ABOUT
Small Faces were a highly acclaimed English rock band from London that became famous during the late 1960s. Formed in 1965, the original members consisted of frontman/guitarist Steve Marriott (January 30, 1947 - April 20, 1991), bass guitarist Ronnie Lane (April 1, 1946 - June 4, 1997), drummer Kenney Jones, and keyboardist Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan (May 12, 1945 - December 3, 2014) replacing Winston the following year. Small Faces became one of the U.K.'s top psychedelic rock bands of the late 1960s and are best known in the U.S. for "Itchycoo Park" (1967). After Marriott left in 1969 to form Humble Pie, the band morphed into a blues rock band known as Faces with the addition of Rod Stewart (lead vocals) and Ronnie Wood (guitar) to the three remaining members. The "Small" part of the original band's name was dropped due in part to the heights of newcomers Stewart and Wood who (at 5'10" and 5'9" respectively) towered over the other members.
Small Faces made their debut on the U.S. charts in 1967 with the Marriott/Lane-penned psychedelic classic, "Itchycoo Park," which was one of the first pop songs to make use of flanging, a special effect that can be heard in the reverberant bridge sections after each chorus. The band had two minor hits the following year with the Marriott-penned "Tin Soldier" and "Lazy Sunday," both of which made the U.K. Top 10 and are also among the band's best known songs. Faces debuted on the U.S. charts in 1970 with "Real Good Time," which became a minor hit. The band's fame took off the following year with "(I Know) I'm Losing You," an impassioned cover of The Temptations' 1966 smash hit that showcased Stewart's trademark raspy, fiery lead vocals. Other hits included "Stay With Me" (1972), which became the band's best known song, "Cindy Incidentally" (1973), and "Ooh-La-La" (1973), the band's final U.S. charts entry.
Faces toured actively and had a number of personnel changes before finally disbanding in 1975, after which Stewart continued on with his solo career and Wood joined The Rolling Stones. The original Small Faces members reformed in 1975 after Faces disbanded and remained together through 1978 with some personnel changes, releasing two albums. Small Faces/Faces were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. As a member of Faces, Rod Stewart became a two-time inductee, having been inducted previously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a solo artist.
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LINKS
- For more info on current Small Faces projects and news, visit thesmallfaces.com.
- Drummer Kenney Jones discusses his early musical influences, his work with Faces/Small Faces and The Who, and other topics in an interview with Binky Philips on The Huffington Post (Jan. 17, 2014).
- The New York Times remembers Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, and Ian McLagan.
MERCHANDISE
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- The Small Faces - CDs, vinyl, & more - Amazon.com
- The Small Faces - Digital music - Amazon.com
- The Small Faces - Rare vinyl, CDs, & more - MusicStack.com
SONGS
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The Small Faces
- Itchycoo Park 1967
The Faces (Rod Stewart)
- Cindy Incidentally 1973
- Stay With Me 1972
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