''Small Faces'' is the second studio album by

Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The ...

, released through

Immediate Records Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder, and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene. History Immediate Records was started in 1965. Signed ...

on 23 June 1967. Although this was their first album for new manager

Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Loog Oldha ...

's Immediate label, recording actually commenced during their tenure with Decca Records, whom they left in January 1967 after severing professional ties with original manager

Don Arden Don Arden (born Harry Levy; 4 January 1926 – 21 July 2007) was an English music manager, agent, and businessman. He managed the careers of rock acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Air Supply, Small Faces, The Move, Black Sabbat ...

. As a result of the switch of label and management, Decca and Arden released an outtakes compilation album, ''From the Beginning'' in early June 1967 in order to sabotage the chart success of the Immediate ''Small Faces'' release - something that it managed to do to some extent when ''From the Beginning'' reached number 17 in the UK charts. The Immediate album shares its name with their 1966 Decca debut album, which has led to some confusion regarding the titles. As a result of this, it has been unofficially dubbed ''The First Immediate Album'' by several fans. The album is considered to be the artistic breakthrough for the group in terms of songwriting and composition, and marks their transition from a mod-influenced blue-eyed soul/ R&B band to a psychedelic studio group, which they were then seen as from this point until their breakup in early 1969. 'Small Faces' was recorded over a lengthy (by the standard of the time) period of nine months, during the band's tenure on both

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

and

, at two separate studios. It is their first LP to contain solely original compositions. Thirteen of the album's fourteen tracks were either written or co-written by

Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded and played in the rock bands Small Faces and Humble Pie, in a career spanning over two decades. Marriott was inducted pos ...

and

Ronnie Lane Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73). Lane formed Small Faces ...

, in contrast to the group's 1966 debut, in which only seven of the twelve tracks are credited to the band, with the remaining tracks being written by artists such as

Kenny Lynch Kenneth Lynch, OBE (18 March 1938 – 18 December 2019) was an English singer, songwriter, entertainer, and actor. He appeared in many variety shows in the 1960s. At the time, he was among the few black singers in British pop music. He was app ...

and

Ian Samwell Ian Ralph Samwell (19 January 1937 – 13 March 2003) was an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the writer of Cliff Richard's debut single " Move It", and his association with the rock band America, wit ...

, or being R&B covers that were parts of the group's early repertoire. The album incorporates a blend of several different moods and genres of music, ranging from the relatively straight-up R&B of "Talk To You", the blue-eyed soul balladry of " My Way of Giving" and the brass-driven, bouncy soul-pop of "All Our Yesterdays", to the more complex baroque pop of "Show Me the Way" and "Feeling Lonely", and the

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and c ...

and

psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...

of tracks such as "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me" and "

Green Circles "Green Circles" is a song by English rock band Small Faces first recorded in 1966. While not issued as a single in the United Kingdom, it was originally intended as the B-Side of "Here Come the Nice", their first single release on Immediate Rec ...

". The album also marks the debut of

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...

as a solo composer, contributing his song "

Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire "Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire" (alternatively known as "Up the Wooden Hills") is a song written by English keyboardist Ian McLagan, first recorded and released by his band Small Faces in 1967. The song was McLagan's first original compositi ...

" which is the first of two compositions for the group credited to him alone (the second being "Long Agos and Worlds Apart" from ''

Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake ''Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake'' is the third studio album, and only concept album by the English rock band Small Faces. Released on 24 May 1968, the LP peaked at number one on the UK Album Charts on 29 June, where it remained for a total of six we ...

''). It is also the first studio album by the group where McLagan plays on all tracks, whereas on their debut album both he and

Jimmy Winston James Edward Winston Langwith (20 April 1945 – 26 September 2020), known professionally as Jimmy Winston, was an English musician and actor. He was the original keyboard player with Small Faces. Winston had apparently previously worked under th ...

are jointly credited as keyboardist (about half of the debut album was recorded with Winston in June–September 1965, with the remaining tracks being recorded after McLagan joined the band in November 1965). The album reached number 12 on the UK charts, becoming their only original studio album to chart outside the top-10 (both their debut album and ''

'' reached the top-5). Despite not containing a hit single, it was released in between their smash hits " Here Come the Nice" and "

Itchycoo Park "Itchycoo Park" is a song written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, first recorded by their group, the Small Faces. Largely written by Lane, it was one of the first music recordings to feature flanging, an effect at that time made possible ...

" and was highly regarded by other musicians, exerting a strong influence on a number of bands both at home and abroad. The album received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans alike, and has been featured on several best of lists, including ''Ultimate Classic Rock's'' list of Top 100 '60s Rock Albums, along with several lists by ''Mojo magazine''. Many fans consider ''Small Faces'' to be the group's best album.

