bluegoatwoods
Active Member
Have you ever pondered just how unfortunate this band was? What makes it even more striking is that some folks who had only brief association with them went on to large success.
The original Small Faces were really quite good. I'd say they stand up well against the early Rolling Stones, for instance. I've never collected much detail, but I've gotten the impression that they suffered from bad management and a bad record label.
Their original guitarist/lead singer and dominant songwriter was a guy named Steve Marriot. (They also consisted of Ronnie Lane on bass guitar, Ian McLaghan/keyboards and Kenny Jones/drums. Ronnie and Kenny wrote some of their material. I don't recall if Ian did, but it wouldn't surprise me) His voice wasn't beautiful, but he sure knew how to deliver a song. I suspect he might have influenced Robert Plant. He was the first to leave. In 1968 or '69, I think. The remaining members then took on Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood on guitar.
They recorded an album that was released in 1970 or thereabouts. I'm pretty sure I've never seen a copy. I know it didn't show up in any of my friends' record collections, which is where I discovered most music in those days. But it apparently gave Rod Stewart enough gravitas to get himself a record deal. So he put out "Every Picture Tells a Story". Not to put that album down. It really was quite good. Rod's shining moment, as far as I'm concerned. Is the stuff he's put out since all that great? Not in my opinion. Though some of it is surely good enough, it doesn't really inspire me. Yet he's been a big name ever since. If he can still sing at his age now, then I'll bet he can make a living that you or I would envy just doing shows. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what he's been doing all this time. I'm almost accusing him of using The Small Faces, later The Faces, as a spring board and leaving them behind. Though I've no reason to think that that was intentional or uncaring, it seems like that's what happened. He got pretty lucky.
Not too much later Ron Wood got a job with The Rolling Stones. And he's now been there so long that he couldn't even be regarded as 'the new guy'.
Not much more to say on that. He got a great job.
While this was happening, Steve Marriot formed Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. I believe they recorded two albums. The first must have sold well enough to justify #2 in the label's eyes. But, again, these albums never reached me. That's not definitive, of course. But if they'd gained real wide-spread popularity, someone I'd known would have had a copy. But the next thing you know Peter Frampton has made himself a house-hold name on the strength of that one 'live' album coupled with his gimmick of mixing his voice with the sound of his guitar. Now there's an album that was hard to get away from. Everybody was listening to it for a while there. 1976? That sounds right. Not to rain on Frampton's parade. But it seems like his success was huge for what the music actually was. I believe he'd sell tickets today. Maybe not NFL stadiums, but enough to justify putting on shows.
In the meantime Ronnie Lane developed MS. He's now dead. This is a run-of-the-mill tragedy that can happen to anyone and does happen to many, of course. But it was still tragic for him.
Then Kenny Jones got a break that would seem to be equal to the one Ron Wood got; he got a job with The Who. But whaddaya know? It didn't work out. Yes, they did two albums together. More importantly, from Kenny's money-making interest, they did two tours. No doubt he padded his bank account. Enough, probably, to give him a decent, if modest, retirement. (If he had the sense to use it that way. I don't know.) Then Pete Townshend called it quits. I don't know that he was dis-satisfied with Kenny. I believe John Entwistle was glad to have him. Roger Daltrey was definitely not happy. I recall an interview from about ten years ago where he admitted plainly that he hated that era of The Who. He then went on to tell about how Kenny did not measure up to Keith Moon. And then he said, "I don't want to hurt his feelings. He's a good drummer. He just wasn't the right drummer". I think Pete Townshend called it quits because the band as a whole was not having a good time and was not being very creative. (Though I would disagree on the creative part. At least they still showed promise to me.) I don't know, again, if he was not happy with Kenny. But I'll bet that Roger's displeasure played a part. Maybe a large one.
My own opinion is the Kenny did sound like a stand-in who hadn't quiet found his groove on "Face Dances". But on the second album he had it down and was sounding just fine. All the same, when The Who re-formed in the late 80's they said that he had declined the invitation. But I can't help the feeling that he was not invited at all and was, in effect, fired. (Their statement was to the effect that Kenny couldn't join them because he had other matters to attend to. Maybe. But it's hard to imagine how he could have anything more important than the money making potential of a Who tour. If he really did decline, then I'd guess that he did it because he knew that he had an enemy in the band and that it wouldn't work.)
Then in the early 90s Steve Marriott was killed in a house fire. In a neighborhood of London that, I think, is not exactly upscale. Essex, I think, for those who are more familiar. Like Ronnie Lane, this is the sort of thing that might have happened to anyone. But it's still a shame.
I think Ian McClaghan is the least unlucky of the bunch. Details are hazy but I think he's been able to make a living in the business as a session musician. It think he can be found on songs that we know of. Though I've forgotten which ones.
I'm not sure that there's any lessons to be learned here or anything like that.
But I've always been struck by how these guys seemed to have the Midas touch with people who they worked with briefly, yet could never catch a decent break for themselves.
