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167: The Small Faces – the most short-changed band in history

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Last Updated on September 14, 2026

What do a 13-year-old Phil Collins, a violent music manager dangling people off balconies, and a psychedelic album packaged in a tobacco tin have in common? They are all part of the completely unhinged history of The Small Faces.

In this episode of Beat Motel, Andrew and Gimby (yes, he’s back) dig into the story of Steve Marriott—arguably the greatest white soul singer the UK ever produced—and how his career peak might have actually been playing the Artful Dodger in 1960. We talk about Don Arden (Sharon Osbourne’s notoriously terrifying dad), fixing the charts with mod networks, paying for suits with stolen royalties, and why putting an LP in a round tin is a structural disaster for record shop shelves. There’s also some completely unnecessary sidetracks about Sting’s real name, Rod Stewart’s tight trousers, and a random bloke named Chris walking into the studio mid-record.

Amazing additional voice clips provided by Voiceover Artist Martin Whiskin – https://www.martinwhiskin.co.uk/

YouTube Video Description The bizarre history of the 1960s mod scene and the absolute chaos behind the music industry.

In this episode, we chart the rise and fall of The Small Faces, from their childhood theatrical roots to becoming rock icons—all while getting completely fleeced by their management.

Discover how future stars like Phil Collins and Davy Jones are linked through a single West End musical, how chart-fixing actually worked in the 60s, and why Don Arden was known as the ‘Al Capone of Pop’ (hint: it involves dangling rival executives by their ankles from four floors up).

🚀 Binge more chaotic music chat here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWvEIcKhJxA&list=PLwnzX0gT6IrcZqrF2Xslb19NiBRgd9rj9

Timestamps / Chapters: 00:00 The Best White Soul Voice in the UK 05:30 Steve Marriott, Phil Collins, and Oliver! 16:40 Davy Jones and The Beatles on Ed Sullivan 24:30 What Exactly is a Mod “Face”? 31:30 Meeting in a Music Bar & Rehearsing with Iron Maiden 44:00 Don Arden: The Al Capone of Pop 53:30 Ripped Off on Carnaby Street 58:30 The Balcony Incident (Ankle Tones) 01:08:00 Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake & The Round Tin Disaster 01:19:30 Enter Rod Stewart & The Faces 01:29:00 The Grim End of Steve Marriott 01:36:00 Gimby’s Pop Quiz

Amazing additional voice clips provided by Voiceover Artist Martin Whiskin – https://www.martinwhiskin.co.uk/

#smallfaces #stevemarriott #60smusic #modculture #rockhistory

Citations

Fact 1: Steve Marriott and Phil Collins both played the Artful Dodger in the West End production of Oliver!

Fact 2: Davy Jones played the Artful Dodger in the West End and transferred to Broadway, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show the same night as the Beatles

Fact 3: Seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show inspired Davy Jones to pursue pop stardom

Fact 4: Davy Jones received a Tony nomination (not a win) for Best Featured Actor for his Broadway debut in Oliver! (1963)

Fact 5: Small Faces formation — Marriott and Lane met at J60 Music Bar in 1965; the band name combined their physical stature with mod slang for a style leader

Fact 6: Steve Marriott’s voice was a cited influence on Robert Plant, Paul Stanley, Ozzy Osbourne and others

Fact 7: Don Arden, the Decca deal, and the exploitation of the Small Faces (including the Carnaby Street clothing accounts charged back against earnings)

Fact 8: Sharon Osbourne is Don Arden’s daughter; Peter Grant learned the business under Arden before managing Led Zeppelin

Fact 9: Robert Stigwood — who he was and why the Arden incident matters

Fact 10: Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake — Stanley Unwin narration, the Spike Milligan near-miss, Unwinese origins, and the tobacco tin packaging

Fact 11: Why Marriott left the Small Faces — the Frampton tension, songwriting resentment, the unplayable album, the chart flop, and the financial mess

Fact 12: The Faces rebrand — dropping the “Small”, the “Quite Melon” near-name, and the US “Small Faces” album mistake

Fact 13: The death of Steve Marriott — 20 April 1991, Arkesden, Essex; the timeline, the wrong-turn detail, and the broke-and-distrustful context

Fact 14: The Small Faces’ influence on later British bands — Weller/The Jam, Blur, Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene and the wider mod/Britpop lineage