Album: A Nod's As Good As A Wink ... To A Blind Horse
Artist: The Faces
Born: London
Released: November 1971
Genre: Rock
Influenced: Dr Feelgood, Black Crowes, Oasis, The Hold Steady
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In 1969, to reflect the relative tallness of the Jeff Beck Group members (Rod Stewart & Ronnie Wood) who had joined forces with the remaining members of the Small Faces (minus Steve Marriott), the diminutive element of the group's title was dropped and so The Faces were born. Their first album was still marketed under the title of the Small Faces in the US, to build on the band's small reputation there, but First Step lacked a clear identity as the group worked to find its own distinctive sound. There are still moments of the ragged rock brilliance that would come to define their sound, such as Flying and Shake Shudder Shiver, but on their run of three albums from Long Player to Ooh La La, the band hit a rich vein of form. My favourite is the middle of this trio, mixing some of Ronnie Lane's best songs with Rod Stewart's supreme vocal performances. More than anything, A Nod... has a shambolic, feelgood atmosphere that makes it one of the few rock albums that makes we want to get up & dance. This is as good as a boozy, cockney knees-up ever sounded on record.
Ultimately, it would be Rod Stewart's success (Maggie May was released just prior to this album) that would be the group's undoing, but for a few brilliant years they were as good as any rock band going. Stay With Me exemplifies their back-to-basics approach at a time when rock and folk were becoming more progressive, its upbeat intro settling into the simple groove of a rock & roll song about a one-night stand with Rita (Stewart definitely embraced the London part of his persona during his time with The Faces). Miss Judy's Farm propels you straight into the record, while You're So Rude showcases Ronnie Lane's wit and McLagan's brilliant organ playing. Debris reveals the other side to Ronnie Lane's songwriting, a brilliant ode to his East End childhood, when he'd root around in the debris of the markets with his old man. Things are wrapped up with the murky guitar of Ronnie Lane on That's All You Need, finishing the record on an ragged, upbeat note. Ooh La La.
In 1969, to reflect the relative tallness of the Jeff Beck Group members (Rod Stewart & Ronnie Wood) who had joined forces with the remaining members of the Small Faces (minus Steve Marriott), the diminutive element of the group's title was dropped and so The Faces were born. Their first album was still marketed under the title of the Small Faces in the US, to build on the band's small reputation there, but First Step lacked a clear identity as the group worked to find its own distinctive sound. There are still moments of the ragged rock brilliance that would come to define their sound, such as Flying and Shake Shudder Shiver, but on their run of three albums from Long Player to Ooh La La, the band hit a rich vein of form. My favourite is the middle of this trio, mixing some of Ronnie Lane's best songs with Rod Stewart's supreme vocal performances. More than anything, A Nod... has a shambolic, feelgood atmosphere that makes it one of the few rock albums that makes we want to get up & dance. This is as good as a boozy, cockney knees-up ever sounded on record.
Ultimately, it would be Rod Stewart's success (Maggie May was released just prior to this album) that would be the group's undoing, but for a few brilliant years they were as good as any rock band going. Stay With Me exemplifies their back-to-basics approach at a time when rock and folk were becoming more progressive, its upbeat intro settling into the simple groove of a rock & roll song about a one-night stand with Rita (Stewart definitely embraced the London part of his persona during his time with The Faces). Miss Judy's Farm propels you straight into the record, while You're So Rude showcases Ronnie Lane's wit and McLagan's brilliant organ playing. Debris reveals the other side to Ronnie Lane's songwriting, a brilliant ode to his East End childhood, when he'd root around in the debris of the markets with his old man. Things are wrapped up with the murky guitar of Ronnie Lane on That's All You Need, finishing the record on an ragged, upbeat note. Ooh La La.
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