Ron Wood’s rhythm track on the Faces’ classic “Stay with Me” is one of the raunchiest guitar tones of all time. The rhythm track on the Faces’ classic track “Stay with Me” is a great example of how a relatively simple rig can be so much more than the sum of its parts. In essence, Wood used just a guitar and an amp, but his signature tone has eluded imitators and befuddled tone geeks for decades.
The guitar Wood used on the song is no mystery: a Zemaitis “disc-front” solid-body that Tony Zemaitis custom built for him in the early Seventies and that Wood calls the “Stay with Me” guitar for obvious reasons. Equipped with three Gibson PAF humbuckers, each with its own volume and tone controls and individual push switches that enabled any conceivable combination of the three pickups, the Zemaitis also features a distinctive circular aluminum “scratch plate” that enhances the guitar’s natural resonance.
But perhaps the most important feature of the disc-front Zemaitis when it comes to decoding this song’s guitar tone is its built-in battery-powered booster, which is engaged by pulling up the master volume control on the upper bout. The circuit is a mystery, but considering its timeframe it’s likely based on a germanium transistor treble booster — the distinctive midrange growl it produces certainly suggests that.
The bigger mystery is the amp that Wood used. Fortunately, Wood revealed that exact detail in the November/December 2015 issue of Guitar Aficionadowhere he emphatically stated it was a Hiwatt. Although tone snobs argue that an early Hiwatt’s tone is too clean, these amps can get quite nasty when pushed hard (check out the Who’s Live at the Isle of Wight Festivalor Led Zeppelin at the Royal Albert Hall) and the Zemaitis’ booster adds delicious rasp and grit that has fooled many into thinking Wood used a tweed amp. Having the guitar tuned to open E is the cherry on top, providing a generous amount of unison-note clang that makes the tone even more resonant.
This Incredible performance, “Live from the Fillmore West”. Includes the entire KFOG-FM broadcast plus five bonus tracks from John Peel’s ‘Sunday Concert’. Full colour booklet with background liners and rare images. Digitally remastered for greatly enhanced sound quality.
Rod Stewart and the Faces, live at the Fillmore West on October 28th 1970 Following the February 1970 release of their classic debut album, The Faces gigged far and wide, their rowdy and raucous style earning a devoted following. This classic performance from the Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA on October 28th 1970, was originally broadcast on KFOG-FM and finds them at their infectious best, on a selection of classics culled both from their catalogue and from Rod Stewart’s solo work.
It’s presented together with background notes, images and five bonus tracks from John Peel’s ‘Sunday Concert’.
DISC ONE 1. Devotion 2. You’re My Girl (I Don’t Want To Discuss It) 3. The Wicked Messenger 4. Country Comfort 5. Flying 6. Too Much Woman 7. Cut Across Shortly 8. Maybe I’m Amazed 9. Around the Plynth 10. Gasoline Alley DISC TWO 1. Love In Vain 2. Three Button Hand Me Down 3. It’s All Over Now 4. I Feel So Good 5. (Love Ballad) Bonus tracks John Peel’s ‘Sunday Concert’, Paris Cinema, 25th June 1970 BBC radio 6. You’re My Girl 7. The Wicked Messenger 8. Devotion 9. It’s All Over Now 10. I Feel So Good
Rod Stewart – vocals Ron Wood – guitar Ian McLagan – keyboards Ronnie Lane – bass Kenny Jones – drums
One of those classic, black-coiffed, skinny-jeaned British rock’n’rollers whose face is a road map of his career, is the great Ronnie Wood who comes from a long line of Middlesex water gypsies and his itinerant roots show through in a rich career that encompasses 60s groups The Birds, The Creation, Faces – of course – and a stint with Jeff Beck Group.
Latterly, his ongoing place in The Rolling Stones’ history, where he is far more than foil to Keith Richards, has made Ronnie a national treasure. His place at the forefront of British blues riff gods is assured via Faces epics such as ‘Stay With Me’, ‘Miss Judy’s Farm’ and ‘Too Bad’, but he is an accomplished folk guitarist as well, whose playing graces the best Rod Stewart albums. He has conjured many other minor miracles too, such as when his delicate acoustic meshes alongside fellow FacesRonnie Lane’s fretless bass on the gorgeous cockney lament ‘Debris’, or the wonderfully obscure ‘Just For The Moment’, from the 1972 (but released in ’76) soundtrack album for the Canadian movie Mahoney’s Last Stand.
