Lazy Sunday Afternoon - The Small Faces

Lazy Sunday Afternoon is going to be a weekly feature here at The Dabbler: a bit of musical accompaniment to not doing very much at all. Given its name is taken from a Small Faces song we'll start with them and with that very song (along with a couple of others).

Not many people know that the Small Faces got their name because they were literally small ('face' was Mod slang for a cool customer). Tiny they were. But Steve Marriott (right) sang big - his was one of this country's great soul voices.

'Was' as he died in rather sad circumstances nearly twenty years ago (blame the usual ongoing DDH*). But he remains worshipped by some. Google him - he has probably the longest and most detailed Wikipedia entry I've ever come across, longer even than Napoleon's. Best Marriott Wiki-fact: he acted in the original 1960 production of Lionel Bart's 'Oliver' and sang the Artful Dodger's part on the album of the show.

But if he was still around I'm not sure he'd thank us for drawing attention to Lazy Sunday Afternoon. The band thought its jokiness led to their not being taken as seriously as some of their po-faced contemporaries. They were probably right - but there's nothing wrong with pop in the vein of Madness as I'm sure we music lovers living in a more mature age would agree. Indeed, they were doing something rather interesting in carrying on the spirit of old time music hall, for that was surely a strong influence.

Here it is, followed by two personal faves, Song of the Baker Man and Tin Soldier (all but the last from the splendidly eccentric Ogden's Nut Gone Flake):










* A useful acronym when talking about pop stars, Hollywood actors, that bloke who you see down the corner shop sometimes: Drink and Drugs Hell.