booksmusicfilmstv.com:
Home Books Music Films TV
THE SMALL FACES - Small Faces, Big Talent
There were two really
big Mod groups of the '60s - The Who and The Small Faces.
The beginnings of The
Small Faces seems strikingly familiar to Johnny Rotten joining
The Sex Pistols. Ronnie Lane went in a shop, in 1964, and came
out in a new group, well, virtually. Ronnie went in to buy a bass
guitar at a record store Steve Marriott was working in, and the
two clicked.
Both were already in
groups - Marriott was in The Moments, which already had a record
deal with Decca, and Lane was in The Pioneers. Pioneers drummer
Kenney Jones was introduced to the young guitarist/singer
Marriott, and, after a jam session, Lane and Marriott's groups
were history. Marriott recruited organist friend Jimmy Winston,
and the original line-up of The Small Faces was complete. With
Ronnie on bass and Steve on electric guitar, the two were to
share lead vocals, and write most of the songs.
The group were
apparently given the name The Small Faces by Marriott's
girlfriend of the time, as, Winston apart, they weren't that
tall, but had photogenic faces.
The Small Faces made a
big impression at their early gigs, and were signed up by Decca
in 1965. Their first hit, the fiery 'What'Cha Gonna Do About It',
came later that year, but the success also saw friction in the
group, and Winston ended up being replaced by Ian McLagan, who
seemed to fit in better with The Small Faces image.
The next hit for The
Small Faces was the catchy Kenny Lynch composition, 'Sha La La La
Lee', which reached number 3 in the UK charts early in 1966. This
was a great year for The Small Faces, and, in August, the soaring
'All Or Nothing' became their first UK number one - just after
England's World Cup triumph. With The Beatles 'Revolver', and The
Stones and The Kinks at their peak, 1966 was a stunning year for
British music.
In 1967, The Small
Faces signed up with Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate Records, and
began to spend longer in the studio, writing the classic
psychedelic song 'Itchycoo Park', and, in 1968, they released
their much acclaimed album - and one of the most acclaimed long
players of the '60s - 'Ogden's Nut Gone Flake'. Their last hit,
'Lazy Sunday' (a UK number two), and from the album, was an
inventive combination of music hall, comedy, and psychedelia!
By the end of 1968,
however, things had nosedived, and the band broke up, but all
four members hardly had to slum it, with Marriott forming Humble
Pie, and Lane, Jones, and McLagan joining forces with Rod Stewart
and Ronnie Wood to form The Faces.
The Small Faces were
certainly in the top dozen of British rock groups of the '60s,
not on the level of The Beatles (who is?), The Rolling Stones,
The Kinks, and The Who, but just about the next step down, with
the likes of The Moody Blues and Pink Floyd. Though, admittedly,
the latter were certainly bigger in the '70s. All four of The
Small Faces were very accomplished musicians. Steve Marriott,
particularly, was a prodigious talent, and is still somewhat
underrated. A gifted guitarist, and a singer with a great vocal
range, he had a voice, like Stevie Winwood, which belied his
tender years. Also, he and Ronnie Lane are too often overlooked
as gifted songwriters. A tragedy indeed that these two chirpy
characters should die young. But The Small Faces wasn't just a
Lane-Marriott show. Ian McLagan is one of the most respected
keyboard players in rock, and Kenney Jones was given the job of
replacing Keith Moon in The Who. 'nuff said.
- Paul Rance.
| THE SMALL
FACES CDs available from Peace & Freedom Press - in
association with Amazon.co.uk |
 |
Ogden's
Nut Gone Flake
~Small Faces
Essential (Audio CD) - April 28, 1997
Avg.
Customer Review: 
Usually dispatched within
24 hours |
|
 |
Ultimate
Collection
~Small Faces
Sanctuary TV (Audio CD) - May 26, 2003
Avg.
Customer Review: 
Usually dispatched within
24 hours |
|
|
 |
It's
All Or Nothing
~Small Faces
Spectrum (Audio CD) - May 1993
Usually dispatched within 1
to 2 weeks |
|
|
|
"I would like to
have seen them become old and fat, then they could have been
called The Big Faces." - MARK RADCLIFFE, BBC Radio 2 DJ.
booksmusicfilmstv.com 1960s
Music Index
| More Amazon.co.uk Small Faces
Stuff |
This website is designed
by Peace & Freedom Press.
