I was not alive when The Autumn Stone by the Small Faces was originally posthumously released so I cannot understand why it was so hated. It’s fantastic! The tracks are everything you could ask for with classics such as ‘All or Nothing’ and ‘Itchycoo Park’ along with many different instrumentals which showcase each member’s talent without the powerhouse of vocals which belonged to Steve Marriott.

On the mention of Steve Marriott, his haunting yet brilliant voice introduces us to the album with the song ‘Here Comes the Nice’. Fairly sure this song is about their drug dealer as the lyrics heavily insinuate that. Which I mean it was the 60s so clearly a relevant topic for the late psychedelic era. Instrumentation wise, it’s the classic Small Faces sound, upbeat with a lovely guitar tone. Moving into the second and third track of the album I feel like they got a lot of inspiration from furniture advert songs instead. The title track ‘The Autumn Stone’ and ‘Collibosher,’ the latter of which has a more bluesy tone with gravely guitars throwing you into the instrumental track. ‘The Autumn Stone’ is a direct contradiction to the other tracks I have mentioned so far as it is very mellow and has atmospheric vocals that almost sounds like you are floating.

What I have realised while listening to this release is that the Small Faces really liked a 12-string guitar. ‘Red Balloon’ showcased this with a song that my left ear really enjoyed.

Onto the classic, ‘All or Nothing’ which I felt was now remastered to be more polished which I mean was the main focal point of the project was to finish off the album and tweak some parts, but I just feel like the iconic song was missing the grit and determination of the original recording.

‘Olympic Jam (One More!)’ was a song I was beyond excited to hear due to the fact it was previously unreleased. The track itself is an instrumental and has a very Status Quo vibe about it, despite this being 1969. Along with unreleased tracks, unreleased versions of songs are also housed on the album. Never before heard mono and stereo versions permeate the album. I’d say the way they were situated on the album was rather odd along with the choice of tracks but it also makes sense as there is something for everybody whether you’re a casual fan or an ‘I was there when it happened’ fan.

The late 1960s were an interesting time for music. You had Sgt. Peppers, Pink Floyd and musicians supplied with a hell of a lot of drugs. You also have the Small Faces using honks and beeps in their instrumental track ‘Just Passing.’ Truly always wondered what a kids TV would sound like if you let 1960s psychedelia take over and I fear this would be the outcome.

The packaging on his box set is so aesthetically pleasing and get this, it actually has the band’s name on the cover this time around! Not only is the cover the best thing, but the vinyl is also this ‘Autumn Gold’ colour and it ties in the colour scheme nicely.

The last two sides of the compilation include stripped down mixes which showcase all the elements which would’ve been lost otherwise such as backing vocals and harmonies and instruments like on ‘Things are going to get better’ which houses a harpsichord sound. Overall, I’d say I prefer these versions even more than the original studio recordings as the acoustic mix on ‘The Autumn Stone’ has some lovely fingerpicking which complements the vocals beautifully. You almost feel like you are in the room with the Small Faces as they’re recording as at various points when the songs end they left in some candid audio.

It’s such a shame that live albums from the 1960s were recorded in such terrible quality purely because the equipment wasn’t available yet. We have lost so many iconic performances to time as the quality is just shoddy. On the final side of The Autumn Stone, there is a live performance by the Small Faces which was at Newcastle City Hall on 18 November 1968 which has been polished and shined to be at least listenable nowadays. The screaming is so intense that I now know why they dispersed into different bands because imagine trying to be seen as serious musicians and your fans are treating you like the second coming of Beatlemania. I’d be fuming. In all honesty the music parts sound at least listenable now as you aren’t trying to decipher what song is playing, it is just the concert ambience in between you’re struggling to hear.

Ending off on a high, thank you Kenney Jones for deciding to finally finish this album and give it the flowers it deserves as it is a truly phenomenal album and the newer additions to the songs are so well suited you can barely tell the difference. I cannot wait to hear what else Jones decides to release in the future from his archives.

Small Faces: ‘The Autumn Stone’ Box Set – Out 11 April 2025 (Immediate Records)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh3AJwA2NRo