Customer Reviews

Faces Box: Five Guys Walk Into a Bar

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This four disc retrospective is a must have for any Faces, Rod Stewart or Ronnie Wood fan (et alia). We're treated to all the best songs as well as previously unissued tracks including studio rehearsals and superbly recorded BBC live tracks. All digitally remastered by the "masters" at Rhino. These songs have never sounded better!
This set does not follow the standard chronological order of many box sets and does not fall prey to the expanded greatest hits package either. The tracklist was put together by Ian McLagan himself. Although the song order may seem a bit disjointed at first; it really keeps the listener interested and the music flowing quite well. No need to go into details about the band itself, because chances are if you're reading this you are already a Faces fan. A fan who wishes there was more Faces music out there for consumption. A fan who wishes Rod Stewart would "rock" again. A fan who hopes Ronnie Wood would quit posing and crank out the guitar again.
Well this set answers at least one of those wishes in a big way.
Don't let the price scare you off, you can not take the $$$$$$$ with you anyway. So add it to your cart and don't look back. you will not regret it!
One last thing...for a Faces "newcomer", you're best bet is to purchase the single disc album, "The Best Of Faces: Good Boys When They're Asleep". If after a few listens of that disc, you want more, then opt for this box. Some of the studio jams and very raw rehearsal tracks (borderline bootleg quality) on this four disc set might be a little much for the casual Faces listener. All in all the best box I've purchased all summer!

I always liked the Faces years ago, when their career overlapped the great early years of Rod Stewart's solo career. It's great to have them back on four discs of hits, album cuts, live cuts, cover versions, rehearsals, B-sides and unreleased music. They weren't prolific album-makers, so all of this material gives them a presence in your CD changer they might not have had before.

Because of Rod Stewart's great success as a solo artist, the Faces always seemed like the other place to go to hear his music, and not the main event. But this box set puts it all in perspective. This was not Rod Stewart's band at all. It was Ron Wood's.

Hearing all this music in one place, you are overwhelmed with his unbelievably great guitar playing--perhaps the most creative guitar in rock. He does it all: Riffs, rhythm, solos, bottleneck, and on a few cuts playing completely by himself for stretches of intense expressiveness, like a dog howling at the moon. When he's called upon to be tender (like on many of Ronnie Lane's excellent songs like "Richmond" and "Debris"), Wood is like a painter. But he's also the driving force in hard rocking songs like "Miss Judy's Farm" and "Stay With Me." He never wastes a note!

Where is this Ron Wood now? He has been absorbed into the Rolling Stones, but I cannot think of one lick in any of the Stones' songs from the Ron Wood era where this amazing creative force gets a chance to breathe free. The Stones are Keith's show, and Wood does...what? Play a nondescript solo here and there, or play second rhythm guitar behind Keith's riffing. Don't get me wrong, Keith is great, too. But Ron Wood's talent is going to waste. After nearly 30 years, I wonder if he could even do this anymore.

The image of the Faces as a sloppy band is also put to rest when you hear all the live cuts. I know, I know, the Replacements and other punk-era bands call the Faces their model. Sorry, you guys. You couldn't keep up with this band for five minutes. The musicianship across the board is just too high.

As a longtime fan of the Faces, Rhino's 4-disc compilation is a treasure trove of hits (okay, they only had two bonafide hits), album tracks, b-sides, live tracks (most of them from BBC appearances) and rareties. In fact, of the 67 tracks, thirty are previously unreleased; and others have only now been available on CD, like a live version of the Temptations' "I Wish It Would Rain" (previously only available as the b-side of "Pool Hall Richard"), "Dishevelment Blues" (a flexi-disc single given out with the April 1973 issue of Melody Maker in the UK), "Oh Lord I'm Browned Off" (the b-side of "Maybe I'm Amazed"), and "Real Wheel Skid" (the b-side of "Had Me a Real Good Time").

All told, this is a glorious testament to one of the best bands of the early seventies. Produced and compiled by Faces' keyboardist Ian McLagan and dedicated to bassist Ronnie Lane, this is a labor of love from start to finish. While Rod Stewart was the focal point of the band, it was Lane who was the band's heart and soul. Lane wrote or co-wrote a third of the tracks, including classics like "Debris," "Last Orders Please," "You're So Rude" and perhaps my favorite Faces' song, "Ooh La La."

In addition to the terrific music, the 64-page booklet is packed with photos, track-by-track info, a complete discography, an essay by David Fricke, and testamonials by artists as diverse as the Sex Pistols' Glen Matlock, Slash and Rich Robinson, whose band The Black Crowes was greatly influenced by the Faces. There is also a touching tribute to Lane written by McLagan.

