Early Steps
This week’s big news is the announcement of the Faces album Early Steps
Take early steps back to 1960s London with the Faces! We’re excited to announce a 1xCD and 1xLP release featuring the band’s first, previously unheard recordings, out on October 31st.
Walk by the River Thames to hear the earliest recordings of the Faces captured in all their raucous glory. This release features the band’s first-ever recording session at Olympic Studios, as well as rehearsals from The Rolling Stones’ Bermondsey warehouse, all pulled from the Faces’ own cassette tapes.
Hear Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones, Ronnie Lane, and Ian McLagan before they took their first step!
https://faces.lnk.to/EarlySteps
More news coming very soon..
Baby Jane hits Gold
It was announced that Rod’s 1983 number one single Baby Jane hit sales of 400,000 units and was certified gold this week, Rod celebrated by posting a clip of the video on social media adding the text “ROD STEWART ‘BABY JANE’ CERTIFIED GOLD IN THE UK.”
Adding “A huge thank you to all the fans who’ve kept this song alive, this one’s for you.”
Baby Jane was written by Rod and Jay Davis and released as the lead single from his twelfth studio album Body Wishes. it was produced by Rod, Tom Dowd, George Cutko and Jim Cregan, and was Rod’s last No. 1 in the UK remaining at the top of the chart for three weeks. In the US, the song was also a hit, peaking at no. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single also peaked at no. 10 in Australia.
Rod’s First Vinyl Hit
Rod also got his first hit on the Official Vinyl Singles chart, [This chart was not around when Sexy first charted] as Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? came in at No. 6.
Sexy also entered at No. 6 on the Official Physical Singles chart. Giving Rod his third top 10 on this chart.
His career peak remains at No. 2, which he reached with Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Another version of Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?, credited to N-Trance Featuring Rod Stewart, peaked at No. 7 nearly 30 years ago. Altogether, Rod has earned 24 total hits on the roster.
Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? also appears for the first time on the Official Singles Sales chart, coming in at No. 83. and marks Rod’s seventh career appearance on the all-encompassing list of bestsellers in the U.K.
Rod’s plaque will soon be back
We reported a couple of weeks ago about Rod’s plaque at Twickenham Railway Station going missing and a member of staff saying it had been stolen
Well a Customer Service Advisor from South Western Railway contacted SMILER this week and told us “The plaque is in our office at Twickenham. It has not been stolen. They are waiting for an installation date”.
Penny’s Posts
Penny posted a couple of great shots at the weekend first it was out with the girls at the BBC Radio 2 in the Park
Then it was out with Sir Rod for date night
Dear Rod An Apology
In our last news letter we offered 5 copies of Dear Rod…An Apology signed by Paolo Hewitt the correct answer was – Can You Show Me A Dream – The Ronnie Lane Story by Paulo Hewitt and John Hellier. and for the first time ever we had no wrong answers
The 5 winners are
Leanne Gibbons
Colin Davidson
Dominic Murphy
John Rafferty
Colin Baker
Don’t worry if you didn’t win you can still order copies from
Watch for an exclusive interview with Paolo in a special Faces edition of SMILER coming soon
What’s on
Fans in the Maryland area of US are in for a treat this weekend when The STAR Centre of Havre de Grace hosts TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT featuring some big names…
THIS WEEKEND AT THE STAR
TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT
Celebrating the Music & Legacy of Rod Stewart
SEPTEMBER 20th
The STAR Centre (700 Congress Ave)
Singer Rob Caudill, along with legendary drummer Carmine Appice, and Rod Stewart’s former sax player Katja Rieckermann, lead an incredibly talented live band that accurately recreates the sound, excitement, and fun of a Rod Stewart concert!
We’re thrilled to offer a VIP Experience to make your concert night unforgettable!
For just $50 more per person, you can enjoy:
Access to the Pre-show Soundcheck: Get an exclusive look behind the scenes as the band does their soundcheck
Pre-show Meet and Greet: Meet the stars – Rob Caudill, Carmine Appice, and Katja Rieckermann in person
Q & A Session with the band: Ask your burning questions and hear their fun stories
Autographs and Photos: Get Autographs and capture the memory with an exclusive photo of you and Rob Caudill, Carmine Appice, and Katja Rieckermann!
