Search - The Small Faces :: Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

Happiness Stan

S Ericsson Zenith | Sunnyvale, Ca USA | 10/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am prompted to write this review because while agreeing with the previous reviewer that this is indeed a unique album and you really must buy it - the American perspective on it is just too much to take :)I was raised in London during the 1960's and this album is one of the icons of my childhood. Lead singer Steve Marriott was an early hero and guitarist Ronny "Plonk" Lane - as he was want to credit himself at the time - the Small Faces transformed into the Faces with Rod Stewart replacing Marriott at the front. Those were the days when Rod was a real man and not the cardboard cutout he has become today.Don't compare this album to Sergeant Pepper! Both are brilliant albums but you do a diservice to both. Yes, these were the days of "concept albums," initiated by Pepper, in which albums ceased to be simply a collection of songs but actually attempted to tell a story. The second half of this album - that the previous reviewer calls "background English" - is in fact such a story, the story of Happiness Stan. The excentric narration is performed by "Professor" Stanley Unwin, an English comic, whose idiosyncratic speaking style is a cross between cockney pig-latin and Dr. Suess (sorry that's the best description I can think of). For example, "Happiness Stan" begins with the phrase (and BTW I haven't heard this album since 1969 or so) "Are you all sitty comfty-bold two-square on your botty? Then I'll begin."In the story a poor London boy is distressed because half the moon is "taken away" - so he goes on a quest to find out what has happened to the moon and learns on the journey not to worry about the big things because they eventually take care of themselves. The moral of the story is, be happy, and enjoy yourself - predictably, the journey takes two weeks :) This is the band that wrote Ichykoo Park, so emblamatic of 1960's hedonism: (I recall)
"What did you do there? I got high
What did you feel there? Well I cried
But why the tears there? I'll tell you why
It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful"Although, the hit of this album is "Lazy Sunday"(again from memory)
"Lazy Sunday afternoon, I've got no time to worry
Close my eyes and drift away."These were guys from my neighborhood, they sang in the London working-class accent of my youth of the post world war middle-class and upper-class hedonism we all aspired to, but that never really touched the working class of England, except in the confusion it brought.But, as a boy in his early teens, I could listen to their songs and I could go there, escape the poverty and the violence, and dream, and write my own poetry, create my own art.So, how is it I am here now some thirty years later writing this review? Truth is I'm getting to that horrible age where I'm singing songs from my younger years to my son of that distant age (Freedom is now nearly 11) - and all year I have been singing snippets of "Happiness Stan," breaking from my now "American" accent into a joyous London accent (American's call this accent "cockney" - but then they don't generally know about the Bells of Bow).I came to Amazon on a whim to see if whoever had released "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" on CD - and what do you know ... Freedom and I are going to have so much fun driving down 101 singing at the top of our voices! Saddly both Marriott and Lane died in the 1990's - Ron Wood, who played guitar in the Faces is now a core member of the Rolling Stones."Give us an 'appy day toy tan newspaper smile!
Clap twice, lean back, twist for awhile!
And now you've got the 'ang of it
There's nothin you can't do with it
'Cos it you're really true to it
You can't go wrong!
It looks after itself!"I can't wait :)Footnote: I received the album and I am happy to relate that it is even better than I recall above!! Buy it!"

One of My Top 10!

Mad John | Williams Lake, BC Canada | 01/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I loved it then. I love it now! I am so glad this recording is still available. The songs are outstanding and the story between the songs on the last half of the album is priceless. Just want to comment on the earlier review that calls the narration just so much British background noise. Definately not so! It's brilliantly done, and for me and all my non-Brit friends it was fun deciphering what he's says. I recently introduced my grandchildren to Harry Nilsson's "The Point" (which they love) and the story on Odgen's Nut Gone is next. Although not a kiddies album, I know they will enjoy it as much as I have over the years.I purchased the Small Faces double CD Darlings of Wapping Wharf Launderette, primarily as a way to get Odgen's plus a whole lot more. I was a bit concerned that they might have removed the narration and just included the songs. Happy to report they left it as is - only tastefully remastered and in beautiful CD sound. Buy it on this CD or buy the Darlings collection, either way you'll enjoy it. This one is truly a classic."