If you're driving a Cadillac and someone offers you a Bentley.....

He was already recording Atlantic Crossing before the Faces disbandment and was relying on a mostly American group of musicians instead of using any of the British musicians he mostly worked with on previous albums.

htttp://www.last.fm/user/rocknrollcola

Just taking an inventory of my record / music collection and notice that 99.5% of my absolute favorite music releases were recorded prior to the end of '75. The date of Faces breakup sort of coincides with the end of a period of influence that defines my musical DNA (if there is such a thing). Funny that...

"It was just not my meat with the two saxes"

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GravityBoy
The real sad thing is that Ronnie never made the same scale of contributions to the Stones.

Either he wasn't allowed or he was a bit shy.

Agreed. I saw Faces way back in 1974 or 75, and it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. I loved Ron's guitar playing. He had a really raw sound that he completely abandoned when he joined the Stones. I'd love to know what happened, but Ron himself may not know.

All I can guess is that he was intimidated on some level, and never felt at ease enough to let loose. I recall the story of his being ordered to put one of Brian's old guitars down. It seems like the only people who can really stand up to Mick and Keith's force of personality are the other original members of the band, and Taylor because he was so obviously more technically accomplished than Keith.

Rod wanted a solo career and went for it.Ronnie knew things were gonna end and took the offer for a spot on the Stones 1975 tour. And he was already friends with Mick n Keef..it would be strange they would choose another guitarist than Ronnie to be a regular guitarist. Ronnie wrote some great stuff for the Faces.
Jeroen



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-12-26 20:45 by corriecas.

Rod Stewart broke up the faces with all his prima donna moves wanting to be billed separately in front of the Faces . Rod has to always have something to gripe about instead of his paltry songwriting ability instead !

I see Amazon is now using Ooh La La in their commercial for Alexa. Rod sings it in concert these days. Perhaps the song will become widely popular like She's A Rainbow with a new generation of young fans. I'm sure Woody will be happy about the songwriting royalties from the song along with Ronnie Lane's estate.

No one broke them up. Just circumstances at that particular time .
Ronnie has always wanted to be a Rolling Stone since the very early days.

Very well documented ,and he was the ideal guy to be a Rolling Stone after the untimely death of Brian after his own self destruction, but maybe Ronnie was not so well known at the time.

Mick and the guys obviously agreed on Mick Taylor as the new guitarist, and the rest is history.

Mick Taylor is a great musician and some of his playing is the best stuff we will ever hear from The Rolling Stones.

If Brian had the same lifestyle back then as Mick, Keith and Charlie...…...he maybe would have been with us today, and possibly still a Rolling Stone.

Ronnie is a great Rolling Stone as are all the others including back up guys and gals in the band.

The Faces were done once Ronnie Lane left. Without him, no new studio albums and no reliable songwriter.

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ChicagoCalling
Just taking an inventory of my record / music collection and notice that 99.5% of my absolute favorite music releases were recorded prior to the end of '75. The date of Faces breakup sort of coincides with the end of a period of influence that defines my musical DNA (if there is such a thing). Funny that...

Damn good point

"No Anchovies, Please"

Hate to be a b**** but why do people keep calling them The Faces its just Faces. It's like saying The Motley Crew, its just Motley Crew. OK Im done.

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TheGreek
Rod Stewart broke up the faces with all his prima donna moves wanting to be billed separately in front of the Faces . Rod has to always have something to gripe about instead of his paltry songwriting ability instead !

Maggie, Tonight's The Night, Stay With Me, etc. - wish I was that paltry!

"No Anchovies, Please"

Clearly, it wasn't Tetsu's fault.

Obviously it was Rod. He was the mastermind of the band. No one did squat without Rod giving the nod.

If only they all were so easy.

I think the Rolling Stones broke up Faces.

Faces were like the Rolling Stones, Jr. They played live more often, and sustained fans during those long-three year stretches between Stones tours.

When Ron Wood got the nod to join the varsity, how could he say no? He got to be in the band that was his inspiration.

