At this point, because of Rod Stewart's paralleled solo career that was gaining momentum, thus giving the Faces' even more exposure as a successful live act, their third album finally broke the band into the mainstream and provided the classic, rollicking Stay with Me as proof that Stewart and the band were becoming a hot commodity within 70's rock. The downside of this scenario was that while Stewart had double time with the band and his solo career, the rest of the Faces were seen more and more as a sideman's group. Ronnie Lane would leave the band within 2 years time after this album, justifying his feelings of dissatisfaction in terms of Stewart's overshadowing of the band. Despite all of this, A Nod is as Good as a Wink...collectively holds up and stands as the Faces' most successful release and the interaction of the group as a whole is on full display here musicianship-wise and within the songwriting aspects as well.

​

Miss Judy's Farm kicks things off with a bang as Stewart and Co. offer up a sleazy, gritty rocker featuring heavy Wurlitzer playing from Ian McClagan most prominently along with some gritty guitar playing from Ron Wood. Another rare collaboration between Wood/Stewart and Lane is the heartfelt, soulful and reflective Love Lives Here, which provides a dynamite vocal from Rod and the arrangement shows further growth and consistency within the group dynamic. Glyn Johns co-produced this set with the band and I feel he captures the Faces' ultimate studio performance; especially on tracks like Stay with Me, Too Bad, the cover of Chuck Berry's Memphis, Tennessee and the record's closer That's All You Need. Lane's contributions include the hilarious You're So Rude, the drunken shambolic-feel of Last Orders Please, and the magnificent track, Debris. Lane and Stewart share harmonies on the bridges of this number as it gives another soulful angle within the simplistic, yet deeper found beauty of this fine number.

 

As mentioned earlier, the band tackles Chuck Berry's Memphis, Tennessee within an arrangement that shuffles along with a mellow groove; thus bringing forth an interesting take(Faces-style), nonetheless. The album closes with the strong Wood/Stewart penned Too Bad, a "dyed-in-the-wool" Faces rocker, and That's All You Need, which recalls a bit of Around The Plynth from First Step with the winding slide guitar of Wood, but closes out the record in a typical hard groovin', rousing style that remains definitive.  

​

If you like good old rock and roll music, and as I do, prefer to hear Rod Stewart within a BAND situation(as opposed to a solo artist with a backing band) A Nod's as Good as a Wink....is probably the best album to hear from a casual fan's point of view. This album and  Ooh La La, the follow-up(and final release), are definitely the high points of their brief, but astonishing outputs. Great Album.

 

Rating Grade- A+