The band initially consisted in 1969 of Steve Marriott (formerly of Small Faces; lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Peter Frampton (from The Herd; lead guitar), Greg Ridley (from Spooky Tooth; bass) and Jerry Shirley (from The Apostolic Intervention; drums).
The joining of all these fairly known players resulted in Humble Pie being considered a bit of a “supergroup”. Worried about great expectations, the group began working together in secret at Marriott's cottage in Moreton, Essex. Signed to Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate Records, their debut single "Natural Born Boogie" was rushed out in 1969 and was a UK number five hit; it was quickly followed by the album As Safe As Yesterday Is, praised as a progressive album in the vein of Small Faces. Their second album Town and Country was also released in 1969 and featured a more acoustic sound. Humble Pie concerts at this time featured an acoustic set followed by an electric set, an approach that would become popular decades later.
1970 saw the financial collapse of Immediate, a switch to A&M Records, and a change in band management. The albums Humble Pie and Rock On, both released that year, alternated between progressive rock and boogie rock excess. A concert at the Fillmore East in NYC was captured on Perfomance Rockin' The Fillmore (1971); it is considered one of the best live rock albums of its era, with Marriott, Frampton, and the rest of the group in fine form. The loud-quiet-loud epic "I Don't Need No Doctor" was an FM radio hit in the United States, propelling the album to the group's biggest commercial success yet.
However, Frampton had already left the band by the time of the album's release, to pursue a solo career that would become extremely successful later in the 1970s. With Dave "Clem" Clempson replacing Frampton, Humble Pie moved towards an even harder sound at the urging of manager Dee Anthony, emphasizing Marriott's blues and soul roots.
Smokin' (1972) had a minor hit in "Thirty Days in the Hole" and was reasonably successful commercially based on the group's constant touring. As a premiere US concert attraction, they traveled in a customized private jet, and partook in all forms of the rock n roll excess available to formerly working class musicians that rose to fame and riches in this era, even hiring The Blackberries, a trio of black backup singers including Vanetta Fields formerly of The Ikettes. Nevertheless the band's extended, long form concert boogie jam rock style was unable to break them into the mainstream radio. Eat It (1974) was three sides of mostly R&B covers and one side live, and while appreciated by their core fans, did nothing to expand the group's audience. The group staged the Goodbye Pie Tour in 1975 and essentially broke up.
In 1980 Marriott, divorced, and with financial problems in the UK, relocated to Atlanta Georgia and revived Humble Pie with Shirley, adding Bobby Tench (from Jeff Beck Group) on guitar and Anthony "Sooty" Jones on bass. Two albums with a more modern heavy metal sound were released but the effort soon fell apart. In 1991 Marriott and Frampton began collaborating again, with another Humble Pie rebirth possibly in the offing, but an unfortunate house fire took Marriott's life before anything tangible could materialise. http://rockandrollgarage.com/the-tragic-story-of-steve-marriott-death/
Stone Cold Fever
Humble Pie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So hard to see
I've got trouble in my back bone
Since that lonesome day
Oh! Yerr!
Tried too hard, I heard you speak
Somethings wrong, only me
What do I do? If it ain't no dream nightmare
Yerr!
Yerr! One, Two, Yerr! One, Two.
The lyrics from Humble Pie's song Stone Cold Fever portray a man in pain, struggling with a severe back problem. The words depict the emotional and physical challenges that come with the condition, as well as the frustrations associated with trying to find a solution. The opening lines of the song, "Oh! Stone cold fever, yerr! So hard to see," suggest the man is suffering from some sort of fever that is affecting his sight. The metaphor "stone cold" conveys his condition's devastating effects, while the "yerr" exclamation emphasizes the depth of his struggles.
The following lines, "I've got trouble in my back bone, since that lonesome day," reveal that the man's problem is specifically related to his spinal column. The alliteration of "back bone" conveys the seriousness of the issue, while the "lonesome day" symbolism adds an extra layer of emotional depth to the situation. The chorus repeats the "yerr" and "stone cold fever" lines, reinforcing the man's pain and frustration.
The second verse continues the theme of struggle and pain, with the man admitting to having to try too hard to get by. He says he's heard others speak, but that something is wrong, indicating that he's been dismissed or ignored. The line "I've been washed, as long as my hair" suggests that despite feeling clean and perhaps even spiritually refreshed, he's still plagued by the ongoing back problem. The final line, "What do I do? If it ain't no dream nightmare," adds confusion and disbelief to the mix, further emphasizing the challenge of his situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Stone cold fever, yerr!
Exclamation indicating the feeling of having a severe fever that has taken my health by surprise.
So hard to see
I am experiencing discomfort, and it's challenging to manage it.
I've got trouble in my back bone
Experiencing acute pain in the spinal cord region.
Since that lonesome day
The ailment started right after a personally distressing event.
Tried too hard, I heard you speak
I am overexerting myself and struggling to listen to others.
Somethings wrong, only me
I'm sensing that there is an issue concerning me, and not everyone can understand it.
I've been washed, as long as my hair
I have recently washed, but it's been so long since I did so.
What do I do? If it ain't no dream nightmare
I'm uncertain of what steps to take since this feels very real and not a figment of my imagination.
Yerr!
