Tin Soldier - The Anthology [Box set, Original recording remastered]

For the first time - all of Steve Marriott's career summarised onto one CD set.

Firstly - thanks to John Reed, who has done an excellent job of selecting the tracks. It has been obviously done with a lot of feeling for Steve's catalogue, and there is a LOT of tasteful selection.

From his early work, through the Small Faces heyday....to Humble Pie superstardom in the USA to his very UNDERRATED solo work....this is an exceptional collection - and is an ideal purchase both for long term fans, but particularly for those new to this wonderful music.....and at a great price

Rock On !

This album represents the first attempt to collect the varied and intriguing career of the forefather of Mod and Britpop, the legend that is Steve Marriott. The first CD has 20 of the more essential Small Faces songs, and it's a good thing to have the early and later material on one album which I think is a first. However if you are looking for a Small Faces collection the best advice is 2003's Ultimate Collection which has a range of tracks including the stunning cover version of Marvin Gaye's Baby Don't You Do It (also covered by fellow mods, the Who). But if you're looking for something extra this is definitely worth getting. There is an alternative version of Watch'a gonna do about it, an Italian language Green Circles and the demo of Wham, Bam... called Me, You & Us too. There is an added bonus of a cover of Brenda Holloway's Motown classic 'Every Little bit Hurts' which is, like all Small Faces covers, superb. There are a further two cds here, one from the Humble Pie years, the other representing solo projects and collaborations. Not being too familiar with Humble Pie this seems to be a good introduction into this part of his career. That said the majority of this work is very 'American sounding' and it's not surprising that like the Faces the band found a new audience in the US. The music isn't bad, but frankly the Faces did this style of music a lot better and with an edge that isn't seen here. It's somewhat surprising that an album dedicated to Marriott ends up highlighting that the rest of the band contributed as much to the Small Faces sound as Marriott did. That said Marriott's voice sounds great throughout and the later songs on the collection show a move back towards the British R & B sound. It's hard to judge the solo projects, there aren't many gems there apart from a cover of My Girl, but they're not bad either. A few of these are live recordings and there are two Small Faces songs from the 70's reunion which are instantly forgettable. But overall there are some sublime moments on these three cds that most small faces fans will never had heard before. Also the cd booklet gives a brief description of all the songs, which is always nice. Not recommended for those looking to get into the Small Faces for the first time, or those just interested in the Immediate era of the band. But if, like me, you're interested in the R & B stylings of the band, and particularly the rawness of those early songs this is a worthy addition to any record collection.