And yet Ronnie also had his own albums to do, providing us with several real gems from the studio that, though packed with stellar mates and guests, still maintain their integrity.
Born in a council house in Yiewsley, Hillingdon, as a kid Ronnie Wood was known as Young Timber (his dad was Timber) and the pair toured the racetracks of the south England in a 24-piece harmonica band that gave Ronnie the taste for the high life. He began playing guitar in The Birds in 1964, moved on to the psych-rock outfit The Creation, and participated in Jeff Beck’s late 60s blues and rock mash-ups Truth and Beck-Ola. He joined Small Faces after Steve Marriott’s departure and lasted the course when they became Faces, also decorating Rod Stewart’s fine albums An Old Raincoat, Will Never Let You Down, Gasoline Alley and Every Picture Tells A Story. He joined the Stones when Mick Taylor left in 1975, and has played with them ever since.
Ronnie Wood, ‘I’ve Got My Own Album to Do’ (1974)
Ronnie’s solo albums start with 1974’s “I’ve Got My Own Album To Do”. It’s only rock’n’roll, but we like that one.
Rod Stewart had already established a parallel solo career when Wood released his debut, and that basically finished the Faces. In a sign of things to come, future Rolling Stones bandmates Mick Jagger and Keith Richards sat in, as did Mick Taylor – the guitarist whom Wood ultimately replaced. Moving seamlessly from one Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band to the next was probably a smart idea, considering Wood was apparently so anonymous that the label misspelled his last name on the album cover. Always a good sport, Ronnie Wood simply scratched it out. He was headed to bigger things.
Richards, Mick Jagger, an uncredited David Bowie and George Harrison all appeared on it. So do most of Rod’s studio pals, including Martin Quittenton, Pete Sears and Stewart himself, as well as the stellar rhythm section of Willie Weeks and Andy Newmark, Faces Ian McLagan and Mick Taylor. Key tracks include the opener, ‘I Can Feel The Fire’, with Mick adding some of his finest backing vocals, and Harrison’s ‘Far East Man’, which also appears on Harrison’s Dark Horse album.
Ronnie Wood, ‘Now Look’ (1975)
Wood gave away some of the ragged charm of his debut, but gained the sharp and soulful insight of co-producer, co-writer and key backing vocalist Bobby Womack. Rather than dominating the proceedings, as Bernard Fowler seemed to on the later “Slide on This”, Womack perfectly meshed with Wood. Their terrific update of “Big Bayou” led to its appearance on Wood’s final tour with the Faces, then former singer Rod Stewart recorded his own version in 1976.
1975’s “Now Look” is remarkable for co-production from Bobby Womack and Ian McLagan, Jean Roussel’s masterful keyboards and a cracking version of the Ann Peebles soul classic ‘I Can’t Stand The Rain’, which give Woody a chance to show off his underrated pipes.
“Mahoney’s Last Stand”, credited to Wood and Lane, and produced in 1972 at Olympic Sound Studios by Glyn Johns, slipped through the net though it featured Lane’s then-accomplices Pete Townshend, Mickey Waller and Benny Gallacher, with the Stones’ horn men Jim Price and Bobby Keys adding extra atmosphere.
Ronnie Wood, ‘Gimme Some Neck’ (1979)
Wood was still capable of surprising before he sank into a comfy spot as junior member of the Rolling Stones. On Gimme Some Neck, that meant summoning a steady musical balance between the Faces and his next band. Wood wrote eight of 11 songs, then carved out a small supporting tour where fans got to hear a singer often unfavourably compared to Bob Dylan completely own this album’s best cover.
“Gimme Some Neck” did the business in the States and introduced us to his own original artwork, painting having been an obsession since he’d attended Ealing College Of Art. The obscure Bob Dylan song ‘Seven Days’ is the calling card here, but once again the back-ups read like a Who’s Who, with Mick Fleetwood, The Crusaders Robert Popwell,Traffic’s Dave Mason and Swamp Dogg inhabiting a most eclectic mix helmed by the equally iconoclastic London-born producer Roy Thomas Baker.
Ronnie Wood, ‘1234’ (1981)
Wood again works with a merry-go-round of musicians, changing the line up with each successive track. Worse, he seems to have released some of them without having, you know, actually finished. The results come off like a demo-dotted anthology-type package of odds and ends, rather than a cohesive look at where Wood was creatively at the dawn of a new decade. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this became the first of two solo albums – along with 2010’s I Feel Like Playing – that finished at a deflating No. 164 on the chart.
