Amazon.co.uk Review
The
Ultimate Collection is the first comprehensive retrospective of the Small Faces' recorded legacy. Crucially, this stunning 50-track, double-CD set is the first to feature both Decca (disc one) and Immediate (disc two) material and it's also the first to be fully sanctioned by the surviving members of the band. All 14 of the Small Faces UK singles are here, along with 12 B-sides and an astute selection of album tracks. The Decca disc, 196567, finds the sartorially sharp quartet majoring in amphetamine-fuelled R&B aimed directly at mod dance floors. Especially ace are the debut 45 "What'cha Gonna Do About It", its pivotal riff cheekily pilfered from the
Solomon Burke soul shouter "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", and the organ-propelled instrumental, "Grow Your Own", which melds sonic savagery to a
Booker T & The MGs groove. Disc two, 196769, highlights the band's unique brand of Cockney music-hall psych, best exemplified by proto Brit-pop anthem "Lazy Sunday" and various cuts culled from their brilliantly bonkers concept album
Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. This is undoubtedly the ultimate Small Faces collection.
--Chris King
CD Description
The release of 'Ultimate Collection' marks the first time that compilers have been given the opportunity to select Small Faces recordings from the vaults of both Decca and Immediate. The band formed in 1965 and enjoyed 12 UK top 40 hits over a four-year period. Each of those hits are featured here amongst fifty tracks spread across 2CDs, including their only no.1 single, 'All Or Nothing'.