In May of 1971, Rod Stewart released his groundbreaking solo album, Every Picture Tells a Story. It wasn’t his first solo album, but it was his biggest to date, featuring both the hit single “Maggie May” and Stewart’s seminal version of Tim Hardin’s “Reason to Believe.”
It was earlier that same month that the first of the songs on Had Me a Real Good Time… was broadcast on air. And this Record Store Day Black Friday release proves that even though Stewart was starting to blossom as a solo superstar at the time, he still made some fiery rock and roll with his old band, Faces.
Admittedly, the pickings here are slim. The first side features “Had Me a Real Good Time” and Faces’ version of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed,” both which were originally released on the band’s 1971 album Long Player. Also on side one is a version of Robert Johnson’s “Love in Vain” and the barnstorming instrumental “Oh Lord I’m Browned Off,” which features the best of the band’s non-vocal musical talents on drums, bass, and slide guitar.
The second side features four more tracks from BBC in concert performances from 1971 through 1973. The version of “It’s All Over Now,” originally written by Bobby and Shirley Womack and made famous by The Rolling Stones, is relatively perfunctory blues. “Twistin’ The Night Away” (Sam Cooke) is prime live Faces, all boogie and grit. The Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” is wonderfully messy. And then there’s “Too Much Woman (For a Henpecked Man)” (Ike Turner) with a little of the Stones’ “Street Fighting Man” in the middle.
Had Me a Real Good Time… is great (and great-sounding!) document of Faces’ live BBC performances. The only real complaint is that it’s much too brief. A real good time indeed. If only that time was a bit longer.
Author rating: 6.5/10
Average reader rating: 10/10
Reproduced with kind permission from Under The Radar and Frank Valish first published on Under The Radar