The 1966 song that both made and destroyed Small Faces

Small Faces - 1966 - Mod - Band

Credit: Cashbox Magazine

Wed 5 August 2026 6:00, UK

As far as British bands of the 1960s go, Small Faces were perhaps one of the most unfortunate in terms of not receiving the level of acclaim they deserved, and their short-lived time together in this incarnation is a telling sign of just how hard they had it.

Formed in 1965 and finished by early 1969, their existence may have been brief, but it was far from uneventful. Recording three studio albums together, plus choosing to release an additional US-only album, they seemed to be destined at one point to hit the same heights as many of their fellow British contemporaries, but behind the scenes, there were so many issues that were detrimental to their rise.

It was both a help and a hindrance that the man who discovered them was music mogul Don Arden, who, while serving as their manager, pushed the band hard in their early years to the point that he was accused of chart-fixing. Debut single ‘Whatcha Gonna Do About It’ made it into the upper echelons of the chart, something Arden claims was due to it being a great pop hit, but largely thanks to him splashing £12,000 on it reaching such heights.

However, their early victories on the charts culminated in the band hitting their peak in August 1966, when they released their fifth single, ‘All Or Nothing’, perhaps a song that was reflective of how their career was going to turn out. At a time when Beatlemania was having something of a resurgence, with the release of Revolver on the same day sending the double A-side of ‘Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby’ straight to the top of the UK charts, it seemed unlikely that another band would be able to provide a strong enough distraction.

However, after just six weeks, the Beatles were knocked off their perch, and not even by The Beach Boys, who had been just behind them for the whole stretch with ‘God Only Knows’, but by ‘All Or Nothing’. If they were capable of dethroning the biggest band in the world and could keep arguably the greatest pop song ever written at bay, then surely the sky was the limit?

In fact, ‘All Or Nothing’ was their ceiling, and while the single’s success earned them an opportunity to tour the US with the Lovin’ Spoonful and the Mamas and the Papas, this was quickly axed when news of keyboard player Ian MacLagan’s recent drug charges leaked to the press. Arden threatened to inform the families of the members that they were all using substances, and consequently, they ended up confronting him and asking for their contract to be broken, something only the bravest people would do given Arden’s history as a cruel taskmaster.

By this point, Small Faces had become one of the biggest-selling groups in the UK at the time, but were making little money as a result of all of the behind-the-scenes turmoil. The success of ‘All Or Nothing’ should have been a springboard for further success, even in spite of the breakdown in their relationship with their manager and label. However, while the switch from Decca to Immediate produced a few other top 10 singles in the form of ‘Lazy Sunday’, ‘Itchycoo Park’ and ‘Tin Soldier’, nothing else managed to make it to number one.

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