(Polydor)
Dismissed in their time as little more than a foppy mod pop band more interested in style over substance on these shores - the Steve Marriott-led Small Faces were major factors in defining the sights and sounds of "swinging London" in the mid-'60s.
A much more influential band than they were ever really given credit for (save for Paul Weller, Blur, Oasis and the late Jim Ellison), this 33-track retrospective showcases the work of a brash, tight, soulful, surprisingly powerful pop and rock outfit deserving of more than their present, semi-obscure cult-band status.
A foreshadowing of the raw power later exhibited by Marriott's Humble Pie and the loose, bluesy, full-throttle roar of the (early) Rod Stewart/Ron Wood-led Faces (which included bassist Ronnie Lane, drummer Kenny Jones and keyboard player Ian McLagan); a serious listen to these tunes shows a group achieving a mean, vibrating, hard-edged sound above and beyond the flash-in-the-pan lite-pop reputation they've long been saddled with.
Both discs intersperse a nice sampling of breezy, chart-aimed pop rave-ups such as "What'cha Gonna Do About It," "Shake," "Sha-La-La-La-Lee," "Sorry She's Mine," "It's Too Late," "Understanding," "All Or Nothing" and "Take This Hurt Off Me" with bluesier, more Motown- and rock-oriented tracks like "What's A Matter Baby," "I've Got Mine," "Grow Your Own," "My Minds Eye," "That Man," "Come On Children," "Baby Don't Do It," "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" and "You Need Loving" (later bastardized into "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin).
No matter what style the group dabbled in, Marriott's deep, gut-bucket wail and wall of curious, thrashing, almost static power chords worthy of Pete Townshend coupled with the chaotic drumming of future Who stickman Jones, the rich, ringing keyboard fills of McLagan and the supple bass and spot-on backing vocals of Lane transformed each tune (most composed by Marriott/Lane) into something truly vital.
