Afterglow of their love
Decades have passed since the Small Faces’ glory years, but they remain beloved. With a reissue series in the shops, drummer Kenney Jones recalls his early days in the band and their links with The Who, and on page 80, original member Jimmy Winston offers another perspective. Ian McCann reports
It’s a story that’s been heard before. Four lads from a poor part of town conquer the world. They have fun, make records, appear on TV and in movies, fear they are being exploited, break free to create something they’re truly proud of, by which time, tired, paranoid and fed up, they split, seeking new horizons. There are reissues, disputes, legal wrangles, the unearthing of unheard music, an ill-advised reunion; two members die young, two more make some money at last in a band that reflects some of the ethos of the original quartet. The world moves on, seeking new lads to exploit or worship, and the original foursome is largely forgotten thereafter.
Except it’s not like that in this case. The Small Faces were not forgotten. Their legacy inspired Led Zeppelin, Alex Harvey, Rod Stewart, Heavy Metal Kids, Ian Dury, punk, Paul Weller, Cockney Rejects and Blur. It was as if they were just on an extended lazy Sunday afternoon, particularly in East London, where, during the mid-70s, you could go still see melodic, rocking, unashamedly local bands like Bethnal any day of the week; or find Small Faces records waiting to be snapped up in Brick Lane or Petticoat Lane, the latter market proving a strong source for dubious pressings of US Immediate albums. Within a couple of years the packed pubs in Stepney …
by Ian McCann
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