THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Faces are set to make fans Shake, Shudder, Shiver with Complete BBC Concert & Session Recordings 1970-1973, a comprehensive box set compiling all of the group’s BBC concerts and surviving studio sessions. This new collection — much of it previously unreleased — has been remastered with the full participation of surviving bandmembers Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood and Kenney Jones.
Once thought lost, many of the recordings were recovered from Faces’ own archives and private collections. (Notably, only one BBC session of three songs remains missing.) Rarities include a stereo mix of the May 13, 1971, Paris Cinema concert, which was only broadcast in mono, and a February 1973 show that was never aired due to the BBC’s concerns over the band’s onstage banter with the rowdy audience.
Complete BBC Concert & Session Recordings 1970-1973 spans the band’s formation and meteoric rise. Exploring a period of intense creativity, which included four Faces studio albums (First Step, Long Player, A Nod Is As Good As A Wink…To A Blind Horse… and Ooh La La) and several solo albums that Stewart recorded with most of the band (Gasoline Alley, Every Picture Tells A Story, Never A Dull Moment and Smiler).
The setlist includes live versions of fan favorites like Bad ’n’ Ruin, Had Me A Real Good Time, Miss Judy’s Farm, Too Bad and Stay With Me, a gold-certified single in the U.S. and a Top 10 smash in the U.K. Several of Stewart’s solo songs were performed as well, including, (I Know) I’m Losing You and the U.S. and U.K. No. 1 hit Maggie May.
John Peel’s Christmas Carol Concert rounds out the collection. Originally broadcast on Boxing Day 1970, this unique holiday performance features Stewart singing Away In A Manger and a Christmas carol medley sung by a choir that includes Faces, their roadies, Peel, Marc Bolan of T. Rex and others. The Blu-ray includes newly restored footage of Faces’ April 1972 appearance on Sounds for Saturday. The concert finds the group in peak form, radiating their swaggering, joyous spirit of rock ’n’ roll that continues to inspire generations.
The hardback set includes a 48-page booklet with new commentary from surviving bandmembers and archival quotes from Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and legendary broadcaster Peel. Lavishly illustrated with many previously unseen photos, the booklet details every Faces BBC session, concert, and broadcast. BBC broadcaster Gary Crowley wrote the detailed liner notes, which include a new interview with Jeff Griffin, who produced all the Faces’ BBC concert appearances.”