Soul-funk brothers and cream-of-the-crop sessioneers joined Ronnie for “1234”, a real party-hard album enlivened by the Jagger-inspired ‘Redeyes’ and the Womack collaboration ‘Priceless’.
A stint with Bo Diddley resulted in The Gunslingers’ Live At The Ritz, packed full of great blues such as ‘Road Runner’, a new take on the Wood/Stewart track ‘Plynth (Water Down The Drain)’ and a breezy attempt at the Stones’ ‘Honky Tonk Women’. But the closer, Bo’s ‘Who Do You Love’, is the charm.
Ronnie Wood, ‘Slide on This’ (1992)
Something is probably amiss when critics talk more about the Wood paintings included in the reissue packaging than about the actual album. It’s understandable, really, considering how Wood seemed to disappear into “Slide on This”, as long time Rolling Stones collaborator Bernard Fowler moved to the fore. He sang, played keyboards and programmed the drums, while also co-writing nine of project’s 13 tracks. A virtual sideman on his own album, Wood closes with a creatively adrift remake of one of his own songs, “Breathe on Me” from Now Look.
“Slide On This” was recorded in Wood’s Irish home, with Bernard Fowler keeping the songs on a Southern soul tip, abetted by Allman Brother Chuck Leavell, neighbour Joe Elliott, from Def Leppard ,and U2’s The Edge. The drummers are Charlie Watts and Simon Kirke, and Michael Kamen provides string arrangements on another high-class outing. Try the version of George Clinton’s 1967 ditty ‘Testify’ which goes back to the Detroit soul days of The Parliaments. The live companion, “Slide On Live: Plugged In And Standing” (caught in the States and Japan), shows off the Wood ensemble on favourites such as ‘Stay With Me’, ‘Silicone Grown’ and Jagger/Richards/Wood’s ‘Pretty Beat Up’.
We waited until 2001 for what is probably Ron’s favourite album, “Not For Beginners”. He revisits a track cut by The Birds, ‘Leaving Here’, cheekily jumps to The Byrds’ ‘Rock’n’Roll Star’, enlists Dylan for ‘Interfere’ and ‘King Of Kings’, and makes sense of a cast list numbering Stereophonic frontman Kelly Jones, Elvis Presley’s Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana, as well as his own kids, Jesse and Leah. Definitely one of Woody’s best.
For a considered overview, the compilation Ronnie Wood Anthology: The Essential Collection criss-crosses his career. It’s a great place to get to know more about someone who’s a lot more complex than you may have ever expected, with visits to The Birds and everything thereafter up to the Stones.
The belated issue of The First Barbarians: Live From Kilburn is taken from a Gaumont State show going back to July 1974, with Ronnie and Keef in their raven-haired pomp bossing a sextet that buzzes and crackles with excitement.
Ronnie Wood, ‘I Feel Like Playing’ (2010)
More like I Feel Like Playing … With a Group of Entirely Random Collaborators. Wood tries for the same good-time attitude as his best work, but he keeps stumbling over odd pairings with the likes of Slash, Bob Rock and Flea. It also feels weirdly disconnected from the troubles Wood was having in his private life (poorly received memoir, divorce, domestic incident with new girlfriend, rehab). Even Bobby Womack, returning after their triumphs together on 1975’s Now Look, can’t save this one.
Coming up do date we have I Feel Like Playing, on which a completely rehabilitated Ronnie mixes old- and new-school characters: Slash, Billy Gibbons, Beach BoyBlondie Chaplin, Darryl Jones, Flea, Jim Keltner, Ivan Neville, and an appearance or from Bobby Womack on four numbers, enjoying a swansong before his death, in 2014. Sure, this is typical all-star jam party fare, but that’s no bad thing. When Ronnie Wood throws a shindig you know you’re in for a real good time. There’s a little bit of everything on order at his buffet – rockers, reggae, blues and boogie.
Essentially a modest man, Wood has collaborated with all the above, as well as sharing the stage with Bowie and Prince. Oh, and don’t forget his laughing-his-head off appearance with Keith when they backed Dylan on ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ at Live Aid in 1985, introduced by Jack Nicholson. He’s never pretended to reinvent the wheel, but still Ronnie Wood will take you rolling down the road. Enter his caravan of sound delights.
