Faces

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.



First Step - Released: 1970



A Nod is as Good as a Wink - Released: 1971



Ooh-La-La - Released: 1973



Coast To Coast Live - Released: 1974



Good Boys When They're Asleep - Released: 2000



Five Guys Walk Into a Bar Boxset - Released: 2004

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