Would you believe I used to use this as my alarm clock back in the day. I got a fancy new alarm clock for Xmas one year and this was the CD in the thing which started up every morning before school right before 6:45am. Or swimming before 5am.

Things were tough back then.

This is actually a pretty decent song that I have been allergic to ever since that time simply because it had a kind of Pavlov's dog terrorising effect on my brain (as alarm clocks tend to after a while).

Lesson: never put your favourite song as your alarm clock.

This is literally someone playing their old record, but this is a great tune, especially for an instrumental.

Having a bit of a Small Faces revival the moment so I'll get back to you when I'm talking some sense, but the first album is fab. The sound is so raw and unproduced it's just ludicrous.

This is pic is basically all about McLagan's check suit.

This is a mod's delight - Paul Weller playing the Small Faces.  I couldn't possibly comment on which version I think is better...​

Bit of a cheeky one by the boys. This used to be in my CD alarm clock back in the day. Could you think of a better track to wake up to...

Surprised it didn't get censored back in the day, but then what do the law know about the Nice?

​Aided by the tiny subtext beneath the main headlines, I’m sure we can all surmise that this was the sleeve for a foreign release of My Mind’s Eye. I won’t guess which country, but it is great to see a full colour shot of the boys wearing such an eclectic collection of trousers.

Absolutely repping the Mod strides!

On a side note, I saw the band are also more generally wearing the stuff they wore on the front of their 2003 British-released greatest hits album. Shame they muted the colours - modern audiences eh?!

This is a gem hidden at the end of their first album. Groovy, but probably not chart-friendly, I believe it was eventually released as a B-side to My Mind’s Eye.

But it’s a great insight into the band’s early sound!

After Wednesday's post, it got me thinking I have tended to neglect these guys quite a bit considering how many great tunes they have. 

Plus, they look fab in the video, esp. Ronnie Lane. So here's a bit of the Small Faces for your viewing pleasure.

The Man talking about his favourite band. Worth a listen if you haven't seen it.

A great Steve Mariott pic here. When I was younger, I loved this pic so much that I had it on my wall. 

If anyone is deserving of the name of "Modfather" (that is, other than Paul Weller), then I think Steve is them. In fact, Weller has always said that the Small Faces were his mod inspiration - so much so that he feels Steve ought to be re-named The Modfather. So perhaps Weller is the Modfather, but Steve Marriott is the Grand Modfather. Or something.

Anyway in the original picture, I think his shirt is actually blue with a golden-yellow collar, which explains the contrast difference here (a combo well-worth trying on iTailor, thanks for reminding me). Along with this, he also wore a brown/khaki suit on the original cover of the first album (which is reproduced below).

To be fair, I could take or leave the suit, but the glasses were (and still are) cooler than anything I'd seen before. They made the piece.

I mention this not just because of the Steve Marriott connection (and because I haven't said anything about the Small Faces for quite a while) but because while I was browsing the other day on Atom Retro and found that they are actually selling the very same shades worn in that pic. These are truly incredible days we live in.

I know I've posted this before but McLagan and Lane's jacket are hectic here. Tbh they all are!

A Marriott casual look.

Strong tune, even stronger threads.

Ok, so I probably wouldn't wear this kind of kit, but you have to appreciate the tune!

​For years I have searched for this photo. For years, people thought I was completely bonkers. I would describe a double-breasted suit, whose jacket buttons were an inch or so apart, rather than the usual five or six. 

My dad (at one time a veteran skinhead) was sceptical.

My friends laughed.

My tailor said he had never heard of such a thing.

People doubted my memory, but I insisted that I had seen this style on Ronnie Lane and that he had pulled it off exceptionally well. 

Distinctive without being outrageous. Unusual without looking ridiculous.

But, in about 2007, I had a blue suit crafted to a similar design by an Italian tailor off Carnaby Street. Dad was impressed. Friends were stunned. The tailor seemed proud of himself.

I’ve not worn it for a while… but it might be time to get it out again…

In the meantime, enjoy this gem.