When the great Otis Redding came to England in September 1966 for his only UK visit and series of shows, Steve was offered free tickets to see him. Steve, a massive Otis fan, strangely declined the offer. Steve's mum Kay explains, "Steve was a fan, but he wanted to pay for his tickets like everybody else. he didn't want preferential treatment just because he was famous. He danced in the aisles like everyone else did!"

September 1966 was a busy time for the Small Faces. The band were busy promoting All or Nothing on countless pop shows while still fitting in a hectic touring schedule. This took its toll on Steve who collapsed yet again from nervous exhaustion and had to be rested for several days before hopping back aboard the gruelling routine of TV appearances, live shows and recording commitments. 

Steve often stated that one of the reasons the Small Faces never toured America was because he wasn't confident enough in his guitar playing to try to break the group there. the main reason, however, was a cannabis conviction that Mac had picked up during his Muleskinners days.

The band had planned to hit the States in the autumn of 1966, and had a tour all mapped out but the US immigration laws wouldn't allow Mac into the country. It's sad they never went Stateside because I believe they would have made a big noise across the pond and might just have stuck by each other longer than they did.

It had been a year since the band first crashed on to the pop scene with What'Cha Gonna Do About It and the band's meteoric rise to the top of the pop tree was breathtaking, even by the standards of the era. But disillusionment began to take hold. Kenney explains, "It was great at first, being on Top of the Pops and seeing your first album in the shops, but after the initial euphoria, it began to roll off our backs. We were pop stars to the fans and the media, but to our friends, we were the same as always; we hadn't changed."

The fun had also gone out of the agreement they had with Don Arden, where they were given a weekly wage plus accounts in every clothes shop in Carnaby Street, which meant they could have all the latest fashions to keep up their image as super-Mods! Ronnie: "We were like old grannies at the jumble sale, rummaging through clothes in all the top shops, but when  we'd get back home we'd think 'what the fuck did I buy that for?' We spent twelve grand on clothes in 1966 and half the stuff we bought we never even wore."

The band were also getting more than a bit pissed off with Don Arden! The Small Faces' parents wanted to know why the band weren't getting the money that was due to them, considering all the work they had been putting in, going on tour and appearing on television across Europe, not to mention the recording royalties. The not-so-subtle Arden was, it was alleged, having the band over for thousands, but when confronted by the Marriott's, the Lanes, the Joness and the McLagans at a meeting they had arranged, Arden said that every penny they earned was to help their habit of the needle. The Small Faces were not angels. They were into a few things but never "the needle." Though they were definitely needled after hearing this! It was, of course, a lie. the boys finally convinced their parents it was a red herring but the incident was to leave a very sour taste in their mouths. 

• Part 13: Problems start to mount up
• Return to part 11

Previously published in Darlings of Wapping Wharf Launderette