Small Faces - Green Circles - First Immediate Album

 

Although this is the first album that the Small Faces recorded for Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate Records, the group had already had hits on Decca, who continued to release songs after the band switched, causing confusion among the fans who didn't know what was legit and what was not. Confounding fans in the modern day are the numerous reissues of this record in varying editions with different song listings. The CD that I own matches the photo above and, as the little subtitle indicates, it has some alternate versions although the song order is quite divergent from some of the other releases.

This CD opens with "Become Like You", a fairly whimsical acoustic number with wacky lyrics, laughter, and lighthearted musical backing - not quite what would normally be expected from the Mod boys. Much more representative is "Get Yourself Together", an upbeat rocker with Kenny Jones throwing in some Keith Moon-like fills around Steve's characteristic soulful singing, Ronnie's backing vocals and fine ensemble playing all around. "All Our Yesterdays" is also fairly silly, in a vaudevillian kinda way, but "Talk To You" gets back on track with bluesy guitar licks, Steve's tough voice and a great groove, followed by a semi-ballad by Ronnie, "Show Me The Way", with a terrific, melancholy melody and open arrangement, then Ian's organ-dominated upbeat, slightly psychedelic ode to sleep, "Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire" before they go to the Caribbean, complete with steel drums'n'horns, for "Eddie's Dreaming".

I've always loved the tight'n'solid groove of "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me" - fast'n'swingin', with the call'n'answer "hey,hey,ya's (or whatever Steve is enunciating!) - then Ronnie returns for a more mid-tempo (and somewhat mundane, albeit fine) "Something I Want To Tell You" (although Ian gets a nice solo in), Steve is "Feeling Lonely" for a minute and a half, before they go for a strong Booker T and the MG's feel in "Happy Boys Happy", followed by the slow'n'soulful "Things Are Going To Get Better" (again, Kenny propels with hip fills) and one of their best, "My Way of Giving", with another compelling melody'n'arrangement, Steve's amazing vocals alternating with the rest of the gang's backing and strong playing throughout, which moves into the title track, the superb psych of "Green Circles" that again shows off everyone's playing and their strong dynamics.

Their psychedelic and comical sides appear in "Donkey Rides, A Penny A Glass" before we get alternative arrangements of "Green Circles" and "(Tell Me) Have You Seen Me" to close out the CD.

Everyone gets to throw in a little bit of their personality to these tunes and while some of it is completely goofy, it is always good fun and the rockers are so strong that you have to let the little Mods have their laughs once in a while. Great record!