I have always loved this live record from Rod Stewart and The Faces, which was recorded in 1973 over two shows at the Anaheim Convention Centre and the Hollywood Palladium. It’s a great slice of 70s rock n’ roll. You can hear why pre-Stones Ronnie Wood was even then considered to be such a great rock guitarist. His chunky fuzz-tone became a Faces signature that continued to develop into the perfect foil for Keith Richards. You can hear it here, in its raw and raunchy infancy.
Standout tracks on this LP include covers of Jimi Hendrix's Angel - simply stunning! (and this is the first version of the song I ever heard) - and John Lennon’s Jealous Guy. Stewart's solo career was gaining traction by the time this record was recorded, and as a result these shows were recorded with Tetsu Yamaguchi filling in on bass for Ronnie Lane, who had become fed up with the group being presented as Stewart’s backing band and left soon after the release of their Ooh La La LP.
The rest of The Faces would disband within 18 months, and this LP has long been out-of-print. So I’m glad I have a copy! It will get many more plays.
The Faces were basically a continuation of the Small Faces, which was led by Steve Marriott, who left that group to form Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. The remaining members of the band - Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones - recruited Ron Wood and Rod Stewart, who had both recently exited the Jeff Beck Group, to comprise a true rock and roll band.
The Faces were born.
The band issued four top-notch LPs between 1970-73. During the same time Stewart's solo career was taking off, especially with the release of his third album, 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story, and the smash hit Maggie May. It wasn't long before Rod's solo career success created problems within The Faces, whose legendary hard partying was also wrinkling the fabric of the band. "We were young and foolish and nobody bothered with the details because we were all rich beyond our dreams," Stewart wrote in his autobiography. "No one was giving a thought to the fact that it could all go tits up at some stage. And lo and behold, it all went tits up. At first, the balance between my life as a solo artist and my life in the Faces seemed blissfully simple. There didn't seem to be any conflict between these interests. On the contrary, they rubbed along together perfectly happily."
The cracks began to show when Ronnie Lane left the band in 1973. "Nobody thought he was serious at first," Stewart said. "'I'm leaving the band' was a group catchphrase. The stock Faces response to any disappointment or setback." But leave he did, and as the band dealt with that blow, another soon reared its head.
"In fact, the thing that triggered my exit was the long-expected decision of Woody to take a job with the Rolling Stones - the band, let's face it, that he was born to be in. That, for me, was the killer blow. To lose Ronnie was bad enough, but to lose Woody as well? The jig was well and truly up."
After finishing his first tour with the Stones in 1975, Wood rejoined the Faces for their final dates in the fall of that year. "Woody found it hard to make a clean break," Stewart said. "For a while he thought he could work for both bands and keep everyone happy, but that was never going to be practical," and eventually, in December 1975, Stewart left as well.
This record is rough around the edges. Really rough. Wood's guitar is particularly jagged, and the band as a whole is loose and sometimes sounds like they're barely hanging on. You can tell they're having fun, even if by then they probably weren't. But they hold it all together and music transcends everything. While these boys were on stage they thought anything was possible, that even the rift between them could be smoothed over. You can hear it in the music. They knew they were good. They knew they were rock and roll at its best. As rough as this record is and sounds, it is absolutely perfect for what it is - full on working class rock and roll.
I often wonder what music the world missed out on after The Faces broke up. There isn't a bad song in their repertoire. Every album they released is a standout in its own right. This one is a document of what some of those songs sounded like when they are living, breathing things. This is a band I wish I'd seen live back in the day. There's talk of a Faces reunion but I'm not interested. Not everyone is still here, and the rest of them are too rich.
I have always loved this live record from Rod Stewart and The Faces, which was recorded in 1973 over two shows at the Anaheim Convention Centre and the Hollywood Palladium. It’s a great slice of 70s rock n’ roll. You can hear why pre-Stones Ronnie Wood was even then considered to be such a great rock guitarist. His chunky fuzz-tone became a Faces signature that continued to develop into the perfect foil for Keith Richards. You can hear it here, in its raw and raunchy infancy.
Standout tracks on this LP include covers of Jimi Hendrix's Angel - simply stunning! (and this is the first version of the song I ever heard) - and John Lennon’s Jealous Guy. Stewart's solo career was gaining traction by the time this record was recorded, and as a result these shows were recorded with Tetsu Yamaguchi filling in on bass for Ronnie Lane, who had become fed up with the group being presented as Stewart’s backing band and left soon after the release of their Ooh La La LP.
The rest of The Faces would disband within 18 months, and this LP has long been out-of-print. So I’m glad I have a copy! It will get many more plays.
The Faces were basically a continuation of the Small Faces, which was led by Steve Marriott, who left that group to form Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. The remaining members of the band - Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones - recruited Ron Wood and Rod Stewart, who had both recently exited the Jeff Beck Group, to comprise a true rock and roll band.
The Faces were born.
The band issued four top-notch LPs between 1970-73. During the same time Stewart's solo career was taking off, especially with the release of his third album, 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story, and the smash hit Maggie May. It wasn't long before Rod's solo career success created problems within The Faces, whose legendary hard partying was also wrinkling the fabric of the band. "We were young and foolish and nobody bothered with the details because we were all rich beyond our dreams," Stewart wrote in his autobiography. "No one was giving a thought to the fact that it could all go tits up at some stage. And lo and behold, it all went tits up. At first, the balance between my life as a solo artist and my life in the Faces seemed blissfully simple. There didn't seem to be any conflict between these interests. On the contrary, they rubbed along together perfectly happily."
