A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse

This album perfectly illustrates that context matters in all things… had I heard these exact songs being sung by this exact band at an outdoor bbq or beer festival, then I’d have walked away saying how much I enjoyed them, but listening to them on a list of the supposed 1001 best albums of all time I come away questioning how has something this insultingly mediocre even been brought up in the conversation, let alone made the list. There is nothing egregiously unlikeable about the album, even Rod Stewart’s vocals aren’t as bad as normal, but on the flip side there is nothing to really love about it either… if music has colour this album is beige

Pretty standard 70s bluesy rock. I know there are huge people in Faces, but I guess they aren’t a “super group” because the individuals weren’t yet big. This is a perfectly fine album. The music is good, but it’s unremarkable. And I just don’t love Rod Stewart’s voice and style. I could take it or leave it. Stay with Me is probably the highlight.

terug een goed album van Rod en zijn vriendjes

Using the same basic materials as the Stones but lacking any of the songwriting spark of Jagger and Richards, the Faces plod through a series of anonymous blues- and R&B-inflected numbers without leaving any distinct impression whatsoever. (Even Chuck Berry's "Memphis" is rendered totally inert here - it takes a special kind of anti-talent to mess up a song that even a mediocre bar band should be able to pull off.)

I listened to this

Very much occupying the same space as The Rolling Stones but there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a solid collection of blues oriented UK rock that I’d be happy listening to anytime.

More Rod Stewart, huh? Well, I guess I prefer the whole band to his solo albums. Like a bunch of people have already mentioned, this is ok, but nothing particularly memorable. 6.5/10

One of those albums with a lengthy title…and a short stack of tracks. Faces included Ron Wood pre-Rolling Stones. “Stay With Me” is a great tune, and the cover of “Memphis” is pretty decent, but that’s not enough good stuff for an above average rating. The other songs are forgettable.

What they lose in album cover, they make up for in album title. A Nod IS As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse. Unfortunately the album content is boring... flat... uninteresting. Sounds like the time that it is from. Zzzz. Relative highlight: 'Debris' Linguistic profiling lyric: "Too bad my regional tongue / Gave us away again"

I have never listened to Faces before but instantly I can hear the similarities to the Ron Wood era Stones material (e.g. Miss Judy's Farm and Doom and Gloom). I definitely enjoyed listening to this but it's not the type of rock music I typically seek out. Would definitely check out more of their work or revisit this album though!

Didn’t realize Rod Stewart was in this band. Perfectly acceptable music, but in a list of 1001 albums, they can’t all be bangers 5/10 Favorites: - Love Lives Here - Stay With Me - Memphis - Too Bad

This wasn’t too shabby. Great moments included the gritty, raw, and at times distorted bass riffs. I loved moments where the band just played and did their thing akin to a praise break in a Sunday morning service. I had a good time listening to this album and it’s something I’d put on when I’m feeling sluggish and there’s a big pile of laundry that needs to be folded. Favorites: - Miss Judy’s Farm - You’re So Rude - Stay With Me - Debris - Memphis Rating: 6/10

it was ok

OK

The Faces at their peak — Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Ian McLagan, Ronnie Lane, and Kenney Jones operating with a loose, boozy swagger that no amount of studio polish could have manufactured and no amount of money could have bought. This is what a great bar band sounds like when the bar band happens to be one of the finest rock and roll ensembles of its era, and the distinction matters. "Stay with Me" opens the record with complete confidence — the riff arriving and the whole band falling in behind it with the kind of collective momentum that sounds effortless and has clearly been earned through years of playing together in rooms where nobody cared who they were. That quality of a band playing for each other rather than for an audience runs through everything here, which is the hardest thing to fake and the most valuable thing a rock record can have. Ian McLagan's Hammond and piano are the secret weapon throughout — ensemble-first, serving the groove rather than showcasing, the keyboard work doing exactly what keyboards should do in this context. "Debris" is the Ronnie Lane ballad counterweight, gentle and nostalgic, showing the range the band had when they stepped back from the swagger without losing what made the swagger worth anything.

Stay With Me if easily the best song, but the whole album is good. 4 stars or B.

