The Decca Years 1965-1967

Excellent box set covering The Small Faces first two albums.Highly recommended.

Everything happened as it should.

All the recordings from the Decca years. Excellant sound and informative packaging.

This latest release from the Small Faces back catalogue is an excellent addition to any fans collection.Following on from the extensive re-issue campaign in 2012 (which saw many of the tracks remastered from original tapes for the first time) comes this exhaustive overview of the bands time on the Decca label. More alternate versions/mixes have surfaced in the three years since and these have been added to the fourth disc which deals exclusively with rarities.The remastering on this box set is, by and large, extremely good. The liner notes make reference to discoveries of purer tape sources for the two albums 'Small Faces' and 'From The Beginning' since the 2012 release and it must be said they sound excellent. Crisp and with excellent clarity, they're also noticeably quieter than previous versions (the 1997 remasters for instance), which should please audiophiles. (Having said that, the version of 'Come On Children' used for the groups debut LP has been reduced a little too much- it's now the quietest track on the album! - and I still like to crank up the '97 remaster of this track for maximum impact).The discs are nicely presented and follow the original track listings, so discs 2 & 3 present the two albums with no extra tracks. These are on discs 1 & 4 which is where things get slightly strange. The first disc is a 'Greatest Hits', meaning some tracks appear in this box set more times than is necessary. By simply shifting the non-album B-sides and one-off singles to the ends of the albums and the French EP version of 'Come On Children' to the rarities CD they could have dispensed with the first disc altogether. Was this done so they could charge more for the box set or because it's also handy for fans having all the hits in one place? Discuss!I don't want to end on a negative, given all the plus points this release undoubtedly merits, so I'll finish by saying this is a worthy investment for hardcore fans and an essential purchase for new ones. It's certainly beautifully packaged, sounds great for the most part and the addition of the BBC sessions (with some new-to-CD material) is the icing on the cake. I suspect that many who own the 2012 Deluxe Editions of the two Decca albums will feel there isn't enough extra here to warrant shelling out and I understand that. But what I will say is if you don't own those releases go straight to this box set and you will not be disappointed.

I only give it three stars because again they missed the opportunity to give us good quality(!) versions of the following:Baby Don't You Do It (alternate version)Take This Hurt Off Me (alternate version)Both still sound lousy here. Check out that old French AZ album from the early 1970s. Every needledrop of that one sounds better!Also the alternate version of Hey Girl sounds terrible here. Funnily that very same version was also on the 40th Anniversary release of the band's debut album. And there it was in excellenct sound!To sum it up: Hey Girl IS available in great sound, the other alternate versions would have benefitted being taken from a fresh needledrop instead of a poor sounding tape (copy).I also don't understand why the BBC interviews sound terrible here. You gotta keep the old BBC Sessions CD for it.

Excellent.

If you're a SMALL FACES fan and have purchased or own their previous remastered Decca reissues ( Small Faces: Deluxe Edition , From The Beginning: Deluxe Edition ) and the  BBC Sessions 1965-1968  CD, here's what you don't have, and what is missing.....New to this set is:- An alternate version of "My Mind's Eye"- The single versions of "What'Cha Gonna Do About It," "Sha La La La Lee," "Hey Girl," "All Or Nothing," "My Mind's Eye" and "E Too D" which are just repeats of the album versions! (see comment below)- "Sha La La La Lee," "What’cha Gonna Do About It," "Comin' Home Baby" and "You Need Loving" from the BBC's Joe Loss Pop Show, Jan. 14, 1966What's missing from this set:-ALL seven of the "Alternate mix-electronically processed stereo" tracks from The Deluxe Editions ("Sorry She's Mine," "I've Got Mine," "Grow Your Own" and "Patterns" from SMALL FACES, " My Mind's Eye," "All Or Nothing" and "Understanding" from FROM THE BEGINNING.-the Kenny Jones interview from The BBC SESSIONS CD.So, to sum up, you gain an alternate of "My Mind's Eye" and four BBC session tracks, of which only one is not a repeat ("Comin' Home Baby"), and you lose seven lousy reprocessed stereo tracks and an interview with their drummer. The booklet is very nice, but not enough to warrant the set price if you have the other reissues and BBC Sessions, imho. Hope this helps someone to make their choice......(Oh, and 5 stars for the music, no matter what version you chose......)

My Dad loved this present and he's a massive Small Faces fan