Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
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''Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake'' is the third
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
, and only
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. Som ...
by the English
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Small Faces Small Faces were an English Rock music, 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 ...
. Released on 24 May 1968, the LP peaked at number one in the UK on the ''Record Retailer'' LPs Chart, where it remained for six weeks. It became the group's final studio album during their original incarnation (and the last album to contain solely new material until the release of reunion album ''Playmates'' in 1977). The album title and distinctive packaging design was a parody of Ogden's Nut-brown Flake, a brand of tinned tobacco that was produced in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
from 1899 by Thomas Ogden.


Background

Side one of the album showcases a variety of musical styles. The opening title track is an instrumental re-working of " I've Got Mine", a failed single from 1965. This recording uses a Hammond Organ treated with
wah-wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of effects pedal designed for electric guitar that alters the timbre of the input signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The peda ...
and orchestral flourishes from a string section led by David McCallum Senior (the father of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. star David McCallum.). An eclectic selection of tracks follow; the proto-
Hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
of "Song of a Baker"; the psychedelic
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
"Long Agos And Worlds Apart";
cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...
knees-up songs " Lazy Sunday" and "Rene" (the latter featuring a lengthy psychedelic jam as its coda); and the intense, soul-influenced ballad "
Afterglow An afterglow in meteorology consists of several atmospheric optical phenomena, with a general definition as a broad arch of whitish or pinkish sunlight in the twilight sky, consisting of the bright segment and the purple light. Purple light mai ...
" (titled "Afterglow of Your Love" on the subsequent single and some compilations). The single version of "Afterglow" - released in March 1969 a year after it was recorded and immediately after the group's disbandment was officially announced - was presented in a radically-different mix that eschewed the LP version's acoustic opening, altered the song's tempo and extended the instrumental coda. Side two of the LP is based on an original
fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, 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 bei ...
concept about a boy called Happiness Stan, consisting of a musical suite of six songs interlinked with narration provided by comic monologuist and performer Stanley Unwin in his unique, nonsensical private language of "Unwinese". Unwin was not the band's first choice for narrator, however – originally they approached the popular but mercurial absurdist comedian
Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...
to narrate the piece, but negotiations with Milligan floundered early and the more affable and amenable Unwin stepped in to everyone's eventual satisfaction. Unwin spent time observing the band at work and at play in the studio, and picking up on the private, coded language they used amongst themselves, he incorporated it alongside contemporary slang into his inventive and surreal narrative. The fairy tale follows Happiness Stan in his quest to find the 'missing' half of the moon, after seeing the moon at half-phase in the sky one night and misinterpreting the physics involved. Along the way, he saves a fly from starvation, and in gratitude the insect tells him of a wise man who can answer his question and also tell him the philosophy of life itself. Conveniently possessed of magic powers, Stan intones, "If all the flies were one fly, what a great enormous fly-follolloper that would bold!" and the fly duly grows to gigantic proportions. Seated on the giant fly's back, Stan undertakes a psychedelic journey to the cave of Mad John the Hermit, who explains that the moon's disappearance is only temporary, and demonstrates by pointing out that Stan has spent so long on his quest that the moon is now full again. He then sings Stan a cheerful song about the meaning of life. The concept for side two of the album was conceived during a boating trip on the river Thames that the band undertook to relax and recuperate after a disastrous January 1968 tour of Australia and New Zealand, when bassist/vocalist
Ronnie Lane Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who was the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Small Faces (1965–69) and Faces (band), Faces (1969–73). Lane formed Small Faces in 1965 afte ...
noted in a moment of relaxed contemplation that the half-phase moon in the sky appeared to have had half of its surface removed. Lane and vocalist/guitarist
Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English actor, musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a student at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and appeared in the West End, before taking a r ...
then conceived the idea of an uncomplicated and unworldly character called Happiness Stan embarking upon a naive but heroic quest to recover this supposed 'missing' half of the moon, but discovering the secret of happiness and 'the meaning of life itself' instead. The character of 'Happiness Stan' was reportedly named after Lane's older brother Stanley, rather than after Stanley Unwin. 'Happiness', meanwhile, was a promotional keyword of the Immediate record label, with their 'Happy to be part of the industry of human happiness' slogan.


