The album has two big things going against it for me. The first is that it starts with an instrumental. I can deal with instrumentals if they are buried within the LP or a short intro before the singing starts if it's not too long but two and a half minutes is too much for me to wait for the vocals to start. The second thing is side two. I'm not a big fan of concept albums or rock operas but a children's story with narration? Count me out. And then there is what Wikipedia describes as psychedelic cockney knees-up songs, not a fan.
I was ready to throw the album out when I started to wonder if it could be fixed. It just so happens that the band was working on a follow up before they split up. Along with a couple of B sides and the songs slated for the next album we have plenty of songs to make a great album.
Side One
01 Rollin' Over
02 Long Agos And Worlds Apart
03 Autumn stone
04 Wham bam thank you Mam
05 Red balloon
06 Lazy Sunday
Side Two
01 Call it something nice
02 Rene
03 Song Of A Baker
04 Donkey Rides, A Penny, A Glass
05 The universal
06 Afterglow
Reality Notes
I never got into The Small Faces. I was aware of them. I knew Itchycoo Park but not much else. I love Humble Pie. I love The Faces. I just never explored the band that spawned them. So when I started seeing other constructors putting together their versions of 1862, the abandoned follow up to Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake I got curious and downloaded Ogden's to give it a spin. I honestly thought I had a corrupted file and downloaded it again. I was a bit disappointed.
To fix the album I set two basic rules, no instrumentals and no story time. I dropped the title track on side one and discarded all but Rollin' Over from side two and utilized the B sides and leftovers which can be found on the compilation Autumn Stone to fill the album out. The album went through a few different iterations before I was happy with the results.
I did do one "clever" little edit. Autumn Stone has an alternate version of Afterglow which I preferred so I took the intro from the album version and tacked that on to Rollin' Over to open the album and closed the album with the alternate version. I kept Lazy Sunday as the closer of side one.
All-in-all I have been enjoying this construction very much, even the psychedelic cockney knees-up songs. I didn't actually throw out side two. After taking out Rollin' Over, I split The Journey into two parts and created an EP. It's a good story and seems to work much better in the smaller, stand alone format.
Happiness StanSide One
01 Happiness Stan
02 The Hungry Intruder
03 The Journey Pt 1
Side Two
01 The Journey Pt 2
02 Mad John
03 Happy Days Toy Town
I'm imagining that the EP was released first as a stopgap while they finished recording the rest of the album. I do feel that this gives the band a much better ending than splitting up in the middle of recording a new album. And there's still some leftover tracks for you kids to gather together if you feel the need.
For the cover of Afterglow I went with the full front portrait with no text. Similar to Abbey Road or Badfinger's Straight Up. For the EP I imagined they licensed an illustration from John Lennon's In His Own Write.
Heresy!
ReplyDeleteIndeed ;) but now I can listen to the album without grinding my teeth. A perfect example of "Different strokes for different folks".
Deleteno links to listen?
ReplyDeleteduh. never mind. found it. thanks
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful re-imagining of an alternative Small Faces’ 1968 album - a great “what if”. In this case, what if they’d stopped short in Spring ’68 and thought to themselves: “that fairy story concept is wee bit passé, a bit, er, 1967 after all. Maybe we should get back to our roots, like the Beatles, the Stones and the Band”. Cards on the table – I like “Ogden’s” precisely because it’s a product of its times, phased portentous instrumental overture and gobbledygook Stan Unwin and all. Your re-imagining, however more coherent and listenable, dilutes the record’s playful psychedelia that chimed with the public, if only for a moment, and kept the album at No. 1 in the UK for 6 weeks over the summer of 1968. Counterintuitively, this improved album might have fared less well commercially: it would necessarily have been released later in the year, by which time the Small Faces were being seen as not “rock” enough by the new hip rock cognoscenti. Anyway, still a great reordering of history. I can suggest only one improvement, - substitute “Wham Bam” with the speedier take sometimes retitled “Me You and Us Too” featuring Nicky Hopkins (recorded after MacLagan apparently had stormed out of the sessions for Ogden’s follow-up “1862”. More Small Faces-y and less Humble Pie-ish). It’s on the 1999 Sequel release “Darlings of Wapping Wharf Laundrette” as well as a couple of ‘70s German compilations. More info on the track here : http://www.aquariumgallery.co.uk/interview-john-hellier-small-faces-biggest-fan/
ReplyDelete(The EP works brilliantly, by the way. In an alternate history framed by your reconstruction it would have made sense for it to have been given away free with the album (a precursor to Brian Wilson’s Mt. Vernon & Fairway”) ).
Thank you, great review. I struggled to get through the album in its original form. I'm all about "repeated listens" and Ogden's would have received very few if I had the album back then. I was never a big fan of 1967/68 psychedelia. Loved Sgt Pepper's but not much else. I'm more of a Rubber Soul/Let It Be guy. Thanks for the tip, I'll look into the alt Wham Bam.
DeleteCan you please re-upload these alternate releases? Thanks in advance!!
ReplyDeleteDownloads are collected under one page (easier to maintain). The link is at the top of this page. I just checked the link for this post and it is still good. Enjoy.
DeleteI did not download this album but I MUST comment. Ogden's Nut Gone is one of my All - Time favorite albums. And my favorite Small Faces album. I am sorry that you don't like the fairy tale on side 2. I thought it was sheer genius. But then again, I bought it when it first came out in 1968 and realized it was obviously an album meant to be enjoyed while "under the influence". Which is how I listened to it quite frequently. I also thought it would have made a great cartoon ala "Yellow Submarine". Too bad you don't get it. I noticed some other people commented they didn't like it either, so you are not alone. Looks like I AM.
ReplyDeleteThe album was and is sheer genius and will always remain one of the most enjoyable albums of my youth.
You are not alone in liking this album as originally released. Just not my cup of tea. Tastes vary. The story would make a nice animated short. I hope you found some other posts here that appeal to you.
DeleteSorry; I also forgot to say that the cover was a collector's item as it folded out in 6 circles. I see you put the Fairy tale as one album. While I understand your idea and reasoning. I still hold with my love for the original. Old habits die hard!!
DeleteI completely understand your point of view. I have a few albums I hold dear that others give me an eye roll over.
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