Small Faces were an English
rock band from
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of
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 ...
,
Ronnie Lane,
Kenney Jones and
Jimmy Winston, with
Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's
keyboardist in 1966.
The band was one of the most acclaimed and influential
mod groups of the 1960s,
recording
hit songs such as "
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 ...
", "
Lazy Sunday", "
All or Nothing
All or Nothing may refer to:
Film and television
* ''All or Nothing'' (film), a 2002 film by Mike Leigh
* ''All or Nothing'' (game show), a 2004–2005 Russian game show based on ''Deal or No Deal''
* ''All or Nothing'' (sports docuseries), ...
" and "
Tin Soldier", as well as their
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...
''
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 w ...
''. They evolved into one of the UK's most successful
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...
bands until 1969.
When Marriott left to form
Humble Pie
Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by guitarist and singer Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first supergroups of the late 1960s and found success in the early 1970s with songs such as " Black C ...
, the remaining three members collaborated with
Ronnie Wood, Ronnie's older brother
Art Wood,
Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...
and
Kim Gardner, briefly continuing under the name Quiet Melon, and then, with the departure of Art Wood and Gardner, as
Faces.
In North America, Faces' debut album was credited to Small Faces.
Following the breakup of both Faces and Humble Pie in 1975, the classic line-up of Small Faces re-formed (consisting of Marriott, Lane, McLagan and Jones) after a re-release of "Itchycoo Park" became a top-ten hit.
Lane left shortly thereafter, and was replaced by
Rick Wills (later of
Foreigner). This line-up (dubbed Mk-II by Marriott) recorded one album
''Playmates'' before recruiting
Jimmy McCulloch
James McCulloch (4 June 1953 – 27 September 1979) was a Scottish musician best known for playing lead guitar and bass, as a member of Paul McCartney's band Wings from 1974 to 1977. McCulloch was a member of the Glasgow psychedelic band One in ...
. This five-piece line-up released only ''
78 in the Shade'' before breaking up.
Small Faces have been considered one of the early inspirations forand even an early root ofthe later
Britpop movement.
They were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
in 2012.
History
Origins (1965)
Meeting of Lane and Marriott (1965)
Lane and Marriott met in 1965 while Marriott was working at the J60 Music Bar in
Manor Park, London
Manor Park is a residential area of the London Borough of Newham in east London, England. The area is bordered by Ilford to the east, Forest Gate to the west, Wanstead to the north, and East Ham to the south.
It was originally a part of the ...
.
Lane came in with his father Stan to buy a bass guitar, struck up a conversation with Marriott, bought the bass and went back to Marriott's house after work to listen to records.
They recruited friends Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston who switched from guitar to the organ.
They rapidly progressed from rehearsals at The Ruskin Arms public house (which was owned by Winston's parents) in Manor Park, London, to ramshackle pub gigs, to semi-professional club dates. The group chose the name, Small Faces, because of the members' small physical stature
and a "Face" was somebody special; more than just a snappy dresser, he was someone in Mod circles as a leader, someone to look up to. A Face had the sharpest clothes, the best records and always was seen with the prettiest girl on his arm."
Early stage performances (1965)
The band's early song set included R&B/soul classics such as "
Jump Back",
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...
's "
Please Please Please",
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...
's "
You've Really Got a Hold on Me
"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, which became a 1962 Top 10 hit single for the Miracles. One of the Miracles' most covered tunes, this million-selling song received a 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame Award. It has al ...
" and
Ben E. King
Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later ...
's "
Stand by Me".
The band also performed two Marriott/Lane original compositions, a fast and loud "Come on Children" and the "
speed
In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quant ...
enhanced" song "E too D", in which Marriott would display his considerable vocal abilities in the style of his heroes and role models,
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
and
Bobby Bland. "E too D", which appears on their first album, ''
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 ...
'', is named after the guitar chord structure. On US compilation albums the track is titled "Running Wild".
Marriott's unique and powerful voice attracted rising attention. Singer
Elkie Brooks was struck by Marriott's vocal prowess and stage presence, and recommended them to a local club owner, Maurice King. Impressed, King began finding them work in London and beyond.
