The Faces Albums Ranked
The Faces were an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of Small Faces after lead singer/guitarist Steve Marriott left that group to form Humble Pie. The remaining Small Faces—Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane (bass guitar, vocals), and Kenney Jones (drums and percussion)—were joined by Ronnie Wood (guitar) and Rod Stewart (lead vocals), both from the Jeff Beck Group and the new line-up was renamed Faces. Faces and Small Faces were jointly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. During 2004 and early 2005 the surviving Faces had several near-reunions, none of which featured more than three members at the same time: In May 2004 Kenney Jones and Ronnie Wood joined Ian McLagan on stage at his concert at The Mean Fiddler in London. In August 2004 Wood and McLagan joined Stewart at the Hollywood Bowl; Wood also appeared at several other of Stewart’s 2004 gigs, including New York’s Madison Square Garden, the Royal Albert Hall, and a street performance in London for an audience of 80,000. In March 2005 McLagan joined Ronnie Wood’s band at a London show, which also featured Kenney Jones on drums for the final encore; and in December 2005 Wood joined Ian McLagan & the Bump Band for three numbers at a concert in Houston, Texas. Here are all of The Faces albums ranked.
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7. Five Guys Walk Into A Bar… (2004)
“This a great collection for a number of reasons; not only does it deliver the standard favourites that you would expect, Stay With Me, Pool Hall Richard etc but it also has “live” & “in session” versions of many songs thrown in, too. There’s an interesting live cover of Free’s “Stealer” which shows how much respect bands of that time had for each other.”
6. Coast To Coast: Overture And Beginners (1974)
“The song selection favors Stewart’s solo work, hence the co-billing. His vocals are very good throughout, especially on Angel and Jealous Guy, both appearing here for the first time. Cut Across Shorty is my favorite track. It really cooks, even more than the studio version. Wood provides a slide guitar interlude of Amazing Grace within Borstal Boys, which is kind of a strange juxtaposition.”
5. The Best Of Faces: Good Boys… When They’re Asleep (1999)
“You cant appreciate why Ronnie Wood is in the Stones or Kenny Jones is in the Who or maybe why Ian McLagan has played with both until you listen to the FACES !! “TO BAD” would be a fitting acolade if you never saw a live show!! This band ROCKED! and to really put it altogether is Ronnie Lane who penned some of the most moving songs the band has written.”
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4. First Step (1970)
“This album is often referred to as “First Step” in reference to the First step in learning to play guitar book held ironically in Ron Woods hands. When they made this album the members in the band were nervous about playing with each other not realizing the chemistry they had & that only putting out 4 studio albums would earn them a spot in “The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame”!!! They may have been nervous but you can hear the chemistry & energy that would bring fame to the band in this first album! “
3. Long Player (1971)
“”Long Player” is the “Faces” 2cnd studio album finding the new line up more comfortable playing together, if they were uncomfortable on the 1st you certainly can’t hear it! But so the liner notes tell us. Few Bands project such excitement & energy through their music as the “Faces” often accused by critics as being loose & sloppy I couldn’t disagree more!!! All 4 of their studio album’s are strong enough to stand alone & you will never hear Rod Stewart rocking as hard as he did with the “Faces” anywhere!!!!”
2. Ooh La La (1973)
“Although this is a classic album from the Faces the impact of Rod Stewart’s vocals adds an edge to this album. However this is a Faces album and the writing the musicianship of the band tells you they were doing what they wanted and having a good time doing it. Every track sound like they are enjoying the experience of playing together. There are some classic tracks on this album and they all blend together to give you a snapshot of this band at around 1973, if you buy this yet u have to also get “
1. A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse (1971)
“After a debut album that was at times inspired, at times raw and edgy, at other times a bit slapdash, and a second album in the same vein, this one was more like the real thing from this lovable bluesy rock group. They had begun to establish their identity now, releasing work in tandem with singer Rod Stewart’s solo career, although in many ways the albums were pretty interchangeable.”