Ooh La La | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 1973 | |||
Recorded | September 1972 – January 1973 | |||
Studio | Olympic, London | |||
Genre | Rock and roll [1] | |||
Length | 30:22 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | Glyn Johns | |||
Faces chronology | ||||
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Singles from Ooh La La | ||||
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Ooh La La is the fourth and final studio album by the English rock band Faces, released in March 1973. It reached number one in the UK Albums Chart in the week of 28 April 1973. The album was most recently reissued on CD in a remastered and expanded form on 28 August 2015, including early rehearsal takes of three of its tracks, as part of the 1970–1975: You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything... box set (along with the rest of the Faces catalogue of studio recordings). The box set's vinyl counterpart did not contain any bonus tracks, but it did replicate the original LP artwork and 'animated' cover.
By the end of 1972, following the critical and commercial successes of Rod Stewart's solo albums, the singer had become increasingly distanced from some of his Faces bandmates, who were frustrated that by this point they had come to be perceived by the public (and even by some concert promoters) as little more than Stewart's backing band for live work. Stewart himself was reportedly distracted enough by his newfound stardom that he missed the first two weeks of recording sessions for the latest Faces album entirely. [2] The rest of the band used the studio time to rehearse and record a plethora of instrumentals and backing tracks, including material that would eventually appear on Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood's side project Mahoney's Last Stand.
The production of the album would continue to be hampered by Stewart's apparent lack of commitment to the project, and as a result of this situation, Ooh La La was, according to Ian McLagan, "Ronnie [Lane]'s album". Lane embraced the opportunity to expand his songwriting role in the band and his increased contribution set the tone of the album's quieter, more reflective second side.
Despite the difficult circumstances of the recording sessions, producer Glyn Johns held the group together, helping to placate internal tensions; his efforts enabled the Faces to record a focused, concise album in the manner of its predecessor, A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse (the band's first two albums were, by contrast, lengthier self-produced records). Once the recording of Ooh La La was completed, the album's credits optimistically suggested an intention to work with Johns again in the future, with the comment: "Produced by Glyn Johns (see you in a year)".
Stewart's compositions for the album were written mostly in tandem with Wood and McLagan, although – in a departure from the norm – two more songs were written by Stewart in sole partnership with Lane. One of these, "Flags and Banners", featured Stewart accompanying Wood on either banjo or a secondary guitar part, while Lane handled vocal duties.
The album included one composition by the whole band (excepting Stewart), the instrumental "Fly in the Ointment". This was the only joint composition by the four instrumentalists to make it onto any of their studio albums; usually their efforts were relegated to the B-sides of singles – such as "Skewiff (Mend the Fuse)", which served as B-side to the "Cindy Incidentally" single.
The title track, by Wood and Lane, featured the only solo lead vocal performed in the studio by Wood during the band's existence, recorded at Glyn Johns' suggestion after neither Lane nor Stewart were said to be satisfied with their own attempts at it. Stewart apparently claimed at the time that the song was in the wrong key for him, but he later covered the song on his 1998 album When We Were the New Boys , in tribute to the recently deceased Lane. Lane himself later re-recorded the song and regularly performed it live during his own post-Faces solo career.
Two other tracks from the sessions were released at the time; "Skewiff (Mend the Fuse)" as the B-side of "Cindy Incidentally", and the blues parody "Dishevelment Blues" as the B-side of an album sampler flexi disc that was given away with copies of the New Musical Express to promote the LP. These two tracks (the latter long-prized by fans as a collector's item) were eventually compiled on the Five Guys Walk into a Bar... box set in 2004. Five outtakes from the album sessions were also released as part of Five Guys..., while a number of other outtakes, mostly instrumentals, have also circulated unofficially among collectors over the years.
The cover of the album was designed by Jim Ladwig, around a stylised photograph of "Gastone", a stage character of 1920s Italian comedian Ettore Petrolini. The original LP's art deco-inspired cover was constructed in such a way that when the top edge of the sleeve was pressed down, a concealed die-cut design element would descend that made Gastone's eyes appear to discolour and move to the side, and his jaw would appear to drop into a leering smile. The back cover also featured art deco-inspired design elements, and detailed song information and album credits alongside tinted individual photographic portraits of the band members. The original gatefold sleeve's inner design depicted a large stylised photomontage of the band in typical 'laddish' pose, admiring the charms of a can-can dancer (referencing the lyric of the title track).
