Customer Reviews

Definitive Rock

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There was a time in the early Seventies when the Faces gave the Rolling Stones a run for their money as the World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band. During their all too brief career, the Faces released only four studio albums and they are all thoroughly represented on this two-disc 30-track collection. [Thankfully there are no tracks from 1974's lackluster live album COAST TO COAST.]

THE DEFINITIVE ROCK COLLECTION duplicates all 19 tracks from 1999's THE BEST OF FACES and adds additional album tracks. Among the new additions are the instrumental "Pineapple and the Monkey" from FIRST STEP that features some amazing slide work from Ron Wood. "Maybe I'm Amazed," from LONG PLAYER, takes McCartney's ballad and turns it into a gut-wrenching plea. Also included is "Jodie," an outtake from the OOH LA LA sessions, along with two non-album singles, "Pool Hall Richard" and "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing, or Anything," both recorded after Ronnie Lane had left the band.

If you're a true Faces fanatic, you should settle for nothing less than 2004's essential 4-disc FIVE GUYS WALK INTO A BAR..., which duplicates everything found here. But if you're on a budget and want more than the basics, THE DEFINITIVE ROCK COLLECTION is a superb collection.

It's hard to believe that the man who now sings warmed-over Tin Pan Alley standards was once the front man for what may have been the best rock n' roll bar band (or more appropriately, pub band) ever. Not that the Faces were ever on the bar-band circuit - to a man they already had respectable credentials. But it's their sound that's endearing - that rough-hewn, loosey-goosey, freewheeling style that made them such a working-man's band.

As the Small Faces, they were a psychedelic band on the verge of dissolution after Steve Marriott left them, but with the recruiting of Ronny Wood and Rod Stewart in 1969, they roared back with a vengeance and a new style. They were the Rolling Stones without the aloof arrogance and flashy showmanship, and fans loved them for that down-to-earth sensibility. Led by Rod Stewart's raspy tenor, they produced four studio albums, and they were a hugely popular live act, even rivaling the Stones on tour at one time. This two-disc set is an economical and well-collected alternative to the box set, "Five Guys Walk into a Bar...", though it doesn't include any live tracks or previously-unavailable outtakes like its bigger cousin. It does, however, include eight tracks not on the box set, including the original studio versions of "Shake, Shudder" and "My Fault"; the Dylan cover "Wicked Messenger"; the inexplicably-omitted, incredible cover of Chuck Berry's "Memphis" (credited here as "Memphis, Tennessee"); and two Stewart solo tracks that featured the Faces on backup, "(I Know I'm) Losing You" (the studio version), and "Jodie".

Once Rod's solo career took off, of course, the band's days were numbered. But the other members - Wood, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLaglen and Kenney Jones - also went on to fair success on their own, especially Wood and Jones, who joined the Stones and The Who, respectively. This collection is an excellent overview of the band's short but memorable career.

My son saw this cd in a store in AZ and when he went to buy it, it was gone. Well, I know I can find anything on Amazon, so I ordered it for him. He says it is "fantastic".

If you like The Kinks, but don't want to pay for all of the albums, this is an excellent choice. A well rounded collection of The Kinks best music. I purchased this CD mainly for my fave Kinks song, "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman". As I listened to the various tracks, I found myself thinking, "Oh yea, I remember that song, and that song, and that song..." This collection is definitely worth the price of admission.

I say Stewart can bore me in four songs. Challenge me. Maybe he can bore you in three? Two? One? The highlights really have to be the few Ronnie Lane pieces and Ooh La La. Oh yea, there is Losing You, Maybe I'm Amazed, and Stay with Me. Stewart handles those well. But overall, Stewart's voice is just too damn irritating to enjoy for long.