Project 1001: A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse by Faces
Project 1001: A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse by Faces
Now I look back, think I've known all the time / I've been fightin' myself for so long. / All the vows that we made, gone for old rags and lumber / Disappear on a cart down the road /
Faces, the band, is basically a continuation of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott departed to start Humble Pie with the additions of Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart. A Nod Is…offers a really good representation of the rock scene circa early 1970’s.
Three songs strike me as the highlights. “Stay With Me” was the only big hit in the U.S. for Faces. It’s a classic and AOR staple for good reason. A rollicking and joyous plea for a one-night stand.
“Love Lives Here” is a lovely ruminative ballad lamenting how everything in life except love is temporary and transitory. Even where someone lives their whole life is only theirs for a short time. Nobody will remember any of the good things about where one spends their life except that person. It’s nostalgic and mournful and heartbreaking.
“Debris” is a beautiful ballad.
These aren’t the only excellent cuts. All of the songs here are good in and of themselves. While not a major achievement, this record is a really nice listen if you’re in the mood for some early 70’s rock. My rating:
Rolling Stone’s review was less than adulatory especially when comparing the Faces’ work with Rod Stewart’s solo efforts. “The gap in achievement between Stewart's albums and the Faces is too great for it to go on.” They went on:
“The Faces do not, as some have recently alleged, play badly. They are more than competent, especially at creating a mid-Sixties Rolling Stones-styled groove, as their excellent version of "Memphis" proves. But like most rockers who just barely miss their mark, they can't sustain ideas, so their music tends to be filled with bits and pieces–a bright 30 seconds there, an exciting riff here–and then back into a basic track that is usually melodically undistinguished, unimaginatively arranged, and sounds as much of a bore to listen to as it must have been to record.”1
AllMusic called it “the tightest record the band ever made,” while serving “up tremendous song after tremendous song.”
“There are few records that feel like a never-ending party like A Nod -- the slow moments are for slow dancing, and as soon as it's over, it's hard not to want to do it all over again. It's another classic -- and when you consider that the band also had Long Player to their credit and had their hands all over (Stewart’s) Every Picture in 1971, it's hard to imagine another band or singer having a year more extraordinary as this.”2
Robert Christgau gave the album a rating of “A”:
Rod Stewart fans should be warned that their man only sings lead half the time here, and then assured that Ronnie Lane is a beauty--in fact, his "You're So Rude" is my favorite cut on this album. Humor, detail, energy, warmth. Rock and roll.3
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Michael Heatley wrote:
“(The album) had much going for it, not least the songwriting ability of bassist Ronnie Lane…” And, “‘Stay With Me’ is still Ronne Wood’s finest open-tuned moment…”4
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
Prime Playlist: 233. A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse by Faces
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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #65
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Stay With Me”, #176
• RIAA certification: Gold | February 4, 19727
Released on November 17, 1971. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” by Cher8
• Number one album: Santana III by Santana9
• Number one movie: The French Connection by William Friedkin10
• Most watched TV programs: ABC Sunday Movie (Patton), All in the Family, NBC Saturday Movie (The Green Berets), ABC Tuesday Movie (The Victim), Walt Disney, Maude, Marcus Welby, M.D., NBC Monday Movie (Giant, Part II), Sanford & Son, Hawaii Five-O11
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth12
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown13
Some other albums released that month
• Cold Spring Harbor by Billy Joel
• There's a Riot Goin' On by Sly & the Family Stone
• Meddle by Pink Floyd
• Madman Across the Water by Elton John
• Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
• Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson
• Fragile by Yes
• Nursery Cryme by Genesis
• E Pluribus Funk by Grand Funk Railroad
• Farther Along by The Byrds
• Muswell Hillbillies by The Kinks
• Aerie by John Denver
• All Day Music by War
• Anticipation by Carly Simon
• Black Moses by Isaac Hayes
• Bonnie Raitt by Bonnie Raitt
• Flowers of Evil by Mountain
• For Ladies Only by Steppenwolf
• Good and Dusty by The Youngbloods
• If Not for You by Olivia Newton-John
• Killer by Alice Cooper
• The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys by Traffic
• Nazareth by Nazareth
• The Need of Love by Earth, Wind & Fire
• Nuff Said by Ike & Tina Turner
• People Like Us by The Mamas & the Papas
• Pictures at an Exhibition by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• Quicksilver by Quicksilver Messenger Service
• Quiet Fire by Roberta Flack
• Sanctuary by Dion
• Sittin' In by Loggins and Messina
• Sunfighter by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick
• There's Gotta Be a Change by Albert Collins
• Year of Sunday by Seals and Crofts
• The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys by Traffic14
Sport
• Nov 10 Joe Torre wins NL MVP, Vida Blue wins AL MVP.
• Nov 20 21st NASCAR Sprint Cup: Richard Petty wins.
• Nov 25 37th Heisman Trophy Award: Pat Sullivan, Auburn (QB).15
Notable Births
• Nov 10 Walton Goggins, American actor (The Shield; Justified; The Hateful Eight), born in Birmingham, Alabama
• Nov 21 Michael Strahan, American Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end (7 x Pro Bowl; Super Bowl 2007; NY Giants) and broadcaster (Fox NFL Sunday, co-host ABC's Good Morning America), born in Houston, Texas.
• Nov 25 Christina Applegate, American actress (Married With Children, Dead to Me), born in Hollywood, California.16
Historical Events
• Nov 13 Mariner 9, 1st to orbit another planet (Mars).
• Nov 16 The US increase air activity to support the Cambodian government as fighting neared Phnom Penh.
• Nov 23 China People's Republic seated in UN Security Council.
Notable Deaths
• Nov 18 (Herman) "Junior" Parker, American blues and soul singer and musician (Mystery Train), dies during brain tumor surgery at 39.
• Nov 19 Bill Stern, American sportscaster (first televised college football game), dies of a heart attack at 64.
• Nov 25 Hank Mann, American actor (City Lights, Smoky, Dawn Trail, Fugitive Road), dies at 84.17
Heatley, Michael, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 249.
Ibid.
Ibid.