(Photo courtesy of Nick Latona)Believe it or not, there actually was a time when Rod Stewart wasn’t all washed out and corny. He once fronted rock 'n' roll’s premiere ragtag gang of miscreants, the Faces.
The contrast of then and now is startling to say the least, but I suppose spending over five decades falling in and out of the musical spotlight does funny things to a man.
Regardless of Stewart's miserable Vegas residency, the Faces remain as icons of unadulterated raw raucousness — unrefined and visceral. The band's cockerel hairdos and drunken personas influenced a generation of rockers and taught millions of gawking fans how to fall apart and have great time doing it.
Every member of the Faces relished in successful careers before the band’s creation and after its dissolution. Naturally, harnessing such talent into a single group yielded an excellent catalog during the group's three years of recording studio albums.
But, “A Nod Is as Good as a Wink… to a Blind Horse” is an easy personal favorite amongst the other gems.
These are my favorite tracks from the Faces’s liquor-laden opus, etched onto freshly cleaned, virgin black vinyl, of course.
(Photo courtesy of Nick Latona)1. “Miss Judy’s Farm”
Ronnie Wood’s signature dirty guitar riffing, aided by Stewart’s booze-addled howling, kicks off the album with gusto. While there’s no distinguishable chorus and hook, the indelible chemistry between Stewart and Wood will have even the stiffest of squares raising their drinks to cheer on the night.
Just wait until the song breaks down into a chunky boogie, teasing the inevitable blues workout to come. And when it does, Ian McLagan bursts forth to prove his mastery of the blues rock piano sound.
“Miss Judy’s Farm” instantly sets the vibe for the rest of “A Nod…” and will command your undivided attention.
2. “Stay With Me”
The Faces only enjoyed minor commercial success, largely due to Stewart’s skyrocketing solo career overshadowing the band. “Stay With Me,” however, was a hit and crashed onto the airwaves, boosting album sales in the process.
Stewart’s sound is an oddity. His sandpaper vocals shouldn’t work, and yet everything he sings somehow sounds incredible. That throaty croon is unrivaled and needs only to be evidenced as such by the coarse power he manages to emanate while belting out “Stay With Me.”
Layer on the infectious boogie from the rhythm section and Wood’s massive soloing and you can see how “Stay With Me” became the Faces’s most recognized track.
3. “Debris”
We’ve all taken for granted the sacred and precious time we have with family. Countless angst-ridden youth have cast their parents aside and moved on, only to regret their selfishness later on.
“Debris” is an anthem for the homesick people who’ve done just that.
Stewart takes a knee here as Lane delivers a crushingly gorgeous vocal performance about his missed Sunday outings with his dear father.
Written like a teary-eyed confessional to a gravestone, Lane’s contemplative melodies pang with genuine remorse for leaving his father alone on the debris.
“Debris” hints at the bar band collective’s sensitive side and gives “A Nod…” the break from debauchery it sorely needs.
4. “That’s All You Need”
Closing the album is Wood’s earth-shattering slide guitar trucking alongside Stewart’s typical vocal bombast.
About halfway through, Wood gives a thunderous solo that will practically force a bottle to your lips and empty its contents until some concerned soul takes the intoxicant from your hands and says, “Man — that’s all you need.”
I’ll be damned if anyone ever manages to write such a perfect soundtrack to whiskey-chugging again.
And as the final track fades away and your record player’s needle lifts itself, you’ll soundly agree — the Faces and your drink of choice is really all you need.
Tell the reporter about your vinyl collection at nlatona@asu.edu or follow @Bigtonemeaty on Twitter.
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