Small Faces

Autumn Stone - Immediate 1969

Tracks: 1. Here Come the Nice / 2. Autumn Stone / 3. Collibosher / 4. All or Nothing / 5. Red Balloon / 6. Lazy Sunday / 7. Call It Something Nice / 8. I Can't Make It / 9. Afterglow of Your Love / 10. Sha la la la Lee / 11. Universal / 12. War of the Worlds / 13. Pig Trotters [*] / 14. Picaninny [*] / 15. Green Circles [Alt] [*] // 1. Rollin' Over [*] / 2. If I Were a Carpenter [*] / 3. Every Little Bit Hurts [*] / 4. My Mind's Eye / 5. Tin Soldier / 6. Just Passing / 7. Itchycoo Park / 8. Hey Girl / 9. Wide Eyed Girl on the Wall / 10. Watcha Gonna Do About It / 11. Wham Bam, Thank You Mam / 12. (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me [Alt.] [*] / 13. Donkey Rides a Penny a Glass [Alt.] [*] / 14. Tin Soldier [Live][*] / 15. Don't Burst My Bubble - live*

Comments:

When Steve Marriott in late 1968 decided to leave the Small Faces and the group subsequently disbanded, they had already begun recordings for the successor to their legendary masterpiece "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake".

"The Autumn Stone" became to some extent this successor, and the album which was originally a double album, contains some of these “post-ONGF” recordings. The album that was first released in 1969 by Immediate and never approved by the group members was a mixture of old and new - demos and live recordings.

Immediate had obtained a license to include the group's big hits for Decca such as "All or Nothing", "My Mind's Eye" and "Whatcha Gonna Do About it." The later Immediate hits were naturally also obvious choices for such a release, but most interesting were, of course, the previously unreleased songs, some of which presumably would have been found on what would have been the group's third studio album for Immediate. These include for an exciting interpretation of Tim Hardin's "Red Balloon" and Steve Marriott's own "The Autumn Stone" - both tracks show the group on their way in new directions - more subdued and complex melodies.

"Call it Something Nice" is a classic Small Faces at its best. Instrumental tracks "Collibosher" and "Wide Eyed Girl on the Wall" are fine numbers, for which vocals may have been intended. The singles "The Universal" and "Wham Bam Thank You Mam" also have been the logical inclusions on the album. On this CD re-release also has the late B-side "Donkey Rides a Penny a Glass".

It seems that there are still unreleased recodings with the group, including a cover of "Be My Baby" and a version of "Groovy" with Stve Marriott lead-vocals. This is a song group also recorded with PP Arnold for her debut album.

Finally, on the CD contains 5 live tracks from a concert in 1968 - two of them are also new additions. All in all a fine and essential part of the Small Faces catalogue.


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