On Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan's Web site, there are pictures of the English breakfast that obsessed me when I was there—that weird pink bacon, the bangers, the fried-up tinned tomatoes (tomartoes?). Its unhealthiness is what makes it decadent (particularly with a pint of Guinness). But it also has a homey character to it, like something your grandmother would make you. And the combination is so wonderful that I can't understand how I didn't know about it before.
That seems to be a fitting metaphor for the Faces—the decadence, the tastiness, and the comfortable familiarity that comes from good friends. That a band this amazing has been relegated to a rock 'n' roll footnote is criminal. But now the good folks at Rhino have issued this four-CD package filled with songs from the Faces four studio albums plus live tracks, BBC sessions, and previously unheard rehearsal recordings.
Now, this review isn't for you geezers out there. If you had Long Player on 8-track, or if you rolled doobies on your copy of A Nod Is As Good As A Wink…To A Blind Horse back when it first came out, well, just go out and buy the damn thing already. You know how good it is, you know you want it, and the reality is that with the plush packaging and the amazing unreleased tracks, it's every bit as good as you'd imagine.
No, this review is for those of us who grew up in the mediocre post-disco Rod Stewart era. It's for those who know Ron Wood only as a Rolling Stone during that band's least distinguished era. It's for those who think of Kenny Jones as the drummer on the Who's crappiest records; or Ronnie Lane as some sick guy who they had those benefit shows for. Ian Mc-who-gan?
See, the thing is, the Faces have always been underrated and overlooked, and hopefully Five Guys Walk Into A Bar… will change all that.
I'll cop to the fact that I'm only a recent Faces fan, and my involvement with CREEM is largely to blame for that. Historically, the band was one of the favorites at America's Only (and in CREEM's hometown of Detroit). That love was reflected in the coverage the band was given in the magazine's pages.
In the liner notes, Gaz Coombes of Supergrass expresses the same sentiment, writing about picking up a cassette of Oh La La on his band's first U.S. tour. "The feeling I got on the first listen was so exciting," he wrote, "how could I have missed this one among the Stones, Hendrix, Zeppelin, and the other great records I'd discovered at a younger age?"
If Led Zeppelin represented the darker forces of Satan, the Faces were more of a Pan-like joie de vivre. Rather than Viking themes, the Faces songs covered themes like the joys of drink and friendship, of music and, ahem, feminine companionship.
McLagan assembled the songs thematically, not chronologically. "I did arrange them that way at first, but listening to the songs in the order we recorded them was about as interesting as reading a phone book," he wrote. Instead, they were assembled over a pint of "black madness," and the song order really does create a celebratory atmosphere.
There are straight-ahead rockers like "Bad 'N' Ruin" (which was used to great effect on The Sopranos recently) and the sick "That's All You Need." There are covers of blues chestnuts Howlin' Wolf's "Evil" or Robert Johnson's "Love In Vain." There are R&B numbers like "I Wish It Would Rain" or "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want To Be Right)." And a there's a sweet, wistful folksy side that is best reflected in Ronnie Lane's compositions like "Oh La La" and "Richmond."
The BBC sessions and live tracks are the best part of the set, because that's where the band showed its puissance. On songs like "Maggie May" and "Gasoline Alley"—both solo hits for Rod—it's easy to hear the conviviality that the Faces brought to the stage. Rod may have been more successful on his own, but it sure sounds like he was having more fun with the rest of the guys.
The set ends with a one-two punch that perfectly illustrates the band's sense of humor and seriousness. "Dishevelment Blues," which was essentially a piss take track recorded for an NME flexidisc is followed by "Stay With Me," the band's biggest hit and one of the most powerfully distilled blasts of how badass an outfit the Faces were.
It'll be a real shock if this isn't the most important box set to come out this year. And it is certainly great fun (particularly if you listen to it with some cognac or maybe a pint of the black madness). This one's for you, guys—cheers!
