Ignored             Obscured              Restored

Few songs scream “summer” as loudly as “Itchycoo Park” by the Small Faces.

The track was released in August 1967 – the Summer of Love!  It has a joyous pop melody with carefree lyrics about frolicking in the park, in the sun, getting high.  That sounds like a great summer day to me!

“Itchycoo Park,” written by the talented duo of Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.  It famously employed an effect called flanging, which produced that “swooshing” sound heard in the drum breaks and choruses.

Both songwriters went on to further their careers in rock and roll.  Marriott left the Small Faces to form Humble Pie alongside Peter Frampton.  When Marriott split, Lane hired Ronnie Wood to replace him, then snatched Rod Stewart from the Jeff Beck Group.  The band dropped the word “small” from their name and became known simply as The Faces.

Tragically, both died in the ‘90s at young ages. Yet, their contributions to the realm of music endure. So, crank up the volume, let the music take you back to the trippy ‘60s, and groove to the eternal magic of “Itchycoo Park.”

Enjoy… until next week.