Fans like to view bands as gangs instead of business ventures. The Beatles, Faces, Zeppelin, The Who, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys are all business ventures. Sometimes people leave the partnership and are replaced. Sometimes the venture is dissolved. This is reality, but it doesn't fit the self-mythologizing side of fandom that makes one want to call middle-aged and now geriatric men "boys" and prefer something with limited commercial appeal because it is "cool."

In this way, Faces like Ronnie Wood, Ronnie Lane, and Ian McLagan solo are seen as valid compared to the far more successful Rod Stewart who is resented as creatively bankrupt by a minority of vocal fans of Faces. The same phenomena occurs with The Rolling Stones where Keith Richards & The X-Pensive Winos are seen as valid and "cool" and cold, calculating, desperate Mick Jagger is creatively bankrupt and portrayed as loathsome or lacking in masculine characteristics. This perception is even endorsed by the media because gossip sells while simple dollars and cents approach to success isn't good copy outside of trade magazines.

Why did the business venture operating as Faces dissolve? The simple answer is the venture had started operating as a subsidiary to a separate venture by one of its chief operating officers. Following Ronnie Lane's exit of the partnership, Rod Stewart was left as the sole principal in the organization. The only other choice apart from dissolution was for Faces to be legally recognized as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rod Stewart. This did not sit well with the other directors who lacked the ability to steer Faces creatively and so it was dissolved as a venture.

Same story as The Beatles, but fans and the media find it easier to say it is Yoko's fault. Sell it as a gang and you have fan addiction to the narrative being controlled. Sell it as reality as a business venture and you have no ability to create drama and sell copy. Where would Jane Rose or her client be without the ability to sell the narrative? You would be left with dull, business-focused, cold, calculating Mick Jagger who steered the venture to success on a different level once it was clear neither the band brand nor Jagger the solo brand could continue to compete on the same level creatively.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-12-28 00:09 by Rocky Dijon.

Ironically, one of the most interesting interviews with Mick and Keith I've read in a long time was in Fortune sometime around 2001, and it was all about the Rolling Stones as a business.

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Rocky Dijon
Fans like to view bands as gangs instead of business ventures. The Beatles, Faces, Zeppelin, The Who, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys are all business ventures. Sometimes people leave the partnership and are replaced. Sometimes the venture is dissolved. This is reality, but it doesn't fit the self-mythologizing side of fandom that makes one want to call middle-aged and now geriatric men "boys" and prefer something with limited commercial appeal because it is "cool."

In this way, Faces like Ronnie Wood, Ronnie Lane, and Ian McLagan solo are seen as valid compared to the far more successful Rod Stewart who is resented as creatively bankrupt by a minority of vocal fans of Faces. The same phenomena occurs with The Rolling Stones where Keith Richards & The X-Pensive Winos are seen as valid and "cool" and cold, calculating, desperate Mick Jagger is creatively bankrupt and portrayed as loathsome or lacking in masculine characteristics. This perception is even endorsed by the media because gossip sells while simple dollars and cents approach to success isn't good copy outside of trade magazines.

Why did the business venture operating as Faces dissolve? The simple answer is the venture had started operating as a subsidiary to a separate venture by one of its chief operating officers. Following Ronnie Lane's exit of the partnership, Rod Stewart was left as the sole principal in the organization. The only other choice apart from dissolution was for Faces to be legally recognized as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rod Stewart. This did not sit well with the other directors who lacked the ability to steer Faces creatively and so it was dissolved as a venture.

Same story as The Beatles, but fans and the media find it easier to say it is Yoko's fault. Sell it as a gang and you have fan addiction to the narrative being controlled. Sell it as reality as a business venture and you have no ability to create drama and sell copy. Where would Jane Rose or her client be without the ability to sell the narrative? You would be left with dull, business-focused, cold, calculating Mick Jagger who steered the venture to success on a different level once it was clear neither the band brand nor Jagger the solo brand could continue to compete on the same level creatively.

The footage of Mick Jagger's Japanese solo tour proves that it would not be a myth. He is a cold performer minus the Stones, although still more of a dynamo than solo Keith (as a singer/frontman).

As for the Beatles, it used to be that Linda was blamed as much as Yoko. That aspect did have a business angle due to her father and brother being lawyers that pitted her husband in a hostile legal battle with Allen Klein and the rest of the Beatles. There were other things going on, but if Linda's family didn't insert themselves or at least recuse themselves and recommend their SIL seek other counsel, the Beatles breakup might not have been so messy. They could have even reconciled after a brief time or not broken up at all.

