Guide to British Music of the 1960s
July 2003
DVD Review
Small Faces DVD EP
This is one of a series of DVD EPs that show performances from West Germany's Beat Club TV programme of the 1960s and 1970s. The footage has been available before including on the 2000 CD Nice. For some strange reason there are two tracks that the Small Faces recorded for Beat Club that are not included on the DVD (but they are available on Nice (Tin Soldier and Here Comes the Nice.) Maybe these were omitted to be able to stick to the 4-song EP format but this is a pity as this is a major loss for the viewer.
Beat Club ran for some years in Germany and much of the footage has been seen regularly since, including on VH-1 in the UK. While some tracks were performed live in the studio, this is not the case with these Small Faces songs where the band mime, sometimes badly, to a backing track. However, they are still worthwhile particularly as the Small Faces were leaders not just in music but also in style. The music's great but this is the epitome of cool.
The four tracks are all from the Immediate era of the Small Faces and include the singles I Can't Make It, Itchycoo Park and Lazy Sunday as well as the album track Green Circles. the host of Beat Club in those days will be well-known to a UK audience. Dave Lee Travis, "the hairy cornflake", pops up in a number of the Beat Club clips including during Itchycoo Park on this DVD.
First published 2002 by Classic Pictures Entertainment