Recording

The recording of ''Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake'' spanned approximately five months, with most of the work done in spring 1968 at
Olympic Studios Olympic Studios was a British independent recording studio based on Church Road, Barnes, Church Road, Barnes, London, Barnes, London. It is best known for its recordings of many artists throughout the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st ...
in Barnes, London. The earliest recording that may have been aimed toward inclusion on the album was a track entitled "Call It Something Nice", recorded on 21 October 1967 at Olympic. The song itself was an uncharacteristically slow and heavy number with a doleful, contemplative lyric that presaged the group's eventual move toward the harder, more rock-oriented sound of later songs like "Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am" and Steve Marriott's work with his next group,
Humble Pie Humble Pie are an English Rock music, rock band formed by Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first Supergroup (music), supergroups of the late 1960s and enjoyed success in the early 1970s ...
. The track did not ultimately appear on the album, however, eventually only seeing release on the posthumous compilation '' The Autumn Stone'' more than two years later in November 1969. Recording continued through the remainder of 1967, with a session in November that yielded the outwardly more whimsical "I Feel Much Better" (which saw prompt release in December as the b-side of the band's "
Tin Soldier Tin soldiers are miniature toy soldiers that are very popular in the world of collecting. They can be bought finished or in a raw state to be hand-painted. They are generally made of pewter, tin, lead, other metals or plastic. Often very e ...
" UK single), and another session in December backing Immediate labelmate P.P. Arnold on her solo single, the Marriott/Lane song "(If You Think You're) Groovy". Other versions of the track were cut, including the Small Faces' own take with Steve Marriott on solo lead vocal which was earmarked for their forthcoming album, but this version was ultimately left unreleased and is now considered to be lost. After the group returned from their ill-fated tour of Oceania with
the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
in January 1968, recording sessions for the album began in earnest through February and March at Olympic, with
Glyn Johns Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English recording engineer and record producer. He has worked with many of the most famous rock recording acts from both the UK and abroad, such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Who, ...
at the recording desk. Recording began on two tracks intended for a future single, but ultimately not released in this format: another Marriott/Lane original, "Rollin' Over" (initially titled "Bun in the Oven") was the projected A-side, with a cover version of " Every Little Bit Hurts", as the B-side. Written by Ed Cobb and made famous by
Brenda Holloway Brenda Holloway (born June 26, 1946) is an American soul singer who was a recording artist for Motown Records during the 1960s. Her best-known recordings are the hits " Every Little Bit Hurts", " When I'm Gone", and " You've Made Me So Very H ...
, the latter track - a slow, soulful ballad - features Marriott on piano instead of his usual guitar, and Ian McLagan on Hammond organ. This track was not released at the time and did not officially appear until the early 1990s, although a longer live version would appear on '' The Autumn Stone'' in 1969. "Rollin' Over" - another heavy rock workout - would be worked on further however, with Marriott tracking two attempts at a new lead vocal - one take appearing on the mono single release and the other on the stereo album release. Marriott also duets with himself on the verses, singing both harmonies. The mono version of "Rollin' Over" would later be released as the b-side of the " Lazy Sunday" single in the UK, while the stereo version found itself incorporated into the musical suite on side two of the LP. At some point during the sessions the group also cut a cover version of the Ronettes' " Be My Baby" - a track which, in contemporary interviews in the UK music press preceding the LP's release, was declared by Marriott to be included on side one. Although an early version of the LP that included this track was alleged to exist in acetate form, by the time of the LP's release in May the track had been excised and remained unreleased. Like the band's own version of "If You Think You're Groovy", it is now thought to be lost. One of the few songs not recorded at Olympic Studios for the LP was the track "The Journey", recorded at
Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry ...
in London in February (with Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott switching their usual instruments to play guitar and bass, respectively). Album sessions wrapped on 3 April (two days before the release of the "Lazy Sunday" / "Rollin' Over" single) at Olympic with the recording of "Mad John", and the out-take "A Collibosher" (which was again later released on the posthumous compilation '' The Autumn Stone''). As was usual for Immediate label recordings at this time, other artists on the label's roster such as P.P. Arnold,
Billy Nicholls William Morris Nicholls Jr (born 15 February 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and musical director. He was born into a musical family, his father Billy Nicholls (Sr.) being a double bassist and big band singer ...
, flautist Lyn Dobson and numerous other session players made uncredited vocal and musical contributions to the album. Mixing of the album was completed by Marriott and Lane through April and May at
Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry ...
, with the LP arriving in record shops on 24 May 1968. The 5 April release of "Lazy Sunday" as the album's lead single, meanwhile, had come as a surprise to the band who had not been consulted over the choice, and Marriott in particular was displeased by it at a time when he wanted the group to be taken more seriously as musicians. He later claimed that had he been consulted, he would have chosen "Afterglow" to continue in the less frivolous vein of their previous hit "Tin Soldier". Despite Marriott's displeasure, the band and P.P. Arnold appeared in session on
BBC Radio One BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, hi ...
's Top Gear show in April to dutifully promote their new single and the forthcoming album. They performed a version of Lazy Sunday alongside three otherwise unreleased cover versions: a new performance of "Every Little Bit Hurts", an instrumental cover version of
the Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...
' "Get Ready", and an intense, rock-oriented cover of
Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk music and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. In addition to his own success, his songs " If I Were a Carpenter", " Reason to Believe", " Misty Roses" and " ...
's "If I Were A Carpenter" (with the exception of "Get Ready" the session was later officially released on a Small Faces BBC Sessions collection in the year 2000). In late May after the album's release, the Small Faces recorded another similarly intense (but more downbeat) cover of Hardin's "Red Balloon" at Olympic, which later saw release on "The Autumn Stone" LP. The new album's musical and technical complexities, coupled with Small Faces live shows being still mostly confined to shorter sets as part of shared bills with other artists, meant that ''Ogden's Nut Gone Flake'' was never performed live on stage in its entirety – only "Lazy Sunday", "Rollin' Over" and "Song Of a Baker" appeared as part of their live sets. The Happiness Stan suite was performed as a whole only once, on the BBC television programme '' Colour Me Pop'' on Friday 21 June 1968, and even then it was not performed totally live. Songs featured were "Song of a Baker", "Happiness Stan", "Rollin' Over", "The Hungry Intruder", "The Journey", "Mad John" and "Happydaystoytown". Although the band mimed playing their instruments to the original studio recordings, their microphones were left on to capture their live vocals and ad-libs.


