Eat It

A&M, 1973

With the band having spent most of the previous year touring America, Eat It was recorded on the hoof, a fact belied by the scale of its ambition. Another vinyl double, side one comprised four Marriott-penned rockers, exemplified by Get Down To It; side two, four soul covers, including the brilliant Black Coffee (even better than the Ike & Tina Turner original); side three, four more Marriott originals, this time all-acoustic; side four, three live numbers recorded in Glasgow, including a Honky Tonk Women that would make Mick Jagger cry. In truth, variable quality made it – literally – too much. Nobody complained, though. But it was their last big hit.