After the psychedelia of "Itchycoo Park," Small Faces were worried it might typecast them so they reverted to the bluesy feel that had bought most of their chart success. Released on the Immediate label, with "I Feel Much Better" on the flip side, Tin Soldier was the group's first top ten entry in Germany but it only made #73 in the USA, a disappointment following Itychoo's breakthrough on the American charts.
Marriott wrote the song to woo model Jenny Rylance. They first met in 1966 and the singer was immediately smitten, but Rylance was dating Rod Stewart so the pair became friends. When Rylance and Stewart split up Marriott pursued her relentlessly, leading him to pen "Tin Soldier." Rylance and the singer were married at Kensington Register Office, London, on 29 May 1968.
P.P. Arnold sang backing vocals on the song. "Steve and I were lovers around that time," said Arnold to Mojo, "but I think he wrote 'Tin Soldier' about Jenny Rylance. She was the love of Steve's life."
Marriott intended to give the song to P.P. Arnold, but once it was finished, he liked it so much that he decided to keep it for Small Faces and gave Arnold "If You Think You're Groovy" instead. From: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/small-faces/tin-soldier
Spinning today in the ‘rock room’ is the flip side of the ‘Small Faces ‘ British 1967 (Immediate 050) single ‘Here Come the Nice’. Released on June 2, 1967 the day after Sgt. Pepper, and smack dab at the beginning of the ‘Summer of Love’, the ‘B’ side ‘Talk to You’ is a hearty slab of Mod R and B. While the hazy amphetamine of the ‘A’ side, ‘Here Come the Nice’ would reach number 12 on the British charts and become one of the band’s most recognizable classics, the flip exhibits the true soul of the band. The song was also placed on the corresponding British LP, Small Faces and its US full length counterpart release There Are But Four Small Faces.
Although the ‘Small Faces’ short lifespan 65-68 was enveloped by thick smoke and psychedelic imagery, their Mod beginnings were always deeply entrenched in R and B roots similar to their contemporaries , ‘The Who’ and ‘The Pretty Things’. ‘Talk to You’ is a lively example of the band at their best. The song is usually available in stereo, but there is a mono version with a bit more ‘umph’, that can be heard as a bonus track on the 2014 reissue of the There Are But Four Small Faces album.
While the ‘Small Faces’ never properly ‘broke’ in the US, were stymied by poor management and disbanded way before their time, their discography continues to be investigated and discovered to this day; thanks to the power of their songwriting and performances. In a strange way their follow up bands, ‘Faces’ and ‘Humble Pie’ enjoyed the recognition that ‘Small Faces’ never did, but that recognition always leads back to the formative R and B roots of the ‘Small Faces’. From: https://talkfromtherockroom.com/2017/05/take-one-small-faces-talk-to-you-1967-b.html
"Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire" is a British euphemism for going to bed, specifically for children. The phrase "Up the wooden hill" refers to ascending the stairs, and "to Bedfordshire" is a rhyming slang term for "to bed."
Keyboardist Ian McLagan wrote the song largely inspired by bassist Ronnie Lane's father Stan Lane, who used to have specific word plays. "It's what Ronnie's dad used to say to him as a sort of lullaby," drummer Kenney Jones told Uncut magazine. "It's about an acid trip."
Ian McLagan joined Small Faces as their keyboardist in October 1965, and he made his debut performance with them on November 2 of the same year at the Lyceum Theatre in London. In their early days, Small Faces either played covers or songs written by vocalist Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane. McLagan received shared credits for several instrumentals, including "Own Up Time," "Grow Your Own," and "Almost Grown," but "Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire" marked McLagan's first original composition for the band.
Musically the song is a folk tune with a mod sound. "It suggests the pastoral feel where the band were headed," said Jones. "I used to go hop picking in Kent, which was a land of peace, discovery, and general well-being. Ronnie and Steve used to go to Epping Forest all the time on their bikes." From: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/small-faces/up-the-wooden-hills-to-bedfordshire
