Your Pretty Faces Have Gone To Hell (But Run It By Again Anyway!)

Research by: Roy Carr Tony Stewart Max Bell Hick Kent

MARCH, 1973.

Ron Wood:

"Rod was the last person I thought I'd end up sharing my career with. It's funny because we lead completely different lives. But there's this constant factor between us, which we also find in Kenny, Mac and Ronnie. There's a very close tie in there somewhere."

APRIL, 1973.

Rod Stewart in England's Melody Maker describes Ooh La La as "awful," a statement he later denies making. Ooh La La is the last ever studio recorded Faces aR>um.

APRIL, 1974.

Ian MacLagan on recurring Rod and/or Rod to split rumours:

"It's just a standing group joke. Maybe one day it'll backfire on somebody. "

MAY, 1974.

Front page headline in England's New Musical Express: "Rod/Faces, - Is This The End?" The Faces management is not amused. Denials are emphatic.

JUNE; 1974.

Ron Wood announces solo English gigs at Kilbum Gaumont State with Keith Richard as special guest star.

JANUARY, 1975.

Ron Wood offered Mick Taylor's old job with

Rolling Stones. He says no.

Rod Stewart:

JULY, 1975.

In a surprise attack in an English fan paper,

Kenny Jones accuses Rod Stewart of seriously reducing his earning potential by his decision to

"He's entitled to his opinion though. You've got to look at it like this. Woody might want to join. the Stones, I'd be very surprised if he did — he could have done it two years ago. A lot rests on his decision.

"Puttingit into a basket, we're probably further away from each other than we've ever been. I've forgotten what Tets looks like. He's a Japanese chap, isn't he? I miss them. I really do.

"There's a lot of bullshit goes down. We have a go at each other behind each other's backs. We

never say the best things about each other, but

when we're together weyre the best of mates al-

ways. If that was to change then I'd be very surprised. If we're going to have a go at each other we go round the back ways, through PR people

or managers or send telegrams. "

NOVEMBER, 1975.

Ian MacLagan in CREEM:

"It's not over mate. The band ain't split up. That's h fact."

Ian MacLagan in same interview, asked about Stewart's charge of Faces being "sloppy musicians":

"Yeah, that hurt. We asked him about that and he said he didn't say it. We read it in an interview.

think the whole thing was really because Rod wasn t in contact with us for such a long time — he was surrounded by Hollywood and all that.

Rod shouldn't have said those things because if

the band's gonna split up, surely the band should know about it."

AUGUST, 1974.

Faces management announces that the group will undertake a world tour embracing 46 concerts in nine countries,. Later in same month, Warner Brothers (who have Faces under contract) and Mercury/Phonogram (who have Rod Stewart as soloist) begin legal tug of war over Stewart's forthcoming Smiler album.

Rod Stewart in interview on subject of Faces:

"We've tried in the studio four times, and it's never really worked the way it should. My albums have always been better than Faces albums, always. We won't make another Faces album; I think we'll just put out singles from now on. But maybe I shouldn't be saying this... maybe the lads want to make another album..."

SEPTEMBER, 1974.

Rod Stewart elaborating on same subject:

"This is something we've got to sit down arid talk about. I'm not too keen on another album, which is what I told Mac and Kehny the other night. We've tried four or five times and only succeeded once. What's wrong is the Faces recording schedule is completely alien to what I'm used to. I go in the studio at 12 and finish at seven no matter what happens. On a Faces session everybody falls into the public house. I can't cope with that, and Kenny can't either.

"...I'm certainly game to give it another try, and I think we owe it to Tetsu to do it. I'd direct it myself if I was asked — I'd do it tomorrow. The other thing is, I think they feel I keep a lot of the. songs back for my own album. I was trying to explain to Kenny the other night that I don't." Ron Wood:

"I guess there was a time when I felt that the Faces music was going stale — but without us really knowing it. Like I never wQke up one morning, and said, 'Oh, I'm bored with the band' — it was a stage we went through without realising it. I think Rod got depressed and that's why he let rip in the press (referring to Ooh La La remarks]."

The legal battle resolved. Mercury/Phonogram release Stewart's Smiler elpee. The same day, Warner Brothers issues Ron Wood's first solo set. I've Got My Own Album To Do.

OCTOBER, 1974.

Kenny Jones releases solo single "Ready Or Not" in U.K. It isn't a hit.

NOVEMBER, 1974.

Faces release new single, generally regarded as their best in a long time, "You Can Make Me Dance Sing Or Anything".