Background

Boundary Park incident (1966)

In 1966, the Small Faces managed to chart a top-5 album and four consecutive top-10 singles on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, including their number one hit " All or Nothing" which peaked in September 1966. The band had now developed a notable fanbase in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

mainland Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

. In a notable incident, fans of the band had, after a performance at the

Boundary Park Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Bound ...

stadium, attempted breaking into the band's vehicle, even climbing on top of it. Of the occurrence,

stated the following:

Leaving Decca and signing to Immediate (1966–1967)

Demand for a new album had increased towards the end of the year, and by late 1966, Small Faces had slowly started to abandon their

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

roots, in favour of more psychedelic direction.

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

' manager

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...

held a party at their residence on 22 Westmoreland Terrace in Pimlico, London, and introduced them to

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

for the first time after serving them spiked orange pieces served on the plate. Most tracks on the album were conceived and written by December 1966 and the earlier parts of 1967 by

and

wrote his first solo-song for the band, titled "

"; This is the sole composition on the album that was not written or co-written by the Marriott/Lane partnership. During the later parts of 1966, their affiliation with

and Decca Records had strained, due to several aspects, including the fact that the band received barely any royalties from their records, and that " My Mind's Eye" had been released without consent by the band. After a messy confrontation with Arden who tried to face down the boys' parents by claiming that the whole band were using drugs, they cut their ties with Arden and Decca. They were almost straight away offered a deal with the newly-established Immediate label, formed by ex- Rolling Stones manager

, which they stayed on until their break-up in 1969.

Recording

Olympic Studios, Barnes, SW13 (18634601225)

Tracks recorded specifically for a follow up album to their debut commenced by August 1966 when tracks such as " My Mind's Eye", "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, " My Way of Giving", "

(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me? "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?" (also known as "Tell Me Have You Ever Seen Me?" or "Have You Ever Seen Me?") is a song by English rock band Small Faces. It has a complicated release history and was issued by both Decca and Immediate Records in ...

" and "That Man" were taped at

IBC Studios The IBC Recording Studios were independent recording studios located at 35 Portland Place in London, England. In the 1960s and 1970s, the studios become internationally famous after being used by recording artists like the Kinks, the Who, Bee Gee ...

, while the band were still signed to Decca Records. Between 5–7 December of that year, the group cut a song entitled "Picaninny", a three-minute instrumental piece featuring Steve Marriott on harmonica. This track is thought to be a backing track, even though it had received mixes in both mono and stereo. Ultimately it was not included on the album, and got its official release on the compilation

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in th ...

''Small Faces – Big Music: A Compleat Collection'' in 1984. In early December, work on " Get Yourself Together" had started. By 13 December 1966 the group cut the backing track of the song "

" at IBC, further takes of the songs were recorded at Olympic Studios on 10 January 1967, with vocal takes attempted by both

and

during that session. The following day, the group recorded "All Our Yesterdays", "Just Passing" and 11 takes of a track dubbed "Doolally", which was eventually renamed to "Things Are Going to Get Better" after recording take 14, which became the master track. At this point, the master take of "Get Yourself Together" had been completed. By 16 January, " Talk to You" had been recorded. By February, the group recorded "Become Like You", "Something I Want to Tell You" and "Feeling Lonely". On 28 February, "Eddie's Dreaming" had been recorded. The same day, "Get Yourself Together" and "Green Circles" had been mixed both in stereo and mono, with the definitive version featuring Ronnie Lane on lead vocals. In March, "My Way of Giving" had been rehauled, and "Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire" had been recorded. The remaining tracks were recorded in April, and mixing had been finalized by May.

Musical content

The album is a huge departure from the sound that made up their previous two albums, their eponymous debut and the compilation ''From the Beginning''. Both albums featured many

covers, alongside originals in order to appeal to the mod audience the group amassed. For ''Small Faces,'' they wrote more material that could be classified as pop or

, which by 1967–1969 had reached its peak popularity.V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. T. Erlewine, ''All Music Guide to Rock: the Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop and Soul'' (Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books, 3rd edn., 2002), , pp. 1322–23. Both "All Our Yesterdays" and "Eddie's Dreaming" incorporate brass instruments as focal points, while many other tracks feature the harpsichord played by

. The instrument is most prevalent on "Feeling Lonely" and "Show Me the Way". The album also features influences from

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

on "Become Like You" and " Get Yourself Together", the latter of which features Marriott on twelve-string acoustic guitar. It was by achieving this synthesis that Marriott and the band believed they had now met the criteria expected of them. Ronnie Lane's predilection for a softer, pastoral and more psychedelic sound was heavily evident on songs such as "Show Me The Way" and "All Our Yesterdays". It was the first release to feature Lane as a prevalent songwriter. The vocal duty on the album is more varied than on their debut album, where Marriott sang ten of the twelve tracks. On the record, Lane assumes lead vocals on four songs, with Marriott singing lead on six. McLagan sings his sole composition "Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire". Marriott and Lane share lead vocals on "

" and "Become Like You" while the remaining track "Happy Boys Happy" is an instrumental.

