Consumer Guide Album

Small Faces: The First Step [Warner Bros., 1970]
One more complication in the Rod Stewart mystery. With Jeff Beck he parodies himself before he's established a self to parody. With Lou Reizner he establishes himself as a singer-songwriter of uncommon spunk and a vocal interpreter of uncommon individuality. And here he steps into the shoes of a purveyor of Humble Pie to pose as the leader of a mediocre white r&b band. Best cut: Ronnie Lane's "Stone." C+