The Small Faces – THE SMALL FACES****

Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me/Something I Want To Tell You/Feeling Lonely/Happy Boys Happy/Things Are Going To Get Better/My Way Of Giving/Green Circles/Become Like You/Get Yourself Together/All Of Our Yesterdays/Talk To You/Show Me The Way/Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire/Eddie’s Dreaming

The Small Faces first LP on the Immediate label is confusingly given the same title as their debut on Decca a year earlier. It comprises a collection of short catchy pop tunes from the Marriott-Lane songwriting partnership. (UK:21)

"Almost everything, from top to bottom, is credited to the Marriott/Lane songwriting team, and the two do a good job. Steve provides the obligatory R 'n' B-ish foundation, the grit and the sweat; Ronnie digs into his little storehouse of traditional British musical forms; and both, throw in some psychedelic effects, lyrics and moods so that no one would mistake them for The Kinks."

"The Small Faces second 'official' album is a lot more pop than the first album but is pretty good with only a couple of duds." "Odd, given the short length and occasional lack of cohesion, but definitely charming."

"This album is a perfect example of why the 60s were such a heady time in pop music. No song on this album is longer than three minutes, but every one is crammed with catchy hooks, inventive production and great musicianship. That's not to say that every song is great, because some are definitely better than others, but even the ones that aren't so great still have a simple, gruff charm."

"Principle vocalist and guitarist Steve Marriot possesses one of the great voices in 'blue-eyed soul'. His throaty roar belies his small stature as he belts it out with the best of them. Bassist and secondary vocalist Ronnie Lane is a much more limited singer, but displays a touching vulnerability which Marriot often lacks. As the principal writers of the band, their contrasting styles complement each other nicely."

"An album like they used to make them - two sides of short, snappy, inventive, songs which you can easily listen to all the way through without getting bored. You can hear the psychedelic experimentation coming through excellent results."

"Maintains a high standard throughout. A hidden gem without a shadow of a doubt."