Ronnie Wood, ‘Not for Beginners’ (2001)
At this point, Ronnie Wood hadn’t made a solo album in nearly a decade. Not for Beginners made the case of a much longer wait. There were too few non-instrumental originals, too many outside collaborators and too few songs that rose above the project’s central pub-rock pretensions. Bob Dylan stops by for a croaky, though surprisingly effective, duet, but then so do Wood’s kids.
Let’s hear it for Ron Wood! The shaggy-haired guitar ace has played devil’s advocate to both Rod Stewart and Keith Richards — his style perfectly complementing the Faces and the Rolling Stones. Wood joined the Stones in 1975 after the Faces split up, but his history dates back to the sounds of swinging London as guitarist with R&B rockers the Birds and as bassist extraordinaire for the Jeff Beck Group. Most people might only know the man from his tenure with the Stones.
Live from Kilburn, Andy Newmark -drums; Willie Weeks-bass; Ian McLagan– keyboards, and of course ,Ronnie Wood ,Keith and Rod Stewart What a fronting trio. Ronnie, Rod and Richards (the 3 Rs of Rock) fit together visually, musically and presentation wise like a dream rock and roll team.
This set of videos of The First Barbarians, Ronnie Wood shouldn’t have left The Faces, Keith Richards should have left the Rolling Stones and joined Rod, Ronnie, Kenney and Ian (Ronnie Lane had left by then) in a revitalized Faces lineup. With Rod, Ronnie and Keith writing lyrics, we’d have had more classic rock LPs like A Nod’s, EveryPicture etc.
Ronnie Wood’s 1974 solo debut, “I’ve Got My Own Album to Do”, is somewhat of a forgotten artifact. He received a little help from friends Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, George Harrison and David Bowie, to name a few. One of the album’s best tracks is “Mystifies Me.” Hearing it all these years later begs the question, What would this have sounded like if it had been a Faces track?
From: ‘I’ve Got My Own Album to Do’ (1974)
I first heard Son Volt’s cover of this song. Jeff Tweedy did such a good job covering it that I thought it was his song. Then I ran across this! I couldn’t believe I didn’t know this was a Ron Wood song. This is an awesome performance. Ron and Keith were meant to play together and Ian is just fabulous.
Ronnie Lane was a Britsh songwriter and bass player. He started with the Small Faces as the bass player and he and Steve Marriott wrote most of bands songs. The Small Faces never toured America so they never really broke out big. They did have 11 top twenty hits in the UK but only one in America with Itchycoo Park charting at #16.
Steve Mariott left the Small Faces in 1968 and Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood joined Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Ian McLagan to start The Faces. The Faces released four albums between 1970-1973… First Step, Long Player, A Nod is as Good as a Wink…to a Blind Horse and Ooh La La. They were one of the top grossing touring bands.
After Rod Stewart’s solo career took off his interest in the band began to wane and in 1973 Ronnie Lane quit. After Ronnie left the Faces, they made no more studio albums.
Ronnie started his own folk-country band named “Slim Chance” and released a surprise hit single “Come On” in 1973 and it went to #11 in the UK. Ronnie had a unique idea of touring. His tour was called “The Passing Show” which toured the countryside with a circus tent and included a ringmaster and clowns.
In 1976 he owed a record company an album and he was in financial trouble. He asked Pete Townshend to help him record an album. The album was called “Rough Mix” and it was a very strong album with great reviews but the record company didn’t promote it and the sales were not great.
During the recording of “Rough Mix” Lane diagnosed with was Multiple Sclerosis. He still toured with Eric Clapton and others afterward and released an album in 1979 called “See Me.”
In 1983 Ronnie called some of his musician friends to do some charity concerts for the Research for Multiple Sclerosis. They were known as the ARMS (Action into Research for Multiple Sclerosis) Charity Concerts. Musicians such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, and more came out to support Ronnie.
Ronnie Lane died of Pneumonia while in the final stages of Multiple Sclerosis in 1997
There are very few albums which are indispensable. The Beatles Revolver, Stones Exile on Maine Street and the like. For me, truly great records capture a moment.
The Faces‘ third album from 1971, came in the middle of a whirlwind year for singer RodStewart. In the mere months that separated the album “Long Player” and “A Nod Is As Good As A Wink”Stewart had a huge hit with “Maggie May” and his first No. 1 solo album (‘Every Picture Tells a Story’) his third solo album was something that would soon irreparably damage the band, but at the time it was mere good fortune, helping bring them some collateral success that they deserved. Certainly, it didn’t change the character of the album itself, which is the tightest record the band ever made. Granted that may be a relative term, since sloppiness is at the heart of this band, but this doesn’t feel cobbled together, (which the otherwise excellent Long Player did).