The cracks began to show when Ronnie Lane left the band in 1973. "Nobody thought he was serious at first," Stewart said. "'I'm leaving the band' was a group catchphrase. The stock Faces response to any disappointment or setback." But leave he did, and as the band dealt with that blow, another soon reared its head.
"In fact, the thing that triggered my exit was the long-expected decision of Woody to take a job with the Rolling Stones - the band, let's face it, that he was born to be in. That, for me, was the killer blow. To lose Ronnie was bad enough, but to lose Woody as well? The jig was well and truly up."
After finishing his first tour with the Stones in 1975, Wood rejoined the Faces for their final dates in the fall of that year. "Woody found it hard to make a clean break," Stewart said. "For a while he thought he could work for both bands and keep everyone happy, but that was never going to be practical," and eventually, in December 1975, Stewart left as well.
This record is rough around the edges. Really rough. Wood's guitar is particularly jagged, and the band as a whole is loose and sometimes sounds like they're barely hanging on. You can tell they're having fun, even if by then they probably weren't. But they hold it all together and music transcends everything. While these boys were on stage they thought anything was possible, that even the rift between them could be smoothed over. You can hear it in the music. They knew they were good. They knew they were rock and roll at its best. As rough as this record is and sounds, it is absolutely perfect for what it is - full on working class rock and roll.
I often wonder what music the world missed out on after The Faces broke up. There isn't a bad song in their repertoire. Every album they released is a standout in its own right. This one is a document of what some of those songs sounded like when they are living, breathing things. This is a band I wish I'd seen live back in the day. There's talk of a Faces reunion but I'm not interested. Not everyone is still here, and the rest of them are too rich.
BONUS TRACK
Ron Wood entered the world of rock n' roll excess - otherwise known as the Rolling Stones - via a press statement on April 14, 1975. At the time, Mick Jagger said he wanted someone that was easy to get on with, was not too difficult and was also a good player.
Woody, as he was known, fit into his new position effortlessly. He'd begun establishing his relatnionship with the Stones a couple of years earlier when he collaborated on the 1973 song It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It). He'd always wanted to be a Stone, and patiently waited for the opportunity to present itself. When it did, he jumped up and embraced it.
"I always knew I was gonna end up in this band," he has said, in many interviews over the years. "I remember walking around the periphery of Hyde Park in '69, and this big car pulls up through a whole sea of people and out steps Mick and Charlie. Mick comes up and says, 'Ullo, Face,' which is what he called me then, 'cause I was in the Faces. And we talk away for a while and then they say, ‘Okay, we gotta go and play. We'll see you soon.' And I said, ‘Yeah, sooner than you think.'"
In 1975 Wood was declared an official member of, but not a financial partner in, his new (and favorite) band. Three classic albums followed - 1975's Black And Blue, 1978's Some Girls and 1981's Tattoo You. But for the next 17 years\ Wood was only paid when the Rolling Stones toured. And during the 1980s, when Mick and Keith always seemed to be at odds, that wasn't very often.
"I just looked at it like I was doing my apprenticeship, even though I might have been 50-years-old," Woody told the Guardian in a 2011 interview. "I was learning, but I was teaching as well, how to let go and enjoy life. During the Dirty Work days, that was a really bad time, I got them through that. I'd be like, 'You stay near the phone. I'm going to get him on the phone and I'll ring you back.'"
After almost two long decades into his so-called apprenticeship, Wood was finally rewarded with full partnership in the Rolling Stones.
MORE FACES
Ron Wood entered the world of rock n' roll excess - otherwise known as the Rolling Stones - via a press statement on April 14, 1975. At the time, Mick Jagger said he wanted someone that was easy to get on with, was not too difficult and was also a good player.
Woody, as he was known, fit into his new position effortlessly. He'd begun establishing his relatnionship with the Stones a couple of years earlier when he collaborated on the 1973 song It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It). He'd always wanted to be a Stone, and patiently waited for the opportunity to present itself. When it did, he jumped up and embraced it.
"I always knew I was gonna end up in this band," he has said, in many interviews over the years. "I remember walking around the periphery of Hyde Park in '69, and this big car pulls up through a whole sea of people and out steps Mick and Charlie. Mick comes up and says, 'Ullo, Face,' which is what he called me then, 'cause I was in the Faces. And we talk away for a while and then they say, ‘Okay, we gotta go and play. We'll see you soon.' And I said, ‘Yeah, sooner than you think.'"
In 1975 Wood was declared an official member of, but not a financial partner in, his new (and favorite) band. Three classic albums followed - 1975's Black And Blue, 1978's Some Girls and 1981's Tattoo You. But for the next 17 years\ Wood was only paid when the Rolling Stones toured. And during the 1980s, when Mick and Keith always seemed to be at odds, that wasn't very often.
"I just looked at it like I was doing my apprenticeship, even though I might have been 50-years-old," Woody told the Guardian in a 2011 interview. "I was learning, but I was teaching as well, how to let go and enjoy life. During the Dirty Work days, that was a really bad time, I got them through that. I'd be like, 'You stay near the phone. I'm going to get him on the phone and I'll ring you back.'"
After almost two long decades into his so-called apprenticeship, Wood was finally rewarded with full partnership in the Rolling Stones.
MORE FACES
