Album of the Day

British blues-rock quintet Faces truly hit their stride with 1971's LONG PLAYER. The band's second Warner Bros. album is so loose and high-spirited that you may overlook the quality of the songs here - “Bad 'n' Ruin” and “Sweet Lady Mary” are terrific originals, and the cover of “Maybe I'm Amazed” gives McCartney a run for his money. The playing is offhandedly wonderful as well, and Sir Rod Stewart (he was knighted on this day in 2016) is in fine voice throughout. A couple of tracks here were recorded live at the Fillmore East with the Rolling Stones' Mobile Recording Unit, and Faces are also linked to those hitmakers through guitarist (and future Stone) Ron Wood and STICKY FINGERS saxophonist Bobby Keys, who appears on “Had Me a Real Good Time.” It's easy to imagine listeners quoting that title in response to LONG PLAYER, one of the most underrated gems of the classic rock era.