Poor old Granddad, I laughed at all his words

Continuing my trip back in time through the album charts

06/05/73 : Ooh La La - Faces


I've heard of Faces and I know there's a connection to Small Faces and to Rod Stewart, but I have to claim ignorance beyond that.  I also thought they were late 60s, so I have a suspicion this may be past their best,

Ah, it's OK - but it all feels a bit Rod and his mates having a jam down the pub.  All the songs feel like they've had, ooh, at least a couple of minutes being given a rough framework and hey - off you go.  You do your guitar-y bit, you do your piano-y bit and I'll chuck some words over the top - it'll be fine.  We got 30 minutes yet?  Yeah, 22 seconds over!  That'll be fine - chuck it out.  Now, who's round is it?  I really struggle to imagine that anyone has listened to this more than a couple of times - and it's got a very odd cover too.

We're at #5 on its fourth week of a 13 week run, having peaked at #1 in its second week.  #1?!?  Seriously?!?  The rest of the top five this week were Bowie, Beatles (Blue and Red) and Believe In Music with the highest new entry being - well, that's a surprise in that there are no new entries in the entire chart.  11 re-entries though - which, in a chart that's only 50 albums at this time, seems like a lot.  And we've got a new highest lady - Carly Simon at #16, who we will get to listen to at some point before the year is out and I'm quite looking forward to.  And it was looking like she might be on her own, but Liza and Carole are hanging in there at #42 and #43.

Wikipedia has more than I was expecting on the album - and it surprised me by being more interesting than I was expecting.  It's their last studio album (until 2021, anyway) mostly because Rod was becoming successful in his solo career, so didn't really care - he didn't bother showing up for the first two weeks of recording.  And then, just before it was released, he called it a "stinking rotten album" and a "bloody mess" (also mentioning it took NINE months to produce) which didn't go down too well with his bandmates.  My favourite fact though is that, on the original album cover, if you pressed down the top edge of the album, the eyes change colour and move to the side and the mouth opens in a leering smile.  Which really must have dented the profitability of the first run.

"Customers also listened to" Steelers Wheel, T Rex and Mott The Hoople  - a pretty 70s mix if ever I saw one.  And Faces are pretty 70s (even if they were formed in 1969) but I'd say it's more of a 60s sound.  Or a timeless "down the pub" kinda sound - fine, but nothing more than that.  And definitely not #1 album kinda sound.

29/04/73 - "Surprisingly bearable"
13/05/73 - Not great, but an interesting Wikipedia entry

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