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Description
Released in the autumn of 1971, *A Nod Is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse* stands as the final gasp of the legendary Faces, a band that had previously coaxed the very best out of a list of rock royalty including Rod Stewart and Ronnie Lane. Yet this album is peculiar: it was the last studio album to feature Ronnie Lane on bass, marking the end of an era before the band's final collapse. The title track itself is a curious piece of English folklore-the proverbial saying often attributed to blind men navigating the world-a concept that somehow found its way onto a funk-infused rock record that defied the typical rock trajectory of the time. The band's lineup, now without Stewart, leaned heavily into a groove-heavy, almost psychedelic funk style, an evolution that may have been premature, yet undeniably bold.
What is especially fascinating about the album is its production and stylistic experimentation. Produced by Bob Ezrin, a man who would later become synonymous with the grandeur of progressive rock and metal, the album features a stark, almost jazz-tinged sound that sets it apart from Faces' earlier, more straightforward hard-rock efforts. The track "Oh Well" is a standout moment, where Ezrin's production gives way to an almost cinematic soundscape, full of swirling guitars and a rhythm section that dances just ahead of its time. There is also an interesting anecdote about the title song itself: Lane reportedly wrote the lyric "a nod is as good as a wink" as a reference to the old saying, but the rest of the song was improvised, a testament to the band's collaborative chemistry, or perhaps its final, fragile moments.
The album's legacy is somewhat overshadowed by the fact that it was the last one before the band imploded, yet its influence on funk-rock hybrids has since been reevaluated by a new generation of critics who appreciate its bold embrace of rhythm and blues influences. It was, after all, a time when many rock bands were still clinging to the safe structures of guitar solos and verse-chorus structures, while the Faces were already venturing into territory that would only become popular decades later.
In essence, *A Nod Is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse* is a fascinating footnote in the annals of 1970s rock-a band at the end of its rope, but still finding ways to impress.
- https://tidal.com/browse/album/391618
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nod_Is_as_Good_as_a_Wink_to_a_Blind_Horse
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