When Steve Marriott left the Small Faces in 1969, the three
remaining members brought in guitarist Ron Wood and lead singer
Rod Stewart to complete the lineup and changed their name to the
Faces, which was only appropriate since the group now only
slightly resembled the mod-pop group of the past. Instead, the
Faces were a rough, sloppy rock & roll band, able to pound
out a rocker like "Had Me a Real Good Time," a blues
ballad like "Tell Everyone," or a folk number like
"Richmond" all in one album. Stewart, already becoming
a star in his own right, let himself go wild with the Faces,
tearing through covers and originals with abandon. While his
voice didn't have the power of Stewart, bassist Ronnie Lane's
songs were equally as impressive and eclectic. Wood's rhythm
guitar had a warm, fat tone that was as influential and driving
as Keith Richards' style.
Notorious for their hard-partying, boozy tours and ragged
concerts, the Faces lived the rock & roll lifestyle to the
extreme. When Stewart's solo career became more successful than
the Faces, the band slowly became subservient to his personality;
after their final studio album, Ooh La La, in 1973, Lane left the
band. After a tour in 1974, the band called it quits. Wood joined
the Rolling Stones, drummer Kenny Jones eventually became part of
the Who, and keyboardist Ian McLagan became a sought-after
supporting musician; Stewart became a superstar, although he
never matched the simple charm of the Faces.
While they were together, the Faces never sold that many
records and were never considered as important as the Stones, yet
their music has proven extremely influential over the years. Many
punk rockers in the late '70s learned how to play their
instruments by listening to Faces records; in the '80s and '90s,
guitar rock bands from the Replacements to the Black Crowes took
their cue from the Faces as much as the Stones. Their reckless,
loose, and joyous spirit stayed alive in much of the best rock
& roll of the subsequent decades.
First Step - Released: 1970
A Nod is as Good as a Wink - Released: 1971
Ooh-La-La - Released: 1973
Coast To Coast Live - Released: 1974
Good Boys When They're Asleep - Released: 2000
Five Guys Walk Into a Bar Boxset - Released: 2004
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