Their first out-of-London concert was at a
working men's club
Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class ...
in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...
.
Since the crowd was mainly made up of
Teddy boys and hard-drinking workers, the band were paid off after three songs.
Despondent, they walked into the mod-orientated
King Mojo Club
The King Mojo Club, often known as the Mojo, was a nightclub in Pitsmoor, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England located at 555 Pitsmoor Road, that operated between 1964 and 1967.
Peter Stringfellow and his brothers had been running the Black Cat C ...
nearby (then owned by
Peter Stringfellow) and offered to perform for free.
They played a set that left the local mods wanting more. During a crucial residency at Leicester Square's Cavern Club, they were supported by
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector.
The pair f ...
, who were living in London at the time.
The Decca years (1965–67)
Signing to Decca and first two singles (1965)
The band signed a management contract with management impresario
Don Arden, and they were in turn signed to
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...
for recording.
They released a string of high-energy mod/soul singles on the label. Their debut single was in 1965 with "
Whatcha Gonna Do About It
"Whatcha Gonna Do About It" is the debut single released by the English rock group Small Faces, released in the UK on 6 August 1965. The song peaked at number 14 in the UK Singles Chart, and stayed on chart for a total of 14 weeks. It reached ...
", a Top 20
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 ...
hit.
Marriott and Lane are credited with creating the instrumental to the song, "borrowing" the guitar
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...
from the
Solomon Burke
Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1936 or 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been ...
record "
Everybody Needs Somebody to Love".
The lyrics were co-written by Drifters band member
Ian Samwell (who wrote one of the first British
rock'n'roll records, "
Move It") and
Brian Potter.
The group failed to capitalise on the success of their first single with the follow-up which was written by Marriott/Lane, the hard-edged mod number "
I've Got Mine
"I've Got Mine" was the second official song released by the English rock band Small Faces in 1965. The song failed to chart despite receiving favourable reviews in the British music press.
"I've Got Mine" is a hard-hitting, moody R&B song and ...
".
The band appeared as themselves in a 1965
crime film
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...
titled ''
Dateline Diamonds'' starring
Kenneth Cope as the band's manager and it featured the band playing their second single release.
Arden thought the band's song would receive publicity from the film; however, the film's UK release was delayed, and "I've Got Mine" subsequently failed to chart despite receiving good reviews.
Shortly thereafter, Jimmy Winston left the band for an acting and music solo career. He went on to succeed as an actor in TV, film and became a successful business man.
In a 2000 interview, Kenney Jones said the reason Winston was fired from the band was because "He (Winston) got above his station and tried to compete with Steve Marriott."
Winston subsequently said he left the group over conflicts between Arden and Winston's brother.
''Small Faces'' and further hit singles (1966)
![SmallFaces1966](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/SmallFaces1966.png)
Winston was replaced by Ian McLagan, whose keyboard talents and diminutive stature fit with the groove of the band perfectly.
McLagan played his first performance with the band on 2 November 1965.
The new Small Faces line-up hit the charts with their third single, "
Sha-La-La-La-Lee", released on 28 January 1966.
It was written for the group by
Mort Shuman
Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as " ...
(who wrote many of
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
's biggest singles, including "
Viva Las Vegas
''Viva Las Vegas'' is a 1964 American musical film directed by George Sidney and starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. The film is regarded by fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the on-screen chemistry b ...
") and popular English entertainer and singer
Kenny Lynch. The song was a big hit in Britain, peaking at number three in the UK singles chart.
Their first album, ''
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 on 6 May 1966, was also a considerable success.
They rapidly rose in popularity with each chart success, becoming regulars on British pop TV shows such as ''
Ready Steady Go!
''Ready Steady Go!'' (or ''RSG!'') was a British rock/pop music television programme broadcast every Friday evening from 9 August 1963 until 23 December 1966. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan wanted a light ente ...
'' and ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'', and toured incessantly in the UK and Europe. Their popularity peaked in August 1966, when "
All or Nothing
All or Nothing may refer to:
Film and television
* ''All or Nothing'' (film), a 2002 film by Mike Leigh
* ''All or Nothing'' (game show), a 2004–2005 Russian game show based on ''Deal or No Deal''
* ''All or Nothing'' (sports docuseries), ...
