SMALL FACES Live 1966
NICE
7/10
Early European foray recaptured
The first release on drummer Kenney Jones’s new label captures two live sets played by the band at the Twenty Club in Mouscron, Belgium, on January 9, 1966. The sound quality has occasional fluctuations, but the performances are ferocious, capturing the band on the cusp of success. The later of the two shows hits harder, with Steve Marriott stretching “E Too D” into a thunderous tribute to Chuck Berry which fades rather too abruptly. There’s an energetic salute to James Brown on “Please, Please, Please”, and the influence of Stax Records threatens to erupt during the early show’s rendition of “You Need Loving”. The band’s sound is far heavier than their poppier hits would suggest, though the closing rendition of “What’Cha Gonna Do About It” has a calamitous energy all of its own.