The Faces – A Nod is as Good as a Wink..to a Blind Horse

The Faces – A Nod is as Good as a Wink .. to a Blind Horse
On Lame 256CBR | 1971 | Rock

Believe it or not, Rod Stewart wasn’t always an awful abhorrent MOR monster. He was once in the Faces with his mate Ronnie Wood!

This is one of the classic 70s albums, which still sounds fresh 37 years later .

The Faces have been hugely influential on a slew of modern bands …. The Hold Steady et al.

The first collaboration among the future Faces was in a formation called Quiet Melon, which also featured Art Wood and Kim Gardner; they recorded four songs and played a few shows in May 1969, during a break in Ronnie Wood’s and Rod Stewart’s commitments with the Jeff Beck Group. Later that summer Wood and Stewart parted ways with Beck and joined Lane, McLagan and Jones full time.

With the addition of Stewart and Wood, the “small” part of the original band name was dropped, partly because the two newcomers (at 5’8″ and 5’9″ respectively) were significantly taller than the three former Small Faces!

The first Faces album, First Step, was released in the US under the title Small Faces due to a “mistake” by their record company.

The group regularly toured Britain, Europe and the United States from 1970 to 1975, and were among the top-grossing live acts in that period; in 1974 their touring also encompassed Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Among their most successful songs were “Had Me a Real Good Time”, their breakthrough UK hit “Stay with Me”, “Cindy Incidentally” and “Pool Hall Richard”.

As Rod Stewart’s solo career became more successful than that of the group, the band became overshadowed by their lead singer. A disillusioned Ronnie Lane left the band in 1973; one reason given later for his departure was frustration over not having more opportunities to sing lead vocals.

Lane’s role as bassist was taken over by over by Tetsu Yamauchi (who had replaced Andy Frazer in Free).

Released at about the time Lane left, the Faces’ final studio album was Ooh La La.

A live album early the following year, Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners , was criticised by reviewers for being poorly recorded.

They recorded a few tracks for another studio album, but had lost enthusiasm and their final release as a group was the late 1974 UK Top 20 hit “You Can Make Me Dance, Sing, or Anything“.

In 1975 Wood began working with the Rolling Stones, which brought differences between Stewart and the others to a head, and in December the band announced that they were splitting.

Post-Faces

All members had varied post-band careers.

Wood joined The Rolling Stones as a full member.

Lane formed Slim Chance and had a modest solo career that ended prematurely when he was diagnosed with m/s. Lane also worked on an album with who guitarist Pete Townsend.

Jones joined the Who after the death of Keith Moon.

Townshend also considered asking McLagan to join the Who, but McLagan was touring as a Rolling Stones sideman at the time. McLagan moved to the United States, where he formed the Bump Band, with which he continues to tour and record; he also works as a session musician.

Stewart’s solo career was extremely successful.

There was also a Small Faces reunion in the late 1970s (without Ronnie Lane) that resulted in two albums; and in 1981 Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott collaborated on the album The Legendary Majik Mijits.

Influence on music

Although they enjoyed modest European success compared to contemporaries such as the who and the rolling stones, the Faces have had considerable influence on latter-day rock revivalists. Their good-natured, back-to-basics (and frequently liquor-laden) concerts and studio albums connect them with such bands as the Damned, as well as teve joJnes of the SexPistols

Aside from punk rock related bands, other bands representing an assortment of genres, ranging from the Replacements and the Quireboys to the Black Crowes and, groups such as Oasis , the Charlatans , Ocean Colour Scene , Supergrass , BRMC , Primal Scream , Pearl Jam , Aerosmith , Jet , Whiteout and Stereophonics have all acknowledged the Faces’ musical influence.

Band members playing together after break up

The Faces reformed for the encore of Rod Stewart’s Wembley Stadium concert in 1986. Ronnie Lane was on stage to sing in his wheelchair, but was unable to play bass; Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones filled in for him.

The same lineup reunited once more (minus Lane) in 1993 when Rod Stewart was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award at the Brit Awards.

Another reunion occurred in 1996 shortly before Lane’s death. At this concert, the band discussed playing to raise money for the ailing Lane.

No further reunions have taken place to date.

Ronnie Lane made his final live performance in 1992 at a Ronnie Wood show with Ian McLagan on keyboards.

Recent Times

In 2004 a 4-disc Faces box set entitled Five Guys Walk into a Bar… was released by Rhino Records, featuring many of the band’s most popular tracks as well as several previously unreleased songs.

Drummer Kenney Jones formed the rock group The Jones Gang, together with singer robert hart and Patrick Walford (formerly of bad company) and guitarist Rick Wills (formerly of foreigner); in 2005 their first single “Angel” reached number 1 on the US billboard”hot singles sales” list.

During 2004 and early 2005 the surviving Faces had several near-reunions, none of which featured more than three members at the same time: In May 2004 Kenney Jones and Ronnie Wood joined Ian McLagan on stage at his show at The Mean Fiddler in London. Ronnie Wood and Ian McLagan joined Rod Stewart at the Hollywood Bowl for one song, and Wood also performed some Faces numbers with Stewart during the show.

In March 2005 Ian McLagan joined Ronnie Wood’s band for a show featuring Kenney Jones on drums for the final encore. Rod Stewart had planned to join them, but couldn’t do so due to his girlfriend’s illness.

In 2004 Ronnie Wood joined Rod Stewart on stage at several gigs including New York’s m/s/g, the Hollywood Bowl, The Royal Albert Hall and a street performance in London for an audience of 80,000

In early 1969, Ronnie Lane crawled from the wreckage that had been the Small Faces. Steve Marriott, his bandmate and writing partner, had just left the band to form Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. Although Lane was trying to keep the lads together, he was also eager to try something new. Well, so were Kenney and Mac.

Around that time, Ron Wood invited Ronnie Lane to join a band he was forming with drummer Mickey Waller and ex-Blue Cheer guitarist Leigh Stephens. Dissatisfied with the results, the two Ronnies scrapped those plans but pressed on, jamming and writing together.

Soon, Ian McLagan found himself sitting in with them, and Kenney Jones later became involved. The three ex-SFs were again together as a band, and planned on sharing vocal duties amongst themselves and with their new guitarist.

More than once, while they were rehearsing at the Rolling Stones’ complex in Bermondsey, Wood’s friend and bandmate from the Jeff Beck Group, Rod Stewart, tagged along to listen. The second or third time this happened, Kenney Jones asked Rod Stewart to have a go at singing with them.

They weren’t a band yet – they weren’t even Quiet Melon, but that’s something you’ll have to discover for yourself. So, put a pillow under your arse, pour a pint for yourself, and get comfortable as the fracas that were the Faces unfolds before you.

Tracklisting

1. Miss Judy’s Farm (Wood, Stewart)
2. You’re So Rude (Lane, McLagan)
3. Love Lives Here (Lane, Wood, Stewart)
4. Last Orders Please (Lane)
5. Stay With Me (Wood, Stewart)
6. Debris (Lane)
7. Memphis (Chuck Berry)
8. Too Bad (Wood, Stewart)
9. That’s All You Need (Wood, Stewart)

Kenney Jones- drums
Ronnie Lane- bass, guitar,(L-R) Kenney, Rod, Woody, Plonk, Mac. From Ooh La La LP vocals (lead- 2, 6)
Ian McLagan- piano, organ
Ron Wood- guitars, vocals
Rod Stewart- vocals

Produced by Glyn Johns

Here be the land of nod

The Faces – A Nod is as Good as a Wink..to a Blind Horse

Thanks to the original poster

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