Small Faces and Steve Marriott
In 1990, I bought a record by the Small Faces called “Small Faces, Greatest Hits”. I can’t remember why I bought it! At the time I was 17 and was living in a caravan in my parent’s backyard. In the caravan I had an old record player and used to play that Small Faces record on it. Some of the songs on the record are: “The Universal”, “Song of a Baker”, “Here Comes the Nice”, “Red Balloon”, “Itchycoo Park”, “After Glow” and “All Or Nothing”. In my opinion, all of the songs on this record are superb and I still never get bored listening to it.
Small Faces – Greatest Hits Album Cover Picture
From about 2003 to 2009, I didn’t own a record/stereo player because my last player broke. At the end of 2009, my mum gave me her old record player, which came from the early 1980’s. So due to getting this, I got out all of my old records and cleaned them. One of the records I played again was my Small Faces album. I was and still am very much fond of this album. Such great songs!
In early 2010 I was watching a show on TV called “British Invasion: Small Faces”. On this show, I saw all of these archival music videos of the Small Faces, which I hadn’t seen before. Boy was I very impressed with them. I especially liked the videos: “Happydaystoytown”, “Song of a Baker”, “Tin Soldier”, an instrumental song called “Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake” and “Here Comes the Nice”.
I was really impressed with each of these Small Faces videos because of Steve Marriott who was the lead singer/guitarist in the band. In all of these video clips Steve Marriott sings really well, is very talented at playing the guitar, is very good looking and wears trendy/hip clothes. I really love the video clip called “Happydaystoystown” because of the clothes Steve Marriott wears, the fab singing and the enigmatic moves of Steve Marriott and the rest of the band in the clip.
Small Faces – Happydaystoystown Video
I really love and enjoy the “Song of a Baker” video clip because Steve Marriott of the Small Faces in the clip does some excellent and awe inspiring guitar playing and singing. I also adore the clothes Steve Marriott wears in the Song of a Baker video.
Small Faces – Song Of A Baker Video- 1968
I adore the song and video called “Here comes the Nice” because the Small Faces dared to sing about something so controversial at the time, that being drugs. The song details the bands experiences with drugs in about 1967. From reading about the Steve Marriott from the Small Faces in Wikipedia on the Internet, I read that in the late 1960’s, Steve Marriott had taken the drugs Cannabis, speed and LSD.
Small Faces – Here Come The Nice Video
From my own point of view, I find the later Small Faces video clips ie 1967 – 1969 much more exciting and interesting than the earlier Small Faces clips ie 1965 – 1966. This is because in the later video clips 1967-1969 the band are wearing more interesting/hip clothes (ie not suits), they are not just playing to people in a small club, and lastly because they move around more and more enigmatically around the stage. In addition, the band members have longer hair, which I just love.
Small Faces in 1966
Small Faces in 1968
As I was so ecstatic about the Small Faces who I saw on TV in early 2010, I wanted to go and buy a Small Faces DVD at a music shop. Therefore, I went to a popular music shop about two days after seeing the Small Faces show on TV. Much to my dismay a shop assistant at this popular music store I went to told me that all of their Small Faces, Steve Marriott and Humble Pie DVD’s had been deleted both in Australia and overseas (Steve Marriott had also been the lead singer/ guitarist in Humble Pie). I was so disappointed in this! I was much excited about eventually having my own Small Faces, Steve Marriott or Humble Pie DVD.
In late 2012, I went to different music shops and they still didn’t sell Small Faces or Humble pie DVDs. If find this very sad as I think that these bands were in brilliant video clips back in the 1960’s & 1970’s.
Small Faces
Small Faces in 1968
Humble Pie
Steve Marriott in 1976
I have been reading about Steve Marriott of the Small Faces on wikipedia on the Internet. He imo lead quite an interesting life when he was alive. (He died in 1991 when a part of a 16th century house, which he lived in and was in at the time burnt down. He died of smoke inhalation).
The reason why I think this is because he was married three times, had three children from three different women and tried all of these different drugs in his life. This may not appeal to some but it seems interesting and exciting to me.
I have been told that the Steve Marriott of the Small Faces is an underrated singer/guitar player and I believe this too. This is because I don’t hear about them in the media, but I do hear and read about bands such as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. These bands who in my opinion are much less talented than what the Small Faces or what Steve Marriott was!
Steve Marriott
As I wasn’t able to buy a Humble Pie or Small Faces DVD I went and bought a double Small Faces CD set in early 2010 titled “Small Faces, Ultimate Collection”.
Small Faces Ultimate Collection Front Cover
Since buying this double Small Faces CD set, I have listeneded to them numerous times. The singing on all of the songs is very impressive. Also the music and lyrics are very exciting, talented and upbeat.
I love most of the songs on this double CD set. N.b what also makes this Ultimate Collection so good is also due to some of the instrumental songs on the CD’s. One song is called “Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake”. This song is psychedelic and groovy.
Small Faces in 1968 or 1969
Ogdens Nut Gone Flake Video Picture
Ogdens Nut Gone Flake Video
Photo of Keith, Kim and Mandy Moon.
Lastly before I end, in the last year I came to know that Keith Moon of the Who’s ex wife Kim Moon married Ian Maclagan of the Small Faces in 1978. In addition, Kim Moon was dating Rod Stewart in the early 1960’s at the same time she was dating Keith Moon.
Another fact I discovered about the Small Faces is that Steve Marriott of the Small Faces married Jenny Rylance in 1968. Jenny Rylance an ex model also dated Rod Stewart in the 1960’s like ex-model Kim Moon dated Rod Stewart in the 1960’s! Interesting new information, I must say!
Well I think I have said enough about the Small Faces! Bye from me.
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