I'd just like to say Hi to everybody and thank you all for keeping the vibe alive while I've been traveling around the world with Roger Waters.
So much has happened in the last year and a half and it's going to take me a while to catch up with you all and share some of the amazing experiences that I've had on tour.
Special thanks to Liz, Harry, Martin, Charlie and our baby boy Dan who we haven't heard from in a while(hope that all is well with you Dan) for being loyal and true.
It's impossible to stay on top of everything when you're touring and with the passing of my Mama and Daddy last year, it's been a stressful time, but I'm back, blessed and excited about all the new happenings that are taking place.
A warm welcome to all the new Angels and I hope to hear more from all of you as we move into the next part of the journey, which will be revealed as time goes by.
For those wondering about all the projects that you've all been waiting so patiently to unfold, the autobiography, 70's recordings, and the Chaz Jankel and Tony Remy Productions, I'm on the case with making sure that they all manifest in the not too distant future. I'm also looking forward to recording a PP Arnold solo project as well so watch this space.
As you all know the "Five In The Afternoon" project w/Dr. Robert is being released in September and we'll keep you in tune with all the promotional aspects that will be happening. Thanks to Capt. Stax for the My Space (www.myspace/Dr. Robert&PP Arnold)that he's created for the CD.
That's it for now! Here's sending you all lots of love, light, peace and joy.
yiPPee,
"The girl is back in town"
What great news on the upcoming events and new PP solo project.
Need to go and calm down now - my 24th therapist ( I think she is on work experience) has told me not to get over excited.
----------------------------------------------------
Harry.S.
Hi Pat, Liz and all, sorry I've not been on here for a while, thought i'd make up for it with this story - hope you like, stay cool......Mick
I'M ONLY DREAMING:
STEVE MARRIOTT 61 TODAY
Hey all...
Steve Marriott is 61 today and I wanted to pay this special tribute to the guy who has changed our lives and kept us happy for years with many more to come. So Stevie - I salute you!! Here is one of your greatest songs "I'm Only Dreaming" disected by your's truly - thank you kindly.............. Happy Birthday Steve, we love ya!
Before I start this story as well there is a few words Tonya & Lesley Marriott would like to say...
LESLEY:
I think our talented old man Steve will be delighted by your analysis of his work! We, Steve's kids wish that we could all get together and have a drink in the local with him on Wednesday. This not being possible, we all wish him a happy birthday!!
TONYA: Firstly, regardless of how old my dad would have been today , I think he would have really loved how this song is recognized and appreciated so many years later!
I may not have a lifetime of memories, however one thing i absolutly DO KNOW about my dad is that things like this (again..recognition and appreciation) would have made his career complete, knowing that so many still play his records, and admire his skills. He put everything he had into his music, right up until his dying day, and i think that really shows through his songs, such as "I'm only Dreaming." In my opinion, you see a bit of a different side of him initially. Very soft and deep, lyrically and vocally, (true from the heart)... But once that melody picks up a bit, he gets right back into the powerful, unique style of "make your ears bleed" singing, that made ME appreciate my fathers music in the first place!
*** So to you Dad , on what would have been your 61st birthday... WELL DONE OLD MAN!! Wish you could be here to have a drink... xoxoxo
PS ...by the way, Sort your granddaughter out a bit will ya! She's drivin me f-in crazy right now!! (HA!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Although this classic b-side "I'm Only Dreaming" has always been a top favourite amongst Small Faces enthusiasts I think it's true to say that arguably Paul Weller brought this song back in to the limelight amongst Brit Pop fans and the like when he aired the tune at the Steve Marriott Memorial Concert in 2001 and has also now given the song an official release on his deluxe version of the "Wild Wood" CD album. Paul also chose this song as one of his top 15 Small Faces tracks when in 2005 he authored a book along with Wapping Wharf's John Hellier called "Here Come The Nice". I bet Steve at 61 would never have believed that his classic song would still be being aired by other artists 40+ years later!
Toby Marriott adds: Mick, I Definately agree that I'm omly dreaming is an absolute classic. I, like a lot of other kids that night wasn't too familiar with it until I heard Paul Weller play it at Steve's memorial ( I might add I was supposed to be part of that band, but thought there would be to many cooks in the kitchen, so vouched to play with the house band instead, kind of kicking myself now!) The song was definately the perfect b-side to Itchycoo Park, with the same psychedelic feel, like that man, and Yesterday,Today, and Tommorow. so that's raise our glasses to I'm Only Dreaming, and happy 61st Steve ! ... Toby
Weller wasn't the only famous artists to take the song to heart, a fabulous version was also recorded by PP Arnold with Ocean Colour Scene's Steve Craddock and can be heard on the cd-r "Hello - They're Playing It Again Vol 8". Plus the greatest tribute to the Small Faces called the Small Fakers do a great version for you here:
The Small Faces first started work on "I'm Only Dreaming" at the Olympic Studios, 117 Church Road in Barnes, London, between Monday July 3rd - Friday july 7th 1967. The song was finished and released in vinyl 45rpm in mono on 4th August 1967 as Itchycoo Park/I'm Only Dreaming [IM 057). The single entered the charts on 9/8/67 and stayed in the charts for 14 weeks, here is the chart positions: 20, 14, 10, 6, 3, 4, 7, 10, 12, 16, 26, 38. In a lot of peoples opinions it should have been a number 1.