As for the Faces, what was their structure prior to Rod joining? Did Rod have more power than Steve Marriott during his time with them when they were Small Faces?

They were one of the premiere best rock and roll bands ever to walk the face of the Earth. Each of them in his way, like only the very best of bands imo.
i dug Steve in front with Small Faces and was ON to Faces from their first LP, which I thought a good omen tho no big obvious super-hits. It was a leisurely pace if I'm recalling correctly. Longish songs most of them, for the time anyway....
....stretching it out a bit; i wasn't all totally into that first one for very long but it satisfied me as an entree...what came afterward is mind-blowing imo. well it was for me. i saw them Live at Fillmore East, and pretty up close to the stage on Ron's side, Mac was on Stage Left if you're facing the audience.
i guess that was standard pretty much. It was a super show in every way.
Both Ron's acoustic six and twelve as well as his excellent unique, filthiest, fattest and most raw guitar sound I'd heard up to then. I'm including Rod's first excellent solo forays too, as Rod included Ronnie Wood. Folky vibe and textures with a lot of his acoustic work on Rod's excellent material. then.
Ronnie on Rod's solo stuff is where that grand super electric guitar sounds. The acoustics on Every Picture...and stuff like that. just super; similarly to the excellent ways The Stones layer warm acoustics in the mix to classic electric 'riff' oriented material...

I guess Stones fans are already super hip to Faces. I wonder if Nicky and Mac ever met; they must have somewhere along the way?

Also the Jeff Beck stuff IS to this day, classic, classic KILLER and ab original for the time. There was Truly nothing before that Jeff Beck Group with Ronnie on excellent bass guitar, and Rod's diamond vocal textures and warm rasp were revelatory for a fan such as I. ("now and then there's a fool such as i,..."
as Elvis the Pelvis had been quoted. There had truly been no band before them, with a biggest heavy thick driving 'wall of sound' single guitar chord, It shook the earth, and Jimmy Page too I am somehow Certain.

Just so excellente; I guess Rocky's post about business in the wake of Ronnie Lane's departure gives me insight...
...but it's the 2nd best rock and roll show (and cool soul grooves ala Temptations) that I'd ever seen, and have seen, by mixed virtue of NYC residence and being born right in time to be 12 when the UK Invasion Bands hit Big and Hugely....
sounds like a law firm: Biggs and Hugely. Entertainment Attorneys.
they were superb; the stage floor they brung with 'em was all shiny slippery so Ron did some knee-slides for fun, and I don't know how much of it was 'show' or how much of it was taking sips of hard alcohol during the set...but i'm guessing the latter by seeing them upclose; they were super professional and ON it, as far as playing singing and performing; all of them. a perfect band with perfect dynamics for awhile, a real sodden brotherhood, at least it felt that way, and sounded that way.
I love a Lot of Ronnie's work as a Stone but admit to hard time with it at first. I saw his 13th show ever with The Stones, and not a 'full' 'official' member, almost like a bit the unrevealed audition perhaps, they would have dropped him if he couldn't pull proper weight I suppose. a very tough position at what would later be known as a really devastating period for the band, and a harbinger of the serious break-up, for all intents and purposes seemingly. from their former manifestations, tho the art design and image for the 'branding' continued in excellent fashion. And each release was able to sustain me tho none of it was ever going to get to that golden period and brief post-golden-period mainstays like the next two or so after EOMS where Taylor's tracks were still used.
It seemed to me in '75, that Ron was relegated to B status somewhat, well if the last time you saw them in the same room was '72 with the cake and all that as the Tour wrapped, well, this 75 version was an entire different show in most every way; every way. and it would take me, honestly, years to be able to get back to that tour with Boots and soundboards and really appreciate it. Come 78, they seemed really back to me....and now i dig '75 too but i didn't so much at the time...
....Ron had a super commanding co-lead role, and was a most excellent original guitarist with a ton of soul and color to his tones and approach...just spendiferous, but if fans here don't particularly appreciate, and some won't, Ron's melodic, and imo wonderful, Leads on Rod's big hit stuff when there's 8 or so bars to fill with a Lead, then they will disagree and feel differently; but that's my take on Ronnie with Faces. They were a perfect band imo. each indidual like a hand in a super classy raunchy pair of elegant black leather gloves. they were just so super; it was grand fun and great blistering no holds barred rock and roll; it swung, dipped, glowed and grooved. It was Superb rock and roll history of great importance, and i feel lucky to this day a half century or so later. and remember it distinctly.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2018-12-28 02:29 by hopkins.

