SMALL FACES-"Small Faces" U.K.LP Immediate IMLP008 June 24, 1967
Upon leaving Decca records and the management clutches of the nefarious Don Arden and signing on with Andrew Loog Oldham and his Immediate records the Small Faces spent the winter/spring of 1967 popping into London's Olympic studios to record what would become their second long player (with Glyn Johns engineering and Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane producing). This was miraculously accomplished sandwiched in between TV appearances, photo shoots, radio sessions, concerts AND numerous jaunts across the channel to do TV and gigs in Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands etc. It is surprising that given that punishing schedule that the band were able to manage to record anything in between! Interestingly most, if not all of the tracks recorded were never aired live by the band.
"We went into the studio and cut these songs and then forgot about them, we didn't play this stuff live. It was all about the singles. Paul Weller told me his favorite Small Faces song was "Get Yourself Together' and I had to go look it up because I had absolutely no memory of it!"-Ian McLagan in conversation with the author 2011
The band's second album was released in June of 1967 and like their Decca debut the previous year it was untitled. Decca immediately rush released a compilation of previously released tracks and some unreleased numbers called "From The The Beginning" utilizing an outtake from the photo session for the first LP as a cover shot in an unscrupulous move to convince the public that it was a new Small Faces album. Immediate retorted with press and a radio advert stating "There is only one Small Faces album and it's on Immediate" (the commercial was also issued as a mega rare 7" promo 45). The Immediate album outsold the Decca compilation and reached number 12 in the U.K. LP charts, no mean feat considering that it contained no singles and there was no live promotion on radio or in concert of the music contained!
"Small Faces" differed vastly from it's predecessor released just over a year prior for several reasons. For starters bassist/vocalist Ronnie Lane was the lead vocalist on four of the albums twelve tracks and Ian McLagan's organ/keyboards were more audible in the mix (something seriously lacking on the Decca long player), he also sang on one track. The album also featured horns on several tracks care of member's of Georgie Fame's former backing band The Blue Flames (including trumpet player Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton and percussionist Nii Moi "Speedy" Acquaye, all recently laid off at the end of 1966 from his employ). Interestingly the feedback laced electric guitar work from the first album has vanished here in favor of mostly acoustic guitar on nearly all of the tracks! The album also featured a great deal of instruments beyond their previous guitar, bass, Hammond organ and drums formula with the previously mentioned horns joining flute, Mellotron, harpsichord, congas, tabla etc. A lot had also happened with the bands since the debut of their first album chemically as well. The band were already well versed in amphetamines and hash/weed but had since experienced L.S.D. which had a major impact on their song writing while the band were all living together in London's Pimlico neighborhood at 22 Westmoreland Terrace (minus Kenney who eschewed the madness and lived back in Stepney with his parents). This was reflected not only in the lyrics and introspective lyrical themes but some of the production techniques as well.
Like the songwriting partnerships of Jagger/Richards or Lennon/McCartney , the Marriott/Lane one was not always necessarily a collaborative effort with the author of each song usually taking lead vocals on their own composition. The pair also produced the album and did a remarkable job considering they had only been recording with the band for under two years and were now producing their own records which was no mean feat!
SIDE ONE:
1. "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me" (Marriott, Lane)
2. "Something I Want To Tell You" (Marriott, Lane)
3. "Feeling Lonely" (Marriott, Lane)
4. "Happy Boys Happy" (Marriott, Lane)
5. "Things Are Going To Get Better" (Marriott, Lane)
6. "My Way Of Giving" (Marriott, Lane)
7. "Green Circles" (Marriott, Lane, O' Sullivan)
Side One kicks off with "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me", a number that the band had previously begun work on when they were with Don Arden and Decca records (footage of them recording the song in it's infancy during the Arden/Decca era was captured by TV cameras as part of a profile on pop managers and has unfortunately vanished from YouTube). The Decca version was issued on the "From The Beginning" album but it's this version that is far superior thanks to the wonderful swirling mix of McLagan's organ meshing with a Mellotron that sends the number absolutely soaring. Lyrically it's trippy and betrays the band's hallucinogenic adventures with Marriott singing :"I see the flowers, breaking through the concrete, listen everybody I can hear them breathing". Ronnie's "Something I Want to Tell You" is carried by McLagan's wailing Hammond adding a soulful feel to Lane's anguished and introspective vocals. "Feeling Lonely" is an equally somber track like it's predecessor backed by some regal harpsichord and a barely audible Mellotron with Marriott soulfully handling lead vocals. "Happy Boys Happy", an instrumental (the album's only one), gives Mac a chance to flex his Hammond/piano skills with Kenney bashing seven bells out of his Premier kit coming across like groovy incidental TV program music before a commercial! "Things Are Going To Get Better" is another Marriott mid tempo screamer with another groovy Hammond/harpsichord mix and acoustic guitar and distinctive Ronnie Lane backing vocals. "My Way Of Giving" had previously been released by Chris Farlowe, their Immediate records label mate as his fifth single for the imprint in January as Immediate IM 041. The Faces version differs considerably thanks to Kenney's thundering drum signatures, again with Ronnie's distinctive backing vocals present.
