Critics can be awfully tough on musicians. Fans can also be downright harsh at times when they feel like an artist isn’t living up to their potential. But what happens when a member of your own band is the one who’s delivering the worst reviews? That’s what happened when Rod Stewart criticized his band Faces’ own album back in 1973.
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Faces released their 1973 album Ooh La La with the best of intentions, but their superstar lead singer knocked the album to anyone in the press who would listen. It was a turn of events that helped spell the beginning of the end for this British group.
The Rise of Rod
The Faces were born when two members of the Small Faces departed, leaving room for a pair of future rock and roll legends to join. Rod Stewart took over as lead singer, while Ron Wood became lead guitarist. This new band found an identity with a bluesy, swaggering approach that differed from the psychedelic leanings of Small Faces.
In 1971, Stewart stumbled into a worldwide no. 1 as a solo artist with “Maggie May”, which was originally a B-side. Faces benefited from the extra exposure later that year when they released the album A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse, which included another smash hit in “Stay With Me”.
While Faces concentrated on touring for a while, Stewart continued to build his solo reputation. When the band played in the US, they were often billed as Rod Stewart And The Faces. Needless to say, the situation had the potential to turn sour, which it soon did.
La La Drama
When the Faces began working on their next record in late 1972, Stewart was late for the beginning of the sessions. As a result, the other members of the group (Wood, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and Kenney Jones) plowed ahead with the rehearsing and the writing.
Ronnie Lane stepped up as one of the chief writers. In one case, he added sweet, nostalgic lyrics to a piece of music written by Wood. By the time the band were ready to record the song, called “Ooh La La”, Stewart had finally arrived. But after he and Lane had tried to sing the lead, they both decided that Wood’s vocal was the best for the song.
In “Ooh La La”, which would also serve as the title of the album, Faces had a song that would turn out to be a big hit for them. The rest of the album featured great collaboration between the group members, and it seemed like they had a winner on their hands. But one key individual felt differently.
Rod’s Ridicule
Not long after Ooh La La arrived, Stewart gave interviews with two of Great Britain’s biggest music publications and stated in no uncertain terms that he felt that the album was subpar. Rod Stewart criticized the album harshly. Uproar followed, and he did some damage control, but not enough to repair the hard feelings that his comments had engendered.
“Ooh La La” became a big hit, and the album reached the top of the charts in Great Britain. But the damage was done. Ronnie Lane decided to leave the band just a few months after the release of the album. Faces replaced him and would play live occasionally over the next few years, but they’d never record another album.
When Ron Wood joined The Rolling Stones in 1976, the writing was on the wall. Rod Stewart has long since expressed regret at those infamous interviews in which he criticized Faces’ album. It’s hard to say how long this volatile band might have lasted, but Rod’s words certainly hastened the end of the road for the Faces.
Photo by Ian Dickson
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