Faces – Snakes and Ladders: The Best of the Faces (Rhino)
A dozen slabs of gritty rock from Rod Stewart & Co.
There is something fitting about listening to the Faces on vinyl. Both the outdated media and the band were products of a long-forgotten time when music mattered more. Their ferocious, off-kilter live shows were the stuff of legend, only hinted at on their studio output. The Faces were great, and if you knew, you knew.
Few bands could out Stones the Stones, but the Faces could, and often would. But, they equally were overshadowed by their egregious alcohol intake.
Snakes and Ladders came out a year after the band imploded, crushed by their potential, overshadowed by Rod Stewart’s ever-increasing solo career. Rhino Records has just reissued the album in their Rhino Reserve, high quality vinyl series.
The set opens with the blistering rock of “Pool Hall Richard” – the track starts at one tempo, then speeds up immediately. The song goes up a pitch for awhile, then settles back again – it literally sounds like everything is just about ready to fall to pieces – and that’s really part of the band’s charm. Things immediately change for the excellent, biting “Cindy Incidentally,” which has an underrated groove to it. “Ooh La La” is perhaps the band’s most poignant moment – a grandfather and grandson each realizing that, when it comes to women, neither one of them is well-equipped to handle things.
“Sweet Lady Mary” is surprisingly gentle, with pedal steel guitar and organ, then comes one of their signature tunes, “Flying” (who the hell decided to spin the drums from left to right, over and over?) – the track builds to this interplay between organ and guitar which is fantastic.
The band was capable of stretching out, like on the great instrumental, “Pineapple and the Monkey.” Their final single, “You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything” is polished, complete with strings and a danceable beat, and sure points to “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy.” “
Had Me a Real Good Time” is the band’s motto put to song, while “Stay With Me” is 4 1/2 minutes of gritty, rock n’ roll perfection. Bookended by a furious start and close, the main part slithers along on a whiskey-soaked groove with Stewart sneering over top – the entire band is on fire here.
After the chugging rocker, “Miss Judy’s Farm,” the momentum stalls a little near the end, with “Silicone Grown” and “Around the Plynth,” but after those dizzying heights, what could they do?
Hugely under appreciated, Snakes & Ladders features a dozen highlights of Rod Stewart at his peak, with the Faces. —Tony Peters