Faces – The Underrated Rock Gods

It is a bit ironic to talk about a band being underrated when; a) they are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, b) two of their members went on to be in two of the biggest bands of all time, and c) their lead singer is slightly famous as well.  But such is the way to look at Faces, who are generally forgotten when people look back at the great bands of all time.

I admit, I was late to the party as well.  I certainly had heard of them, but like most people I lumped them in with Rod Stewart’s solo stuff, unaware of what a band they really were.  Their history is worth noting, though I’ll be brief.  The band formed out of the remnants of two other bands, Small Faces and Jeff Beck’s band.  When Steve Marriott, the leader of Small Faces, left to form Humble Pie the three remaining members wanted to continue, but needed a guitarist and singer to replace him.  Meanwhile, Jeff Beck’s band had helped him release two of the most influential albums in the late 60’s, but their lead singer and bassist/guitarist wanted to go out on their own.  Here’s a look at the five members:

• Rod Stewart, lead singer – it’s easy to mock Rod after all these years, and cheesy songs gone by.  But at the time Faces formed he was the great singer in Britain.  A raspier, rawer version of Sam Cooke, his vocals on the two Beck albums, Truth and Beck-Ola, were the earliest versions of heavy rock, at the same time another band was forming called Led Zeppelin.
• Ron Wood, guitarist – Now known as the other guitarist in The Rolling Stones, his work in Faces was unbelievable.  The sound of his guitar is one of the most recognizable in rock history for me (I have to remember that for another blog post), pushing the music along with his raunchy rhythm guitar, and never worrying about playing flashy lead lines.  Now that I know the Faces music, it’s hard to believe his playing in The Stones is so nondescript.  Also hard to believe that he was just the bass player in Jeff Beck’s band.
• Ronnie Lane, bass – Lane was one of the main songwriters in Faces, and sang lead on a few of their best numbers.  He had the perfect bar band bass for their music, and was really the heart and soul of the band.  He went on to make a great record with Pete Townshend (Rough Mix), but died of Multiple Sclerosis in the 80s.
• Ian McLagan, keyboards – An incredible musician, McLagan became one of the top side men and session artists in rock after Faces.  He is really the lead musician in the band, and plays like the best piano bar rocker ever.
• Kenny Jones, drums – More famous for being the guy who replaced Keith Moon in The Who, Jones was no slouch himself.  It’s a hard comparison to go against Moonie, but Faces were much more his style than The Who.  Listen to him turn up the tempo on so many Faces songs, driving a patented double-time beat.

They were somewhat of a “super group”, but they sounded like a band that had been playing together for years.  Their legacy is that they were sloppy, always loaded, and a party band.  OK, I’ll take that.  Or that their albums were never as good as they were live.  That’s a good point too, though there were a ton of great songs on the four albums they did release.  Hearing them in a live setting is really hearing them at their best.

At the same time Faces were forming, Rod Stewart had already signed a solo deal and started releasing his own records in tandem with Faces releases.  As a result, many of the songs on his first few records featured some or all of Faces, and they often played some of those songs live.  Where Faces were better live, I would put the first four Rod Stewart albums up against almost any run of four albums by anyone.

If you’re interested in getting into Faces, try The Best of Faces: Good Boys…When They’re Asleep.  But if you really want to take the plunge, buy their box set from 2004, Five Guys Walk into a Bar.  I have to say, this may be one of the best box sets of all time, and includes many live recordings, demos from their earliest days, and alternate takes (as well as all the best songs from the albums).