The 2015 vinyl reissue (part of the 1970–1975: You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything... box set) replicated the original LP artwork, including the animated picture of Gastone.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | B [1] |
Shortly after Ooh La La's March 1973 release, Stewart reported to the New Musical Express that he felt that the LP was a "stinking rotten album". [3] He expounded further in the pages of Melody Maker , stating that the album was "A bloody mess. But I shouldn't say that, should I? Well, I should say it in a few weeks' time. Not now. I mean, the public ain't gonna like me saying it's a bloody mess. It was a disgrace. Maybe I'm too critical. But look, I don't like it ... All that fucking about taking nine months [sic] to do an album like 'Ooh La La' doesn't prove anything. But I'm not going to say anything more about it." Shortly afterwards, striking a rather more considered tone in an apparent attempt at damage limitation, Stewart told Rolling Stone magazine that what he had actually meant to say was that the group was "capable of doing a better album than we've done. I just don't think we've found the right studios, or the right formula". [4]
Despite Stewart's misgivings, the album reached number one in the UK Albums Chart during April, knocking Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy off the top spot, and being the only Faces record to achieve that distinction. Rather than celebrate this success, however, the rest of the group were dismayed by the harshness of Stewart's comments, especially considering his perceived lack of commitment to fully participate in the album's recording. In his 2000 autobiography All the Rage, [5] Ian McLagan wrote: "The week the album came out he did all he could to scuttle it and told anyone who would listen how useless it was".
Ronnie Lane, having assumed the creative workload due to Stewart's apparent lack of interest, was especially stung by the vocalist's public criticism. No longer content with the prospect of being increasingly sidelined in the band that he had originally co-founded, Lane left the Faces early in June, a decision that he would reportedly later regret. [6] His role as bassist (but perhaps tellingly, not his role as secondary composer or vocalist) was filled shortly thereafter by former Free bassist Tetsu Yamauchi.
Faces released two further singles (in 1973 and 1974 respectively), but while they toured extensively over the next two-and-a-half years, without Lane the necessary impetus for the band to record another full album of studio material seemed to have evaporated (aside from a brief and abortive attempt early in 1975). The group eventually ground to a halt in November 1975 as Stewart seemed to lose interest in them entirely, while guitarist Ronnie Wood toured with the Rolling Stones prior to his official enlistment as Mick Taylor's replacement. For the remainder of the 1970s Lane went on to a more creatively fulfilling but financially unrewarding solo career, while Jones and McLagan reunited with Steve Marriott in a reformation of the Small Faces (which also briefly included Lane at the initial sessions).
The album's title track "Ooh La La" is featured at the end of Wes Anderson's film Rushmore (1998), in the comedy film Without a Paddle (2004), and in numerous commercial and television soundtracks released since the year 2000. The song "Glad and Sorry" is featured in the films Blow (2001) and I'm Your Woman (2020). [7]
2015 reissue bonus tracks
Chart (1973) | Peak position |
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Australian (Kent Music Report) | 4 [8] |
Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.
Notes: Stewart is credited with playing electric guitar only on track 3 in the Five Guys... booklet, so this credit may be in error (or may be the correction of an earlier omission). Due to his absences from the recording sessions for the album, during which the rest of the band recorded without him, and given that he performs no vocals or receives no other specific credits on the tracks in question, there is also some conjecture about Stewart's presence on tracks 6, 8 and 10.
Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of Small Faces after lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie. The remaining Small Faces—Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane, and Kenney Jones —were joined by guitarist Ronnie Wood and singer Rod Stewart, both from the Jeff Beck Group, and the new line-up was renamed Faces.
Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The band was one of the most acclaimed and influential mod groups of the 1960s, recording hit songs such as "Itchycoo Park", "Lazy Sunday", "All or Nothing" and "Tin Soldier", as well as their concept album Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake. They evolved into one of the UK's most successful psychedelic bands until 1969.
Ronald Frederick Lane was an English musician and songwriter who was the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Small Faces (1965–69) and Faces (1969–73).
Ronald David Wood is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group.
Small Faces is the second studio album by Small Faces, released through Immediate Records on 23 June 1967. Although this was their first album for new manager Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label, recording actually commenced during their tenure with Decca Records, whom they left in January 1967 after severing professional ties with original manager Don Arden. As a result of the switch of label and management, Decca and Arden released an outtakes compilation album, From the Beginning in early June 1967 in order to sabotage the chart success of the Immediate Small Faces release - something that it managed to do to some extent when From the Beginning reached number 17 in the UK charts. The Immediate album shares its name with their 1966 Decca debut album, which has led to some confusion regarding the titles. As a result of this, it has been unofficially dubbed The First Immediate Album by several fans.
