Humble Pie – Thunderbox

This guitar riff caught me right off the bat…I heard it for the first time not long ago. It’s pretty much irresistible. It reminds me of a song that Free would have one. The term “thunderbox” is British slang for a portable toilet, which reflects Steve Marriott’s sense of humor.

You know, I love Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, John Prine, and other performers who write deep songs. Sometimes though it’s nice to play a song like Thunderbox and let it go. The song was written by Steve Marriott and David Clempson.

Humble Pie released their seventh studio album Thunderbox in 1974. They were considered a “supergroup” at the time. Along with Small Faces Marriott, they featured former Herd lead guitarist Peter Frampton and ex-Spooky Tooth bassist Greg Ridley plus teenage drummer Jerry Shirley. The album peaked at #52 on the Billboard 100 and #58 in Canada in 1974. This was the start of the decline of the band. They got ripped off bad and Steve Marriott mentioned the mob and John Gotti being one of the beneficiaries of the band’s profits.

Humble Pie had some great songs but nothing really caught on with the masses. That’s not always a bad thing but they never had a big song identifiable to them as some other bands do. The Faces had Stay With Me but Humble Pie never had that one song. For me, it should have been 30 Days in the Hole.

They did have four top twenty albums but were more known as a live band…check out Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore …that album put them over the hump.

Thunderbox

Oh, yeah
Ooh, oh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Oh, yeah
He’s a thunderbox, sure
You got your hot pants round your shoulders
Lick your lips and you a fox
Everybody stopped and told us
They say you got a thunderbox
You can see for yourself, I’ve got a clean bill of health
I ain’t never seen a thunderbox
Oh, oh, what do you know
Well, I get to sing–solo
He’s a thunderbox
Oh yea, he’s a thunderbox…
Well, was your claim to fame
In the same letter name
It’s your game I’m playing
While the music is swaying
Oh, I’m so glad I came in here
He’s a thunderbox
Oh yea, he’s a thunderbox…
You’re not a lot, you know, when you ain’t a gypsy
And a hooker with your wicked knots
I had to park the car and take a look to see
‘Cause I ain’t never seen a thunderbox
Oh, oh, well, I don’t know where you’ve been
But I can guess what you’ve seen
You know what I mean
He’s a thunderbox
Oh, yea, he’s a thunderbox…
Oh, oh, I can see what you’ve got
Since you sure got a lot
And, and the band’s still playing
Let the music sway
Oh, I’m so glad I came in here
He’s a thunderbox
Oh, yea, he’s a thunderbox…
Some say you from Dallas there
And you’re hooked on pork and beans
But I think it might be you’re from Louisiana
Roundabout New Orleans
I can see you don’t smell like no flower
But I can say the same for myself
Tell you girl, I know that you know that I know I’ve got my reasons
You know that you’re bad yourself
Don’t ask me for no answers
You could never ever take the shock
I’ve got the grief and I’ll take my chances
Rolling with my thunderbox
Oh, oh, I guess you may say
It’s just a casual affair
But I just got to know you all
He’s a thunderbox
Oh, yea, he’s a thunderbox…

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

45 thoughts on “Humble Pie – Thunderbox”

  8. Calling Deke! Calling Deke! This one’s for you! LOL. Sounds a bit like AC/DC doing maybe an early Alice Cooper tune to me. Humble Pie, funny you know I always link them up with Uriah Heep in my mind because they seemed like bands whose names I would see on album charts when I was a kid but never hear anything at all by.

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    1. LOL…Deke stopped by and liked it. Oh I love this…it’s catchy hard rock.
      It’s all about Steve Marriott who yea…is the singer I would pick probably as my favorite in that time…over the others.

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  9. Sweet romantic era style ballad in the Elisabethan style; I particularly like the sweetly strummed lute that gently fills the quieter section of this easy going number.

    Number Two, with a bullet!

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  11. Distinct music from a group that I listen to often and like a lot of bands I like they seem to sound better. I do like the hard edge and no frills sound. Just good hard rock. It fits the mood with me often. Commercial radio friendly? I dont think so. CB friendly? Yes!

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  13. Steve Marriott had a solo album called simply Marriott, one side recorded in the States was a bit more r&b, the other in Britain that rocks…it was released about the time Peter Framption released Framption, both are still favorite albums (I was never a fan of Frampton Come Alive) I’m lucky to still have both on vinyl, I haven’t been able to find Marriott anywhere on-line…what a voice

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    1. I didn’t know that. I’ll have to look for that as well. Yea I liked the original versions of the Frampton’s songs with both of the “way” songs more than the live.
      I would take Marriott over anyone in his gereration.

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  16. Pingback: Humble Pie – Thunderbox – MobsterTiger

  17. I really love just good old hard rock. Bands like Thin Lizzy, 70s Aerosmith, Cream, Queen, Deep Purple, Buckcherry and, yes, Guns N’ Roses. Humble Pie, to me, is the epitome of the hard rock groove. And I agree…Thirty Days in the Hole is their signature song. In West Texas, where I’m from, you would occasionally hear Humble Pie on the radio back in the day. I Don’t Need No Doctor was another one you’d hear.

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  18. Humble Pie is a BADASS band. The audiophile guy I used to babysit for had one of their albums. I think it had baby face masks on the cover? It’s a band I should listen to more.

    Now here is something hot off the presses. I started watching a netflix series, a reality show about older people dating. Guess who one of the “older daters” is? Steve Marriott’s widow!

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      3. Oh really. Her granddaughter, who looks to be in early 20’s has been in her custody since she was 8. I wonder if she is the daughter of this daughter? Will have to do some further research on the situation.

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      4. I didn’t know that!
        There is a new AI album out that uses his name…the children are fighting it and I hope they win.
        Lisa…he was my favorite vocalist of his generation…yes that counts Stewart and Plant and Paul Rodgers….I just loved what he could do.

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      5. I remember you writing about Marriott before and how much you like his voice. UGH on the AI album. They who are behind it have no sense of respect for the greats to do that. As bad or worse than using big hits on commercials. It borders sacrilege.

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      7. Looks like Steve’s son is also a musician. From wiki:
        “Toby Marriott (born 20 February 1976, in Epping, Essex, England) is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the bands The Strays and Black Drummer.[1][2] He is the only son of Pam Stevens and Steve Marriott ” Pam is the wife on the show; didn’t know Steve married again after Pam and then passed away. I don’t know how many kids Pam and if the granddaughter she has/had custody of is Toby’s daughter or not…

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