&M Records albums Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios Albums recorded in a home studio