(It’s not a sentence, so I can end it with a preposition, right?)
Yesterday someone asked whether I had a song lodged in my head. And a few days ago someone asked what I would do if I had access to a time machine. It turns out that the two answers are related. I’d go back to 1973 or 1974 and watch The Faces perform live. (well, first I’d save the world and pile up enormous wealth, but if the time machine still had anything left in the tank, 1974 would be my next stop)
The Faces are the best group nobody seems to know. (I’m sure this well-versed and erudite crowd will contain many exceptions, but on average, they’re pretty obscure.) But everyone knows the members:
- Rod Stewart (’nuff said)
- Ronnie Wood (carried the Rolling Stones later)
- Ronnie Lane (longtime Pete Townsend collaborator)
- Kenney Jones (took over Keith Moon’s job for The Who)
- Ian McLagan (session keyboardist par excellence, and, oddly enough, second husband to Keith Moon’s widow).
You can hardly turn on the radio without hearing these folks, but you rarely hear The Faces (and often when you do, they are mis-introduced as Rod Stewart).
They were probably doomed to obscurity because they were a concert band first and foremost, and somewhat underproduced. It was obvious to the audience that the band was having a great time up on stage (in a professional way) and that the audience was welcome to come along. No deep, angst-filled lyrics, just love songs and boogie-woogie.
Go ahead and see for yourself. Turn it up. Start around 6:00 if you want to skip the slow stuff and get rocking. Watch Ronnie Wood (in the red pants) grab the reins at 6:25. By 6:50, if you’re not playing air guitar, well, I don’t really know what to say. If you play this all the way through, this lick will be in your head all day.
Anyway, enough about me.
What groups/performers do you love, and can’t figure out why nobody else seems to have heard of them?
