Video Du Jour: The Small Faces

Members of the latest class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Small Faces put out their most ambitious album in 1968 – Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake. The psychedelic concept album is not only their best, but it pops up on many “best of” lists, particularly in the United Kingdom.

Here, bassist Ronnie Lane takes the lead vocals on “Song Of A Baker,” with help on vocals and guitar from the great Steve Marriott. That’s Kenney Jones on drums, and although we don’t get a good view of him, our friend (and fellow  Texas resident) Ian McLagan on keyboards. It doesn’t get any better than this – R.I.P. Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott.

By the way, Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake has been reissued as a 3-CD deluxe edition set. Check it out on iTunes.

Ian McLagan official website

Faces in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Finally!

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland announced yesterday its 2012 class of inductees, and it includes the rockin’ British quintet the Faces. Finally!

The Faces rocked the late 1960s and early 1970s like no one else, including the Rolling Stones.  First known as the Small Faces, the core group of keyboardist Ian McLagan, bassist Ronnie Lane and drummer Kenney Jones found themselves at a crossroads when lead singer Steve Marriott left the group.

Salvation came in the form of two new members: guitarist Ron Wood and singer Rod Stewart.  So in 1970 the Small Faces became simply the Faces, and they came on like a bunch of rowdy boozers who just happened to be great musicians.  With Lane (and sometimes McLagan) the group already had strong songwriting, but Stewart and Wood contributed some great numbers too, like the classic “Stay With Me.”

The induction includes both versions of the band. Both Stewart and Wood will become second-time members of the Rock Hall (Stewart was inducted as a solo artist in 1994 and Wood as part of the Rolling Stones in 1989) for the Small Faces/The Faces.

“Well it’s quite a thrill and honor to make it in the Hall of Fame a second time,” Stewart said in a statement. “We (The Faces) were always synonymous with a good party and with this list of fellow artists being inducted I’m looking forward to (it) … and it’s a hell of a good reason to reunite and celebrate with my old mates.”

Other inductees announced Wednesday include Guns n’ Roses,  the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the late singer/songwriter Laura Nyro and trippy-dippy singer/songwriter Donovan.

Other inductees include Freddie King for early influence; rock promoter Don Kirshner, who died earlier this year, receives the Ahmet Ertegun award; and Tom Dowd, Glyn Johns and Cosimo Matassa will be honored for musical excellence.

The Rock and Roll Hall of fame induction ceremony will be held in Cleveland on April 14.

If you are in or around the Austin area, you can still get a healthy dose of prime Faces by catching a performance of Ian McLagan’s Bump Band.  “Mac” still plays free happy hours (at the Lucky Lounge, next door to Antone’s) and will happily take requests for Faces songs, although don’t ask him to perform any by “Big Nose” (guess who).  It is, truly, the World’s Greatest Happy Hour. He says he’s gonna be there this Thursday, too! McLagan keeps alive the spirit and songs of Ronnie Lane, who died in 1997.  Congratulations on your long-deserved honor, Mac!

Ian McLagan official website

YouTube: “Tin Soldier” by the Small Faces (with P.P. Arnold)

YouTube: “All or Nothing” by the Small Faces

YouTube: “Stay With Me,” by the Faces

YouTube: “Maybe I’m Amazed” by the Faces

Ian McLagan’s 11 career-defining tracks

The always-great Ian McLagan.

The great Ian McLagan – keyboardist for the Faces, a Texas resident and friend of this blog – has been cornered long enough to talk a little about the career-defining tracks he’s either played on, sung on, or written.

Mac just finished a handful of festival shows with the reunited Faces (with Mick Hucknall on lead vocals, replacing Rod Stewart) and now he’s touring the United Kingdom and Europe doing solo gigs.  He won’t be back in Austin until October … so in the meantime check out this amazing portfolio of music by the Small Faces, the Faces, the Rolling Stones and more.

