- Years Active: 1974-2004
- Band Members: Ron Wood, Ronnie Lane, Ken Jones, Kenney Jones, Rod Stewart, Ian McLagan
- Genre: Rock & Alternative
- Influenced by: The Rolling Stones
- Followed By: Sass Jordan, Johnny Thunders, Bash & Pop, Million Yen, The Damned, Florida, The Vasco Era, The Bedouins, Califone, London Quireboys, Dan Baird, Towers of London, Young Heart Attack, Ocha La Rocha, Toploader, Angels, Guns N' Roses, Terraplane, Silvertide, The Figgs, Paul Westerberg, Jacobites, The Black Crowes, The Dirtys, Bent Black Tulips, Popeda, David Vandervelde, Izzy Stradlin, Charlie & The Wide Boys, Ride the Blinds, Ride, Ocean Colour Scene, The Greater Good, Devendra Banhart, Nikki Sudden, The Georgia Satellites, Marah, Gene, Proud Mary, Chamber Strings, Raw Deal, The Replacements, The Sex Pistols, The Modern Machines
- Similar Artists: New Barbarians, Aerosmith, Jeff Beck, The Black Crowes, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Free, J. Geils Band, Guns N' Roses, Humble Pie, Ian Hunter, Python Lee Jackson, The James Gang, The Kinks, Little Feat, New York Dolls, Ride, Mitch Ryder, The Small Faces, Rod Stewart, The Who, Ron Wood, Flies on Fire, Geordie, Lowell George, The Pretty Things, Woodmanseys U Boat, Izzy Stradlin, Slim Chance, Ronnie Lane, Mott the Hoople, Keith Richards, Bob Seger, Frankie Miller, Sweet Justice
When Steve Marriott left the Small Faces in 1969, the three remaining members brought in guitarist Ron Wood and lead singer Rod Stewart to complete the lineup and changed their name to the Faces, which was only appropriate since the group now only slightly resembled the mod-pop group of the past. Instead, the Faces were a rough, sloppy rock & roll band, able to pound out a rocker like "Had Me a Real Good Time," a blues ballad like "Tell Everyone," or a folk number like "Richmond" all in one album. Stewart, already becoming a star in his own right, let himself go wild with the Faces, tearing through covers and originals with abandon. While his voice didn't have the power of Stewart, bassist Ronnie Lane's songs were equally as impressive and eclectic. Wood's rhythm guitar had a warm, fat tone that was as influential and driving as Keith Richards' style.
Notorious for their hard-partying, boozy tours and ragged concerts, the Faces lived the rock & roll lifestyle to the extreme. When Stewart's solo career became more successful than the Faces, the band slowly became subservient to his personality; after their final studio album, Ooh La La, in 1973, Lane left the band. After a tour in 1974, the band called it quits. Wood joined the Rolling Stones, drummer Kenny Jones eventually became part of the Who, and keyboardist Ian McLagan became a sought-after supporting musician; Stewart became a superstar, although he never matched the simple charm of the Faces.
While they were together, the Faces never sold that many records and were never considered as important as the Stones, yet their music has proven extremely influential over the years. Many punk rockers in the late '70s learned how to play their instruments by listening to Faces records; in the '80s and '90s, guitar rock bands from the Replacements to the Black Crowes took their cue from the Faces as much as the Stones. Their reckless, loose, and joyous spirit stayed alive in much of the best rock & roll of the subsequent decades. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide