Small Faces
There Are But Four Small Faces

Release Date: 1967 | Tracklist

Small Faces- There Are But Four Small Faces

One Hit Wonders are quite possibly the most aggravating part of being a musician. You slave day and night, writing rhythms, melodies, and the slightest details to make your song catchy. And it becomes catchy. So catchy, that all the radios pick it up, and play the vinyl until the safety tape comes spiraling off of it. And the listeners dig it. So much, that they listen to the radio every day to hear your wonderful little song, and buy your records, ignoring the other 13 songs on there, just to hear your big single. Your band makes a living off of one song, just because of its over-acclaimed status on radio stations. You feel as if you are living that fantasy life that the myth of stardom brings. And with the snap of a finger, or a jangle on a tambourine, people lose interest in your song, and just like that, all the ambition and prosperity is lost. Please tell me if you can get more annoyed. In America, popular music tastes change over a very diminutive amount of time. One decade, it was hard rock, and the next, it became disco. Mainstream music will never ever go untouched. The members of the Small Faces know what it means to be an American ‘One Hit Wonder’. With only one song released in America, the Small Faces were a little English band with a really catchy hook to a single called ‘Itchycoo Park‘. But there is much more to this British Psychedelic band than just a four note bouncy acoustic song.

There Are But Four Small Faces, said to be the band’s best album, which features awesome drumming throughout the entire duration, is catchy beyond belief. Every single song features enough pop appeal to control every classic rock radio station throughout the country. The vocals, which are not unlike the Beatle’s with more depth, provide some of the catchiest vocal melodies I’ve heard this side of Beatlemania. Starting it all is the Small Faces’ only single, ‘Itchycoo Park’ which has some very fun acoustic guitar playing, with a four note hook that ‘Baba O’Reiley’ is jealous of. The vocal trade offs are simply ingenious, and the chorus backs up the reason for this song being a single. ‘Green Circles’ is not dissimilar to the single, and features some overdubbed catchy-as-hell voices and cool drumming. One thing that is not inconspicuous is the lyrical content on these two songs, as well as a lot of the others. There are numerous drug references throughout the tracks, especially on the obvious ‘Green Circles’ where the lyrics point towards a sense of euphoric feeling. And ‘Itchycoo’ nods direct references to smoking in the park. But ‘Up the Hills to Bedfordshire’ is possibly the most drug-induced lyrical content on the album. No one who is not under the influence of a hallucinogen would never even think of writing a song like this.

Musically and vocally, the Small Faces took a simple, yet effective approach, and let me tell you, they ***ing ran with it. Every guitar melody and vocal harmony are not difficult by anyone’s standards, but somehow feel like they are the only thing that works. ‘Here Come the Nice’ is a terrific example of effortless beauty. But not everything is just simple chord progressions and poppy voices. Blues definitely plays a role in shaping some of the guitar work on the album, especially on the number ‘Talk To You’ which is contender for best song on the album, and the vocal performance is throaty, and rich. And ‘Tin Soldier’ is quite a track, with an awesome beat, and a picture perfect guitar performance to portray a child’s dream of playing army men. And while there are bluesy numbers, ‘I’m Only Dreaming’ is a catchy acoustic pop song with a very likable rhythm. One of the most unique aspects of the album is the use of organ and piano to add color to a high percentage of the songs. The keys really brighten up parts of some songs that could get very boring without it. Most of the basslines on the record are bubbly and only add to the pop appeal of the songs. ‘I Feel Much Better’ features both a rumbling rhythm section, with frequent drum fills, and a growling bassline, behind some incredibly poignant piano. There really is not a song that doesn’t seem to be boring, and the pop appeal is just awesome, as is the guitar work and unison between the voices, rhythm section, and melodies- and every song is incredibly listener friendly with song lengths that never exceed three minutes.

While everything is very pleasant and light-heartedly fun about the album, by no means is it non-lacking. There is absolutely no variety in the songwriting approach taken, and most of the melodies sound very similar. But it only goes to show that simplicity can lead to something far greater, say, brilliance. And I’m happy to say, no classic rock pop song has ever sounded more fun than on this album. It just owns.

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4.1 excellent