Faces L-R: Ian McLagan, Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones, Ronnie Lane & Rod Stewart
5 1/2 reasons why The Faces are the best band ever.
1. Faces – Stay With Me (1972)
“Stay With Me” is in the Kool-Aid Man Hall of Fame and a fail-safe asshole test. Play this song for anyone between the ages of 25-65 and at least two beers in their system. If they’re appropriately socialized, they’ll be cannonballing into the hot tub at “red lips, hair, and fingernails.” If they remain unmoved, as if The Faces were mere soundtrack music to their private drama … asshole. Keep stepping.
2. Rod Stewart – Gasoline Alley (1970)
Welcome to Rod Stewart 40 years ago. He’s not preening, not showboating, just gutting out the lyrics like a British David Ruffin. Within four years, he’ll be an unwatchable aerobics instructor and a multi-millionaire. What do I know?
3. Faces – Dust My Broom/Twistin’ The Night Away (1974)
The upside here is formidable. The band, including Keith Richards on smokin’ lead guitar, sounds great and Rod has rarely sounded better. Plus, anytime you can get Ian MacLagan playing boogie-woogie piano, you’re in good hands. On the downside, the video quality is poor (sorry about that) and Ronnie Lane isn’t on bass (he quit in 1973). So, it’s as much a Rod Stewart solo gig as it is a Faces gig, and after too much exposure to Rod’s ass and nipples, I’m now blind after scooping my eyes out with a trident. Eh, I had a good run with vision. Think Rod’s Jagger-esque “notice me” histrionics and Lane’s departure were unrelated events? Yeah, me either.
4. Faces – Maybe I’m Amazed (1971)
This Paul McCartney cover is probably the best showcase of The Faces as a band. Kenney Jones, Ronnie Lane, and Ian McLagan don’t get the pub of other rhythm sections from the rock heyday of 1967-74 … and Ronnie Wood was as much as rhythm guitar player as he was lead … but how many would you rather see live in their heyday? That’s gotta be a short list.
5. Faces – Richmond (1971)
If Rod Stewart gave The Faces soul, Ronnie Lane gave them heart. Current discussions of a “Faces reunion” conveniently dismiss this fact. Stewart and Wood can sing all the Faces songs they want, but unless we exhume Ronnie Lane and give him creative input, it ain’t The Faces. It’s “Rod and Ron sing Faces songs.” Which is fine, just call it that.
The contrast between Stewart’s gutbucket soul and Lane’s country cool is evident in this video, a swaying blues that’s a real rarity. There’s not much video footage of Lane leading his own band, but here he sings and doubles on bottleneck slide, with Wood on dobro, and Stewart on standup bass. Word.
6. Ronnie Lane & Slim Chance – Ooh La La (1974)
God bless Ronnie Lane and every damn word of this song, which is so true it borders on journalism. Yeah, I know Ron Wood is the co-writer, but Lane’s remorseful fingerprints are all over it. Interestingly, Ronnie lived in Austin, TX, from 1984-94 and this Slim Chance version is a virtual template for The Gourds, with accordion, mandolin, and funky Texas heartbreak.
Amen and hallelujah.
Love that caption: “The Faces were five geezers who were mates…”
In the interests of attribution, that pic comes from SuperSeventies.com and sums up The Faces perfectly.
I was a big faces fan. I have the vinyl and cd of “Odgen Nut Gone Flake”. Will never forget watching the Sopranos when at the end of one epsisode they played “Bad & Ruin”. Wife was wondering why I was punching her in arm and pointing at the TV. Had to go get the old album and play it for her. She still had no idea. Great band. Oh – and his stuff with Townsend!!.
Jerusalem
Quite possibly your best post ever. My self-declared Glossary Memorial Day weekend has just now morphed into a Glossary / Faces doubleheader…
Great work pants… every time I see the Gasoline Alley video I get chills, the good kind. I think you should do a Faces post every other day for us.
And, his nickname was “Plonk.”
I just got back from “Record Club.” This week's album was brought to the table in part because of the massive critical acclaim it garnered (from admittedly questionable if not outright bankrupt sources), and in part because my son said, “Dad, we need to know the enemy.” So we sat through forty eight agonizingly uninterrupted minutes of maybe the most godawful dreck any of us had ever suffered through. Lovers of and apologists for 'the enemy' (yes, for this one you have to muster up the martial spirit) would have us believe that this is a record for the ages; on par with the Revolvers, Sticky Fingers, and Pet Sounds of the world; able to gambol confidently atop Mt. Olympus with the likes of Dylan, Davies, and Fogerty; to gamely trade punches in the ring of honor with The Who and Faces. I bear no ill will to members of The Arcade Fire, but “Funeral” (yes, I know why – it doesn't matter) is a fitting title for a record that can only be viewed as the “new bottom” for rock music (and rock criticism), if not its official demise. I came home, took a shower (Lava), and listened to “A Nod Is as Good as a Wink…” Keep up the good work Lance.
RV3
I couldn't agree more about The Faces. I used to play “Richmond” on my weekly college radio show, in the 1970s, along with “Maybe I'm Amazed.” And like you, I thought that Rod Stewart was doing interesting and creative things in his Mercury solo albums, but he apparently had other ideas about how to build a career. I give him credit for that, but no one could make me listen to most of what he's done since.
Lovely post – Thankyou.
I just watched the Ronnie Lane documentary,The Passing Show, which was ispiring and kind of heartbreaking at the same time. I love the Faces! I came to them kind of late in the game, I'm 35, and its partly because they don't get to much respect/attention these days either on the radio or in print. A very souldful band, I highly reccomend there 4 disc box set which has some nice stuff not on the original LP's (BBC, demos, etc). If that wasn't enough, any band with a bar on stage with them is cool with me. Great post keep up the good work!