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Steve Marriott - Marriott (1976)

Track listing:
  1. East Side Struttin' 4:47
  2. Lookin' for a Love 3:45
  3. Help Me Through the Day 5:52
  4. Midnight Rollin' 3:31
  5. Wam Bam Thank You Ma'am 3:54
  6. Star in My Life 3:31
  7. Are You Lonely for Me Baby 3:52
  8. You Don't Know Me 4:56
  9. Late Night Lady 3:02
  10. Early Evening Light 3:47

Notes

Size: 84.6 MB
Bitrate: 256
mp3
Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included
Source: Japan SHM-CD Remaster

Steve Marriott (1947-1991) was a successful and versatile English blue-eyed soul, singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best remembered for his uniquely powerful voice and aggressive guitar in groups Small Faces (1965-1969) and Humble Pie (1969-1975). In England, Marriott became a popular often photographed mod style icon through his role as lead singer and guitarist with the Small Faces in the mid to late sixties.[2] Marriott's music was influenced from an early age by his heroes Buddy Holly, Booker T & the MG's, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Muddy Waters, Bobby Bland and later the Rolling Stones. Marriott posthumously received an Ivor Novello Award in 1996 for his Outstanding Contribution to British Music and listed in Mojo magazine (sister magazine to Q) as one of the top 100 greatest singers of all time.

In 1975, Humble Pie came sputtering to a halt after a series of less than inspiring albums. Surprisingly, frontman Steve Marriott's first solo album after the split, 1976's Marriott, is a sprightly, rollicking affair that is light on the blues-rock of Humble Pie and heavy on soul, funk, and hard-charging rock & roll. The album is divided into a British side (recorded by Marriott's band that included ex-T. Rex guitarist Mickey Finn) and an American side (with backing by a raft of West Coast session players including Michael Nesmith sidekick Red Rhodes on pedal steel). The British side is a rocked-out blast of noise with Marriott's wailing vocals sounding rejuvenated and his live-wire guitar playing fully to the front.

Tracks like "East Side Struttin'," "Lookin' for a Love," a fully fleshed-out version of a Small Faces track, "Wam Bam Thank You Ma'am," and "Midnight Rollin'" equal the best moments of Humble Pie, and only the blues ballad "Help Me Through the Day" lets the side down. The American side is unsurprisingly a much slicker proposition, relying on backing vocalists and synths to flesh out the sound. Marriott's ragged soul shines through, however, on rollicking tracks like "Star in My Life," the disco-fied "Late Night Lady," and a slinky cover of Freddie Scott's "Are You Lonely for Me Baby." Again, the ballad drags things down as the cheesy arrangement of "You Don't Know Me" shows that maybe Marriott should have steered clear of the ballads — the cheesy arrangement is pure supper club, and Marriott sounds very out of place. Batting .800 is nothing to look sideways at, though, and Marriott is a stunning return to form and a powerful two-finger salute to anyone who had written the lad off as washed up. He's dirty as ever and on top of his game, and the album flat out rocks.

01. "East-Side Struttin'"
02. "Lookin' For a Love"
03. "Help Me Through the Day"
04. "Midnight Rollin'"
05. "Wam Bam Thank You Mam
06. "Star in My Life"
07. "Are you Lonely for Me Baby"
08. "You Don't Know Me"
09. "Late Night Lady"
10. "Early Evening Light"