Black Cat Bone

There's almost a frustration about The Faces, in that you wonder how much more they could have done, and yet it was their lax attitude that created the special atmosphere of the band.
Best album is " A Nod........."-short and sweet.
Fave tracks would be "Wicked Messanger" and "Miss Judys Farm", were it not for the superb "Debris".

I Still don't understand how Ronnie Wood ended up singing Ooh La La. The story goes that he didn't even want to do it but stepped up because neither Ronnie Lane or Rod Stewart could hit the notes or something. Not only does that seem unlikely but I'm sure I've seen Rod do it on TV and there was footage of Ronnie singing it on that BBC 4 documentary recently.

Maybe the other two were pissed. No wait, Ronnie Woods the sober one? That doesn't make sense. Never mind.

I don't think Wood or Lane gave Rod the chance to sing it. Ronnie Lane was meant to sing it but for some reason or other Wood sang it.

That's why Rod covered it, terribly I might add, on an album around seven or eight years ago.

Rod couldn't be arsed to sing it and fucked off to the pub so Woody had a go as there were already 3 Plonk leads on the album already.

That is why I love Ooh La la so much - It has more Lane vocals on it than usual.

The original studio run through had lane's lead vocal on it, and the fact that it has gone missing (and will never be found now) was what delayed the faces box set for so long. They were trying to find it.
I'd still like them to have taken the vocal from one of his many live versions and fitted it onto the studio backing track - just to hear it.


I thought Rod's version was pretty faithful actually. He always did say he regretted not doing it at the time.

I haven't got around to getting any proper albums, but I have the Essentials comp they put out a couple of years ago that has served as a pretty good primer. On that, I'd have to go with "Miss Judy's Farm". Otherwise, my favourite song of theirs is (I know) I'm Losing You, which I'm not even sure was released under the Faces name. It might have been solo Rod, with the band backing him.

Is the boxset worth getting?

Album - A Nod.....

Song - Wicked Messenger

Bob Loblaw wrote:Is the boxset worth getting?

Second hand copy on Amazon going for £26 at the moment.
At that price i woulod say 'yes'.

click here

or, you know..just like ask..

Bob Loblaw wrote:Is the boxset worth getting?

You know, as a fan, I would say no. There just seemed to be too many demos and live tracks with verying audio quality that prevents me from recommending it to someone that is curious or new to the group. You can get all the albums proper rather cheaply and I would highly recommend going that way first.

There are a lot of treasures on there to make it a worthy purchase for a fan but it seems, at least to me, that there is not enough context to show that they truly were a great band. I even have a hard time listening to a disc from that box set straight through. Their albums are damn near perfect though and a great way to immerse yourself in the band.

I'm sure most disagree with me though.

No. I would agree with you in the circumstance you describe - ie to someone who hasn't already got the four albums.

I have all four albums and a couple of live boots, I'm very much a fan of The Faces. I think I'll get it, for the completist in me if nothing else. Thanks guys.

I covet the box set.
they jumped WAY up in my estimation listening to it. (keep in mind I hadn't listened to them in a while)
it seems a nice way to deal with that band - they show up and stay for way too long. it works. I think the demarkations of what starts and ends where and what album it's from...
I mean who really gives a fuck with this sort of music?

Faces ablum: nod is as good as a wink
song: Stay with Me

Rod: never a dull moment
song: mandolin wind

although I do like some stuff off of each of the Faces' albums, I have to go with Rod Stwart for album and song.

ALBUM: Every Picture Tells a Story

SONG: Every Picture Tells a Story

Rod's early run of LPs (plus of course his work with the Faces) was undeniable in its quality, I suppose it's whether you're inclined towards the rootsy warm, loose sound that he and his band conjured then. Me, I love it, and actually I enjoy Gasoline Alley the most, there's something about the sound of that, it's very...generous, I suppose. Totally at ease with itself, relaxed, effortless, and just enough rawness to stop it being too polished. The way he reworks that Dylan obscurity ("Only A Hobo"), extracting pretty much all the pathos and sensitivity inherent in the material is a masterclass in interpretation. Absolutely no over-emoting whatsoever, just absolute composure in terms of his voice and delivery.

It's the calm, collected tracks on those early records that seem the most affecting, something like "Mandolin Wind" off Every Picture... is similar in both its approach and results. When he wanted to be, he could be a very assured narrative storyteller, not just in the words, but the way he got the right sounds out of them (the offhand 'chuckle' after the line "I was never much for romantic words"). Of course, there's cheekiness in those LPs, too- Los Paraguayos, is, to a degree, pretty dodgy lyrically, but the swing that the band give it is pretty irresistable. It sounds like a ball, really.

As for the Faces, are they one of the great "could have beens"? Recording-wise, they never quite got it totally together, I suppose that was part of their charm, but certainly the best bits on A Nod's As Good As A Wink (as well as the sloppier moments) suggest that for them, the feel of the music was all, as opposed to the actual arrangement and composition. Still, there's no denying that they were an often great band, even if they didn't always bring everything to the table (apart from the liqour of course)

We can discuss Rod's fall from grace all we want, but I think he just wanted to have fun. It's hard to think of an artist who has spent so long willingly prostituting himself, but then again, he gets to spend his money on Yachts and supermodels, and we don't !

The Right Scarfie Profile wrote:We can discuss Rod's fall from grace all we want, but I think he just wanted to have fun. It's hard to think of an artist who has spent so long willingly prostituting himself, but then again, he gets to spend his money on Yachts and supermodels, and we don't !

Speak for yourself there, Scarf!!

album: Nod's as good as a wink
song: Flags and banners