Small Faces:

‘Small Faces’;’ From The Beginning’; ‘Small Faces’; ‘Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake.’ (Decca/UMC)

What a difference a few decades make. By today’s standards, when it can take a band several years to deliver an album, it seems slightly unbelievable that there was once a time when bands would deliver two albums within the space of a calendar year (the first six Beatles studio albums were all issued between the beginning of 1963 to the end of 1965).

The Small Faces produced a number of classic singles that manage to encapsulate the sixties but hold up as classics over forty years later: ‘Sha La La La Lee’ ‘Itchycoo Park’ and ‘All Or Nothing’ to name but three. Yes, those two albums called The Small Faces are different (but then Peter Gabriel did four albums called Peter Gabriel, so, y’know…). One was their first album, the second (once they’d fled Decca for Immediate) their, erm, second.

The first Small Faces album (***1/2) sees our heroes as mods, with a slightly 60s garage punk approach to proceedings. Opening with a cover of Sam Cooke’s ‘Shake’ and including their debut single ‘Whatcha Gonna Do About It?’ it sees them very much in thrall to the US R&B of the period, in that it sounds not dissimilar -in a good way – to what would become known a few years later as Northern Soul.

From The Beginning (***1/2) is actually a collection of outtakes, singles and works in progress which was released by Decca after they had left for Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate label, but it holds its own. (Think of it as being like an equivalent to Hatful Of Hollow or The World Won’t Listen if with a slight inference of cash-in.

Released at almost the same time by Immediate, The second Small Faces album (****) provides an interesting bridge between their first album and the psychedelia they ultimately would perfect, particularly on tracks like ‘Become Like You’ and ‘All Our Yesterdays’.

But it’s Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake (****1/2) remains the album that The Small Faces are best known for -and with very good reason. It’s a pastoral slice of English whimsy -and I mean that as a compliment. Not in the same way as Talk Talk’s Spirit Of Eden or Virginia Astley’s From Gardens Where We Feel Secure…just in that it’s so quintessentially English. Not in some crappy Little Englander/Daily Mail-reader way, but just that it forms the bridge between Ray Davies’ love of music hall and a very English form of psychedelia. Reportedly ‘Lazy Sunday Afternoon’ was written as a joke.

Given the sheer amount of extra versions on offer here, you do wonder how many will listen to the double albums in one standing. But that is probably missing the point, when you consider the time and care that has gone into creating them. If you were onlly going to buy one then it would probaby be Ogden’s – but if you already own it and were only going to invest in one more then may I recommend the second (i.e. Immediate) Small Faces album.

All out now on Decca/UMC

All re-issued