sixartist,sixtune,sixweekspecial #8
(Humble Pie feat Steve Marriott – Desperation)
Round two of the Stevie Marriott selection finds the man dissilusioned with fame and looking for some ‘greener grass’, (in my experience a very common Mod trait), first and foremost the young man craved, and deserved, respect as a musician/performer/vocalist which was not possible, in his opinion, with the Small Faces as they were viewed as a bit of a pop/novelty band at the time.
His passion for music far outweighed his desire for fame, although as a street rat on a paltry ‘bobby moore’ a week with a healthy appetite borne out of the only authentic 60’s revolution, (the consumer one), he needed some ‘reddies in the bin‘
This cut, (a Steppenwolf cover written by John Kay), is taken from the 1969 album As Safe As Yesterday Is, the first recorded outing with the band he put together for Peter Frampton…Humble Pie. consisting of Jerry Shirley on Drums, Greg Ridley on Bass and Steve on, (second lead), guitar..as well as vocal duties of course….
themusicologist 
tune….Humble Pie were the only band that really managed to sing 3 part lead to such effect..even though the star that shines brightest is there for all to hear..no wonder Peter Frampton cut loose from ‘The Pie’ after only 2 years.Steve reminds me a lot of Sam Cooke in that regard. The Soul Stirrers were all top vocalists in their own right, (especially Paul Foster), but as with Steve so with Sam..he dominated the session.
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I have been listening to this song a lot and concluded that the lyrics deserve to be published here..then i found a nifty little lyrics ‘widget’ that does the job much better than I ever could. it’s above the boxnet audiuo player..you can’t miss it is says ‘free lyrics’..try it on any song and there’s a good chance it’s in there…anyway here’s the lyrics to this pucker slice of poetical musicology..
Rain-drops fall and you feel low
Do you ever feel it’s useless
Do you feel like letting go
Well do you ever stop and do you wonder
Will the world ever change
Yes, well just how long
Will it take to have it all re-arranged
Tell me why these things are still the same
Tell me why no one can seem to learn from mistakes
Take my hand if you don’t know where you’re goin’
I’ll understand–I’ve lost the way myself
Oh, won’t you, oh don’t take that old road, it leads to nowhere
We must return before the clock strikes twelve
Oh, it’s so easy to do nothin’ when you’re busy night and day
Take a step in one direction, ooh yeah
Take a step the other way
So, don’t quit tryin’ when you stumble
Don’t give up should you fall
Oh, won’t you keep on searchin’ for the pathway
That leads you through the wall
Don’t look back or you’ll be left behind
Don’t look back or you will never find peace of mind
Take my hand if you don’t know where you’re goin’
I’ll understand, you know I’ve, I’ve lost the way myself
Now listen here, I don’t want to, I don’t want to take that old road it leads to nowhere
We must return before the clock strikes twelve
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