", their fifth single, hit the top of the UK charts.
According to Marriott's mother Kay, he is said to have written the song about his breakup with his ex-fiancée Susan Oliver. On the success of "All or Nothing" they were set to tour America with
the Lovin' Spoonful and
the Mamas & the Papas; however, these plans had to be shelved by Don Arden after details of Ian McLagan's recent drug conviction were leaked.
By 1966, despite being one of the highest-grossing live acts in the country and scoring many successful singles, including four UK Top 10 chart hits, the group still had little money. After a confrontation with Arden who tried to face down the boys' parents by claiming that the whole band were using drugs, they broke with both Arden and Decca.
Immediate Label years (1967–68)
"Here Come the Nice" and their eponymous second album (1967)
They were almost straight away offered a deal with the newly established
Immediate label, formed by ex-
Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
manager
Andrew Loog Oldham.
Given a virtual open account at
Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a renowned British independent commercial recording studio based in Barnes, London. It is best known for its recordings of many artists throughout the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st century, including Jimi Hendr ...
in
Barnes, London, the band progressed rapidly, working closely with engineer
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 ...
.
Their first Immediate single was the daring "
Here Come the Nice
"Here Come the Nice" is a song by English rock band Small Faces. Written by guitarist Steve Marriott and bass guitarist Ronnie Lane, it was released as a single on 2 June 1967, through Immediate Records. The song, which was the band's debut on ...
", which was clearly influenced by their drug use, and managed to escape censorship despite the fact that it openly referred to the dealer who sold drugs. A second self-titled album, ''
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 ...
'', followed, which, if not a major seller, was very highly regarded by other musicians and would exert a strong influence on a number of bands both at home and abroad.
Three weeks before, their old label, Decca, released the album ''
From The Beginning'', combining old hits with a number of previously unreleased recordings.
It included earlier versions of songs they re-recorded for Immediate, including "
My Way of Giving
"My Way of Giving" is a song written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane. Initially demoed by their band Small Faces in 1966, it was given to British singer Chris Farlowe, who released his version as a single in early 1967. It was Farlowe's first si ...
", which they had demoed for
Chris Farlowe, and "
(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?", which they had given to
Apostolic Intervention.
The album also featured their stage favourite "
Baby Don't You Do It
"Baby Don't You Do It" is a 1964 single by American singer Marvin Gaye. Released on the Tamla label, this song discusses a man who is at a standstill with his girlfriend, who he feels is neglecting his love stating "Don't break my heart/...I've ...
", featuring Jimmy Winston on lead vocals and guitar.
"Itchycoo Park", ''There Are But Four Small Faces'' and "Lazy Sunday" (1967–68)
![Small Faces 1967](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Small_Faces_1967.png)
The band's following single "
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 ...
", released on 11 August 1967, was the first of the band's two charting singles in the United States, reaching No. 16 in January 1968. The single was a bigger hit in Britain, peaking at No. 3.
"Itchycoo Park" was the first British single to use
flanging
Flanging is an audio effect produced by mixing two identical signals together, one signal delayed by a small and (usually) gradually changing period, usually smaller than 20 milliseconds. This produces a swept comb filter effect: peaks and no ...
, the technique of playing two identical master tapes simultaneously but altering the speed of one of them very slightly by touching the "flange" of one tape reel, which yielded a distinctive comb-filtering effect. The effect had been applied by Olympic Studios engineer
George Chkiantz. "Itchycoo Park" was followed in December 1967 by "
Tin Soldier", written by Marriott.
Also, the track features American singer
P. P. Arnold on backing vocals.
The song was quite a hit reaching No. 9 on the UK charts and No. 73 on the U.S. Hot 100 chart.
The Immediate ''Small Faces'' album was eventually released in the United States as ''
There Are But Four Small Faces
''There Are But Four Small Faces'' is a studio album by British rock group Small Faces, released in 1968 through Immediate Records and distributed by CBS Records. It was the band's first LP release in the United States, and is a modified version ...
