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The Small Faces first
success was the mod-soul ‘Watcha Gonna Do ‘bout It’, followed
by ‘Sha-la-la Lee’. For three years, a career with
wonderful singles continued, ‘All Or Nothing’, ‘Here Come The
Nice’, ‘Itchycoo Park’, ‘Tin Soldier’ etc. and live
appearances based on rhythm and blues, mod image and smashed hotel
rooms! When their legendary,
chart topping, concept album ‘Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake’,
complete with in-between-track banter by cockney compere Stanley
Unwin, could not be reproduced on stage, the Small Faces realised
that they had treated studio and stage separately for too long and
to make matters worse, they were seen as one hit wonders in the
States, which they never cracked. Disillusioned, Steve
Marriott left the Small Faces, who would soon enlist Rod Stewart and
Ron Wood. In January 1969, Steve joined Humble Pie which
he had initially helped Peter Frampton to form as a trio with
ex-Spooky Tooth member, Greg Ridley and young Jerry Shirley. The career of the band
suffered in early 1970- when the Immediate label folded.
After months of uncertainty, A & M picked them up and new
manager Dee Anthony streamlined their act. Out went the
peaceful numbers, although a few excellent examples appeared on
their third album, ‘Humble Pie’. Anthony sent the
band on gruelling stateside tours, and by the time album no 4
‘Rock On’ hit the shops, their hard rocking status spanned
Fillmores east to west! Peter Frampton, though provider
of fine melodies and more restrained frontman, felt under
represented the more Steve Marriott got command of the US punters
with blues and rock belters. Frampton left before the highly
successful live album ‘Rockin’ At The Fillmore’ was released,
for an eventually successful solo career. Steve Marriott brought in
a more bluesy guitarist in Coloseum’s David ‘Clem’ Clempson,
who played his unprepared, admirable debut in Dusseldorf, Germany in
1971. The band seemed a tight, happy unit.
Steve had initially joined Humble Pie to leave the stage front to
others, but over the years, his high spirited nature had got the
better of him. Whereas the early Pie had thrived on the
musical tensions and tempers of Frampton and Marriott, all the
attention was now on Steve, with the result being a clearer
direction of sound and image - but with less variety. Tours all over the world,
especially in the States continued, and Steve found himself becoming
more and more of a soul shouter (connections with Motown having been
familiar since his Small Faces mod-days). For the next
album project, ‘Eat It’, as well as the 1973 tours, the four
piece Humble Pie were augmented by saxophone player Sidney George
plus Ike & Tina Turner’s ‘Ikettes’, now called The
Blackberries. However Steve’s own singing became
a little too erratic, to be heard especially on the live-part of the
double ‘Eat It’! the two soul sides were
musically fine if over produced, whereas the sparse acoustic side
was a pleasant reminder of the less boozy Pie-times.
Things must have gone over the top a little in ‘74 and ‘75 if
the tour reports are to be believed, and albums of the time surely
serve as an indication. ‘Thunderbox’ has it’s rock
highlight, ‘No Money Down’ and soul moment, ‘I Can’t Stand
The Rain’, but the self-produced sound is worse than ever before.
Finally ‘Street Rats’ is an unauthorised hotchpotch of
unfinished material intended for a future Pie release as well as
solo albums by Steve and Greg Ridley. The band decided to call it quits after their final tour of the US which went very well in terms of money and feeling. In the summer of ‘75, Clempson and Ridley having formed a trio with Cozy Powell, quickly realised they were still contracted to their old company. After Steve Marriott’s European trip with long time friend Alexis Korner, they joined him in Steve Marriott’s ‘All Stars’. Before touring the USA once again with a new band, Marriott wanted to finish two albums, a group effort with the ‘All-Stars’ and a solo album with West Coast session men. But A & M wanted quick results - again! They made him re-record the band stuff in the States and issued just one album with one group-half and one solo-half. The album
‘Marriott’ wasn’t as successful as hoped, but in the
meantime, back
home, his Small Faces days again caught up with him.
