Long Agos and Worlds Apart : The Definitive Small Faces Biography

TheSmall Faces epitomised the maxim, "Never mind the width, feelthe quality." In their brief original lifespan, they releasedjust three official albums and a dozen-and-a-half authorisednon-album singles and B-sides.Yet more than five decades after theLondon quartet's split the phenomenal quality of that compact body ofwork has ensured a continuing and unassailable musical esteembordering on legend. Gut-bucketvocalist Steve Marriott brought a bluesy grit to both compositions ofgravitas and effervescent pop numbers.Bassist Ronnie Lanecollaborated with him to form one of the most formidable songwritingpartnerships of the era.Ian McLagan was an exhilaratinglyblurred-fingered keyboardist.Kenney Jones brought up the rear withblistering drum patterns, with his rolls often used to provide anexplosive fanfare to Small Faces singles.Such a talent-oozingline-up was virtually predestined to conjure excellence. 'TinSoldier', their exquisitely sophisticated psychedelic-soul release of1967, regularly appears in polls to decide history's greatestsingles.However, the band are just as much loved for rip-roaringpower-pop like 'Sha-La-La- La-Lee' and 'All or Nothing' and storminginstrumental B-sides such as 'Grow Your Own' and 'Almost Grown'. Their acknowledged masterpiece is Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake(1968), an album that was not only artistically superb butboasted a second-side narrative suite that paved the way for rockoperas such as the Pretty Things' SF Sorrow and the Who's Tommy. Regardless of style, quality and innovativeness, the Small Faces'music was characterised by a life-affirming joyousness.All thisexplains why their catalogue is endlessly recycled and why theiroeuvre has been disproportionately inspirational. LongAgos and Worlds Apart covers the Small Faces' full,tumultuous story.The book draws on lengthy new interviews, includingones with Jones, Lane’s close friend Pete Townshend and originalSmall Faces member Jimmy Winston.It features contributions from manyassociates and intimates, including managers, agents, publicists,songwriters, auxiliary musicians, fan-club personnel, recordingengineers, journalists, friends and wives.It also draws on numerousinterviews the author conducted down the years with both Jones andMcLagan, much of which material is previously unpublished.Itis a revealing, impartial, exhaustive and definitive exploration ofthe corpus and career of a truly great band.