'', with a considerable track change, including singles "Here Come The Nice", "Itchycoo Park", and "Tin Soldier", but eliminating several UK album tracks. The next single
"Lazy Sunday", released in 1968, was an
East End
The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...
music-hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in ...
style song released by Immediate against the band's wishes.
It was written by Marriott inspired by the feuds with his neighbours and recorded as a joke.
The single reached No. 2 in the UK charts.
The final official single during the band's career was
folksy sounding "
The Universal
"The Universal" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur and is featured on their fourth studio album, '' The Great Escape'' (1995). It was released on 13 November 1995 as the second single from that album, charting at number five on th ...
", released in the summer of 1968. The song was recorded by adding studio overdubs to a basic track that Marriott had cut live in his back garden in Essex with an acoustic guitar.
Taped on a home cassette recorder, Marriott's recording included his dogs' barking in the background.
The single's comparative lack of success in the charts (No. 16 on the UK chart) disappointed Marriott, who then stopped writing music.
''Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake'' (1968)
At home in England, their career reached an all-time high after the release of their classic psychedelia-influenced album ''
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 w ...
'' on 24 May 1968.
It is widely regarded as a classic album, and featured an innovative round cover, the first of its kind, designed to resemble an antique tobacco tin. It stayed at No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart for six weeks, but reached only No. 159 in the US.
The two-act concept album consisted of six original songs on side one and a whimsical
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...
on side two relating the adventures of "Happiness Stan" and his need to find out where the other half of the moon went when it waned. It was narrated by
Stanley Unwin, after original plans to have
Spike Milligan narrate the album went awry when he turned them down.
Critics were enthusiastic, and the album sold well, but the band were confronted by the practical problem that they had created a studio masterpiece which was virtually impossible to recreate on the road. ''Ogdens was performed as a whole just once, and memorably, live in the studio on the BBC television programme ''
Colour Me Pop
''Colour Me Pop'' was a British music TV programme
broadcast on BBC2 from 1968–1969. It was a spin-off from the BBC 2 arts magazine show ''Late Night Line-Up''. Designed to celebrate the new introduction of colour to British television, it ...
''.
Breakup and ''The Autumn Stone'' (1969)
Marriott officially quit the band at the end of 1968, walking off stage during a live New Year's Eve gig yelling "I quit".
Citing frustration at their failure to break out of their pop image and their inability to reproduce the more sophisticated material properly on stage, Marriott was already looking ahead to a new band,
Humble Pie
Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by guitarist and singer Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first supergroups of the late 1960s and found success in the early 1970s with songs such as " Black C ...
, with
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English musician and songwriter who was a member of the rock bands Humble Pie and the Herd. As a solo artist, he has released several albums, including his major breakthrough album, the live ...
.
On the subject of the group's breakup,
Kenney Jones, in an interview with John Hellier (2001), said:
A posthumous album, ''
The Autumn Stone'', was released later in 1969, and included the major Immediate recordings, a rare live concert performance, and a number of previously unreleased tracks recorded for their intended fourth LP, ''1862'', including the classic Swinging Sixties instrumental "Wide Eyed Girl on the Wall" and "Donkey Rides, A Penny, A Glass", co-written by Ian McLagan.
The final single, "
Afterglow (Of Your Love)
"Afterglow of Your Love" was released as a single in 1969 by the English rock group Small Faces. The song managed to reach No. 36 in the UK Singles Charts. The song was originally simply titled "Afterglow" on the album on which it first appea ...
", was released in 1969 after the band had ceased to exist and the single only reached No. 36 in the UK Singles Charts.
Hiatus: 1970–75
Faces (1969–75)
After Small Faces split, Lane, Jones and McLagan joined forces with two former members of
The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group was a British rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy-sounding blues, rhythm and blues and rock was a major influence on popular music.
Firs ...
, singer
Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...
and guitarist
Ronnie Wood.
along with
Art Wood and
Kim Gardner to form Quiet Melon. Four singles were recorded before the lineup minus Art and Kim, became
Faces.