This box set serves as a reminder of just how great a rock 'n' roll band the Faces were. Even if you already own their four studio albums, this is a must-have purchase. [Running time: Disc 1 - 77:43, Disc 2 - 79:12, Disc 3 - 74:26, Disc 4 - 76:30] VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Can't agree more with all the rave reviews written above mine, but why oh why has no one mentioned the incredible song "Pool Hall Richard" that leads off Disc 2? I'm a fairly astute Stewart and Faces fan having bought all the studio albums back in the 70's, but had never heard of this track until the box set came out. If it isn't the greatest Faces song of all time it is at least a close second to "Stay With Me". This one has it all, a great slashing Woodie guitar, kick ass bass and drums, Ian pounding the keyboard and Rod singing his brains out as only he could. This one song is worth the price of the box set alone.

I was lucky enough to see Faces a couple of months after "Maggie May" was first released (Boston Common 8/71) and have never forgotten what an incredible live band they were. If you were around at that time, lucky you, you caught one of the greatest working bands ever; if not, grab a copy of this set to catch up on what you missed.

I consider myself a Faces fan, and my Faces collection includes the four original studio cds ("First Step," "Long Player," "A Nod...," and "Ooh La La"), the live "Coast to Coast" (on album...please somebody release this on cd in the US), and an obscure compilation (two long-since broken cassettes, "The Best of the Faces"). I passed on the recent "Good Boys When They're Asleep" compilation as it contained only one track with which I was unfamiliar. I frequented Ian McLagen's excellent macspages website where I learned that a box-set was in the works. And I waited... My patience has been amply rewarded. "Five Guys Walk Into a Bar..." is a happy, joyous, and invigorating celebration of the Faces. This 67-song compilation contains 24 tracks from the four original studio albums, 12 previously-released tracks not available on the four studio records, and 31 previously-unreleased gems. The 24 album-tracks serve as a great sampler for these albums - raucous, heart-felt, always sincere. The 12 previously-released "non-album" tracks include mainly non-album singles and B-sides (and one cut from Wood/Lane's "Mahoney's Last Stand") - it is great to have this material "under one roof." The 31 previously-unreleased tracks include live concert material (19 tracks), live rehearsals (four tracks), five cuts from the "Ooh La La" sessions, and three tracks from the Faces' last recording session. The live material (concert and rehearsal) includes Faces' classics and some covers, and in general are of very good sound quality - most of these tracks are taken from BBC recordings (only the live "Too Bad" suffers from poor sound). The outtakes from the Ooh La La sessions are great - in fact, Jealous Guy is perhaps my favorite track of the entire box set.

The packaging is top-notch. Great reading material, some of it penned by Face Ian McLagen. The track presentation is wonderful - the discs are not segregated by material, but instead the tracks are mixed so that newly-available tracks are interspersed among the songs we know and love...the over-all feel is like a concert; you never know what is coming next, but you know it will be great. The box-set credits include "Box Set Produced by Ian McLagen" and I believe that this box-set could only come from the hand of an insider. Left to their own, record-company execs would probably have produced a slick yet soulless greatest hits package...this, on the other hand, is an inside job put together in part by a man who knows his music, his band, and his fans.

I frequently hear the word "sloppy" as a descriptor of the Faces. "Sloppy," to some, carries connotations of laziness, lack of ability, shoddy workmanship. What I hear in the Faces is camaraderie, looseness, a true feel for the music and the fans...fueled in part by booze, perhaps, and a healthy dose of "bugger-off" to the stodgy and up-tight, but never lacking in ability, sincerity, and fun.

By the way, the music survived and survives the Faces untimely demise. Check out McLagen's recent "Rise and Shine" and "Best of British," Ronnie Wood's "Not for Beginners," "Slide on This," and "Slide on Live," and all of the late Ronnie Lane's albums. Better yet, come to Austin and join Mac and the Bump Band live or catch them on tour.

Sad and unexplainable, the only reaction I seem to get from mentioning The Faces is slack-jawed mouth breathing, although a quick explanation that Rod Stewart made a few records prior to Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? mercifully terminates the catatonia. Stewart's post-Faces curriculum vitae is probably best left for another time and place, but if my hatred for it could be properly harnessed, it could light our cities.

At the peak of their powers, The Faces roamed the earth like a mighty, 10-legged punch-drunk beast in search of a cheap bottle of plonk, a place to play, and a few birds to shag after the show. And while it's undeniable that wine and women were at the vortex of the band's legend, it's unfortunate that the main component of the band's puissance - the ability to write songs that veer wildly between rough and rowdy party-addled rockers like Stay With Me and Borstal Boys and melancholy ballads like Debris and Ooh La La, all fully capable of either putting a little lead in your pencil or bringing a tear to your eye - are often overlooked.

