‘As Safe As Yesterday Is’ – Humble Pie

1-LP 180-gram Black Vinyl (Worldwide Retail)

Humble Pie’s debut album, As Safe As Yesterday Is, was released by Immediate Records on 1 August 1969. Recorded at Olympic and Morgan Studios with renowned engineer Andy Johns, the album showcased a groundbreaking blend of heavy blues, hard rock, pastoral folk, and acoustic songs—all superbly produced.

Unknown to the public at the time, the release was marred by controversy: the original master tape mysteriously disappeared en route from Olympic Studios in London to the mastering studio in New York. Panic ensued, and the only available replacement was a much-played listening copy—never intended for production and certainly not up to the quality required for pressing an LP.

The band was horrified upon hearing the final product, which sounded flat and muffled. Despite Andrew Oldham’s strong support of Humble Pie over other acts on his label, Immediate Records was in deep financial trouble and could not afford to recall the album. By March 1970, Immediate Records had gone into liquidation, with many of its master tapes lost or stolen. As a result, LPs like As Safe As Yesterday Is vanished from record store shelves, and the original master was never recovered.

Subsequent CD and LP reissues were copied from old vinyl. Most labels either didn’t realise or didn’t care that the sound quality was poor—until now.

For years, Kenney Jones and reissue producer Rob Caiger searched archives worldwide for missing Immediate tapes, initially for the Small Faces. During this search, they discovered tapes for other Immediate artists, including a safety master for Humble Pie.

Now, over 50 years later, As Safe As Yesterday Is can finally be heard as it was meant to sound in 1969—only with even more power and clarity. Peter and Jerry have also restored the band’s debut hit single, Natural Born Bugie, to its rightful place on the UK LP.

All remastered LP and CD editions will be released on Kenney Jones’ Nice Records, including a limited, numbered gold vinyl edition.