"Ronnie's my best mate. There's never been anyone closer to me than Woody. I'm taking bets that it won't happen. I knot!) him too well." Stewart in same article:

"There was a lot of arguing [in thej Faces] certainly.Tt got really bad.at times. One has to make allowances though, hasn't one? I mean, right now it's never been better." «,

FEBRUARY, 1975.

Ron Wood:

"People obviously would think that I'm joining the Stones due to my supposed social connections with them. This, however, is just not true — for though I respect them immensely, my position in the Faces is of far greater personal importance. "

APRIL, 1975.

Ron Wood announced as "temporary" replacement for Mick Taylor for duration of Stones Tour Of The Americas, starting June. Spokesmen for both Faces and Stones stress that Wood's new role is "in no way permanent". Also announced: Faces tours in U.K. and U.S. for autumn 1975.

MAY, 1975.

Rod Stewart in Muscle Shoals recording new solo album, Atlantic Crossing, with local musicians. It's the first time no other members of the Faces have worked with him on one of his solo projects.

quit Britain. Jones says he hasn't worked for four ^months due to the cancellation of a series of open-air Faces British concerts originally scheduled for. the summer.

"Rod leaving Britain has cost me $500,000," says an aggrieved Jones, "And put the rest of us [the Facesj in a predicament."

Faces spokesman:

"There hasn't been any official reply [to Jones' remarks] and there isn't going to be. The matter is being dealt with internally. The problem seems to have been a lack of communication and I understand that Rod is speaking to Kenny onjthe phone to sort things out. And that's the end of it. " ,

AUGUST. 1975.

Rod Stewart, with Britt Ekland in tow, heads out on the road to promote his Atlantic Crossing release. He tells CREEM:

"I've got no idea what's going to happen to the band after this tour. I don't even know if our guitar player is still alive. I've spoken to him three times while he's been touring with the Stones, twice he was sounding really on top of the world and then the last time he sounded really down.

"He'd probably tell you he was enjoying it. I really don't know. I haven't seen him. I haven't read much about their tour actually.

"I'd like to stumble across them in Chicago tomorrow or the day after. So I might see Woody, but I very much doubt it. I don't know what shape he's in. I hope he's in good health cause he's got to finish a tour with them and start a tour with us. That's not the two easiest bands to tour with on Hhe road.

"We'll all be down in Miami in three weeks and we'll start rehearsing and obviously there's going to be a lot of ego floating about. It's not just me

and the bandthey're all personalities in their own

right. They've all got their own lifestyles.

"See, I want desperately to recreate what I've

done on this album onstage and I'll do anything

to do that, literally anything. We've already got a

15-piece orchestra touring with us which 1 know

Mac doesn't like. He's going to have to lump it.

"Anyway, we'll see what happens. We've got

to feel each other out. If we don't break up within

the next few months we'll never break up cause

we're probably as near now as we've ever been.

"Kenny's had a go at me in the papers... That

was so unfair cause we were all going to leave

England and live in America, all of us. Now, as it

happens, me and Woody are the only two. The

rest stayed behind. Now I don't know if Woody is

going to live there or live where. Plus the fact that

those British gigs were never on cause Woody

was touring the States with the Stones.

Announcements of upcoming Faces tour. Both

lan MacLagan and Kenny Jones say they are

anxious to make this news known to counter per-

sistent rumours that the Faces are on the verge of a split. Nevertheless, grapevine speculation in-

sists that MacLagan and Jones will be re-grouping with Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott for a Small Faces re-union tour and album, and that

Rod Stewart will go his own way aided and abet-

ted by Ron Wood. x

DECEMBER, 1975. j

lan MacLagan on the subject of Atlantic Cross-

ing.

"It's very sterile, unemotional...he wasn't

stretching himself. I didn't like Sailing. It's pan-

dering to the football crowds. I like Woody's album. He's not a great singer but he's trying.

"Deep down he [Rod] hasn't changed at all,

but he's into all that Hollywood thing." -

ROD STEWART ANNOUNCES THAT

HE'S QUITTING FACES.

His publicity man Tony Toon speaks for him:

"Rod fee Is he can no longer work in a situation

where the group's lead guitarist Ron Wood seems

to be permanently on loan to the Rolling Stones. "

Faces manager Billy Gaff:

"Rod thinks the world of Ron Wood. I have

repeatedly tried to telephone Ron, who is touring

Europe with the Stones. I have left messages for

him to call me, but I've heard nothing.

Kenny Jones:

"If this means the end of the Faces, I'm not

bothered. I expect Twill survive."

Ian MacLagan:

"I won't believe he's leaving until I hear it from

his own lips."