The A&M 1970-1975

Great box set brilliant tracks good

About time! Hit and miss getting all of their music onto cd's-usually there have been compilations but now one can get all of them on this box set. 1st 4 cd's are the best Humble Pie, Rock On, Rockin the Filmore, and Smokin' (3 with Peter Frampton rest with Dave Clemson) Eat It, Thunderbox and Street Rats are o.k. and always have been as the band seemed to lose some direction of where to go. 8th Cd is bonus material songs glad it was included in the box set. To get all their output one needs to purchase the now 2 cd set of their 1st 2 LPs which were done on Immediate label, then one will have their entire catalog of musical output.

Amazing set, amazing band, uniquely amazing front man. Nicely packaged (I could always do with more pictures, more anecdotes and more memorabilia - but what there is has been well chosen and thoughtfully presented). Not a fan of the way the CDs are slipped into the grooves in the sleeve type packaging, but the outer box should keep all safe with care. A testament fitting for a great band in their most creative and accomplished period. The sound is excellent throughout giving a new lease of life to the studio albums. How music could do with the Artful Dodger now!

Review of 8 CD release: Great to have these albums compiled into an 8 CD package --- long overdue. I would say package wise it's overpriced at original price of over £80, but I waited until a price drop to £66 which is more like it. Would have been nice to get more imagery of original cover artwork (or the discs themselves in replica card covers) and the lyrics within the slim hardback book which wouldn't have added too many more pages, so one star dropped. But as for the music, never sounded better. What a great band they were. My first purchase of Humble Pie (apart from the great single Natural Born Woman) was the double LP Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore back in the early 70s on its release, side 1 in particular being an absolute blast. Loved it and wore it out. Studio albums tamer in comparison (let's face it, they would have to be!), but some great music and performances throughout The earlier Immediate label albums also definitely worth seeking out to get the full Pie picture (or should it be dish?) Rock On!

After "Eat it", which was a mixed affair, I never actually got to hear their last albums apart from a spirited performance of the title track of "Thunderbox" at Charlton Festival in 1974. What can I say? Coke-fuelled grooves with destination nowhere written all over them masquerading as songs that no amount of soulful wailing by Marriott or the Blackberries can knock into shape. Says everything about the 1970s that punk came to save us from. The disc of rare tracks has some inspiring moments but the final track with some sort of ligger/session bod/eunuch whining Dylan lyrics is unbearable and unnecessary

for my listening pleasure