Hot N Nasty takes 31 tracks and spreads them across two discs, competently representing Humble Pie s blues boogie sound through the span of nine albums. Not only does this set compile the most worthy material from the band, but it also demonstrates how their sound changed slightly as the 1970s progressed. The first 11 tracks are taken from the band s first three albums, with the rare but worthwhile single Big Black Dog sandwiched in between. Natural Born Woman, along with the brown-dirt gruffness of both Buttermilk Boy and I ll Go Alone, are the best examples of Humble Pie in their early stages, while their self-titled album from a year later hands over the shaky One-Eyed Trouser-Snake Rumba and the rolly-polly enthusiasm of Red Light Mama, Red Hot.

Out of all the earlier material, 1971 s Rock On was the weakest, although Stone Cold Fever and a shortened version of Muddy Waters Rollin Stone appears here as a couple of wise selections. Humble Pie s best song, the overly-energetic I Don t Need No Doctor from the Rockin the Fillmore album is an obvious and welcomed insertion, with Four Day Creep and I m Ready rounding out that album s input. Peter Frampton departed after the Fillmore release, and 1972 s Smokin introduced his replacement with Dave Clem Clempson. Hot N Nasty, You re So Good for Me, and the nine-minute I Wonder are all taken from Smokin , which became their most successful album, gaining a number six spot on the album charts. The last eight cuts speak for Humble Pie s most disappointing albums, as the band somehow lost their homespun grittiness and their talent for producing abrasive, gut-heavy rock & roll. Only Ninety-Nine Pounds and Road Hog seem to carve any interest, with the latter coming from rather dismal Street Rats album, the group s last before they were reformed in 1981 by Steve Marriot and Jerry Shirley. An informative ramble through the band s career is also included in the form of a 20-page booklet, along with photos and detailed credits of each track. While a box-set may prove heartier, Hot N Nasty provides a just-right assembly of Humble Pie s most essential morsels.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
01. Natural Born Woman (4:18)
02. Buttermilk Boy (4:24)
03. I ll Go Alone (3:58)
04. As Safe as Yesterday (6:11)
05. Take Me Back (4:57)
06. The Sad Bag of Shaky Jake (3:02)
07. Big Black Dog (4:07)
08. Live With Me (7:54)
09. One-Eyed Trouser-Snake Rhumba (2:53)
10. Earth And Water Song (6:19)
11. Red Light Mama, Red Hot! (6:20)
12. Shine On (3:03)
13. Stone Cold Fever (4:12)
14. Rollin Stone (6:00)
15. Strange Days (6:36)

Tracks 1-4 from the album As Safe As Yesterday Is (1969)
Tracks 5-6 from the album Town And Country (1969)
Track 7 released only as single (1970)
Tracks 8-11 from the album Humble Pie (1970)
Tracks 12-15 from the album Rock On (1971)

Disc 2:
01. Four Day Creep (Live) (3:45)
02. I m Ready (Live) (6:34)
03. I Don t Need No Doctor (Live) (8:54)
04. Hot N Nasty (3:23)
05. C mon Everybody (5:16)
06. You re So Good For Me (3:52)
07. 30 Days In The Hole (3:58)
08. I Wonder (8:57)
09. Black Coffee (3:11)
10. I Believe To My Soul (4:07)
11. Beckton Dumps (3:17)
12. Thunderbox (5:20)
13. Ninety-Nine Pounds (2:48)
14. Street Rat (2:55)
15. Road Hog (3:10)
16. Rain (4:02)

Tracks 1-3 from the album Perfomance - Rockin The Fillmore (1971)
Tracks 4-8 from the album Smokin (1972)
Tracks 9-11 from the album Eat It (1973)
Tracks 12-13 from the album Thunderbox (1974)
Tracks 14-16 from the album Street Rats (1975)