Faces Albums (5)
'Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners'
Release Date 1/1/1974
Tracks 9
Label Mercury
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Faces earned a reputation as one of the rowdiest live acts of their day, cheerfully stopping sloppy but energetic renditions of their songs to kick soccer balls into the audience or lead booze-soaked sing-alongs. It's mystifying, then, that their only official live release, Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners, is such a lackluster mess. Part of the problem is the dull, murky sound, even by early-'70s standards, which buries the music under a sludgy haze. Even more confusingly, the album only contains three Faces originals: "Stay With Me" (their only Top 40 hit), Too Bad," and Borstal Boys," the last two chopped up into medleys. The remainder of the album consists of tracks from Rod Stewart's solo albums and covers of old classic rock and R&B chestnuts, none of which add much to the originals. Worst of all, the performances themselves are so rote. The Faces' studio albums are bursting with good-time camaraderie, but here the good cheer seems forced, which causes the energy to lag repeatedly. Some of that may be due to the absence of original bassist and driving force Ronnie Lane, who quit the band on the eve of the tour during which this was recorded. (His replacement, ex-Free member Tetsu Yamauchi, is competent but unexceptional.) In the intervening years, the Faces themselves disdained this recording as a botch, but sadly, despite much talk to the contrary, a better portrait of their live magic has never surfaced. Until one does, fans will be forced to track down bootlegs or make do with this deeply flawed recording. ~ Victor W. Valdivia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It wasn't all over but the shouting, but the Faces sure weren't thriving when they released their last album, Ooh La La, in 1973. The problem, of course, was Rod Stewart, who had turned into a superstar, causing innumerable tensions within the band. He had yet to decamp to America, had yet to turn to pop instead of rock & roll, but he was on the cusp of that sea change. Nevertheless, on the record at least, it didn't seem like being with the Faces was a strain on him; it still seemed that he enjoyed a good night out with the boys, and Ooh La La is precisely that: a good night out, one that's blessed with some very memorable moments. If there's not quite as many as on the past two Faces platters, chalk that up to circumstance perhaps. On Long Player and A Nod Is as Good as a Wink, they were a well-oiled machine at the peak of their powers. Here they're trying to rev up -- they get there, but it's possible to hear the effort, as some of the songs fall just a little bit short of memorable. But there are some extraordinary moments here, including Rod's "Silicone Grown" and the wonderful "Cindy Incidentally," a sweet, easy pop song. But the heart of this album really belongs to Ronnie Lane, who dominates the second side of the album, starting with the Stewart collaboration "If I'm on the Late Side" and running through the sweet, soft "Glad and Sorry" to "Just Another Honky" and, finally, to the raucous yet bittersweet "Ooh La La," as great a song as they ever recorded and an appropriate drawing of the curtain on this tremendous band. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse'
Release Date 1/1/1971
Tracks 9
Label Rhino
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Faces' third album, A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse, finally gave the group their long-awaited hit single in "Stay with Me," helping send the album into the Billboard Top Ten, which is certainly a testament to both the song and the album, but it's hard to separate its success from that of Rod Stewart's sudden solo stardom. In the mere months that separated Long Player and A Nod, Rod had a phenomenal hit with "Maggie May" and Every Picture Tells a Story, his third solo album, something that would soon irreparably damage the band, but at the time it was mere good fortune, helping bring them some collateral success that they deserved. Certainly, it didn't change the character of the album itself, which is the tightest record the band ever made. Granted that may be a relative term, since sloppiness is at the heart of the band, but this doesn't feel cobbled together (which the otherwise excellent Long Player did) and it serves up tremendous song after tremendous song, starting with the mean, propulsive "Miss Judy's Farm" and ending with the rampaging good times of "That's All You Need." In between, Ronnie Lane serves up dirty jokes (the exquisitely funny "You're So Rude") and heartbreaking ballads (the absolutely beautiful "Debris"), the band reworks a classic as their own (Chuck Berry's "Memphis") and generally serves up a nonstop party. There are few records that feel like a never-ending party like A Nod -- the slow moments are for slow dancing, and as soon as it's over, it's hard not to want to do it all over again. It's another classic -- and when you consider that the band also had Long Player to their credit and had their hands all over Every Picture in 1971, it's hard to imagine another band or singer having a year more extraordinary as this. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On their second album Long Player, the Faces truly gel -- which isn't quite the same thing as having the band straighten up and fly right because in many ways this is album is even more ragged than their debut, with tracks that sound like they were recorded through a shoebox thrown up against a couple of haphazardly placed live cuts. But if the album seems pieced together from a few different sources, the band itself all seems to be coming from the same place, turning into a ferocious rock & roll band who, on their best day, could wrestle the title of greatest rock & roll band away from the Stones. Certainly, the sheer force of the nine-minute jam on Big Bill Broonzy's "I Feel So Good" proves that, but what's more remarkable is how the band are dovetailing as songwriters, complementing and collaborating with very different styles, to the extent that it's hard to tell who wrote what; indeed, the ragged, heartbroken "Tell Everyone" sounds like a Stewart original, but it comes from the pen of Ronnie Lane. The key is that Stewart, Lane and Ron Wood (Ian McLagan only co-write "Bad 'N' Ruin") are all coming from the same place, all celebrating a rock & roll that's ordinary in subject but not in sound. Take "Bad 'N' Ruin," the tale of a ne'er do well returning home with his tail between his legs, after the city didn't treat him well. It has its counterpart in "Had Me a Real Good Time," where a reveler insists that he has to leave, concluding that he was glad to come but also glad to get home. These are songs that celebrate home, from family to the neighborhood, and that big heart beats strong in the ballads, too, from the aching "Sweet Lady Mary" to the extraordinary reworking of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed," which soars in ways Macca's exceptional original never did. Then, there's there humor -- the ramshackle "On the Beach," the throwaway lines from Rod on "Had Me a Real Good Time" -- which give this a warm, cheerful heart that helps make Long Player a record as big, messy, and wonderful as life itself. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The notorious sloppiness of the Faces was apparent on their debut, almost moreso on the cover than on the music, as the group was stilled billed as the Small Faces on this 1970 debut although without Steve Marriott in front, and with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood in tow, they were no longer Small. They were now larger than life, or at least mythic, because it's hard to call an album that concludes with a riotous ode to a hand-me-down suit as larger than life. That was the charm of the Faces, a group who always seemed like the boys next door made good, no matter where next door was. Part of the reason they seemed so relatable was that legendary messiness - after all, it's hard not to love somebody if they so openly displayed their flaws - but on their debut, it was hard not to see the messiness as merely the result of the old Faces getting accustomed to the new guys. Fresh from their seminal work with Jeff Beck, Rod and Ron bring a healthy dose of Beck's powerful bastardized blues, bracingly heard on the opening cover of "Wicked Messenger," but there's a key difference here; without Beck's guitar genius, this roar doesn't sound quite so titanic, it hits in the gut. That can also be heard and Rod and Woody's "Around the Plynth," or "Three Button Hand Me Down," which is ragged rocking at its finest. Combine that with Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagan finding their ways as songwriters in the wake of the Small Faces' mod implosion, and this goes in even more directions. Lane unveils his gentle, folky side on "Stone," McLagan kicks in "Looking Out the Window" and "Three Button Hand Me Down." All these are moments that are good, often great, but the record doesn't quite gel, yet that doesn't quite matter. The Faces is a band that proves that sometimes loose ends are as great as tidiness, that living in the moment is what's necessary, and this First Step is a record filled with individual moments, each one to be savored. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