Design and packaging

The album was originally released on vinyl in a circular novelty package of a metal replica of a giant tobacco tin, inside which was a poster created with five connected paper circles with pictures of the band members. This proved too expensive and not successful as the tins tended to roll off of shelves and it was quickly followed by a paper/card replica with a gatefold cover. Two limited-edition CD releases (including a three-disc deluxe edition in 2006 that included the original mono mix of the album on CD for the first time) went even further by packaging the disc(s) in a circular tin (as the original vinyl release had). Most CD releases use conventional packaging, superimposing the circular artwork on a square booklet. The award-winning artwork for the album was produced by Nick Tweddell and Pete Brown, who were art school friends of Ian Mclagan and who had also played in a band with Mclagan called the Muleskinners. Album cover illustration was by Harry Willock, 1969 D&AD Silver Award winning album cover. Early pressings of
XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (vocals, guitars) and Colin Moulding (vocals, bass), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing ...
's '' The Big Express'' (1984) were similarly packaged in a round sleeve in tribute to the Small Faces album. It was ranked number 21 on ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'''s ''100 Greatest Album Covers'' in 1991.


Controversy

To promote the album,
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. Signe ...
issued an advertisement that parodied the
Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also known by its incipit Our Father (, ), is a central Christian prayer attributed to Jesus. It contains petitions to God focused on God’s holiness, will, and kingdom, as well as human needs, with variations across manusc ...
. This caused an uproar in the British press, and outraged readers wrote in to voice their anger. It read: Regarding the advert,
Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English actor, musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a student at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and appeared in the West End, before taking a r ...
said, "We didn't know a thing about the ad until we saw it in the music papers. And frankly we got the horrors at first. We realize that it could be taken as a serious knock against religion. But on thinking it over, we don't feel it is particularly good or bad. It's just another form of advertising. We're not all that concerned about it. We're more concerned in writing our music and producing our records."


