The Small Faces Ogdens' NutGone Flake - The Fine Line Between Genius and Lunacy!

The Small Faces - one of the great bands of all time. End of. Steve Marriot was a genius, and had one of the great voices ever heard. Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan and Ronnie Lane all went on to achieve legendary status in their own right. Marriot's eventual demise seems so sad considering his outrageous talent - a true victim of the devils of the music industry. His legend is preserved in his music, however, which is wonderful to know. The Small Faces are heralded by many as the ultimate Mod band - it is undeniable that they were quintessentially British both stylistically and musically. By the time Ogden's NutGone Flake arrived in 1968 they were already established as a fine band of their generation, but nobody had heard anything like this. A tongue-in-cheek concept album boasting several huge singles, it separated The Small Faces from the pack.

What we are dealing with here in Ogden's NutGone Flake is quite spectacular. It really is. It charts the journey of Happiness Stan, who sets out upon a quest to find the missing half of the moon. On his journey he saves a fly from starvation, and in return the fly tells him about someone who can help him with his quest: Mad John the hermit. Stan remarks that if all the flies became one, what a huge fly that would create - as a result the fly grows to gigantic proportions, and Stan rides on its back to the cave of Mad John. He tells Stan that the disappearance of half the moon is only temporary, and informs him that his quest has gone on so long that the moon is now full again. He finishes by singing Stan a song about the meaning of life. Now I guess anybody that has read this far is thinking what the fuck?! I understand this concern. It is, after all, complete lunacy, but, in my eyes, somewhat endearing. Musically it is outstanding, boasting the thumping rocker Song Of A Baker in which Marriot's vocal sears, the soulful ballad Afterglow Of Your Love, and the two 'psychedelic cockney knees-up songs' Lazy Sunday, which is archetypal Small Faces brilliance, and Rene. The whole thing is cheeky, childish, dreamy but musically mature - a must listen for any muso.

These classic songs are interjected by Stan Unwin's gobbledegook (known as Unwinese) - a strange hybrid between modern day slang and complete nonsense that narrates Happiness Stan's journey. It really is a surreal listen, but totally all-consuming. Upon release in 1968 it achieved #1 spot in the album charts for six weeks, and spent nineteen weeks on the charts. It was voted #59 in Q Magazine's 100 Greatest British Albums Ever, and was conceptual even down to its packaging; originally it was released in a round metal tin (which was also the case with the 2006 re-issue on CD) to reflect the parody of the tobacco inspired front cover (Ogden's Nut Brown Flake - a brand of tobacco from Liverpool in the late 19th Century). My mate Danny got hold of a copy of the re-issue in a metal tin, something which I've always been desperately jealous of! As far as the 1960's goes this is a massively important release. A benchmark in experimental rock records. It was listed in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and boy, you'd be a fool not to.