The Faces the British group, which formed in 1969 and included Rod Stewart and future Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood in its initial lineup—along with Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane (bass) and Kenney Jones (drums and percussion)—is by any measure one of the most bellowed and influential classic rock bands of all time.
Before they were Faces, McLagan, Lane and Jones were core members of Small Faces today marks the anniversary of the release of their debut single, “Whatcha Gonna Do About It.” Small Faces were born in 1965—they chose the name because the members were all on the diminutive side—with Lane and Jones along with vocalist Steve Marriott and keyboardist Jimmy Winston. The latter dropped out quickly, his place taken by McLagan, and the East London quartet, specializing in high-energy R&B covers and a handful of originals, soon found a devoted audience among the segment of British youth called the Mods, who also favoured another new R&B-leaning band called The Who.
According to Marriott, the group had by the end of July entered IBC Studios and recorded an earlier version of the song, which he claimed to love. However, this version was abandoned in favour of a newer rendition recorded at Pye Studios. The older version was later issued in 1972 on a French compilation album. The feedback heard throughout the track was Marriott’s idea, claimed Jones in an interview, “He was pissing about in front of his old Marshall amp and it sounded lovely, so we kept it.”
Signed to a management contract with Don Arden, Small Faces landed a deal with Decca Records in the U.K. The Marriott-Lane composition “Whatcha Gonna Do About It” was followed by nearly a dozen other hits
The Fat Angel Sings 