A Nod is As Good As a Wink... To a Blind Horse by The Faces Review

I decided it would be fun to occasionally review an old classic album because, well, that's how I roll.  And rock.  So, let me introduce you to what is easily one of the 20 or 25 best rock albums ever recorded.  A Nod is As Good as a Wink..To a Blind Horse is the third album by The Faces and brother, it is the very definition of CLASSIC rock.

Riding the tail-end of the British Invasion of the late 1960's, left over members from the groups Small Faces and The Jeff Beck Group team to form The Faces.  You may not recognize most of the band members but two of them you know for sure.  Rod Stewart, who of course went on to iconic status as a solo artist and Ronnie Wood, now a long time member of the Rolling Stones, were the new members added to form a rock band that, although they released a grand total of four albums, are accorded almost legendary status by some fans.

Perhaps that's because The Faces embodied everything people thought a rock group ought to be and you can hear it all right here on A Nod is As Good as A Wink...To a Blind Horse.   They were rough.  They were jammin'.  And the album sounds like it might have been recorded in someone's garage.  These boys always sounded like they were having a good time and in a way your mother wouldn't have liked.

This third album of their's was released in 1971, mere months after Rod Stewart had his first monster hit, that little ditty, Maggie May, which partially accounts for this collection being their first and only top 10 album, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard chart.  It also gave them their first hit single and one many mistakenly thought was a Rod Stewart single, Stay With Me.

All four of their albums are well worth a listen, but this one is just special, starting with the very first track.

Miss Judy's Farm, penned by Wood and Stewart is a everything a rock song should be.  It's nasty and anarchic with just the right loose, sloppy touch unique to The Faces

On Your So Rude Ronnie Lane proves he likes girls of the "trashy" kind and promptly brings her home to meet mama, deciding to pass the time until the folks get home by, well,  you know....

Every fan of 70's music knows Stay With Me, a complete rave up fronted by the legendary Mr Stewart about the latest girl he brings home and kicks out in the morning.

Lest you think The Faces just a bunch of party hearty guys who cared about nothing, Lane and Stewart deliver the wonderful ballad Debris, a heartfelt, kinda love song.

They also pull off a nice cover of the Chuck Berry classic, Memphis, Tennessee, with Rod deftly keeping the spirit of the song yet making it something The Faces could call their own.

The nine song album wraps with the all-out party anthem That's All You Need, going out with a bang.

THE BOTTOM LINE

A Nod is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse  features  sloppy, garage band rock and roll musicianship any band would be proud of.   Rod Stewart cements his reputation as a dude who can sing the crap out of a song and Ronnie Lane acquits himself well when he takes over lead vocals.  And the whole thing feels like a big party with a little slow dancing thrown in to keep it honest. The Faces ultimately broke up on the heels of Stewart having a major solo career and the kind of in-fighting a rag-tag group like this was bound to experience, but man, they were good while they lasted.  It's the kind of album that, when it's over, you just hit the "back" button on your CD player and let happen all over again.  GRADE: A+