However, hoping to capitalize on Small Faces' earlier success, record company executives wanted the band to keep their old name. The band objected, arguing the personnel changes resulted in a group altogether different from Small Faces.
As a compromise, the new line-up's first album in the UK was credited as ''First Step'' by Faces, while in the US the same album was released as ''First Step'' by Small Faces.
The album was only a mild commercial success, and the record companies perceived no further need to market this new line-up as "Small Faces". Accordingly, all subsequent albums by this incarnation of the band appeared under the new name Faces, on both sides of the Atlantic. However, all North American LP, cassette and CD reissues of ''First Step'' still credit the band as Small Faces.
Jones and McLagan stayed with the 'sequel' group Faces until their breakup in 1975.
Lane exited Faces slightly earlier, in 1973.
With his backing band Slim Chance, Lane then released several singles and albums from 1973–1976, including the 1974 UK hit "
How Come".
Humble Pie (1969–75)
Marriott's first post-Small Faces venture was with the rock group
Humble Pie
Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by guitarist and singer Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first supergroups of the late 1960s and found success in the early 1970s with songs such as " Black C ...
, formed with the former
Herd
A herd is a social group of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with this is called '' herding''. These animals are known as gregarious animals.
The term ''herd'' i ...
member
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English musician and songwriter who was a member of the rock bands Humble Pie and the Herd. As a solo artist, he has released several albums, including his major breakthrough album, the live ...
.
Initially, the group was a huge hit in the U.S. and the UK,
but Humble Pie split in 1975 due to lack of later chart success, and Marriott went solo and released
an album in 1976.
Reunion: 1975–78
Following the breakup of Faces in 1975, the original Small Faces line-up reformed briefly to film videos miming to the reissued "Itchycoo Park" which hit the charts again.
The group tried recording together again but Lane left after the first rehearsal due to an argument.
Unknown to the others, he was just beginning to show the symptoms of
multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This ...
, and his behaviour was misinterpreted by Marriott and the others as a drunken tantrum.
Nevertheless, McLagan, Jones and Marriott decided to stay together as Small Faces, recruiting ex-
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...
bassist
Rick Wills to take Lane's place.
This iteration of Small Faces recorded two albums: ''
Playmates'' (1977) and ''
78 in the Shade'' (1978), released on
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...
.
Guitarist
Jimmy McCulloch
James McCulloch (4 June 1953 – 27 September 1979) was a Scottish musician best known for playing lead guitar and bass, as a member of Paul McCartney's band Wings from 1974 to 1977. McCulloch was a member of the Glasgow psychedelic band One in ...
also briefly joined this line-up after leaving
Wings.
When McCulloch phoned
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
, who had found him increasingly difficult to work with, to announce he was joining Marriott, McCartney reportedly said "I was a little put out at first, but, well, what can you say to that?" McCulloch's tenure with the band lasted only for a few months in late 1977. He recorded only one album, ''
78 in the Shade'' in 1978 with the band.
The reunion albums were both critical and commercial failures. Small Faces broke up again in 1978.
Post-reunion activity: 1979–present
Kenney Jones became the drummer of
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
after
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Moon grew ...
's death in 1978 and continued to work with The Who through the late 1980s.
His most recent work includes a band he formed and named
The Jones Gang.
Ian McLagan went on to perform with artists such as
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...
,
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
(the 1984 European Tour), The
Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
,
David Lindley and his band El Rayo-X among others, and more recently
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music i ...
.
In 1998 he published his
autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, ''All the Rage''.
He lived in a small town of
Manor outside
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, and was bandleader to his own "Bump Band".
He died from a stroke on 3 December 2014.
Steve Marriott recorded with a revived line-up of Humble Pie from 1980 to 1982.
During their tour of Australia in 1982 this version of Humble Pie was sometimes billed as Small Faces in order to sell more tickets. Along with Ronnie Lane, he formed a new band called the
Majik Mijits in 1981, but this band's lone album ''Together Again: The Lost Majik Mijits Recordings'' was not issued until 2000.