Steve had an absolute classic knack of writing very emotional loving songs and this song is a prime example along with such tracks as "Feeling Lonely" and "Afterglow Of Your Love", but also for me personally I love this track because it sounds like 2 songs in one! It starts with Steve in a turmoil of sensitive emotion of "If the smile on my face, doesn't mean much anymore, followed further on by a lung bursting vocal of "WHAT good does dreaming do, when you're nowhere" - Fabulous unique vocals from Steve AND then, 1 min, 50 secs in to the song we get a complete U-turn in musical style to a sort of Cha Cha Cha shuffle and a surch of exciting energy turning in to complete mayhem where the band are accompanied by Georgie Fame's Horn Section starring Eddie "TanTan" Thornton. This is one thing I loved about Steve Marriott was having the skill and imagination of mixing 2 or more "feels" in one song.
According to songwriter Billy Nicholls, the song was all Marriott's work: "I'd be working in my office at Immediate, New Oxford Street, most days between nine to five and Steve Marriott would often pop in around lunch time and play new songs to me on an acoustic guitar. He was very prolific in that area. He came in one day with a very rough sketch of a song and within literally 60 minutes he wrote 'I'm Only Dreaming'. Steve had the ability to deliver an amazing solo vocal against a huge brilliantly constructed sound and that explains why it still sounds great today.'
The stereo and the mono versions are in actual fact different takes. At first it was thought that the only difference between the mono and stereo was the 'cough' (stereo) at the beginning of the song but there is a lyric difference as well and different ad-libbing on the outro ending.
The original mono version is timed at 2mins 20 seconds whereas the stereo version comes in at 2 mins and 23.
The difference starts lyric wise with Steve singing at the beginning with "If the smile on my face" on the stereo version but changing it to "If a smile on my face" for the mono. On the mono version Steve only sings "I'm only dreaming" once after the 3rd verse but twice on the stereo version.
Also on the mono version when Steve sings "When I look in to your eyes" the word eyes is repeated twice whereas the stereo version of 'eyes' sounds like a long continuation of the word, ie: eyeeyes.
If it was down to the record companies they would have you believe there are many alternate versions of 'I'm Only Dreaming' but believe me I have heard them all and only in my opinion is that the 'official' released mono and stereo versions are the best ones. For example, on the cd album "Immediate: Blitz Of Hitz" the Small faces "I'm Only Dreaming" was suppose to be an "Alternate version" billed on the sleeve notes as 3mins and 44 seconds long but imagine my disappointment when it turned out to be only the normal original 'mono' version at 2:20. The same track was also on the cd "Small Faces: Absolutely The Best" billed as "Alternate vocals" but again just the original 'mono' version.
Depending on what you want to call an 'alternate' version differs with individual people. If a track has been re-mixed, digitally re-mastered or extended slightly then yes I suppose you can call it 'alternate' but in the end there isn't that much difference. The closest I suppose which can be classed as alternate is the "I'm Only Dreaming" version on the "All Or Nothing J60" cd where tracks including "Dreaming" have been billed as "Studio Outtakes/Acetate Mixes" but to me the version just sounds like what you could call a "Rough Mix" [Taken from the studio before it's been properly mixed].
If you want both mono and stereo versions in one package then I recommend you buy the first Immediate album "35th Anniversary Edition", released in 2002 on Sanctuary Records.
The 'stereo' version was actually created and first released on the American album "There Are But Four Small Faces" after the success of 'Itchycoo Park' on the American charts.
And nah, for your delight-tah, lets give a big hand to Steve's 61st, have a drink, lean back, clap your hands, twist for a while and sing the song.............
I'M ONLY DREAMING [stereo version]:
If the smile on my face,
Doesn't mean much anymore,
Then it's all been just a waste of time,
So won't you close your door.
But when I look into your eyes,
I feel there's still something there,
And something's all I need to hold on to,
I can lie to myself...
I still care,
I still care about the way,
And the little things you'd say,
Won't you please come out to play...
I'm only dreaming,
I'm only dreaming -
Heah, what good does dreaming do,
When you're nowhere,
Ohh, I got nobody to hold on to, yeah,
But I keep on smilin', cryin'.
See me walking down the street,
Just turn your head and walk away,
Cause by now you ought to know how I feel,
And there's no more...
I'm only dreaming,
I'm only dreaming,
Oo, heah,
Ohhh, yeah,
You gotta know what I mean,
Hey yeah,
A-one more time
I'M ONLY DREAMING [Mono version]:
If a smile on my face,
Doesn't mean much anymore,
Then it's all been just a waste of time,
So won't you close your door.
But when I look into your eyes, eyes,
I feel there's still something there,
That something's all I need to hold on to,
I can lie to myself...
I still care,
I still care about the way,
And the little things you'd say,
Won't you please come out to play...
I'm only dreaming,
What good does dreaming do,
When you're nowhere yeah,
I got nobody to hold on to, yeah,
But I keep on smilin', cryin'.
See me walking down the street,
Turn your head and walk away,
Cause by now you ought to know how I feel,
And there's no more...
I'm only dreaming,
I'm only dreaming,
ha,
Baby,baby, bim,baby,baby,
Oh yeah..............
Marriott/Lane
ONCE AGAIN - A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU STEVE - HAVE A "NICE" ONE ;0)
Special thanks to John Hellier for the Billy Nicholls quote from the book "All Too Beautiful".
The Dr Rock Show when Pat sang I'm Only Dreaming was the first time I had seen or heard her for years, and was the starting point of my eventual hooking up with Pat and being here today.
I'm still alive! I was actually thinking today "Wow, I havent been on here in a while...." -- The video productions are a bit slow, as ive just been knackered as of late.
But as they say.. The show must go on... All I have to do is wait out through August, and then its off to college for mee!<br><br><i>Post edited by: Dan, at: Mar. 4th 2008 - 07:33 PM</i>
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