‘A Nod Is as Good as a Wink .finally gave the group their long-awaited hit single in “Stay with Me,” . Loose, bluesy and boozy, rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t get more natural than this. The Faces and solo Rod Stewart were never as good as this before or since. From the opening ‘Miss Judy’s Farm’ which is awesome, the songs just get better and better. Their interpretation of Chuck Berry’s Memphis Tenessee followed by ‘Too Bad’ will make you feel grateful that you’re alive. Ending with the rampaging good times of “That’s All YouNeed.” In between, Ronnie Lane serves up dirty jokes the exquisitely funny “You’re So Rude” and heartbreaking ballads (the absolutely beautiful “Debris” , and generally serves up a nonstop party. There are few records that feel like a never-ending party like this seventies album , the slow moments are for slow dancing, and as soon as it’s over, it’s hard not to want to do it all over again. It’s another classic –
They were helped in that respect by new co-producer Glyn Johns, who came in as an impartial outside set of ears while helping to wrangle the unruly band members into recording shape. It couldn’t have been the easiest gig, but it’s easy to understand why Johns was attracted to it — aside from Stewart’s formidable vocals, the group boasted the prodigious talents of keyboardist Ian McLagan , drummer Kenney Jones and perpetually underrated bassist and great songwriter Ronnie Lane .
With Johns helping the Faces were brought more attentively to bear on some of their finest material. While public perception was increasingly focused on Stewart, the new album titled A Nod Is As Good As a Wink … to a Blind Horse — presented the band at their creatively democratic best. Of the eight originals they lined up for the LP, the majority were co-written, with Lane, McLagan, Stewart and Wood all having a hand in the record’s compositional makeup. As Lane recalled in the years after its release, Nod captured a group firing on all cylinders.
Side One
1. “Miss Judy’s Farm” (Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood) – 3:42
2. “You’re So Rude” (Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan) – 3:46
3. “Love Lives Here” (Lane, Stewart, Wood) – 3:09
4. “Last Orders Please” (Lane) – 2:38
5. “Stay with Me” (Stewart, Wood) – 4:42
Side Two
1. “Debris” (Lane) 4:39
2. “Memphis, Tennessee” Incorrectly titled on original US pressings of the album as simply “Memphis” (Chuck Berry) – 5:31
3. “Too Bad” (Stewart, Wood) – 3:16
4. “That’s All You Need” (Stewart, Wood) – 5:05
PERSONNEL –
ROD STEWART – vocals
RONNIE LANE – bass, acoustic guitar, percussion, vocals
RONNIE WOOD – lead, slide, acoustic and pedal steel guitars, backing vocals on “Too Bad”, harmonica
IAN McLAGAN – piano, organ, backing vocals “Too Bad”
KENNEY JONES – drums, percussion
HARRY FOWLER – steel drums on “That’s All You Need”
GLYN JOHNS – co-producer, engineer
PRODUCED BY FACES AND GLYN JOHNS
The story goes that Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance were formed after he walked into a bar after the last ever Faces show in June of 73 and shouted at Marc Bolan asking if he had an opening for an unemployed bass player. Bolan did not take him up on the offer and he retreated to his farm in Wales to begin putting together a new band called Slim Chance. The sound was mainly acoustic driven over flowing with warmth and quality and revealed the heart and soul of one of Britain’s most under rated songwriters. During his time with The Faces, Lane’s talents shone with songs he penned like ‘Just For A Moment’, Ooh La La and ‘Debris’. Eschewing the rock sound of his era, Ronnie Lane created a personal organic sound, propelled by melody and mandolins, violins and squeeze boxes, the sound that conjures up the sun at dawn and the beauty of the fading afternoon horizon.
Lane would record four solo albums with Slim Chance plus albums with Ronnie Wood, Mahoney’s Last Stand & Pete Townshend Rough Mix. In 1976 he briefly joined a re-formed Small Faces but quit after two weeks and again teamed up with Steve Marriott in 1981 to cut an album called the Magic Mijits album. Contracting MS in 1982, he kept going and in a massive showing of affection by his musical contemporaries a benefit show for MS charity was put together featuring Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Steve Winwood, Jimmy Page, Charlie Watts, and Andy Fairweather Low and raised millions for the charity. Ooh La La. An Island Harvest looks at Ronnie and Slim Chance’s time with Island Records where Ronnie released two albums – Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance and One for The Road.