A couple great interviews with Kenney Jones from 2013 that I just happened to watch earlier today. He discusses the Faces, The Who, Charlie Watts, John Bonham, etc...and how the Faces formed and how he got into music, a great listen and watch in two parts:

video: [www.youtube.com] Part One

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The Sicilian
A couple great interviews with Kenney Jones from 2013 that I just happened to watch earlier today. He discusses the Faces, The Who, Charlie Watts, John Bonham, etc...and how the Faces formed and how he got into music, a great listen and watch in two parts:

video: [www.youtube.com] Part Two



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-12-28 06:58 by The Sicilian.

I love the Faces, more so than the Small Faces, but then no accounting for taste??

I also think the world of Humble Pie, but none of these groups can touch the Stones.

Great post hopkins. You have captured the essence of what made Faces one of the all time great bands. If you didn't have fun at a Faces concert, well you probably had trouble having fun period. Those guys were a moveable party and they invited everyone to join in the hijinks. Behind all that sloppy, often shambolic act on stage were some quality sympathetic players that had serious chops. Early years Stewart was "one of the boys", but then became the ego centric LV. It wasn't Tetsu's fault the band broke up. He was just drunk. Laney leaving was the first dagger as he was in my opinion the heart of the band. Rod's ego eventually helped bring it all down. I thought it was a bad sign at the time when Rod dissed the terrific Ooh La La album at release.

We should all be grateful that band played as long as they did, giving us some outstanding records and serious get down rock and roll shows. All good parties come to an end, but we still have the music.

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Cooltoplady
Hate to be a b**** but why do people keep calling them The Faces its just Faces. It's like saying The Motley Crew, its just Motley Crew. OK Im done.

well, it's not really Motley Crew is it? Is it The Rolling Stones or just Rolling Stones?

was glad to come
I'll be sad to go
So while I'm here
I'll have me a real good time...
__________________________________



Thought I was lookin' good
So I cycled 'cross the neighborhood
Was invited by a skinny girl
Into her high class world
Left my bicycle under the stairs
Laid my coat across the kosher chairs
Made my way across the crowded room
I had nothing to lose

My reception wasn't very keen
So turning on a friendly grin,
Stood on the table with my glass of gin
And came straight to the point
I was glad to come
I'll be sad to go
So while I'm here
I'll have me a real good time
I was glad to come
I'll be sad to go
So while I'm here
I'll have me a real good time. Oh no

Dancin' madly 'round the room, yeah
Singing loudly and sorta' out of tune
Was escorted by a friendly slag
'Round the ... back
Wandered c-c-cross ...
Missed my step and I fell on the floor.
Said one word and was asked to leave
Kinda' wish I was dead.

I was glad to come
And I'll be so sad to leave,
But while I was here
I had me a real good time, oooh.

The skinny girl made it clear,
That she only came here for the beer - that's a fact, oh yeah
The vicar he simply reeked of gin - good God
On my way home I happened to fall off my bicycle, good party
Ooh hoo, ha ha, yeah

I was glad to come, but I was also glad to get home, yeah
Ooh hoo
Hoo, get in there
Ooh hoo

Songwriters: Ronald Lane / Rod Stewart / Ron Wood
Had Me a Real Good Time lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc
[www.youtube.com]

kick it boys



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-12-28 21:34 by hopkins.

ronnie wood always wanted to be in the rolling stones, hes stated before he wanted to be in the band, and its difficult to figure out where the band would have ended up without him.

if i was wood, and jagger turned to me and said mick taylors just left. i would have just handed him my cv and references and asked him when do i start.

He was already on speed dial before Taylor left. Keith was living at his house off and on. He helped write IORR. It was just a matter of time.