Exclamation expressing unease or discomfort.
Yerr! One, Two, Yerr! One, Two.
Repetition of the uneasy exclamation, indicating the continued distress felt amidst the pain.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GREGORY RIDLEY, JERRY SHIRLEY, PETER FRAMPTON, STEVE MARRIOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steve Cabral
Come the dawn of the 1970s, no band embodied the stylistic shift of the times more than Humble Pie. Psychedelia and the roots revival were on the fade, replaced by the more urgent impulses of rock ’n’ roll and the heavier end of electric blues.
Humble Pie – comprising one time Herd starlet Peter Frampton, former Small Faces leader Steve Marriott, ex-Spooky Tooth bassist Greg Ridley and teenage drummer Jerry Shirley – had begun in 1969 as equal parts hard rockers and acoustic troubadours, complete with interchangeable frontmen.
But by 1971’s fourth album, Rock On, they’d become a leaner, louder, heavier proposition.
“Glyn sat us down and said: ‘Look, you’ve made some great albums already, but we have to narrow the direction’,” recalls Frampton. “‘This is my viewpoint: Steve’s the singer, Pete’s the guitar player and sometimes singer, Jerry’s the drummer and Greg’s the bass player. Now get on with it’. And he was right. It was about how to channel our strengths. And I believe that’s why Rock On was such a powerful record.”
The album’s blasted white boy blues was best served by stand out track Stone Cold Fever. Led off by a monolithic Frampton riff, the song is a four-minute powerhouse of whiplash boogie, complete with rolling harmonica and a yelping lead vocal from Marriott.
Marriott would usually suggest the band should all sing, and they’d disappear into separate areas of the studio to write their own lyric parts. But on this occasion there was no question as to who would sing it.
“Mainly because it was so damn high in range, it was determined that Steve would sing the lead all the way through the song,” explains Jerry Shirley. “The East End barrow boy singing the Delta blues.”
Despite this, Stone Cold Fever was a prime example of Humble Pie at their most democratic, with all four members sharing a writing credit.
“People think that Steve just came into Humble Pie and stole the show,” says Frampton. “But at that point he was always very open. He knew he had to take the responsibility because he was blessed with that voice and that talent, but he wanted to share it. It was just that he was a special character.”
Frampton may have kicked things off with his power chords, but an unexpected highlight of the track is his deftly expressive solo over a mid-section detour into jazz.
“We were at our most harmonious in every way, musically and personally,” says Shirley. “For most of the group-written stuff, Steve or Peter would come up with an idea. Then, as it all developed, Greg and I would help arrange the whole song. In this case we mostly put the middle piece together, which had the jazzy kind of feel that Peter was playing on top of.”
Such was the band’s prowess at this point – the product of punishing tour schedules and endless rehearsals – that the entire song was nailed in no time.
“Once we’d finished putting it together, we took a break and made some tea,” Frampton recalls. “They all had a joint, but I hadn’t started to imbibe at that point. Steve disappeared into a corner, and within 20 minutes or so he’d written the words. The next time we played it was when we actually recorded it in the studio with Glyn.” (Classic Rock)
Donald Quinn
Did you ever look up the lyrics to some song and say, "That's totally wrong?"
Like this one... Stone Cold Fever by Humble Pie... Here are what you will find for lyrics online...
Tried too hard, I heard you speak
Somethings wrong only me
I've been washed, as long as my hair
What do I do? If it ain't no dream nightmare
Here is what I heard...
Cried so hard my head is spinning
Something wrong Phone ain't ringing
I ain't washed in as long as my hair
All I do is daydream nightmares.
What do you hear?
johnny zell
Oh! Stone cold fever, yerr!
So hard to see
I've got trouble in my back bone
Since that lonesome day
Oh! Yerr!
Tried too hard, I heard you speak
Somethings wrong, only me
I've been washed, as long as my hair
What do I do? If it ain't no dream nightmare
Yerr!
Yerr! One, Two, Yerr! One, Two.
calvin3464
This is an awesome song despite the fact that it's an underrated gem from 1971 from an underrated band.
Brian Washington
This was the band at their peak. Frampton was just starting to really stretch his wings as a guitar player and Marriot was truly one of the greatest frontmen ever. Just too bad they didn't stay together longer as Frampton went on to become a guitar superstar and Humble Pie, while still a good band, was never the same without him.
StationDead96
the progression and direction in ea it was pretty good, fair but there last good album that did not have Frampton was definetly "smokin" theres really two from eat it that I do love like black coffee and get down to it. tho mariott's vocals were perfect for the soul music without doubt.
Scott Hazlewood
Spot on.
Scott Hazlewood
Spot on, Brian W.
goodtasteification
Marriott from Small Faces wasn't just a front man the guy could sing!
Gail Gruenburg
And they both got ripped off royally by their manager. Such a shame.
drmwm1
This epitomizes the awesomeness of Humble Pie -- full balls synchronized rhythm from Shirley and Ridley; epic jazzy, melodic blues of Frampton; and the all time #1 singer of rock, the incomparable Steve Marriott.
Sarah Lahey
agreed. steve makes robert plant sound like a screeching toddler!
lonecrapshooter67
drmwm1 that's a very good description, you rock! Awesome ness.