Later in the 1980s, Marriott went solo, playing nearly 200 concerts a year. On Saturday, 20 April 1991, Steve Marriott died in his sleep when a fire, caused by a cigarette, swept through his home in Essex, England. His death came just a few days after he had begun work on a new album in the United States with his former Humble Pie bandmate, Peter Frampton.
Ronnie Lane's recording career was curtailed by the effects of
multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This ...
, though he issued collaborative albums with
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Towns ...
and
Ronnie Wood in the late 1970s.
He moved to the United States and continued to perform live into the early 1990s.
Lane died at his home in
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
on 4 June 1997, after battling
MS for nearly 20 years.
Rick Wills of the reunited Small Faces played on
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...
's 1978 album, ''
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...
'', then joined
Foreigner later that year.
He stayed with Foreigner for 14 years, until 1992. Subsequently, Wills was a member of
Bad Company
Bad Company are an English rock supergroup that was formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell. Bad Company ''AllMusic'' Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, a ...
from 1993 to 1999 and again, briefly in 2001.
Currently, he lives in Cambridge, England, and works with Kenney Jones in "The Jones Gang".
Jimmy McCulloch's stint with Small Faces only lasted for a few months in late 1977.
Shortly after leaving, he started a band called
Wild Horses
Wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus ''Equus'' that includes domesticated and undomesticated subspecies.
* Przewalski's wild horse (''Equus ferus przewalskii'' or ''Equus przewalskii''), a rare and endangered subspecies of wild ...
with
Brian Robertson,
Jimmy Bain
James Stewart Bain (19 December 1947 – 23 January 2016) was a Scottish musician, best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio. He also worked with Kate Bush and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo ...
and
Kenney Jones.
He and Jones both left the band before they issued any recordings.
McCulloch then became a member of
The Dukes, who issued one album in 1979.
That same year, McCulloch died at the age of twenty-six from a
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. in his flat in
Maida Vale
Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is p ...
.
Honours and awards
![SmallFacesPlaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/SmallFacesPlaque.jpg)
In 1996, Small Faces were awarded the
Ivor Novello Outstanding Contribution to British Music "Lifetime Achievement" award.
On 4 September 2007, a Small Faces and
Don Arden commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...
, issued by the
London Borough of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a city and borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of central Greater London, including most of the West En ...
, was unveiled in their memory in
Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in Soho in the City of Westminster, Central London. Close to Oxford Street and Regent Street, it is home to fashion and lifestyle retailers, including many independent fashion boutiques.
Stre ...
.
Kenney Jones, who attended the ceremony, said in a BBC television interview, "To honour Small Faces after all these years is a terrific achievement. I only wish that Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane and the late Don Arden were here to enjoy this moment with me".
On 7 December 2011, Small Faces were announced as 2012 inductees into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
.
The induction ceremony was held on 14 April 2012.
Band members
Classic line-up :
*
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 ...
– vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards (1965–1968, 1975–1978; died 1991)
*
Ronnie Lane – bass guitar, vocals, guitar (1965–1969, 1975; died 1997)
*
Ian McLagan – keyboards, vocals, guitar, bass (1965–1969, 1975–1978; died 2014)
*
Kenney Jones – drums, percussion, vocals (1965–1969, 1975–1978)
Discography
Studio albums
*''
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 ...
'' (1966)
*''
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 band w ...
'' (1967) / ''
There Are But Four Small Faces
''There Are But Four Small Faces'' is a studio album by British rock group Small Faces, released in 1968 through Immediate Records and distributed by CBS Records. It was the band's first LP release in the United States, and is a modified version ...
'' (US only, 1968)
*''
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 w ...
'' (1968)
*''
Playmates'' (1977)
*''
78 in the Shade'' (1978)
References
General
*
*
*
*
*
Specific
External links
Small Faces The Darlings Of Wapping Wharf LaunderetteSmall Faces on Wapping WharfThe Small Fakers (Tribute Band)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Small Faces
English rock music groups
Musical groups from London
Musical groups established in 1965
Musical quartets
British Invasion artists
Ivor Novello Award winners
Atlantic Records artists
RCA Victor artists
Charly Records artists
Decca Records artists
Immediate Records artists
British rhythm and blues boom musicians
Psychedelic pop music groups