Ian McLagan on his top 11, as told to MusicRadar magazine

The World’s Greatest Happy Hour

Ian McLagan, left, and Austin radio personality Jody Denberg at the Lucky Lounge.

If you are ever in Austin, Texas, on a Thursday night and you happen to enter a place called the Lucky Lounge … well, you may be luckier than you thought. That’s because most Thursday nights, the Lucky Lounge hosts a free happy hour between 6-8 p.m. with Ian McLagan and the Bump Band for entertainment.

And bruddah, that’s entertainment – Ian McLagan is of course the diminutive keyboard player for the Small Faces (with Steve Marriott) and later the Faces (with Ron Wood and Rod Stewart), two of the greatest British bands to ever invade the States. McLagan has been an Austin resident for a number of years, and he does not hesitate to play often in his adopted hometown.

Cake was served in honor of the birthday boy.

His Bump Band is a seasoned, polished unit – Don Harvey on drums, Jon Nortarthomas on bass and “Scrappy” Jud Newcomb on guitar – that is easily the the best band you’ll ever see playing at a free happy hour. The night we went, it happened to be the day after McLagan’s 66th birthday, so this happy hour was a true party.

And “Mac” was in rare form: even introducing one song with “this was written by Ron Wood, Rod Stewart and me …” and he kicked an awesome “Cindy Incidentally.”  Right after, “You’re So Rude.” He doesn’t need to lean on old Faces warhorses, though; some of the Bump Band originals were just as rockin’ and heartfelt, like “Date With An Angel.” I’ve seen McLagan pull out a Small Faces tune like “Get Yourself Together,” but unless I missed it, he didn’t do one this time.

McLagan never forgets to pay tribute to his dear friend Ronnie Lane, the Faces bassist who moved to Austin after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Lucky Lounge - home of the world's greatest happy hour.

“Ronnie’s the reason I’m here in the first place,” said McLagan, and played Lane’s “Spiritual Babe” before pulling out the Lane/Faces classic “Glad and Sorry.” All the while, birthday cake was being passed around and between songs Mac would take a moment to open a gift, thank the giver and accept a kiss from a lady in the crowd.

McLagan invited Austin radio personality Jody Denberg up to sing a few tunes, and hey, Jody’s not a bad singer. They wrapped it with Wood’s “Mystifies Me,” then “Little Troublemaker,” from McLagan’s first solo album (1979). By this time, Mac was shouting from the stage, “This round’s on me … tell ’em to put it on my tab!  I’m not kidding!”

And he wasn’t – the bartender placed a frothy cool one in front of me and pointed to the stage. Where else can you see one of the world’s most legendary rock musicians playing up close and personal, and have him buy you a beer on his birthday? The world’s greatest happy hour, that’s where.

MP3: “You’re So Rude” (live) by Ian McLagan & the Bump Band

The Lucky Lounge official website

Ian McLagan official website

Ian McLagan's birthday party - a good time was had by all. (Click to enlarge)

When you see this you're about to get lucky.

Your Sister’s (Record) Rack: Ron Wood & Ronnie Lane

My big sister’s bedroom is still locked tight – you think she’s on to me? Well, since we can’t riffle through her record collection I might as well share an LP from mine. Today we’re spinning Mahoney’s Last Stand, a 1976 soundtrack album by Ron Wood and Ronnie Lane, both members of the Faces.

The soundtrack music – mostly instrumentals – was recorded for the 1972 Canadian movie Mahoney’s Estate, which starred Sam Waterston and Maud Adams. The soundtrack was originally supposed to be released in North America but some kind of legal hassles delayed the movie for almost two years and the soundtrack for more than three years. So the album was finally released about a year after the Faces broke up.

Lane was of course the Faces’ bass player and Wood the guitar player. And Mahoney’s Last Stand features an all-star cast of sidemen including Faces bandmates Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones, Pete Townshend on guitar, Ric Grech (Blind Faith) and Benny Gallagher (Gallagher and Lyle) on bass, Ian Stewart (Rolling Stones) on keyboards, Bobby Keys and Jim Price on horns, Mickey Waller (Rod Stewart) on drums and producer Glyn Johns on backing vocals!

If you like the Faces’ bloozy, boozy-woozy good-time music, you’ll like the numbers here. “Car Radio” puts the pedal to the metal, and “Tonight’s Number” (with Jones, McLagan and Townshend) kicks out like Rod Stewart is going to jump out of the shadows and start wailin’ at any moment. But who needs him: Wood and Lane ably share vocals on the steppin’ “Chicken Wired,” and Wood’s Dylanesque voice is perfect for “‘Mona’ The Blues.” And “Just For A Moment,” an unmistakably Lane contribution, is supplied in two doses: an instrumental and a version with Lane’s sweet vocals.

While the album was being delayed due the legal wrangles, Lane re-cut “Chicken Wired” for his first solo LP, and he often played the song in his live appearances. In 1998 the Mahoney’s Last Stand soundtrack emerged on CD with a bunch of bonus tracks – some rejects from the original recording and a couple of tunes that were early versions of songs that would eventually appear on Ooh La La, the final Faces studio album (1973).

Wood would of course join the Rolling Stones in 1975, and Lane would quit Faces shortly after Ooh La La. He had some brilliant moments after that before succumbing to complications from multiple sclerosis in 1997. Ian McLagan, now a proud resident of Austin and the genius behind the World’s Greatest Free Happy Hour, often pays tribute to his dear friend Ronnie Lane. It’s fitting, because “Plonk” was a genius.

MP3: “Car Radio”

MP3: “Tonight’s Number”

MP3: “Just For A Moment”

Small Faces spotlighted on new DVD

Viewing this short promo video this morning made me happier than I’ve been in weeks.  The British Invasion – what a great time to be alive.  One of the best bands to come out of that movement was the Small Faces, comprising Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and the great Ian McLagan.  Amazon will start selling ’em on March 30 but if you go to McLagan’s website you can order a copy now – and he’ll autograph it for you!

Mac’s Pages – Ian McLagan’s website

Ian McLagan Hits Houston Tonight

One of our all-time favorite musicians and all-around great guy Ian McLagan brings his Bump Band to Houston for a free concert today (Oct. 15) at 6:30 p.m. in Discovery Green park.  McLagan is, of course, the greatest rock keyboard player in the world who’s played on albums by the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Thin Lizzy, Robert Earl Keen, Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, the Georgia Satellites and many more.  He’s prominently featured on the new live James McMurtry CD/DVD, Live In Europe.

His latest album is Never Say Never, probably his best solo work.  And we’re saving the best for last – “Mac” will team up with some of his old mates from the Faces on October 25 in London for a fund-raising concert.  Billed as a sort-of Faces reunion, McLagan will join ex-Faces members Ron Wood (Rolling Stones) and Kenney Jones (the Who) for a show that will certainly spotlight attention on the gone-but-not-forgotten Ronnie Lane, original Faces bassist who died in 1997 from multiple sclerosis.  Former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman will fill Lane’s spot, and instead of original Faces singer Rod Stewart (who won’t be there due to prior commitments), vocals will be handled by people like Mick Hucknall (Simply Red), Melanie C, Paul Carrack (Squeeze), Lee Mead, Mark King and Mike Lindup (Level 42), Andy Fairweather Low, Kiki Dee, Chris Difford, Georgie Fame, Jan Akkerman, Albert Lee and Martin Taylor.  Read more about it here.

Ian McLagan will also play a solo gig at Dallas’ Belmont Hotel on Oct. 22, and will return to Texas for a number of dates in November and December.  Here is his itinerary.  We hope to talk to Mac after the big Faces show, and we’ll take some photos at the show tonight.

Ian McLagan official website

YouTube: Ian McLagan performing “Never Say Never” on “Late Show With David Letterman”

YouTube: Someone’s not happy that “Big Nose” isn’t going to play the Faces reunion