EDITOR'S PICK - RECORDING OF THE MONTH

The record business was awash in money and power. Vinyl LPs were still five bucks, and while the pressings could be suspect, the music-buying public still snapped them up en masse.

- Robert Baird

FACES AT THE BBC

Complete BBC Concert & Session Recordings 1970–1973

Rhino R2726026 603497827824 (8 CDs/1 Blu-ray). 2024.

Rob Caiger, prod.; Nick Robbins, Dave Corbett, engs.

Even in that world of gatefolds, inserts, and textured covers, Faces’ Ooh La La remains an impressive sleight of hand. Made up of remnants from two other bands—The Small Faces and The Jeff Beck Group—the band’s five colorful louts could have been musical world-beaters, but in the end were more interested in having a good time.

In the words of their glammy vocalist with the shaggy razor cut, they were “five drunks who got away with murder under the guise of music.” Although “Stay with Me” rose to #17, they never had a Top 10 single. And none of their generally excellent (though generally ignored) albums sold big numbers. Yet, just as they were coming apart—as their lead vocalist went solo—they somehow convinced their label, Warner Bros., to fund one of the most wildly creative, difficult-to-produce album-cover designs of all time and throw in a poster to boot.

Ooh La La, with its front cover that could literally change “faces,” wouldn’t even crack the Top 20. Yet almost from the moment the band passed into history, their fanbase and respect for what they accomplished have increased.