Let’s Get Our Shit Together

Ron Wood – Act Together
I’ve Got My Own Album To Do, 1974
Amazon

“Don’t expect it to last forever, it never does
But it sure beats talking about the weather, it surely does
And I like what you’re singing to me
But it’s better with a little bit of harmony.”

In 1974, Ron Wood had his own album to do. The Faces were still playing live, but they never really recovered from Ronnie Lane‘s departure in ’73, let alone Rod Stewart‘s periodic forays into solo mega-stardom. Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones gig was still a year away.

Into this vacuum, Woody assembled a first-rate band … including Keith Richards on guitar and vocals, Ian McLagan on piano and organ, and Mick and Rod on backup vox … and created one of the great “lost” rock albums of the 1970s. I’ve Got My Own Album To Do is surely a better record than the Stones or Faces were capable of mustering in 1974-75. While I could’ve chosen any song not named “Crotch Music” (and probably “Am I Grooving You”), I particularly love “Act Together.” It’s actually a “Richard/Jagger” co-write (seriously, that’s how it’s listed on the album), but the tune has Keef’s fingerprints all over it, with a strong Curtis Mayfield feel taking us straight to the black church. And really, is there much higher praise that that?

FYI, this post originally appeared on Groover’s Paradise (RIP).