''Smokin is the fifth studio album by English rock band

Humble Pie Humble Pie are an English Rock music, rock band formed by Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first Supergroup (music), supergroups of the late 1960s and enjoyed success in the early 1970s ...

, released in 1972 by

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

. 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.

Background

The album was Humble Pie's first following the departure of guitarist

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English-American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who rose to prominence as a member of the rock bands the Herd and Humble Pie. Later in his career, Frampton found significant success as a s ...

, which placed singer and co-founder

Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English actor, musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a student at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and appeared in the West End, before taking a r ...

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 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

". It is the first group's album to feature Frampton's replacement Clem Clempson on guitar. ''Smokin includes dramatically slowed down versions of Eddie Cochran's " C'mon Everybody",

Junior Walker Autry DeWalt Mixon Jr. (June 14, 1931 – November 23, 1995), known professionally as Junior Walker, was an American multi-instrumentalist (primarily saxophonist) and vocalist who recorded for Motown during the 1960s. He also performed as a sess ...

'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 Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

rave-up, an element that would later influence bands like The Black Crowes.

Alexis Korner Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner (19 April 1928 – 1 January 1984), known professionally as Alexis Korner, was a British blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a founding father of British blues". A major i ...

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 Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

Tiple, mandolin-type guitar. Its sound is reminiscent of the song "Alabama '69" on their first album.

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Manassas (band ...

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. 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 ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...

'' (''NME'') reported at the time: "Following intense recording sessions with Humble Pie, Steve Marriott collapsed with nervous exhaustion and doctors told him to rest". With this album the group were seen as leaders of the boogie movement in the early 1970s.

Track listing

Personnel

;Humble Pie *

– 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 Jeremy Duncan Tipson Shirley (born 4 February 1952), known professionally as Jerry Shirley, is an English rock drummer, best known as a member of the band Humble Pie (band), Humble Pie, appearing on all their albums. He is also known for his wor ...

– drums, piano on "You're So Good for Me" ;Additional personnel *

– vocals, tiple (similar sound to mandolin) on "Old Time Feelin *

– backing vocals on "Hot 'n' Nasty" *

Doris Troy Doris Troy (born Doris Elaine Higginsen; January 6, 1937 – February 16, 2004) was an American R&B singer and songwriter, known to her fans as "Mama Soul". Her biggest hit was " Just One Look", a top 10 hit in 1963. Life and career She was ...

– 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

Year-end charts

Certifications

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

External links

*
The History of Humble Pie
{{Authority control 1972 albums Humble Pie (band) albums Albums produced by Steve Marriott A&M Records albums Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios