The Faces were an early 1970s rock band formed from the ashes of The Small Faces after Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie; new members Ron Wood (guitar) and Rod Stewart (vocals) joined Ronnie Lane (bass), Ian McLagan (keyboards) and Kenny Jones, (drums).

Their most successful songs included "Stay with Me", "Had Me a Real Good Time", "Cindy Incidentally", and "Richmond". As Rod Stewart's solo career became more successful than the Faces themselves, the band became subordinate to their lead singer. The Faces' final studio album was Ooh La La and the band broke up in 1975.

The members of the band had varied post-band career: Wood joined the Rolling Stones; Lane formed Slim Chance and had a modest solo career that ended prematurely when Lane was diagnosed with multiple sclorosis; Jones joined the Who after the death of Keith Moon; McLagan became a session musician and later joined Billy Bragg's band The Blokes; and, of course, Stewart's solo career was massively successful.

Although they enjoyed relatively modest success compared to contemporaries such as The Who and The Rolling Stones, The Faces played a vital role in the birth of what would eventually become punk. Their good-natured, high-octane (and frequently liquor-laden) live performances and studio albums gave direct rise to groups such as The Damned, The New York Dolls and in particular The Sex Pistols, who have cited the Faces repeatedly as a massive influence on both their music and devil-take-all personas. Following the collapse of the punk movement, the influence of the Faces gave rise to rock-revivalists ranging from The Replacements to The Black Crowes and, more recently, groups such as Pearl Jam, The Charlatans and The Stereophonics.

Discography

• First Step (1970)
• Long Player (1971)
• A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse (1971)
• Ooh La La (1973)
• Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners (live) (1974)
• Snakes And Ladders / The Best of Faces (best-of) (1976)
• Good Boys... When They're Asleep (best-of) (1999)
• Five Guys Walk Into A Bar... (2004)