If anyone else out there has more details of the history of these folks, I'd be interested.
The original Small Faces were really quite good. I'd say they stand up well against the early Rolling Stones, for instance. I've never collected much detail, but I've gotten the impression that they suffered from bad management and a bad record label.
Their original guitarist/lead singer and dominant songwriter was a guy named Steve Marriot. (They also consisted of Ronnie Lane on bass guitar, Ian McLaghan/keyboards and Kenny Jones/drums. Ronnie and Kenny wrote some of their material. I don't recall if Ian did, but it wouldn't surprise me) His voice wasn't beautiful, but he sure knew how to deliver a song. I suspect he might have influenced Robert Plant. He was the first to leave. In 1968 or '69, I think. The remaining members then took on Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood on guitar.
They recorded an album that was released in 1970 or thereabouts. I'm pretty sure I've never seen a copy. I know it didn't show up in any of my friends' record collections, which is where I discovered most music in those days. But it apparently gave Rod Stewart enough gravitas to get himself a record deal. So he put out "Every Picture Tells a Story". Not to put that album down. It really was quite good. Rod's shining moment, as far as I'm concerned. Is the stuff he's put out since all that great? Not in my opinion. Though some of it is surely good enough, it doesn't really inspire me. Yet he's been a big name ever since. If he can still sing at his age now, then I'll bet he can make a living that you or I would envy just doing shows. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what he's been doing all this time. I'm almost accusing him of using The Small Faces, later The Faces, as a spring board and leaving them behind. Though I've no reason to think that that was intentional or uncaring, it seems like that's what happened. He got pretty lucky.
Not too much later Ron Wood got a job with The Rolling Stones. And he's now been there so long that he couldn't even be regarded as 'the new guy'.
Not much more to say on that. He got a great job.
While this was happening, Steve Marriot formed Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. I believe they recorded two albums. The first must have sold well enough to justify #2 in the label's eyes. But, again, these albums never reached me. That's not definitive, of course. But if they'd gained real wide-spread popularity, someone I'd known would have had a copy. But the next thing you know Peter Frampton has made himself a house-hold name on the strength of that one 'live' album coupled with his gimmick of mixing his voice with the sound of his guitar. Now there's an album that was hard to get away from. Everybody was listening to it for a while there. 1976? That sounds right. Not to rain on Frampton's parade. But it seems like his success was huge for what the music actually was. I believe he'd sell tickets today. Maybe not NFL stadiums, but enough to justify putting on shows.
In the meantime Ronnie Lane developed MS. He's now dead. This is a run-of-the-mill tragedy that can happen to anyone and does happen to many, of course. But it was still tragic for him.
Then Kenny Jones got a break that would seem to be equal to the one Ron Wood got; he got a job with The Who. But whaddaya know? It didn't work out. Yes, they did two albums together. More importantly, from Kenny's money-making interest, they did two tours. No doubt he padded his bank account. Enough, probably, to give him a decent, if modest, retirement. (If he had the sense to use it that way. I don't know.) Then Pete Townshend called it quits. I don't know that he was dis-satisfied with Kenny. I believe John Entwistle was glad to have him. Roger Daltrey was definitely not happy. I recall an interview from about ten years ago where he admitted plainly that he hated that era of The Who. He then went on to tell about how Kenny did not measure up to Keith Moon. And then he said, "I don't want to hurt his feelings. He's a good drummer. He just wasn't the right drummer". I think Pete Townshend called it quits because the band as a whole was not having a good time and was not being very creative. (Though I would disagree on the creative part. At least they still showed promise to me.) I don't know, again, if he was not happy with Kenny. But I'll bet that Roger's displeasure played a part. Maybe a large one.
My own opinion is the Kenny did sound like a stand-in who hadn't quiet found his groove on "Face Dances". But on the second album he had it down and was sounding just fine. All the same, when The Who re-formed in the late 80's they said that he had declined the invitation. But I can't help the feeling that he was not invited at all and was, in effect, fired. (Their statement was to the effect that Kenny couldn't join them because he had other matters to attend to. Maybe. But it's hard to imagine how he could have anything more important than the money making potential of a Who tour. If he really did decline, then I'd guess that he did it because he knew that he had an enemy in the band and that it wouldn't work.)
Then in the early 90s Steve Marriott was killed in a house fire. In a neighborhood of London that, I think, is not exactly upscale. Essex, I think, for those who are more familiar. Like Ronnie Lane, this is the sort of thing that might have happened to anyone. But it's still a shame.
I think Ian McClaghan is the least unlucky of the bunch. Details are hazy but I think he's been able to make a living in the business as a session musician. It think he can be found on songs that we know of. Though I've forgotten which ones.
I'm not sure that there's any lessons to be learned here or anything like that.
But I've always been struck by how these guys seemed to have the Midas touch with people who they worked with briefly, yet could never catch a decent break for themselves.
If anyone else out there has more details of the history of these folks, I'd be interested.