Side One closes with "Green Circles" another Ronnie Lane sung somber number (which gave co-writing credits to Marriott's mate Mick O' Sullivan) and was allegedly inspired by a dream O'Sullivan had. It's probably the most psychedelic track on the album with some really interesting phlanging going on in the number and a wonderful mix of tack piano/harpsichord with the hypnotic title being sung like a mantra throughout the number. The band curiously "performed" it (mimed) it on German TV's "Beat Club" when they were plugging "Itchycoo Park", with some rather laughable visual effects (laughable because the show was filmed in black and white).
"Mick O' Sullivan? Songwriting credits? Give me a fucking break, he was some hanger on-mate of Steve's who dossed at our flat in Pimlico and never did anything but eat our food and smoke our dope"-Ian McLagan in conversation with the author 2011
SIDE TWO:
1. "Become Like You" (Marriott, Lane)
2. "Get Yourself Together" (Marriott, Lane)
3. "All Of Our Yesterdays" (Marriott, Lane)
4. "Talk To You" (Marriott, Lane)
5. "Show Me The Way" (Marriott, Lane)
6. "Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire" (McLagan)
7. "Eddie's Dreaming" (Marriott, Lane, McLagan)
The acoustic Steve Marriott sung "Become Like You" kicks off the second side and is another lyrically inwards looking L.S.D. inspired number, benefiting from the Mellotron and Lane's distinct backing vocals (and Marriott's spoken "ello they're playing it again" towards the fade out). The Marriott sung "Get Yourself Together" is next. It's one of the band's most famous (and popular) numbers due in no small part thanks to The Jam who began covering it live and included it on a posthumous bonus live E.P. included with their "Snap!" compilation album in 1982 (Ian McLagan frequently played it live in his last few years where it was the only Small Faces tune he regularly revisited). Ronnie's throbbing bass, Marriott's acoustic guitar and soulful vocals, Mac's piano/Hammond and Kenney's crashing drums make it the album's strongest track. The band incidentally made a promo film (view here) for it where Steve was filmed bopping down Westmoreland Terrace while the other three dressed as London's finest jump him and give him a Marx brother's style thrashing (no doubt inspired by a real life incident in which Marriott and then girlfriend and Mick Jagger's ex, Chrissie Shrimpton were taken in for questioning and both of their flats searched for drugs in February by the Metropolitan Police, curiously nothing was found!). "All Of Our Yesterdays", another Ronnie Lane vehicle, veers into East end knees up territory (a direction that would continue in the band) while Mac plays some amazing tea time orchestra keyboards punctuated by raucous shouts from the band and incredibly smooth horns from thew Blue Flames chaps giving it a wonderful Vaudeville feel. Marriott's soulfully crooned "Talk To You" had aired only a few weeks prior to the album's release as the B-side to their debut Immediate single "Here Come the Nice". It's actually one of the handful of numbers on the album with prominently audible electric guitar and is a classic Faces track encompassing all of their musical strengths! Mac's distinctive piano trill/ lick is infectious! "Show Me the way" is another somber/self introspective Ronnie Lane number characterized by plaintive lead vocals, murky bass and an Elizabethan sounding harpsichord giving it an air of sophistication! Ian McLagan's "Up The Wooden Hills To Befordshire" marks his lead vocal AND song writing debut with the band. Utilizing a phrase Ronnie Lane's Dad used at bedtime as it's title Mac has stated that the song was actually about a hashish induced stupor. It's one of the album's strongest tracks with Mac proving himself both a competent singer and composer. The saturation of mod go-go '66 organ mixed with the driving acoustic guitar, thundering drums and pounding piano make a glorious mix. If you listen carefully at the fade out you can hear Mac scream.
"Up The Wooden Hills sounds like it's about sleep but it's about hash. We used to smoke so much we'd fall asleep mid conversation and there would be holes burned in all of our clothes from it"-Ian McLagan in conversation with the author 2011
"Eddie's Dreaming", the album's closing track is the stuff of legend. It features the trumpet talent's of Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton and Harry Beckett. Thornton in addition to playing on it is the subject of the song and his legendary stoned state forms the basis of the lyrics (and is complimented by his fellow stoner and band mate Speedy Acquaye on congas/bongos). The jazzy flute (care of Lyn Dobson who had previously briefly played with Manfred Mann and later with Georgie Fame) and the driving piano in addition to the horns and percussion gives the track a distinctly laid back "chilling in the Islands" feel as Ronnie sings lazily away. After the number ends you can hear some inaudible studio conversation/giggling between Thornton and the band. Eddie's dreaming indeed.
"Eddie was ALWAYS off his nut because everyone knew Georgie Fame and his guys had THE best Jamaican ganja, so we wrote a song about him and got him and Speedy along to play on it which I suppose was the ultimate irony!"-Ian McLagan in conversation with the author 2011
The band would release their second Immediate album, "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" on May 31st the following year......
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