This collection features highlights from those albums as well as covers of classic tracks delivered in the inimitable “Plonk” style. Tracks such as ‘Tin and Tambourine’ , ‘One For the Road’ and ‘Burnin’ Summer’ showcase Ronnie’s beautiful melodies and imaginative lyrics. It is easy to see why Lane was and still is admired by so many. The collection also unearths some previously unreleased alternate takes of classic Ronnie compositions such as Ooh La La, The Poacher and Anniversary. Also included is the “BBC In concert” Ronnie performed in 1974 which features Faces classics as well as a rip roaring version of How Come and a cover of Gallagher and Lyle’s I Believe In You who were part of the original Slim Chance line up and incidentally perform alongside Ronnie at this concert.
Ronnie Lane And Slim Chance00:00 Ooh La La (Altern Studio Take 4) (Ronnie Lane, Ron Wood) – 3.15 03:15 Don’t Try And Change My Mind – 3.05 06:20 One For The Road – 4.44 11:04 Buddy Can You Spare Me A Dime (Altern Studio Version) Gorney, Yip Harburg) – 4.07 15:11 Steppin’ And Reelin’ – 6.24 21:35 Harvest Home (Charlie Hart, Ronnie Lane) – 5.48 27:23 32nd Street – 4.34 31:57 Give Me A Penny – 3.01 34:54 I’m Gonna Sit Right Down (Altern Studio Take) (Fred E. Ahlert, Joe Young) – 3.10 38:02 You Never Can Tell (Take 1) (Chuck Berry) – 6.59 44:58 Back Street Boy (Jam Version) – 4.57 49:53 Snake – 3.30 53:21 Burnin’ Summer – 4.07 57:26 Anniversary – 3.00 1:00:24 Country Boy (Altern Take) (Marshall Barer, Fred Brooks) – 3.34 1:03:55 What Went Down (That Night With You) – 3.29 1:07:21 Tin And Tambourine (Kathy Lambert, Ronnie Lane) – 4.12 1:11:31 Little Piece Of Nothing – 2.26 1:13:53 The Poacher (Take 2) – 3.51 1:17:41 Street Gang (Ronnie Lane, Ruan O’Lochlainn, Steve Simpson) – 4.08 1:21:46 Nobody’s Listenin’ – 3.57 1:25:39 Stone – 4.10 1:29:47 G’morning – 4.02 1:33:47 Bottle Of Brandy (Isaacs Family) – 2.50 1:36:33 Single Saddle (Arthur Altman, Hal David) – 2.03 1:38:33 Lovely – 3.29 1:41:59 Ain’t No Lady (Kathy Lambert, Ronnie Lane, Ruan O’Lochlainn) – 4.26 1:46:22 Blue Monday (Dave Bartholomew) – 4.09 1:50:30 Anniversary (Altern Mix) – 3.07
(BBC In Concert)1:53:35 Last Orders- 4.26 1:58:01 Done This One Before – 3.58 2:01:59 Flags And Banners (Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart) – 4.06 2:06:05 Tell Everyone – 3.40 2:09:45 How Come – 3.55 2:13:40 I Believe In You (Bernard Gallagher, Graham Lyle) – 4.53 2:18:33 Debris – 6.29 2:25:02 Ooh La La (Ronnie Lane, Ron Wood) – 3.48 All songs written by Ronnie Lane unless as else noted.
Ronnie Lane passed away on June 4th, 1997 at the age of 51 . He had stars in his eyes and love in his smile. Story by Paolo Hewitt
Rod Stewart was doing double duty with the Faces at the time of 1971’s ‘Every Picture Tells a Story,’ so his band mates’ contributions boost the loose, boozy vibe. As the decade progressed, Stewart would try on a few other hats soft-rock lothario, swarthy disco guy – but he’s at his best when he puts his throaty voice behind pure rock ‘n’ roll.
The album is a mixture of rock country, Folk and blues and some soul, and includes Stewart’s breakthrough hit, “Maggie May” and the Tim Hardin cover “Reason To Believe” taken from Hardin’s debut album of 1966. “Reason to Believe” was released as the first single from the album with “Maggie May” as the B-side, however, “Maggie May” became more popular and was a No. 1 hit in both the UK and US.