There’s only so much Hot Rod you can take …

Man this is the definition of a 3.5 for me. Stay With Me and Debris are great so I'll round up, but their best song is Ooh La La and it's on the next album

A slatki su, ne mogu ništa loše reći, osim da mrvicu dosadi nakon dugo slušanja jer je jednolično pri slušanju u komadu. 3/5, 6/10

Stay With Me here, it’s really Too Bad that this album isn’t longer.

3/5

Some good early 1970s sounds here.

Tää oli uusi tuttavuus ja hyvin se Stewart tässäkin veti

Albums like this are going to get me to quit the project.

Ok

Ass

Stay with Me Debris

Позволю себе сегодня немного изменить подход к своим обзорам, чуть чуть сместив угол с своих предпочтений. Для меня это альбом на твердую такую чётверочку, любопытно послушать чо там играл да пел Род Стюарт до старта своей сольной карьеры, плюс это довольно драйвовый, зажигательный, пабовый такой блюз-рок, что меня, безусловно, удовлетворяет. Но если представить, что чхать вы хотели на Стюарта и где он там начинал, да и блюз-рок вам не сильно-то и заходит, надо ли оно вам? Вопрос хороший, это весьма бодрая пластинка, но возможно, её восприятие повлияет на ваши жанровые предпочтения, если общая энергетика и харизма на альбоме вас так и не зацепила.

When it started, I thought, this really sounds like Rod Stewart. There's a very good reason why that was the case. Fairly decent, very 70s rock.

Rod Stewart is perfectly middle of the road. And that’s ok. I would never be offended to listen to Faces.

Eughhhh Yeah ok Good! British…

This Blues Rock album feels like spending an evening in a decent pub where a competent local band is playing. The atmosphere is lively, the musicians clearly know what they are doing, and there is enough energy to keep the room moving, but nothing really makes me stop and think, I need to remember this. The guitars are loose and bluesy, the piano and organ add warmth, and Rod Stewart's raspy vocals give everything a rough, lived-in character. But song after song, the same easygoing rock-and-roll feeling settles in, and the individual tracks don't leave much of an impression on me. I don't dislike the evening, but I also wouldn't tell anyone about it the next day. It is solid, enjoyable in the moment, but ultimately rather unremarkable.

Some easy early 70s poprockish, rod steward is fun but not many standouts. 6/10

I liked it, not the greatest, but I liked it.

This was more fun than I was expecting. Took a few songs to grow on me, but by the end I was having a good time. Nothing I'd need to own, but I'd listen to this again. 4/5

Interesting tunes thx

Fun😌

It was ok ntn revolutionary for me

6/10

How the hell is Rod Stewart so good as a band’s frontman but so shitty as a solo artist?!

I’m tired of old rock. I used to love it but it’s just so… old now. Half a century.

Well at least I now know where “the Dogs” (D’amour) got their jangly guitar/raspy singer sound from. But at least they where interesting/great for 2 and a half albums For every “Stay with me” there is a “Debris”

I tried to like it, but I just can't stand Rod Stewart

Oh good. Another 70s rock album. It’s been three whole days, so I was worried — I thought maybe the server had broken.

Rolling Stones-esque rock. Good fun

Enjoyable would listen to again, old rock fused with other genres

hard bluesy, hard to remember specifics tbh

Short and great

A better album than I expected. I didn’t hate Rod Stewart’s voice. A fun rock n roll album overall.

Overall, not bad. I enjoyed listening to it in the background. ★★★

More generic pub rock by average white dudes. Completely unnecessary and forgettable, hardly essential.

Horse referenced

Sounds great. Has that fantastically warm early 70s analogue sound that just can’t be replicated with modern recording tech. The songs, eh. Stay with me is clearly the highlight. A lot of generic filler rock throughout though. I’m a fan of the genre. But this isn’t anywhere near the best. 3/5.

A pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed this. 6/10

Rod Stewart surprise appearance. Never knew that guy was in Faces! In all fairness to Rodney and Faces, this is a really solid album. I had very low expectations going into it, but there's some fun noodling going on and the lyrics are daft enough to make it engaging. Some of the vocals on the more meandering tracks certainly had a cringiness to them, but other than that, a solid album.

