'the darlings of wapping wharf lauderette' should and is the first stop for the small faces! a magazine par excellence, full of exclusive interviews and information about the mod group, edited by the keeper of the flame, John Hellier. From humble beginnings to a nice glossy magazine worthy of anybodies magazine rack!
john also has a wide collection of cd's from Steve Marriott worth having and available from the website (see link below)
John is also the co-writer of probably one of the best ever biographies 'It's All Too Beautiful' the life and times of Steve Marriott - i have all editions of this book, it's that good! His co-writer Paolo Hewitt is one of the foremost modernist writers - it's must read and never far from my bedside table as my nightime read of choice.
"This comprehensive biography of Steve Marriott is as close as we’re going to get to extracting the truth about Britain’s finest white soul exponent. From Mod antics with the Small Faces to his brief superstar tenure with Humble Pie and beyond, Marriott was a musical and psychological conundrum par excellence, the enigma of which still unravels to this day.
All Too Beautiful is an exhilarating, if infuriating, tale of Marriott’s chaotic lifestyle with a litany of relatives, ex-wives and partners recalling his menagerie of personalities and mood swings.
Unfortunately, this is a complex story of extraordinary talent, missed chances, exotic highs and frightening lows and yet Marriott’s determination to remain in control at all costs marks him out as a Mod maverick of the highest order. While his peers were consolidating their finances during the 1970s, Marriott was dangling between fame and destruction; arriving in limousines with Humble Pie one moment and filching potatoes from fields and hot wiring his cottage from a pylon the next. Ironically, the mans most settled period came towards the late 1980s, with a hectic tour of pubs and clubs before he tragically passed away in a house fire in 1991, before Brit Pop could fully canonise his influence.
This book succeeds as much as is possible in detailing Marriott’s brief but eventful tenure on planet Earth and yet even these 400 pages aren’t enough to penetrate the complex mysteries that went into making up Mods most complex creation."
Simon Wells (from Record Collector)
John also is the author of another excellent Small Faces book, with contributions from Paul Weller. 'Here Come The Nice' is the ultimate small faces song book, a perfect companion to 'it's all too beautiful' and even better if you can sing or play guitar!
this book includes:
Paul’s intro. Explaining the influence the Small Faces have had on not only his career but his life generally……
Lyrics, guitar tab and chord sequences of Paul’s favourite, hand-picked, Small Faces songs (15 of them).
Also an in-depth look at each of these songs by both Paul and John.
A Small Faces biography
Lenghty interviews with both Paul and John.
“From The Beginning” Jimmy Winston’s account of the early years.
Small Faces trivia (tons of it!).
Small Faces discography.
Even some Small Faces poetry (modernist style, of course!)
Plus loads of cool pics including previously unpublished ones of The Small Faces and Paul Weller . . . . . .
Visit John at
he's an absolute gent!
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