Vinyl and CD versions

The original vinyl album includes a segue between the end of "Afterglow" and the beginning of "Long Agos And Worlds Apart". Most CD editions have a different stereo mix, and use a version of "Afterglow" without the segue. There is also a segue between "Long Agos and Worlds Apart" and "Rene", and this is retained on the CD. Some CD editions also include one or more bonus tracks. The US Immediate vinyl LP looked the same as the British original, but was printed on flimsy paper stock. The CBS/Immediate issue was always sold in a plastic bag with a foldover snap. The sound on the US release was not as bright as the UK release or most subsequent CD issues. In 1989, Castle Communications released a single disc commemorative "tobacco tin" version that included a 'live' version of Tin Soldier as well as several table coasters replicating the cover. The 2006 Castle Music/Sanctuary Records 3-disc "tobacco tin" Special Edition includes fully remastered mono and stereo mixes complete with segue, plus an episode of the
BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...
documentary series ''Classic Albums'' in which the band discuss the making of the album. A second 3-disc Deluxe Edition was released in 2012 on Charly Records, this time, overseen by surviving band members Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones, and featured newly remastered mono and stereo mixes complete with segue, with the third disc full of outtakes and alternative takes, versions and mixes, including some specially mixed from newly discovered original session tapes. In countries other than the UK, however, the 2012 3-disc version was a limited edition and was replaced a year later by a two CD version with conventional packaging, and the stereo mix is omitted completely from the package. In 2018 the album was reissued in a deluxe 50th anniversary edition that included the full 2012 3-disc version and a DVD that included the Colour Me Pop performance. On many reissues, the cover design still spells the title as ''Ogdens' '', but the label and sleeve copy gives it as ''Ogden's''. The vinyl LP was reissued in 2015 for
Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
.


Reception

In 2000 ''Q'' magazine placed ''Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake'' at number 59 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. The album was featured in the book '' 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' gave the album a positive review. It was voted number 337 in the third edition of
Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British music writer. He founded and was the editor-in-chief of ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. Along with the ten-volume encyclopedia, Larkin also wrote the book ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'', and edited th ...
's ''
All Time Top 1000 Albums ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by the ...
'' (2000).


In other media

The title track was played during the debut trailer for the video game ''
Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...
'' and was later featured on the in-game Los Santos Rock Radio station.


Track listing

All songs written by Marriott and
Lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in eac ...
, except where noted. Discs one and three of the deluxe edition contain the original album in stereo and mono, respectively.


Personnel

;Small Faces *
Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English actor, musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a student at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and appeared in the West End, before taking a r ...
− lead, harmony, and backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, piano on "Happiness Stan" and "Every Little Bit Hurts", Hammond organ on "Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake", bass guitar on "The Journey", co-lead vocals on "The Hungry Intruder" and "HappyDaysToyTown" *
Ronnie Lane Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who was the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Small Faces (1965–69) and Faces (band), Faces (1969–73). Lane formed Small Faces in 1965 afte ...
− harmony and backing vocals, bass guitar, electric guitar on "The Journey", upright bass on "Mad John", lead vocals on "Song of a Baker" and "The Journey", co-lead vocals on "The Hungry Intruder" and "HappyDaysToyTown" * Ian McLagan − backing vocals, organ, piano, harpsichord, Mellotron, electric guitar and bass guitar on "Long Agos and Worlds Apart", lead vocals on "Long Agos and Worlds Apart" * Kenney Jones − drums, percussion with: * Stanley Unwin – "looney links" (narration) *
Glyn Johns Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English recording engineer and record producer. He has worked with many of the most famous rock recording acts from both the UK and abroad, such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Who, ...
– recording engineer And featuring uncredited contributions from: * P. P. Arnold – backing vocals *
Billy Nicholls William Morris Nicholls Jr (born 15 February 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and musical director. He was born into a musical family, his father Billy Nicholls (Sr.) being a double bassist and big band singer ...
– backing vocals * Lyn Dobson – flute * unidentified string section conducted by David McCallum Sr.


Charts


Certifications


Explanatory notes


References


Further reading

*


External links

* {{Authority control 1968 albums Small Faces albums Immediate Records albums Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios Albums recorded at Trident Studios 1960s concept albums Psychedelic rock albums by English artists