OGDENS' NUT GONE FLAKE

'''Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake''' was a successful concept album by the English rock band Small Faces. Released on May 24, 1968 the LP became a number one hit in the UK Album Charts on June 29, where it remained for a total of six weeks.^[1]
The title and the design of the distinctive packaging was a parody of a genuine Victorian brand of tobacco, based in Liverpool^[2] ''Ogdens' Nut-brown Flake''.^[3]

Contents

Album profile

Happiness Stan

Story

Packaging

Track listing

Side one:

Side two:

Controversy

Spelling

Vinyl and CD versions

See also

References/Notes

External links

Album profile

The A-side is a heady mix of early heavy rock with "Song of a Baker" and "Wham Bam Thank You Mam"; psychedelic cockney knees-up songs "Lazy Sunday" and "Rene"; with and the soul influenced ballad "Afterglow (Of Your Love)".^[3]
The B-side is based on an original fairy tale about a boy called Happiness Stan, narrated in his unique ‘Unwinese’ gobbledegook by Stanley Unwin, who picked up modern slang from the band and incorporated it into the surreal narrative.^[3]

Happiness Stan

Story

When Stan looks up in the sky and sees only half the moon, he sets out on a quest to search for the missing half. Along the way he saves a fly from starvation, and in gratitude the insect tells him of someone who can answer his question and also tell him the philosophy of life itself. With his magic power Stan intones, "If all the flies were one fly, what a great enormous fly-follolloper that would bold," and the fly grows to gigantic proportions. Seated on the giant fly's back Stan takes a psychedelic journey to the cave of Mad John the hermit, who explains that the moon's disappearance is only temporary, and demonstrates by pointing out that Stan has spent so long on his quest that the moon is now full again. He then sings Stan a cheerful song about the meaning of life.^[3]
Due to the album's complexities, Ogdens' was never performed live, however it was performed as a whole once on the BBC's television programme ''Colour Me Pop''^[3] on Friday June 21, 1968. Songs that featured were "Song of a Baker", "Happiness Stan", "Rollin' Over", "The Hungry Intruder", "The Journey", "Mad John" and "Happydaystoytown". Although the band mimed to recordings made earlier in the studio that afternoon their microphones were left on to capture little ad libs.^[8]
In 2000 ''Q'' magazine placed ''Ogden's Nut Gone Flake'' at number 59 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.^[9]
Highest UK album chart position: 1968, Number One (for six weeks), and a total of 19 weeks on chart.^[3]

Packaging

The album was originally released on vinyl in a circular novelty package resembling a paper replica of a giant tobacco tin, with a gatefold cover. Two limited-edition CD releases (including a three-disc deluxe edition in 2006 that included the original mono mix of the album on CD for the first time) went even further by packaging the disc(s) in a circular tin. However, most CD releases use conventional packaging, superimposing the circular artwork on a square booklet.^[3]
The award-winning artwork for the album cover was done by Mick Swan who was a product of the sixties art school scene. Any other work by him is unknown but he is known to have worked as a fine arts tutor at Lowestoft F.E. College in 1974.^[12]

Track listing

Side one:

#"Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake"
#"Afterglow (Of Your Love)"
#"Long Agos and Worlds Apart"
#"Rene"
#"Song of a Baker"
#"Lazy Sunday"

Side two:

#"Happiness Stan"
#"Rollin' Over"
#"The Hungry Intruder"
#"The Journey"
#"Mad John"
#"Happydaystoytown"

Controversy

To promote the album Immediate issued an advertisement that parodied The Lord's Prayer. It caused uproar in the British press and outraged readers wrote in and complained.
''Small Faces''

''Which were in the studios''

''Hallowed by thy name''

''Thy music come

''Thy songs be sung

''On this album as they came from your heads''

''We give you this day our daily bread''

''Give us thy album in a round cover as we give thee 37/9d.'',

''Lead us into the record stores''.

''And deliver us Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake''

''For nice is the music''

''The sleeve and the story''

''For ever and ever, Immediate''

"We didn't know a thing about the ad. until we saw it in the music papers. And frankly we got the horrors at first. We realise that it could be taken as a serious knock against religion. But on thinking it over, we don't feel it is particularly good or bad. It's just another form of advertising. We're not all that concerned about it. We're more concerned in writing our music and producing our records" - Steve Marriott on the advert for Ogden's Nut Gone Flake that parodied the Lord's Prayer.^[12]

Spelling

The cover design spells the title as ''Ogdens' '', but the label and sleeve copy on many versions gives it as ''Ogden's '', and in catalogues and music websites the latter spelling is probably more common.

Vinyl and CD versions

The original vinyl album includes a segue between the end of "Afterglow" and the beginning of "Long Agos And Worlds Apart". Most CD editions have a different stereo mix, and use the single version of "Afterglow" without the segue. There is also a segue between "Long Agos and Worlds Apart" and "Rene", and this is retained on the CD. Some CD editions also include one or more bonus tracks.
The 2005 3-disc "tobacco tin" Special Edition includes fully-remastered mono and stereo mixes complete with segue, plus an episode of the BBC Radio documentary series ''Classic Albums'' in which the band discuss the making of the album.

See also

Small Faces discography

References/Notes

'Notes':
1.
Official UK Album Charts
2.
New homes plan for tobacco factory
3.
The Small Faces, Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
4.
The Small Faces, Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
5.
The Small Faces, Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
6.
The Small Faces, Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
7.
The Small Faces, Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
8.
Steve Marriott - All Too Beautiful..., , Paulo, Hewitt, Helter Skelter, ,
9.
Ogdens Nut Gone Flake- The Reviews
10.
The Small Faces, Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
11.
The Small Faces, Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
12.
small faces the young mods' forgotten story, , Paulo, Hewitt, Acid Jazz, ,
13.
small faces the young mods' forgotten story, , Paulo, Hewitt, Acid Jazz, ,

'References':

★ Paolo Hewitt John Hellier (2004). ''Steve Marriott - All Too Beautiful...''. Helter Skelter Publishing ISBN 1-900924-44-7.

★ Paolo Hewitt/Kenney Jones (1995) ''small faces the young mods' forgotten story'' - Acid Jazz ISBN 0 9523935 0 6

External links

★ You Tube: The Small Faces - "Song Of A Baker"

★ You Tube: The Small Faces - "The Hungry Intruder"

★ Q Magazine, February 1990 Review of Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

★ Official Small Faces Website