Street Rats

Street Rats was the eighth studio album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1975. The album went to #100 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.

This article is about the Humble Pie album. For the Once Upon a Time episode, see Street Rats (Once Upon a Time).
Street Rats
Studio album by
Humble Pie
ReleasedFebruary 1975
RecordedOlympic Studios, London and Marriott's Clear Sounds Studio Essex, January 1975
GenreBlues rock, hard rock
LabelA&M
ProducerAndrew Loog Oldham, Steve Marriott
Humble Pie chronology
Thunderbox
(1974)		 Street Rats
(1975)		 On to Victory
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link

Background

Street Rats was created at the same time as Marriott was producing a solo album, and a collaboration album with Greg Ridley. He wasn't keen on producing another Pie album, and didn't 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. Steve 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, Pie were contracted to do another tour, 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 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 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 Greg Ridley stating: "It was terrible". Clem Clempson elaborated on this. "The mixes were done by someone outside the band, [Oldham], and when we heard it we were horrified". Steve Marriott (1975): " "Street Rats" was a track with me, Ian Wallace and Tim Hinkley 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 U.S. version. The U.K. 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!"[1]

Five of the albums' eleven songs are covers; "Rain", "We Can Work it Out" and "Drive My Car" from The Beatles; "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.[2] There are two song written by Steve Marriott, "Street Rats" and "Road Hog". The remaining three are collaborations between the various band members.

The album was produced by Andrew Loog Oldham and Steve Marriott; it was recorded in Olympic Studios and Marriott's Clean Sounds studio at his home in Essex, England.

The last word on the album by Greg Ridley: "Humble Pie were better than that, but we were not really consulted."[3]

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 and promptly moved back to the U.K.

Track listing
  1. "Street Rat" (Steve Marriott) - 2:52 (Lead Vocal: Steve) (Drums: Ian Wallace)
  2. "Rock and Roll Music" (Chuck Berry) - 2:55 (Lead Vocal: Greg)
  3. "We Can Work It Out" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 3:18 (Lead Vocal: Steve)
  4. "Scored Out" (Clem Clempson, Marriott) - 2:43 (Lead Vocal: Steve)
  5. "Road Hog" (Marriott) - 3:08 (Lead Vocal: Steve)
  6. "Rain" (Lennon, McCartney) - 5:58 (Lead Vocals: Steve and Greg)
  7. "There 'Tis" (Marriott, Clempson) - 3:06 (Lead Vocal: Steve)
  8. "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker" (Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke, Betty Wright) - 5:57 (Lead Vocal: Greg)
  9. "Countryman Stomp" (Greg Ridley, Clempson, Tim Hinkley) - 2:20 (Lead Vocal: Greg)
  10. "Drive My Car" (Lennon, McCartney) - 3:43 (Lead Vocal: Greg)
  11. "Queens and Nuns" (Clempson, Marriott, Ridley, Jerry Shirley) - 3:04 (Lead Vocal: Steve)

Personnel

Additional personnel:

Tour[4]
Date City Country Venue
15 February 1975 New York City United States Academy Of Music
17 February 1975 Detroit Cobo Arena
19 February 1975 Atlanta Municipal Auditorium
21 February 1975 Pittsburgh Civic Arena
22 February 1975 Boston Orpheum Theatre
24 February 1975 Chicago International Amphitheatre
25 February 1975 Madison Dane County Coliseum
26 February 1975 St Louis Kiel Auditorium
28 February 1975 New Orleans The Warehouse
1 March 1975
5 March 1975 Fresno Selland Arena
7 March 1975 San Francisco Winterland Arena
8 March 1975
9 March 1975 Sacramento Sacramento Convention Centre
12 March 1975 Charleston Charleston Civic Centre
13 March 1975 Louisville Louisville Gardens
14 March 1975 Salem Salem-Roanoke Valley Civic Centre
15 March 1975 Philadelphia The Spectrum
16 March 1975 Columbus Veterans Memorial Auditorium
17 March 1975 Buffalo Kleinhans Music Hall
19 March 1975 Dallas Municipal Auditorium
20 March 1975 Baton Rouge Independence Hall
21 March 1975 San Antonio Municipal Auditorium
22 March 1975 Houston Sam Houston Coliseum
23 March 1975 Tulsa Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion

References
  1. Twelker, Uli; Schmitt, Roland. Small Faces & Other Stories. Sanctuary (Second Edition). pp. 103–106. ISBN 1-86074-392-7.
  2. http://www.discogs.com/Betty-Wright-Let-Me-Be-Your-Lovemaker-Jealous-Man/release/568424
  3. Twelker, Uli; Schmitt, Roland. Small Faces & Other Stories. Sanctuary (Second Edition). p. 106. ISBN 1-86074-392-7.
  4. "TourDateSearch.com: Humble Pie tour dates". www.tourdatesearch.com. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
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