"Patterns" is the eighth single by British rock band,

Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The b ...

, first released on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

in 1967. It was the first of two unauthorised singles released in the United Kingdom (the second being Afterglow (of Your Love) in 1969). It was written by the Small Faces primary songwriters

Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded and played in the rock bands Small Faces and Humble Pie, in a career spanning over two decades. Marriott was inducted p ...

and

Ronnie Lane Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73). Lane formed Small Faces i ...

. It became one of few singles by the group that features Lane on primary vocals, in contrast to Marriott's standard role as the group's lead vocalist.

Song profile

The song was released a while after Small Faces switched record labels and management from

Immediate Records Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder, and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene. History Immediate Records was started in 1965. Signed ...

Don Arden Don Arden (born Harry Levy; 4 January 1926 – 21 July 2007) was an English music manager, agent, and businessman. He managed the careers of rock acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Air Supply, Small Faces, The Move, Black Sab ...

, who wanted to capitalise on the Small Faces success during his management, issued several songs from the Decca archives onto the market. The majority of these tracks appeared on '' From the Beginning'', a compilation album released on 2 June 1967, while "Patterns" was chosen as the lead single. As the tensions between Decca and Small Faces were high, the band refused to promote the song, which failed to chart on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, the second to do so after " I've Got Mine" in 1965. Ultimately it became their last single released by Decca Records. The single was not released on an album upon release, and got its first release in 1976 on the compilation album ''Rock Roots,'' released by Decca. It has since been released on several re-issues of ''

'', most notably it was included on the 2012 deluxe edition of the album, where it received a duophonic mix for the first time. Original issues of the single release are now considered rare collectibles and can sell for hundreds of pounds on the market. The B-side "E Too D", a hard rock-influenced song, was previously issued as the penultimate track on their debut album in May 1966.

Personnel

– lead and rhythm guitar, shared lead vocals *

– bass guitar, shared lead vocals *

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...

– hammond organ, backing vocals *

Kenney Jones Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones (born 16 September 1948) is an English drummer best known for his work in the groups Small Faces, Faces, and the Who. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces/Face ...

– drums

References

{{Small Faces Songs written by Steve Marriott Songs written by Ronnie Lane 1967 singles