White Faced Lady is an album by UK band Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope (UK band)

Kaleidoscope were an English psychedelic rock band that were active between 1967 and 1968. The band's songs were combining the elements of psychedelia with remarkable lyrics...

 (who by this time were calling themselves Fairfield Parlour). It is a concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

 that tells the story of a pale-skinned girl named Angel, from her troubled youth to her sudden rise to fame as a movie star to her tragic decline and untimely death. Reportedly, it was inspired by the life of Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....

, and indeed the final track name-checks Marilyn and Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller

Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...

. As a rock opera

Rock opera

A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...

, it follows the example of The Pretty Things

The Pretty Things

The Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful...

' S. F. Sorrow rather than 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...

's Tommy, with the liner notes telling the complete story and the songs expounding on key events. Many of the songs are tied together by brief musical segues.

The band worked on the album privately from 1970 to 1971. They had a deal in place to deliver the finished album to a record label for distribution, but the deal suddenly dissolved. The album went unreleased until 1991, when it was released by the band's own The Kaleidoscope Record Company (KRC 001 CD). Many subsequent CD releases package the album with the previous Fairfield Parlour album From Home to Home.

With a total length of 1 hour 9 minutes, it would have been a double-LP.

Track listing

1. "Overture" - 2:48
2. "Broken Mirrors" - 2:49
3. "Angel's Song: Dear Elvis Presley
   Elvis Presley
   Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
   
   ..." - 2:39
4. "Nursey, Nursey" - 3:47
5. "Small Song: Heaven in the Back Row" - 3:21
6. "Burning Bright" - 2:03
7. "The Matchseller" - 3:50
8. "The Coronation of the Fledgling" - 0:20
9. "All Hail to the Hero" - 5:03
10. "White Faced Lady" - 4:41
11. "Freefall" - 5:13
12. "Standing" - 6:12
13. "Diary Song: the Indian Head" - 0:54
14. "Song from Jon" - 6:56
15. "Long Way Down" - 4:05
16. "The Locket" - 2:58
17. "Picture with Conversation" - 3:38
18. "Epitaph: Angel" - 7:48