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Faces

Faces

Ooh La La

The boozy, joyous British rock band that gave Rod Stewart and Ron Wood their launchpad, and taught a generation of punks how to play.

APPLE MUSIC

Ooh La La

Faces

About

MOODS · boozy · joyous · raucous · bluesy · ragged · festive · rock and roll · loose

BIOGRAPHY

Faces formed in 1969 from the remnants of Small Faces after Steve Marriott departed to start Humble Pie. Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and Kenny Jones were joined by Ron Wood on guitar and Rod Stewart on vocals, both arriving from The Jeff Beck Group. The band's 1971 album A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... To a Blind Horse became their commercial breakthrough, blending rave-up rock with torch songs, R&B, and country shades. Their final studio effort, Ooh La La (1973), was followed by non-album singles and a live record, Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners, before the group split in 1975 as Stewart's solo career overtook the band and Wood eventually joined the Rolling Stones.

WHY THEY'RE COOL

Faces were never big sellers and lived in the shadow of bands like the Rolling Stones, but their ragged, hard-partying spirit and festive showmanship left a deep mark on rock's live tradition. Their loose, boozy sound is credited with influencing punk musicians who learned their instruments from Faces records, as well as later guitar-rock bands from the Replacements to the Black Crowes. It's a legacy built less on chart success than on raw, joyful influence.

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