The album also included a version of Arthur Crudup’s “That’s All Right (Mama)” and a cover of the Dylan song “Tomorrow Is A long Time” that was an outtake from Dylan’s 1963 “Freewheelin” album.
All five members of the Faces (with whom Stewart at that time was thier lead vocalist) appeared on the album, with guitarist/bassist Ronnie Wood and keyboardist Ian McLagan on keyboards being most prominent. Due to contractual restrictions, the personnel listings were somewhat vague, and it was unclear that the full Faces line-up . Other contributors included Ray Jackson on mandolin (though Stewart forgot his name and merely mentioned “the mandolin player in Lindisfarne on the sleeve). Micky Waller on drums. Maggie Bell performed backing vocals (mentioned on the sleeve as “vocal abrasives”) on the title track, and Madeline Bell sang backup on the next track, “Seems Like A Long Time”. Pete Sears played all the piano on the album except for one track, “I’m Losing You” which featured Ian McLagan on piano, along with the Faces as a band.
This is the final rollicking concert of the legendary Faces featuring a high powered performance from Keith Richards, Rod Stewart himself shakin’ his booty like there’s no tomorrow, and a string section for a little class. Although Rod went on to bigger success, many say his association with Faces was the musical highpoint of his career and this concert is the cinematic proof. Stewart and his Faces group were joined on-stage by Rolling Stones stalwart Keith Richard. For the record, “Faces” consisted of Ron Wood (guitar) Ian McLaglan (keyboard), future Who member Kenny Jones (drums) and Tetsu Yamauchi (replacing Ronnie Lane on bass).
What a great track “Ooh La La” is a song from The Faces. The song was written by Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood and sung by RonnieWood. That is strange because The Faces had one of the best lead singers around at the time…Rod Stewart. Stewart by this time was soaring as a solo artist and his interest in the Faces was waning. He claimed the song was not in his key to sing. He did do vocals for it then and Lane but Wood ended up singing the released version. Rod Stewart and the Faces seem to sound better with each passing year. You realise there’ll never be another band quite like them. It’s almost as if they were so busy having a good time that they didn’t even realise just how great and lasting their music really was. There was nothing intellectual about the Faces, but they sure knew how to play it from the heart. There’s something so English about them and yet a lot of their influences were so obviously American, especially Rod’s love of Soul legend Sam Cooke. Ron Wood’s guitar playing from ths period is so unique, just listen to his work on a track like “Just Another Honky” from Ooh La La. There’s so much great music on the Faces and early Rod albums (which usually feature most if not all of the band). The title song of “Ooh La La” actually has Ron Wood handling the lead vocal and has been one of my favourite songs for a long time. There’s something so down home and relaxed (but not laid back) about it. Try finding some bootlegs of Faces live shows. They overflow with good times. May their music live on forever.
The Faces had one big hit…”Stay With Me” but this song is their greatest song to me. Rod Stewart finally covered the song in 1998 for a tribute to Ronnie Lane. Ronnie Lane did his own version with his band Slim Chance. Ronnie Wood also does it live in solo shows. A song between Granddad and Son about the ways of love. The song never ages because the subject matter never changes and it is continually passed along. The song creates an atmosphere and Wood not known for his singing ability did a great job on this one.
This week in 1973: The Faces scored their first UK #1 album with their final studio release, ‘Ooh La La’, released on Warner Bros. Records; with his career in the stratosphere due to the success of his solo albums, Rod Stewart had became increasingly distanced from his bandmates by the time of this recording; produced by Glyn Johns, highlights included “Silicone Grown”, “Cindy Incidentally” & the raucous yet bittersweet album closer “Ooh La La”, featuring the only-ever Faces lead vocal from guitarist Ronnie Wood; the album cover is a photo of Gastone’, a stage character of 1920s Italian comedian Ettore Petrolini, originally designed in such a way that when the top edge was pressed down Gastone’s eyes would discolour & move to the side, while his jaw dropped into a leering smile…
1. Silicone Grown 0:00
2. Cindy Incidentally 3:06
3. Flags And Banners 5:43
4. My Fault 7:45
5. Borstal Boys 10:54
6. Fly In The Onitment 13:48
7. If I’m On The Late Side 17:39
8. Glad And 20:19
9. Just Another Honky 23:23
10. Ooh La La 27:00
The complete Faces album released in 1973 including many of their best songs. I would say it’s their best studio album.
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The Fat Angel Sings 