Release and reception

Release

The album was released in both monaural and stereophonic versions on 23 June 1967 (IMLP 008 and IMSP 008, mono and stereo versions respectively) in the

, and later, it was released in mainland Europe and Oceania. Even though it was a success, it failed to breach the top 10, peaking at number 12 on the UK Album Chart. This is most likely due to the lack of a hit single accompanying the album. Ultimately, it became the original lineup's only studio effort to fail charting within the top 5 on the UK albums chart, as both their debut and ''

'' peaked at number 3 and 1 respectively. The tracks recorded in the sessions from August 1966 ended up in assorted ways; " My Mind's Eye" was issued as a single in November 1966, peaking at number 4. The remainder of the tracks ended up on ''From the Beginning'', an album compiled of singles and unreleased material released by

on 2 June 1967. Of these tracks, only "

" and " My Way of Giving" were issued (in their re-recorded versions) on ''Small Faces.'' " Talk to You" was released as the B-Side of " Here Come the Nice" on 2 June, it managed to reach number 12 on UK Singles chart.

Reception

The album was well received and reviewed upon its release. In a retrospective review,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it 5 out 5 stars, praising the album for its sophisticated songs, and its pop melodies, stating: "there may be some harpsichords but no outright psychedelia -- but it is bright, colorful, and concentrated, its very brevity playing like snappy pop art. No song runs over three minutes and many clock in under two, a direct contrast to the somewhat extended grooves of their 1966 LP, and an aesthetic that lends this an exceptionally modern feel: all the tunes are sharply cut and precisely tailored, with no wasted moments." The

Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...

magazine gave it 8/10 stars, while

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

granted it 4 stars.

Reissues

LP reissues became the standard format for many years, until it finally became available on

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Oc ...

in Japan in 1989. Further CD remasters would reach mainland Europe, UK and the United States, where the album had been unavailable since 1967. Tracks from the album have since been included within compilations, most notably in ''The Darlings of Wapping Wharf Launderette,'' a 2-CD compilation of their work on Immediate Records, in which all tracks from it were included. Remasters of the album with a blue tint were sold exclusively at various

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...

locations during 2018. However, the most prevalent and well-known of these reissues is the 2012 Deluxe Edition, which features several previously unreleased tracks, along with various A-sides and B-sides of the group's 1967 singles. On this remaster is the track "Don't Burst My Bubble", recorded in February 1968.

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...

cited it as an inspiration for the title track of the Jam's 1982 studio album ''The Gift''.

In popular culture

The album is a favourite of

, who named the album in his 'Top Ten of All-Time' in 1992.

The Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1 ...

had covered "Get Yourself Together" between 1981–1982. Donovan (a friend of the Small Faces) recorded "

Hurdy Gurdy Man "Hurdy Gurdy Man" is a song by the Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was recorded in April 1968 and released the following month as a single. The song gave its name to the album ''The Hurdy Gurdy Man'', which was released in October of that ...

" in 1968, a song that both musically and thematically references "Green Circles." British singer

Chris Farlowe Chris Farlowe (born John Henry Deighton, 13 October 1940) is an English rock, blues and soul singer. He is best known for his hit single " Out of Time" written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which rose to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 19 ...

released a cover of "My Way of Giving" as a single in early 1967. His version stayed on the

for a single week, peaking at number 48. "My Way of Giving" was also covered by Rod Stewart for his 1970 album ''Gasoline Alley'' backed by, as the personnel credits on the LP reveal,

The Faces Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of Small Faces after lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie. The remaining Small Faces—Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane (electric bass, vocals), and Kenn ...

. The Faces featured former Small Faces Lane, Jones and McLagan, alongside Stewart and

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a ...

. Lane, Jones and McLagan are therefore effectively covering their own song, albeit it in a quite different, more uptempo 'Motown' style arrangement.

Track listing

All tracks written by

and

unless noted.

2012 Deluxe edition

The album was completely remastered in 2012 and reissued as

s with previously unreleased material, along with various A-sides and B-sides from 1967.

Personnel

;Small Faces *

– lead, harmony, and backing vocals, guitars, piano on "Things Are Going to Get Better" and "Show Me the Way" *

– lead, harmony, and backing vocals, bass guitar *

Kenney Jones Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones (born 16 September 1948) is an English drummer best known for his work in the groups Small Faces, Faces, and the Who. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces/Faces ...

– drums, percussion *

– lead, harmony, and backing vocals, keyboards, bass guitar on "Show Me the Way", guitar and bass guitar on "Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire" ;Technica; *

Glyn Johns Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English musician, recording engineer and record producer. Biography Early history Johns was born in Epsom, Surrey, England. He had three siblings, two older sisters and a younger brother, Andy ...

George Chkiantz George Chkiantz is a British recording engineer, based in London, who has been responsible for the engineering on a number of well-known albums, many of which are considered classics, owing in part to the quality of the recordings. Career Chkiant ...

Eddie Kramer Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a British recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin ...

– studio engineers *Stephen Hill – cover design *Stephen Bobroff – photography

Chart positions

References and note

Notes

References

External links

Small Faces Official Website
* ttps://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A9370415 BBC Small Faces Review {{Authority control 1967 albums Small Faces albums Immediate Records albums Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios Psychedelic rock albums by English artists Albums recorded at IBC Studios