FOR YEARS NOW, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood and Kenney Jones have all spoken of reconvening the Faces, the blues, soul and folk knaves who burned brightly and boozily from 1969 to 1975. There’s still no news, but Faces freaks will take ample comfort from a new reissue campaign kicking off in ’24.
Appetites were whetted by last month’s Record Store Day release Had Me A Real Good Time… With Faces Live In Session At The BBC 1971-1973, which collected primo-sounding radio rarities. It was put together by Faces specialist Rob Caiger, who’s worked closely with the surviving members and the estates of the late Ian McLagan and Ronnie Lane since 2020 to dig their personal archives for treasure.
While the Faces’ 2004 box Five Guys Walk Into A Bar… was assembled by McLagan, Caiger says new deluxe, remastered editions of the Faces albums will be joint affairs, replete with memorabilia, rare photos and, most importantly, extra music. “When I say there’s a wealth of unreleased material – there’s a wealth of unreleased material,” says Caiger. “You can only fit so much on an LP and singles. There’s rehearsals, outtakes, unreleased songs, session multitracks, you name it. It was a joy and a privilege, really. In 2010 I started going through Kenney’s old flight cases, and Ronnie Wood has the most incredible, organised archive… you find the tape, and it’s the only tape. This stuff has never leaked out and no-one’s heard it, that’s why it’s exciting.”
“There’s rehearsals, outtakes, unreleased songs, session multi-tracks, you name it.”
Rob Caiger
Finds that particularly struck him include sessions for an LP after 1973’s farewell Ooh La La, and a tape showing the evolution of that album’s title song. “It was when they were laying it down as a backing track,” says Caiger, “before it became what it became – this was full-on electric guitars. You’re left thinking, This could have gone a completely different direction. Also, you’ve got the banter of the Faces all together in the studio. You could just do a spoken-word release, frankly.”
He also challenges the band’s bar-onstage/footballs-in-the-audience repute as being somehow unserious. “They had a very unjustified reputation of being sloppy,” he says. “They weren’t. What this series is going to show is how on top of their game the Faces were, while having a good time. We’re going to be correcting a few myths and adding to the story – when this stuff comes out properly mastered, I think it’s going to get a new respect for just how good this band were.”
He adds that they’re keeping some surprises for later, adding, “the BBC material will be coming, and it’s going to be special and sound the best it’s ever sounded. In fact, I think I can guarantee that everything is going to sound the best it ever has. The guys are signing off on everything, and it doesn’t come out unless they say so. They’re absolutely engaged, enthusiastic and totally into it. If you’re going to do this, this is the one time to do it properly.”
Check theofficialfaces.com for updates.
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