The Faces – Live At The Paris Theatre, London (BBC In Concert) (1973)

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.

The first collaboration among the future Faces was in a formation called Quiet Melon, which also featured Wood’s older brother Art Wood and Kim Gardner; they recorded four songs and played a few shows in May 1969, during a break in Ronnie Wood’s and Rod Stewart’s commitments with The Jeff Beck Group. Later that summer Wood and Stewart parted ways with Beck and joined Lane, McLagan and Jones full-time. Prior to any releases by the new Faces lineup, Wood and McLagan appeared on Stewart’s first solo album in 1969, An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down (known as The Rod Stewart Album in the US). The rest of the backing band on the album included drummer Micky Waller, keyboardist Keith Emerson and guitarists Martin Pugh (of Steamhammer, and later Armageddon and 7th Order) and Martin Quittenton (also from Steamhammer).

With the addition of Wood and Stewart, the “small” part of the original band name was dropped, partly because the two newcomers (at 5’9″ and 5’10” respectively) were significantly taller than the three former Small Faces.[5] Hoping to capitalise on the Small Faces’ earlier success, record company executives wanted the band to keep their old name; however, the band objected, arguing the personnel changes resulted in a group very different from the Small Faces. As a compromise, in the US their debut album was credited to the Small Faces, while subsequent albums appeared under their new name.

The group regularly toured Britain, Europe and the United States from 1970 to 1975, and were among the top-grossing live acts in that period; in 1974 their touring also encompassed Australia, New Zealand and Japan. They toured the United States and Canada in 1975. Among their most successful songs were “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; one reason given later for his departure was frustration over not having more opportunities to sing lead vocals.

Lane’s role as bassist was taken over by Tetsu Yamauchi (who had replaced Andy Fraser in Free). Released just months before Lane left the band, the Faces’ final studio album was Ooh La La.

The following year a live album was released, entitled Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners; it was criticised by reviewers for being poorly recorded and thought out.[9] It featured selections from their late 1973 tour, the first featuring Yamauchi.[9][10] 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 after a troubled fall US tour (with Jesse Ed Davis on rhythm guitar), in December the band announced that they were splitting. (by wikipedia)

And here´s a superb braodcasting reording by The Faces, recorded live at the Pais Theatre, London for he legendary “BBC In Concer” series.

Ladies & Gentlemen: The Faces … loud and proud … listen !

Personnel:
Kenny Jones (drums)
Ronnie Lane (bass, guitar)
Ian McLagen (keyboards)
Rod Stewart (vocals)
Ron Wood (guitar)

Tracklist:
01. Silicone Grown (Stewart/Wood) 2.27
02. Cindy Incidentaly (McLagan/Stewart/Wood) 2.42
03. Angel (Hendrix) 4.19
04. Memphis Tennessee (Berry) 4.01
05. True Blue (Stewart/Wood) 3.53
06. I’d Rather Go Blind (Foster/Jordan) 5.06
07. You’re My Girl (Cooper/Beatty/Shelby) 4.56
08. Twistin’ The Night Away (Cooke) 4.08
09. It’s All Over Now (B.Womack/S.Womack) 3.48
10. Miss Judy’s Farm (Stewart/Wood) 3.54
11. I Know I’m Losing You (Whitfield/Holland, Jr./Grant) 5:43
12. Three Button Hand Me Down (Stewart/Wood/Lane/McLagan/Jones) 4.31
13. Maybe I’m Amazed (McCartney) 6.01

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The (Small) Faces – First Step (1970)

The notorious sloppiness of the Faces was apparent on their debut, almost moreso on the cover than on the music, as the group was stilled billed as the Small Faces on this 1970 debut although without Steve Marriott in front, and with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood in tow, they were no longer Small. They were now larger than life, or at least mythic, because it’s hard to call an album that concludes with a riotous ode to a hand-me-down suit as larger than life. That was the charm of the Faces, a group who always seemed like the boys next door made good, no matter where next door was. Part of the reason they seemed so relatable was that legendary messiness – after all, it’s hard not to love somebody if they so openly displayed their flaws – but on their debut, it was hard not to see the messiness as merely the result of the old Faces getting accustomed to the new guys. Fresh from their seminal work with Jeff Beck, Rod and Ron bring a healthy dose of Beck’s powerful bastardized blues, bracingly heard on the opening cover of “Wicked Messenger,” but there’s a key difference here; without Beck’s guitar genius, this roar doesn’t sound quite so titanic, it hits in the gut. That can also be heard and Rod and Woody’s “Around the Plynth,” or “Three Button Hand Me Down,” which is ragged rocking at its finest. Combine that with Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagan finding their ways as songwriters in the wake of the Small Faces’ mod implosion, and this goes in even more directions. Lane unveils his gentle, folky side on “Stone,” McLagan kicks in “Looking Out the Window” and “Three Button Hand Me Down.” All these are moments that are good, often great, but the record doesn’t quite gel, yet that doesn’t quite matter. the Faces is a band that proves that sometimes loose ends are as great as tidiness, that living in the moment is what’s necessary, and this First Step is a record filled with individual moments, each one to be savored. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

Personnel:
Kenny Jones (drums)
Ronnie Lane (bass, guitar, vocals on 04.)
Ian McLagan (keyboards)
Rod Stewart (vocals, banjo on 04.)
Ron Wood (guitar, slide-guitar, harmonica on 04., bass on 10.)

Tracklist:
01. Wicked Messenger (Dylan)     4:00
02. Devotion (Lane) 4.48
03. Shake, Shudder, Shiver (Wood/Lane) 3.09
04. Stone (Lane) 5.33
05. Around The Plynth (Stewart/Wood) 5.45
06. Flying (Stewart/Wood/Lane) 4.10
07. Pineapple And The Monkey (Wood) 4.23
08. Nobody Knows (Wood/Lane) 4.04
09. Looking Out The Window (Jones/McLagan) 5.00
10. Three Button Hand Me Down (Stewart/McLagan) 5.30

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Alternate frontcover