A Nod Is As Good As a Wink to a Blind Horse

Led Zeppelin was heavier and more dramatic, the Rolling Stones had more flash and sex appeal, but in the landscape of early-‘70s rock ’n’ roll, the Faces were in a class of their own, and the band hits its peak with their third album, 1971’s A Nod Is As Good As a Wink to a Blind Horse. The Faces had great songs, powerful players, and a star vocalist, but they were entirely without the air of self-importance that plagued so many of the era’s hard rock acts. Songs like “Miss Judy’s Farm,” “You’re So Rude” and “Last Orders Please” are killer rock songs that come off as fun and informal, and in that regard the band follows the lesson of the mighty Chuck Berry. (The band makes Berry’s influence explicit with a rollicking cover of “Memphis, Tennessee.”) “Stay With Me” became the group’s breakout hit, and with good reason. The song’s churning effortless groove could burn for eternity without losing heat. While “Stay With Me” gave the band its signature tune, Ronnie Lane’s “Debris” gave them something much more crucial: a kindness and vulnerability that was entirely lost on the era’s other hard rock groups.