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Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Here's the question for Small Faces fans: Is it better to own the original Immediate albums or to invest in the splendid double-disc set, The Darlings of Wapping Wharf Launderette? The question is a tricky one, since Darlings [f]contains all of their Immediate recordings[/f], meaning all of Autumn Stone (or There Are But Four Small Faces, as it's known in its American incarnation), plus all of the landmark Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. Granted, Ogden's is divided cleanly in half, with the first side appearing on disc one and the second on disc two, which may irritate listeners who like to hear the concept album uninterrupted. Nevertheless, it's hard not to view Darlings as a real bargain, since it gathers all the singles, albums, B-sides, plus some outtakes and alternate mixes and versions from the group's most creative period. And, hearing them in this setting, it's hard not to be stunned by the depth of the group's songwriting and restless musicality, which holds its own with peers like the Kinks and the Who. So, the question may indeed be an easy one, after all -- if you want to be stunned by the Small Faces' peak, there's no better place to turn.
Tracklist disc 1
1.: I Can't Make It
2.: Just Passing
3.: Here Comes the Nice
4.: Talk to You
5.: (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me
6.: Something I Want to Tell You
7.: Feeling Lonely
8.: Happy Boys Happy
9.: Things Are Going to Get Better...
10.: My Way of Giving
11.: Green Circles
12.: Become Like You
13.: Get Yourself Together
14.: All of Our Yesterdays
15.: Show Me the Way
16.: Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire
17.: Eddie's Dreaming
18.: Itchycoo Park
19.: I'm Only Dreaming
20.: Tin Soldier
21.: I Feel Much Better
22.: Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
23.: Afterglow (of Your Love)
24.: Long Agos and Worlds Apart
25.: Rene
26.: Song of a Baker
27.: Lazy Sunday
Tracklist disc 1
1.: Happiness Stan
2.: Rollin' over
3.: The Hungry Intruder
4.: The Journey
5.: Mad John
6.: Happy Days Toy Town
7.: The Universal
8.: Donkey Rides, a Penny, a Glass...
9.: Wham Bam, Thank You Mam
10.: The Autumn Stone
11.: Collibosher
12.: Red Balloon
13.: Call It Something Nice
14.: Wide Eyed Girl on the Wall
15.: Don't Burst My Bubble
16.: Every Little Bit Hurts (Studio Version)
17.: Picaninny
18.: The Pig Trotters
19.: The war of the Worlds
20.: Take My Time
21.: Mad John (Us Single Version With Extra Verse)
22.: (if You Think You're) Groove (As P.P. Arnold & Small Faces)
23.: Wham Bam, Thank You Man (Alternate Stereo Mix)
enjoy & share :)
Here's the question for Small Faces fans: Is it better to own the original Immediate albums or to invest in the splendid double-disc set, The Darlings of Wapping Wharf Launderette? The question is a tricky one, since Darlings [f]contains all of their Immediate recordings[/f], meaning all of Autumn Stone (or There Are But Four Small Faces, as it's known in its American incarnation), plus all of the landmark Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. Granted, Ogden's is divided cleanly in half, with the first side appearing on disc one and the second on disc two, which may irritate listeners who like to hear the concept album uninterrupted. Nevertheless, it's hard not to view Darlings as a real bargain, since it gathers all the singles, albums, B-sides, plus some outtakes and alternate mixes and versions from the group's most creative period. And, hearing them in this setting, it's hard not to be stunned by the depth of the group's songwriting and restless musicality, which holds its own with peers like the Kinks and the Who. So, the question may indeed be an easy one, after all -- if you want to be stunned by the Small Faces' peak, there's no better place to turn.
Tracklist disc 1
1.: I Can't Make It
2.: Just Passing
3.: Here Comes the Nice
4.: Talk to You
5.: (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me
6.: Something I Want to Tell You
7.: Feeling Lonely
8.: Happy Boys Happy
9.: Things Are Going to Get Better...
10.: My Way of Giving
11.: Green Circles
12.: Become Like You
13.: Get Yourself Together
14.: All of Our Yesterdays
15.: Show Me the Way
16.: Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire
17.: Eddie's Dreaming
18.: Itchycoo Park
19.: I'm Only Dreaming
20.: Tin Soldier
21.: I Feel Much Better
22.: Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
23.: Afterglow (of Your Love)
24.: Long Agos and Worlds Apart
25.: Rene
26.: Song of a Baker
27.: Lazy Sunday
Tracklist disc 1
1.: Happiness Stan
2.: Rollin' over
3.: The Hungry Intruder
4.: The Journey
5.: Mad John
6.: Happy Days Toy Town
7.: The Universal
8.: Donkey Rides, a Penny, a Glass...
9.: Wham Bam, Thank You Mam
10.: The Autumn Stone
11.: Collibosher
12.: Red Balloon
13.: Call It Something Nice
14.: Wide Eyed Girl on the Wall
15.: Don't Burst My Bubble
16.: Every Little Bit Hurts (Studio Version)
17.: Picaninny
18.: The Pig Trotters
19.: The war of the Worlds
20.: Take My Time
21.: Mad John (Us Single Version With Extra Verse)
22.: (if You Think You're) Groove (As P.P. Arnold & Small Faces)
23.: Wham Bam, Thank You Man (Alternate Stereo Mix)
enjoy & share :)