I thought they had some dude signing who sounded like Rod Stewart then I found out he actually is Rod Stewart

01) Miss Judy's Farm - 7,0 02) You're So Rude - 6,0 03) Love Lives Here - 7,5 04) Last Orders Please - 6,0 05) Stay with Me - 7,0 06) Debris - 7,5 07) Memphis - 6,0 08) Too Bad - 6,0 09) That's All You Need - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,67 (67/100) Current ranking: 684/1045

Good solid rock n roll. Didn't know there was this type of a side to Rod Stewart

Thankfully straight to the point, and while Rod Stewart doesn’t have the most annoying vocals of all time, I think this album doesn’t really stand out to me for its time. I think if you like Stewart this is amazing to you. I don’t think it goes toe to toe with truly iconic pop rock and blues rock from the 70s. Idk maybe it’s just me

I just had an album by Small Faces which was the iteration of this band before this one. Small Faces didn't have Rod Stewart though, which I think made this a little better. I knew this was Rod Stewart's band before he went solo. I didn't think I knew any songs by Faces, but I knew Stay With Me.

Ronnie wood is holding this together with all of his power. Without him this would be unlistenable and Rod Stewart would be just another pub drunk saying how he could've made it to the big time

This is just dull bog standard pub rocked with one exception. ‘Stay with me’ is a classic track and stands out a mile amongst the rest of this album. You would be better off just listening to that one track and not bothering with the rest.

Despite my general dislike of Rod Stewart, I quite liked this. It started off strong, with “Miss Judy’s Farm” and “You’re So Rude” being quite punchy - the former, particularly. “Stay With Me” was the only song I knew, but isn’t necessarily the standout track amidst a decent first half (and is definitely not the better of the two Faces tracks I know). I wasn’t as much of a fan of the second half of the album but, overall, this was a decent bit of early 70s classic rock.

I tried listening to this yesterday but I was travelling and actually just wanted to listen to the bands I'd seen live the night before. So it's a day after, stray thoughts, review. - I do like Rod Stewart's voice, despite thinking he's an arse. - I also enjoy songs that gradually increase (or decrease) speed (Miss Judy's Farm). - The beginning of You're So Rude reminded me of Sweet Transvestite from Rocky Horror Picture Show for reasons I can't describe. - I don't like Ronnie's vocals as much but am unsure if he was an arse (it does sound like he, and the rest of the band, were majorly screwed over by their management/label though). - Love Lives Here was dull. As was Last Orders Please. - I do like Stay With Me, although it was the only song from this album I already knew, and it has seriously questionable lyrics. - This is another album my Mother loves. There's been a lot of them recently. - Debris also dull. - Wow, a lot of people have covered Memphis. - Too Bad and That's All You Need were alright. Just not for me. 2/5

Great, great album. Top Rod

“Stay with Me” is a classic, “Debris” is lovely, and the rest is pretty good. I think I’m feeling less generous after having ‘Blues Breakers’ yesterday; this is more rock and roll than blues, but the musical ideas come from similar places. I did like this more than that album, but only just. Also, I ask again for someone to get Rod Stewart a glass of water.

Similar sound to the Rolling Stones, but also slightly southern-rock. Has some nice songs, overall ok though

My god. So so good. I’ve been a cursory listener of them for a while, mainly just their known songs, a few of which are off this album. But, since Every Picture Tells a Story, I’ve been wanting to scrub their music. And this is just…perfect. I think there were only two songs that didn’t make it into my liked list. It’s rocking, emotional, funny, it has depth, character and world creation, and it just feels like fun to have made, to play, and to listen to. Debris might be their opus. So beautiful. Stay With Me is an instant mood lifter, one of the most rocking songs in the genre. Love Lives Here feels as though it didn’t make the cut for Every Picture Tells a Story so they put it here, yet it fits in just as well as it would on his solo album. Memphis and Thats All You Need are new additions to my library. Miss Judy, well, you just can’t forget about her. I don’t know that much about them, but everything I know from them fucking rips, so I need to take a deeper look. One of those I didn’t want to put down all day. More of this pls.

