Faces With Rod Stewart – Live at The Fillmore – October 26, 1970 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Classic concerts to go with the holiday weekend (a long holiday weekend at that). Faces (or Small Faces as they were still known in the U.S.) featuring Rod Stewart in a concert from the famed Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco and recorded for posterity on October 26, 1970.
No question, when Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood left The Jeff Beck Group and joined forces with the former Small Faces, it was a match made in heaven,at least on the surface. They were universally praised from the get-go and became a staple in the diet of most FM underground stations in the U.S. almost overnight. Which was a far cry from what Small Faces were unable to achieve in the U.S. just a few short years before. Despite Small Faces success with the 60s anthem Itchykoo Park, they had an otherwise difficult time with chart success in the U.S. – their crowning achievement Ogden’s Nutgone Flake, was number 1 for six weeks on the UK charts, yet barely hovered around 159 on the U.S. charts. So it was surprising to find this particular combination so eagerly anticipated by audiences and critics alike. But not so surprising when you realize Rod Stewart was also enjoying a solo career and had already released two albums prior to his teaming up with the former Faces members – around this time (1970) his latest, Gasoline Alley was a very big worldwide hit and some of those numbers appear on this concert. The conflict between Stewart’s solo success and his work with Faces would eventually lead to a falling out and the breaking up of the band. But for this period, this formative set of months, The Faces with Rod Stewart were the epitome of what became the “wretched excess 70s” – the boozy swagger and good-times nonchalance became something of a trademark for the band during the early 70s.
In case you missed them during this period, here’s a chance to catch them again, to give you some idea of what the excitement was all about during their live shows.
Hard to believe it was 47 years ago.
Crank it up and enjoy.
