Faces (band)
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Faces were an early 1970s rock band formed in 1969 from the remaining members of The Small Faces after Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie; new members Ron Wood (guitar) and Rod Stewart (vocals) (both from The Jeff Beck Group) joined Ronnie Lane (bass), Ian McLagan (keyboards) and Kenny Jones, (drums). The name "the Faces" refers to well known people about town, and the bands previous incarnation as the Small Faces also referred to the diminutive stature of the band members. With the addition of Rod Stewart (5'8") and Ron Wood (5'9")the band dropped the "small" but continued as the Faces. However their first album was actually released in the US under the name "Small Faces" due to a mistake by their record company.
Their most successful songs included "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, replaced by Tetsu Yamauchi (who had replaced Andy Fraser in Free). Released at about the time Lane left, Faces' final studio album was Ooh La La, about which Stewart was very scathing in the musical press on its release, much to the anger of the others.
A live album early the following year, , was criticised by reviewers for being poorly recorded, nevertheless you can feel the energy dripping of the vinyl. 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.
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 multiple sclerosis; Jones joined The Who after the death of Keith Moon; McLagan was considered by Pete Townshend to join the Who as well, but was touring with the Rolling Stones at the time.[link] He married Keith Moon's ex-wife Kim, moved to America, formed the Bump Band [link] (which tours and records to this day), and became a successful session musician; and Stewart's solo career was massively successful. There was also a Small Faces reunion in the late 1970's (without Ronnie Lane) that resulted in two albums. Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriot did however both work on the Majik Mijits album.
Although they enjoyed modest European success compared to contemporaries such as The Who and The Rolling Stones, but in the USA and the UK The faces surpassed the live succes of The Who and The Stones by miles. The Faces have had considerable influence on latter-day rock revivalists. Their good-natured, back-to-basics (and frequently liquor-laden) live performances and studio albums connect them with such bands as the New York Dolls and The Damned, as well as Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols. Following the collapse of the punk rock movement, the influence of the Faces gave rise to rock-revivalists ranging from The Replacements and The Quireboys to The Black Crowes and, more recently, groups such as Pearl Jam, The Charlatans, English Motorbike, BRMC, Primal Scream, Soapstone, Whiteout and Stereophonics.
In 2004 Rhino released a 4-track box set featuring some of the bands most popoular tracks as well as several previously unreleased songs. In the accompanying booklet the reason for Ronnie Lane's departure is not Rod Stewart's solo success, but the lack of opportunity to take lead vocals on the band's songs (pg 46).
Discography
- First Step (1970)
- Long Player (1971)
- A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse (1971)
- Ooh La La (1973)
- (live) (1974)
- Snakes And Ladders / The Best of Faces (best-of) (1976)
- Good Boys... When They're Asleep (best-of) (1999)
- Five Guys Walk into a Bar... (2004)
Trivia
- Their song, "Ooh La La," was used in the ending scene of Wes Anderson's film, Rushmore.
External links
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