‘Itchycoo Park’ was re-released and became a big hit again,
helped by a Top Of The Pops appearance by the original line-up,
with the BBC cameraman hardly capable of holding the equipment on
viewing Steve’s antics. Steve felt the magic again
and wanted his old mates back. He disbanded the
‘All-Stars’ and started writing immediately with Ian McLagan
and Kenney Jones. Ronnie Lane, still tired from his
road life with The Faces, wanted to stay loyal to his current
group ‘Slim Chance’, and the original Mod-trio recruited Rick
Wills from Roxy Music. Recording began in
buddy Joe Brown’s home studio (his wife Vicki and daughter Sam
joined the sessions), but because of contract hassles it took
almost a year before the new Small Faces could release an album
‘Playmates’ and tour England and Germany in the summer of
1977. Sadly the album flopped and Atlantic’s choice
of single ‘Lookin’ For Love’ didn’t help in placing the
band publicly. Steve and the lads toured with Wings
guitarist Jimmy McCullough. The five-piece also completed
left over ‘Playmates’ material for a new album but it’s very
title showed them the way and by the time ‘78 In The Shade’
came out, Ian McLagan had joined the Rolling Stones on tour and
Kenney Jones would soon get his call from The Who?
A British tour with a
projected live album, to be recorded at London’s Marquee
Club had be cancelled and Steve, whilst slowly recuperating, lost
everything - band, contract and sadly, his wife. He
picked himself up again with a new line-up, Jim Leverton came over
to Atlanta, Fallon Williams took the drum stool and, for a while
Goldy McJohn from Steppenwolf joined the band which, against
Steve’s wishes would still be called Humble Pie by American
agents. At the end of 1983
Steve returned to London bringing Jim Leverton (a Londoner anyway)
and Fallon with him. Regular work awaited on the pub
circuit and it was there, in London’s Dingwalls, that Steve was
able to record another live album of his current stage set,
unspectacular but well played indeed. The band was now
called ‘The Packet Of Three’. Steve built up a
modest but stable reputation and, in time for festival gigs on the
Continent and Japan, was joined by Pie drummer Jerry Shirley.
1989 started with the
‘Next Band’, Jim Leverton back on bass, harmonica player Simon
Hickling from the DT’s and young Kofi Baker - Ginger Baker’s
son - on drums, back on form with inventive and fun to watch gigs.
A reluctant Steve would even record again. Producer
Steve Parsons had developed a rapport that enabled Steve, members
of his recent bands and guests to drop in at their leisure.
The result was ‘30 Seconds To Midnight’, a collection of
mostly covers and an excellent return to the studio.
The album was not well promoted but the fans had a real treat to
start the nineties. Steve Marriott had only just completed one of his regular German tours and it was back to ‘Packet of Three’ with Jim Leverton and ‘Sticky’ Wickett, Steve Gibbons old drummer. He had also begun to work with Peter Frampton again after almost twenty years. The two wanted to put an album out together, Frampton had even tried to persuade him to re-incarnate Humble Pie. It wasn’t to be and the day after he returned from the States he was to die tragically in a fire at his home in Arkesden, Essex |
Steve
Marriott was the eternal street kid, the ‘spitting image’ token
cockney, even as a teenager! After his stage debut in
the West End musical ‘Oliver’ and appearances in early black and
white episodes of ‘The Famous Five’ he was chucked out of school
(for setting fire to it!) Subsequently your Steve spent
more time listening to Alexis Korner’s record collection - and
sleeping on his couch - than coming to terms with any career move.
Eventually, after a spell with his band, ‘The Moments’, he
formed ‘The Small Faces’ with a music shop acquaintance, Ronnie
Lane, drummer Kenney Jones and organ grinder Jimmy Winston who had
far more road qualification than musical ones - he owned a van!
(He was soon replaced by Ian McLagan).
For
Steve Marriott, newly married to his second wife, Pam,
disappointing and confused times began. He played in
pubs with Jim Leverton (Savoy Brown) and Dave Hines (Spencer
Davis Group), until the end of 1978 and then moved to Atlanta,
Georgia to ‘hang out’ and try to start a new band.
A first attempt with Leslie West of Mountain to be called ‘The
Firm’ failed once more due to contract hassles and attempts were
made to re-shuffle Humble Pie. 
1987
saw another excellent band ‘The Official Receivers’.
Many fans thought that this was Steve’s best live band ever, but
after recording just four numbers he left them to join
Birmingham’s ‘DTs’ a solid R & B band which nevertheless
couldn’t touch the Receivers.
