Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore


Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore is the 1971 live double-LP/single-CD by the English blues-rock group Humble Pie, recorded at the Fillmore East in New York City on May 28–29, 1971. It reached No. 21 on the [Billboard 200|Billboard (magazine)|Billboard 200], #32 in Canada, and entered the UK Top 40.

Background

The hour-long set contains one original song and several cover versions. The song listed as "Four Day Creep" is attributed to the classic blues singer Ida Cox, but bears no melodic or lyrical resemblance to her self-recorded composition of that title. The single version of "I Don't Need No Doctor" was backed with "A Song for Jenny" from the Rock On album, which Marriott wrote for his first wife, Jenny Rylance.
After the album was mixed, and shortly before it was released, guitarist Peter Frampton left the band because of growing friction between him and Marriott.
The album's steady sales helped it to become the band's first RIAA gold record. Its popularity helped the band's previous album, Rock On, reach gold album status. "I Don't Need No Doctor" was the biggest hit from the album, having been issued as an edited single and reaching No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1971.
On October 29, 2013, Omnivore Recordings released all four sets recorded that weekend as a four-CD set Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore: The Complete Recordings.

Critical reception

Ken Barnes penned a negative review of Performance in Fusion, writing: "In a financially justified but slightly crass bid to attract the reds-whites-and-blues crowd, the group has gone metal-heavy with a vengeance, and as a result now rocks not only the Fillmore but is rockin' the bottom as well. In short, this leaden collection of sledge-hammered Blues and over-extended, under-inspired improvisations is pretty dismal." Billboard reviewed the album more favourably, commenting that it is "full of the dynamic, raw-gut force of the hardest kind of hard rock", particularly praising "Hallelujah ". Writing in Christgau's Record Guide, Robert Christgau quipped: "Lotsa getdown vocals, lotsa getdown guitar, and an important political message, which is that short guys get laid more than normal people. A lie."
Paul Morris of The Rough Guide to Rock named it a "ground-breaking live double LP" which captured Humble Pie's quintessential sound, adding: "On this, Marriott, the consummate showman, employed his gutsy baritone to spine-chilling effect on lengthy and thrilling reworkings of both originals and Blues standards." He also named it one of Humble Pie's most recommended recordings, and "one of rock's most powerful live albums." Reviewing the album in The Great Rock Discography, Martin C. Strong commented on Marriot's powerful stage presence, noting how he " his way through a fiery set of boogie-based Blues-rock, both Humble Pie originals and frenetic covers".
In 2011, Houston Press ranked the album fifth in their list of "Five Essential Boogie-Rock Albums"; contributor Bob Ruggiero considers it "often overlooked but essential", adding that the lengthy jams on "Stole Cold Fever", "Rollin' Stone" and "I Don't Need No Doctor" make the record ideal for "groovin' or stuffing some choice smoke in a bowl." AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted how it documents an era where Marriot's concepts and lyrics were balanced by Frampton's "searing" guitar work, conceding that while less engaging than As Safe Yesterday Is, the live record is "valuable and at times insightful" for capturing the band at a pivotal moment in their career.

Personnel

Humble Pie
Technical team