A Nod's as Good as a Wink... To a Blind Horse is the third album by British rock group Faces, and their second album of 1971. Bolstered somewhat by lead singer Rod Stewart's recent solo success with "Maggie May", it was their most successful album worldwide, peaking at No. 6 in the US, and reaching No. 2 in the UK. It also contains their biggest US hit, the swaggering "Stay with Me", and the album itself would be certified gold by the RIAA in 1972.
Long Player is the second album by the British rock group Faces, released in February 1971. Among the highlights are a live cover version of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed", the ballads "Richmond" and "Sweet Lady Mary", the party tune "Had Me a Real Good Time", and uptempo saloon bar rocker "Bad 'n' Ruin". Two tracks, "Maybe I'm Amazed" and "I Feel So Good", were recorded live at the Fillmore East, New York City, on 10 November 1970.
First Step is the debut studio album by the English rock band Faces, released on 27 March 1970 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was released only a few months after the Faces had formed from the ashes of the Small Faces and The Jeff Beck Group. The album is credited to the Small Faces on all North American issues and reissues, while record labels for initial vinyl printings give the title as The First Step.
Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners is a 1974 live album credited to Rod Stewart/Faces. Stewart's practice was not giving concerts as a solo act at the time, but rather appearing jointly with the Faces, thus the dual crediting.
Snakes and Ladders / The Best of Faces was an October 1976 best-of album by British rock group Faces. While the first released Faces compilation was a repackaging of the group's first two LPs as a double album, this US-only release presented the first attempt to compile the popular songs from the group after they had disbanded in 1975. Featuring photography by Tom Wright and unique cover art by guitarist Ronnie Wood, it was only eventually superseded in the US market by the CD compilation Good Boys... When They're Asleep in 1999.
Good Boys... When They're Asleep... was a 1999 compilation of British rock group Faces. Compiled primarily by keyboardist Ian McLagan, it served to supersede the 1976 effort Snakes And Ladders / The Best of Faces, and to present a CD-length retrospective of the group, lasting nearly eighty minutes.
Five Guys Walk into a Bar... is a comprehensive four-disc retrospective of the British rock group Faces released in 2004, collecting sixty-seven tracks from among the group's four studio albums, assorted rare single A and B-sides, BBC sessions, rehearsal tapes and one track from a promotional flexi-disc, "Dishevelment Blues" - a deliberately-sloppy studio romp, captured during the sessions for their Ooh La La album, which was never actually intended for official release.
Small Faces is the debut album of Small Faces, released in May 1966 by Decca Records. It includes the hit singles "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" and "Sha-La-La-La-Lee". The album was well received by music critics and was popular with the public, rising to number 3 on the UK album chart remaining at the top for several weeks. It also reached number 8 in Finland.
Mahoney's Last Stand is an album by Faces bandmates Ronnie Wood and Ronnie Lane, recorded in 1972. It is the music soundtrack album of the low-budget 1972 Canadian film Mahoney's Last Stand starring Alexis Kanner, Sam Waterston and Maud Adams. The film itself, little seen at the time of its release and even less so since, charts the progress of city-dweller Mahoney (Kanner) who abandons his urban existence to become a homesteader, and the drama that ensues. Pete Townshend, who guests on guitar on some tracks on the album, also receives a credit in the film for providing 'special electronic effects', alongside Wood and Lane's musical score.
Lead Vocalist is a compilation album released by Rod Stewart on 22 February 1993. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in the UK and Germany, but was never released in the US. Three songs from this album either had previously or would be released as singles: "Tom Traubert's Blues", "Shotgun Wedding", and "Ruby Tuesday".
"Ooh La La" is a 1973 song by the band Faces, written by Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood. It is the title song of the band's last studio album, Ooh La La.
"Cindy Incidentally" is a song by the British group Faces, written by group members Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood and Ian McLagan. It was produced by Glyn Johns. It was included on the band's 1973 album Ooh La La, and in the same year was released by Warner Bros. Records as the first single from that album.
"Green Circles" is a song by English rock band Small Faces first recorded in 1966. While not issued as a single in the United Kingdom, it was originally intended as the B-Side of "Here Come the Nice", their first single release on Immediate Records, this release was cancelled and the B-Side was replaced with "Talk to You." It remains one of the group's most well known and influential songs, and showcases the group's venture into psychedelic music, which would be prevalent in their later work, such as on "Itchycoo Park", "Lazy Sunday" and Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake.
"Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire" is a song written by English keyboardist Ian McLagan, first recorded and released by his band Small Faces in 1967. The song was McLagan's first original composition written for the band.
The Definitive Rock Collection is a two-disc retrospective of the British rock group Faces released in 2007, collecting thirty tracks from among the group's four studio albums, various single A and B-sides, and an outtake from the sessions for a proposed but ultimately abandoned 1975 album.