Smiling Men with Bad Reputations is the 1971 solo debut release by Mike Heron

Mike Heron

Mike Heron is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work in the Incredible String Band in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...

 of the Incredible String Band

Incredible String Band

The Incredible String Band were a psychedelic folk band formed in Scotland in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially within British counterculture, before splitting up in 1974...

.
Here Heron was prone to generate odd, atmospheric melodies, some of which were drawn from Celtic and Eastern sources. "Spirit Beautiful" is a fine example in which Heron creates an Indian folk song with assistance from Indian musicians on strings and percussion. "Warm Heart Pastry" finds Heron backed by Pete Townshend

Pete Townshend

Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...

, Keith Moon

Keith Moon

Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...

 of The Who

The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...

, and Ronnie Lane

Ronnie Lane

Ronald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane was an English musician, songwriter, and producer who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of two prominent English rock and roll bands; the Small Faces where he was nicknamed "Plonk", – and, after losing the band's frontman, Faces, with two new...

 of Small Faces (as Tommy & The Bijoux).

Track listing

1. "Call Me Diamond"
2. "Flowers of the Forest"
3. "Audrey"
4. "Brindaban"
5. "Feast of Stephen"
6. "Spirit Beautiful"
7. "Warm Heart Pastry"
8. "Beautiful Stranger"
9. "No Turning Back"

Smiling Men with Bad Reputations was remastered and reissued in 2004 with two bonus tracks:

10. "Make No Mistake" – 3:09
    
11. "Lady Wonder" – 4:20
    

Personnel

• Mike Heron - Guitar, Keyboards
• John Cale
  John Cale
  John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
  
   - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
• Gerry Conway
  Gerry Conway (musician)
  Gerald Conway is an English folk and rock drummer/percussionist, best known for having performed with the backing band for Cat Stevens in the 1970s, Jethro Tull during the 1980s, and currently a member of Fairport Convention as well as his side projects...
  
   - Drums
• Tony Cox
  Tony Cox
  Joseph Anthony "Tony" Cox is an American dwarf and actor known for his comedic performances in Bad Santa, Me, Myself and Irene, Date Movie and Disaster Movie. He is also known for his work in George Lucas's Willow and as an Ewok in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. In the two spin-off...
  
   - Synthesizer
• Pat Donaldson
  Pat Donaldson
  Pat Donaldson is a bass guitarist.The 2i's Coffee Bar in Old Compton Street, Soho was a legendary hang-out for early rock artists of Britain. It was here that Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard and Terry Dean played. Albert Lee and Pat Donaldson played here while they were members of Bob Xavier and the...
  
   - Bass
• Dr. Strangely Strange
  Dr. Strangely Strange
  Dr. Strangely Strange were an experimental Irish folk group, formed in Dublin in 1967 by Tim Booth , vocals and guitar, and Ivan Pawle bass and keyboards.-Career:...
  
   - Backing Vocals
• Ronnie Lane
  Ronnie Lane
  Ronald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane was an English musician, songwriter, and producer who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of two prominent English rock and roll bands; the Small Faces where he was nicknamed "Plonk", – and, after losing the band's frontman, Faces, with two new...
  
   - Bass
• Sue Glover
  Sue and Sunny
  Sue and Sunny were a vocal duo and session singers operating in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Although sisters, their full stage names were Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie...
  
   - Vocals
• Mike Kowalski - Drums
• Malcolm Le Maistre
  Malcolm Le Maistre
  Malcolm Le Maistre is a British musician, experimental artist and theatre director, who was a member of The Incredible String Band in the 1970s....
  
   - Clarinet
• Sunny Leslie
  Sue and Sunny
  Sue and Sunny were a vocal duo and session singers operating in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Although sisters, their full stage names were Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie...
  
   - Vocals
• Dave Mattacks
  Dave Mattacks
  Dave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
  
   - Drums
• Keith Moon
  Keith Moon
  Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
  
   - Drums
• Simon Nicol
  Simon Nicol
  Simon John Breckenridge Nicol is a guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founder member of British folk rock, or electric folk group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band...
  
   - Guitar
• Dave Pegg
  Dave Pegg
  Dave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, arguably most visible as a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the pre-eminent electric folk band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of important folk and rock groups including The Ian Campbell...
  
   - Bass
• Dudu Pukwana
  Dudu Pukwana
  Mtutuzel Dudu Pukwana was a South African saxophonist, composer and pianist .-Early years in South Africa:...
  
   - Saxophone
• Rose Simpson
  Rose Simpson
  Rose Simpson was, between 1968 and 1971, a member of the Incredible String Band, in which she played bass guitar, violin and percussion as well as singing. She later became Mayoress of the Welsh town of Aberystwyth....
  
   - Bass
• Liza Strike - Vocals
• Richard Thompson - Guitar
• Pete Townshend
  Pete Townshend
  Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
  
  - Guitar
• Heather Wood - Vocals