A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse

Faces

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 22, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 1971
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Audio Fidelity
• ASIN: B0006UYOJM
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,296 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The Faces scored their only real hit in America with the raucous and brilliant "Stay With Me," and the rest of this long player from 1971 is deliriously good. In fact, it’s a wonder that "All You Need"--a visceral, Delta slide-heavy song--is not at the very top of the classic rock canon as well. Quite a few early ‘70s acts played straight-ahead rock and roll with the kind of good time attitude displayed here by Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, and friends. What makes the group stand out, especially on this, their best album, is how willfully sloppy, raucous and a little strange these songs are--qualities particularly valued with post-punk hindsight. There are shaggy dog jokes disguised as songs ("You’re So Rude"), one of the only Chuck Berry covers that approaches the original ("Memphis, Tennessee"), and truly sappy and maudlin numbers that do not suck ("Love Lives Here," "Debris"). One listen and it’s easy to see why a group of boys from Georgia would dedicate their career to rewriting this album. This "Audio Fidelity" version of the album packs full, analog-style wallop. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description
Boasting songs like, "Stay With Me", "Miss Judy's Farm", "A Nod Is As Good As A Wink", features Rod Stewart on lead vocals and is their most consistent record and arguably their best. Nobody rocked better than this. The collection also includes a rollicking cover of Chuck Berry's "Memphis". "A Nod Is As Good As A Wink" is the most representatie recording of a band that helped shape hard rock and punk for years to come.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top Notch Engineering, March 20, 2005

By	G. Kok "Tenderfoot Audiophile" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This album has been around for a long time. What makes this one different?
It's the sound quality. Steve Hoffman of DCC fame has continued his legacy of audiophile quality remastering.
It's like you've never really heard this lp before. It's that well done. The sound quality will blow you away.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great album from an underrated band, GREAT sounding disc, March 24, 2005

By	M. McM "AOTT-TMF" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

The Faces were underappreciated in their time, so much that their records were allowed to fall in and out of print. This album is arguably their best. It includes their biggest hit, "Stay With Me," but tracks like "You're So Rude" and "Memphis" are every bit as good.

This was a great, rollicking band, with a reputation built on raucous, sloppy, and fun rock n' roll; the Faces often backed Rod Stewart on his own solo albums, particularly Rod's first four classic albums, but on their own records, they cut loose even more. On A NOD IS AS A GOOD AS A WINK...TO A BLIND HORSE, their playing is actually a bit tighter compared to other Faces albums, but it's still got the right amount of slop, and they play GREAT.

Ronnie Lane does a fine job singing lead on some of the tracks, but Rod is even better. In the early days, his singing was described as the male-equivalent of Janis Joplin, and this album is further proof of what he could accomplish before turning to mainstream, adult contemporary pop.

This gold CD is better than WEA's budget CD issue, and at $19.98 retail, it's not a bad deal (most gold CD's run about $30). The CD is HDCD encoded, so if you have an HDCD decoder in your CD player, it'll sound ever better, but even if you don't, this disc will sound GREAT. It sounds even better than Rhino's remastered box set, FIVE GUYS WALK INTO A BAR..., and like I said, this is a great album.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never sounded better!, March 9, 2005

By	citizenkeith "citizenkeith" (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews

If you like this album, you'll love this 24 karat audiophile gold disc. My original LP pales in comparison to this disc! You can crank up your stereo and enjoy the perfectly balanced EQ on this release. Kenny Jones' drums pack a punch, Ron Woods' bluesy guitar riffs come across in fine detail, and the low end of Ronnie Lane's bass playing stands out (I'd never noticed what great playing he did on this album). Of course, Ian McLagen's electric piano and organ fills in the spaces nicely. And it goes without saying that Rod Stewart is one of the best rock vocalists EVER (What happened, Rod??). The Faces never sounded so good. Even if you own the "Five Guys Walk Into A Bar" box set, you should buy the Audio Fidelity gold disc. You will NOT regret it... trust me.