Rod Stewart has to have one of the best voices in rock and roll. He strayed throughout his career, but his time with the Faces and his solo rock albums are very, very good shit. But enough about him specifically. The Faces are a highly underrated band that had a ton of great songs and great albums. This of course, being one of them. If you want great old school, classic, blues rock… this is some of the best of the early 70’s.

Interesting to hear Rod Stewart as part of a larger band, especially where he wasn't the lead signer. There are some cool tracks on here, including Stay With Me and Debris, the latter of which I really liked. Solid sound from a solid band.

Didn’t know rod stewart had a band that did american blues music a la the rolling stones. And frankly I don’t care

It's alright, but I feel like the title is much better than the album itself. The music feels violently Rod Stewart in a way that I've gotten too used to at this point. Debris was a pretty good song but I don't have a lot to say about this one.

I mean, it sounds like a Rod Stewart album. Not bad for a rainy morning.

5/10

Pretty standard blues rock.

Oli ilo kuunnella, hyvää menoa ja soitannollista kikkailua. Jatkoon.

Ihan menevää rokkia, mutta aikalailla vaan sitä. Tosi perus rokkia, ei paljo kotio kirjoteltavaa.

Spare the Rod and spoil the child? Spoil me please. This album certainly did not need to be on this list.

I did not realize this was a separate group as I thought some of these songs were just Rod Stewart. Also didn’t know that Ron Wood played with Rod before the Stones. Music was decent.

They sounded good but weren’t earth shattering

Fine. I don't really know what's supposed to be so special about them. They're just fine. Sound good but nothing crazy.

Still don’t care for Rod’s vocals-with or without a band

Excellent blues rock. One or two full tracks but mainly great stuff.

This was pretty good. I don't love Rod Stewart's solo stuff, but I really like Faces, and obviously I know Stay With Me best. I enjoyed this album and listened to it all the way through twice. Four stars.

This project has made me listen to way more Rod Stewart stuff than I ever would have liked

This is something I had no idea existed and I put on went to the grocery and a few songs in went holy crap this is Rod Stewart! I only knew Rod Stewart as a solo artist. I also didn't think I'd hear him with a band that sound right at home in the early years of Bonnaroo either. It shows its age here and there but nothing sad or tragic just the way it sounds. To me it felt like the middle of the afternoon at a music festival. It's not a headliner but you sit down and enjoy the show and look them up later. Maybe it's cause I'm old but I enjoyed it.

A subtle hint is enough for someone who understands what you're getting at.

Decent

A fairly well-known band, with an even better-known singer :-) Three stars...

Some cool guitar tones on this album. I spent the first 8 songs thinking it sounded a lot like Rod Stewart before I realized it was, in fact, Rod Stewart.

Definitely an album I bet my dad loved. It still holds up pretty well.

2.5 - Oh, that was Rod Stewart singing??

It's mostly just inoffensive, some good musicianship & a toned down Rod Stewart, in a good way.

Liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Nothing that I've heard before, although obviously familiar with Rockin' Rod's later stuff in the late 70s and 80s. This has a fair bit of swagger, and some mighty good tunes, but ultimately doesn't add a lot to the overall conversation of early 70s rock. Overall, liked it, but unlikely to go back any time soon

Unlike many folks, I really don't hate Rod Stewart at all. I grew up with him as the dude who sings pretty straight ahead boomer ballads and shit, only to discover he had an earlier career as an actual rock and roller. Which suits his voice perfectly. All that gravel and grit in his voice is perfect for classic rock. "Stay With Me," has a great vocal melody in the verse, and Rod is up for it, man. The guitars sound great on this whole album. Beautiful overdrive. A super solid classic rock record. If I needed to show an alien what classic rock was, I'd probably throw on some Zeppelin, but this Faces record might be more representative. THREE STARS

Pretty good boogie woogie but other than the hit Stay With Me nothing memorable

Some very good stuff here that I played multiple times. A bit of filler though

Another 1970s British rock album. This one didn't really stand out to me.

I had a Rod Stewart phase, all pre-1974’s Atlantic Crossing and his transition to Mr Do Ya Think I’m Sexy and superstardom. His first four solo albums and all the Faces stuff are fire. This sounds better than I remember. “Stay With Me” is the standout track.

Good but didn't grasp my attention