Faces

If you skip the altogether too drunk, too long "I Feel Good," there isn't a single bad song on Long Player. In fact, "Had Me a Real Good Time," "Richmond" and "On the Beach" are some of the Faces' absolute best songs. And their cover of "Maybe I'm Amazed" will make you cry. The rest of the songs are merely great. Rod Stewart and Ron Wood are beyond cool and, as with all the Faces stuff, you just never get tired of listening to Kenny Jones play drums.

Being one of the few English bands left willing (nay, all too happy) to flaunt their
Englishness, and moreover ranking no lower than third on the current faverave list of such
heavy critics as John Mendelsohn, Faces should be just a shout away from becoming very
enormous indeed, and, in the opinion of such heavy critics as John Mendelsohn, perhaps
saving rock and roll from taking itself seriously to death in the process. In view o... More >

The difference between these guys and their smaller forebears, the ones who released round-covered albums and sang "Itchycoo Park" with whine and phase, isn't just Steve Marriott vs. Rod Stewart. It's 1968 vs. 1971. Marriott was a pop craftsman with the Small Faces; with Humble Pie he's a boogie man. Stewart is a pop craftsman solo; with the Faces he's a boogie man. Boogie's not a bad idea, especially when you play it fast and loose rather than 'eavy like the 'Umbles. But as exciting as it is theoretically--and by comparison with the competition, boogieing and otherwise--it doesn't have much staying power. That's partly because they play it too loose and not quite fast enough. And partly because Stewart reserves his popcraft for solo LPs. (Grade - B)