Early Access to Purchase Merchandise
VIP attendees MUST be ticket holders for that day’s Tonight’s The Night Show.
VIP Experience is limited to 50 fans only
This event’s official ticketing platform is Eventbrite.
Tickets purchased from any other third-party website, such as StubHub, are done so at your own risk. To avoid scams and fraudulent tickets, we strongly recommend only purchasing directly from Eventbrite or from someone you personally know and trust. We cannot honor or provide support for fraudulent tickets purchased through unauthorized channels.
#rodstewart#tonightsthenight#starcentre#seeyouatthestar#seeyouatthestart
And anyone going to Vegas on Tuesday September 23rd can join Vic Vaga for his big party
Vic’s party night is at Tommy Rocker’s Mojave Beach Bar & Grill, Industrial Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89103, United States on Tuesday 23rd September
https://www.facebook.com/events/788552973558899?locale=en_GB
Please note the show is 7pm Las Vegas time Sep 23 the link says 24th but FB has changed it to UK time
Ronnie Lane fans are also in for a treat on Sunday September 21st with a special showing of The Passing Show at in aid of the Chiltern Neuro centre, at Tring Park Cricket Club..
Presented by the Blues Bar Tring team – films, interviews, and live music from Slim Chance
Tring Park Cricket Club (HP23 6HA) – doors and bar 12 noon – show starts 1pm – free entry but donations welcome: all in support of the Chilterns Neuro Centre (Ronnie Lane was a long-time sufferer of MS!)
Timings Ronnie Lane Blues Bar Tring Sunday 21 September:
11.30 sound check
12.00 doors
13.00 intro John Stack
13.05 Gaz introduces and interviews Rupert and Charlie
13.30 Documentary plays
15.15 interlude
15.30 Charlie’s set
16.15 close
NOTE times flexible
The Dog and Pickle
On Saturday Rod called in The Dog and Pickle in Moreton, Chipping Ongar, Essex and had his photo taken with the owners mum who is one of Sir Rod’s biggest fans
Someone Like Me
At the weekend Penny recorded her vocal version of Someone Like Me at RNIB Recording studios in Camden Town, London. The audio version is available on September 25th.
About this listen
Penny Lancaster counts herself as incredibly lucky. She had a loving upbringing, her life with husband Rod Stewart has spanned continents, she’s made incredible friendships, become part of an amazing family and embraced motherhood.
But it’s not all been plain-sailing. From being relentlessly bullied at school and underestimated because of undiagnosed dyslexia, Penny also experienced a harrowing sexual assault as a young girl. This has made her a staunch campaigner for women’s safety and, these days, she regularly puts in hours as a Special Constable for the City of London Police, where her primary concern is making the streets safe for women.
She’s also navigated the challenges of having the weight of the world’s scrutiny thrust upon her in her twenties, undergone IVF treatment, supported loved ones through cancer diagnoses, overcome her own depression and manoeuvred through menopause. Amongst a heady mix of royalty, rock legends and renegades, her story is one of resilience.
In Someone Like Me Penny tells her full story for the first time, with a natural empathy and humour that she hopes will help others on their own life journey. She shares her wisdom from hard-earned lessons, showing that the key to navigating both storms and sunshine is staying true to you.
©2025 Penny Lancaster (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Penny also saw the printed version for the first time this week and shared the moment with Rod posting- so proud to share this special moment of seeing my published book for the first time, with my wonderful hubby @sirrodstewart @bloomsburypublishing The printed version is also out on September 25th.
And Finally…
Penny gave a sneak peak as Rod started work on the vocals for a new album
Early post this week due to holidays but we will be back to normal next week..So keep watching for more on the big faces release and anyone going to Vina Robles Amphitheatre on September 21st or any upcoming Vegas shows please send in photos of anything!..