This is, quite simply put, one of the best box sets I've ever bought, packed to bursting with album cuts, non-LP B-sides, rehearsals, alternate mixes, and live material, 30 of 'em previously unissued and all coated with grit and affection. No quibbling - if it ain't here, you don't need it. It's getting monotonous, but Rhino once again delivers the goods with top-notch packaging - a mini-box in which the CD's rest in their holders in over-lapping fashion and a lovingly-compiled booklet full of photos, memorabilia, a tribute to Ronnie Lane by Ian McLagan, a heartfelt essay from David Fricke, and testimonials from Jeff Tweedy, Gaz Coombes, Rich Robinson, Slash, Glen Matlock, and Paul Westerberg.

Color me naive, but I find it somewhat encouraging that at a time when the music biz is reverberating with the unmistakable sound of millionaires' pension plans being topped up, dollar-blinded record company brass can look past the bottom line and realize that it's not always about plumbing new depths of musical blandness and embracing the corporate dollar. For once, here's one for the faithful. End of sermon.

Jeez, this is one hell of a box set as well as being the finest anthology I have ever bought.

I was a huge Rod Stewart and Faces fan back in the day and bought Maggie May, Long Player, Nod As Good As A Wink, Pool Hall Richard (what a fantastic little sleeper THAT song is), and now, with hindsight, I can truly appreciate what a GREAT band they were.

Ronnie Wood's unique guitar sound drives them on with Kenny Jones' selfless skin-hammering; neither did anything finer with the Stones and the Who respectively. Ronnie Laine's understated bass and sweeter voice add a refreshing counterpoint and Ian McLagan's staccato keyboards are just typical of the era and to me, define that Faces 'sound'.

But striding above them all like a colossus is Rod Stewart. Here he is in all his pomp with a voice made in heaven, well at least a corner of heaven where there is a lot of booze and cigarettes. If you only know Rod from when he went Britt, blonde and leopard-skinned, then you have badly missed out. Buy this set and listen to Rod in his finest hour before it all went wrong and disco-cabaret-shaped.

Favourites? 'Too Bad', the criminally underrated 'Pool Hall Richard' - both should be played with the volume set to 'Bleed' and Rod blows Macca out of the water with 'Maybe I'm Amazed'. 'Angel' makes me hanker for the 70s with a tear in my eye.

Oh, and one more thing: To Lennon & McCartney, Jagger & Richard you can add Wood & Stewart - songwriting duos of legend.

Iwas a casual fan of the Faces before I purchased this box set.
Now I'm a believer in the almost mystical power of this band.
Endless ink has been spilled about the meaning of rock. I still don't know what the meaning of rock is - but the true spirit of rock is laid bare on the soaring tracks within this set. If you ever thought the song Maggie May had become a pop cliche, you need to listen to the garage band style rave up the Faces pull off. And that is only the tip of the iceburg. Prepare to have shivers sent down your spine. Buy it.

Rhino continues to amaze me. This is so well packaged, like a book with 2 cds on each inside cover with a 60 odd page book inside. The book is loaded with pictures of the band.

To the music...one word describes it Awesome. The bulk of this set is unreleased material with some live performances thrown in for good measure. The remastering is generaly superb (there are a couple of tracks that were recorded on cassette). If you like the Stones, Black Crowes and good bluesy/rock this is for you. This band has been overlooked for years and they are now shown as to how wonderful they were. The guitar work of Ron Wood and vocals of Rod Stewart are exceptional. The Rod Stewart you hear is not the "disco" or the "Perry Como" Rod, but Rod the "MOD" who had one of the best voices in rock at the time. If you are familiar with his first three solo albums you will know of what I speak. Hugely recommended!

As Rod Stewart slips into his dotage singing cruise-ship standards, it's only his bumpy love life that remains as a reminder of the good old bad old days. So this four-CD homage to his former band is a helpful antidote: It proves that prior to the sun visor-wearing fame of "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" (his 1978 number 1 pop-disco smash), he led a boozy British quintet that dumped the pious blues homages of the day and acted like a bunch of footloose knaves on horseback.

Together from 1970 to 1974, Faces concocted a handful of good-humored and seductively potent albums until Stewart was lured away by a solo career. This box set pulls together the hits - "Stay With Me," "(I Know I'm) Losing You" - alongside live cuts, alternate versions and tracks recorded in rehearsal. The latter will surprise anyone who figured that a Faces "rehearsal" consisted of a languorous afternoon in the bar beneath their recording studio.

As the best material here shows, Faces were always more than just Stewart's support band. In the late '60s, bassist Ronnie Lane, keyboard player Ian McLagan and drummer Kenney Jones had acquired a wonderful chemistry in the Small Faces. In his homey songs, Lane told gripping stories while convincingly weaving blues, folk and country influences. The winning formula was completed with the addition of Stewart and Ron Wood, guitar-playing foil and future Rolling Stone, both escapees from Jeff Beck's blues band.