I'm not persuading you or disengaging you.
Right around this time last year, I got to interview Ian McLagan, which was a huge treat for me being a ridiculously huge Small Faces and Faces fan.
We talked for about an hour by phone, and he was actually talking to me from his home studio in Austin, TX, which was fantastic, because as he was talking to me, he was sitting at his piano. The best thing about interviewing Mac is that he's all too happy to answer any question you can throw at him and 99.9% percent of the time, will go off on some fantastic tangent that gives you way more insight on the man himself or any of the artists he's ever worked (or goofed around) with in life (including - aside from the Small Faces and Faces - the Who, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Billy Bragg, Frank Black and eons upon eons of others - check Mac's fantastic website for the whole score) than you ever could've imagined, but also that he's far too happy to oblige you by playing a few bars of any particular song you'd fancy right there on the spot.
Well, I had to ask about "Cindy Incidentally."
Certainly my favorite (well, Rod Stewart-sung, that is) Faces song, it's always amazed me that it isn't a staple on more classic radio stations. Some do play it, granted - but only the cool ones. It shouldn't be like that. It should be in every classic station's steadfast rotation. Maybe the fact that it isn't helps its supreme coolness factor, but still... the fact that you have a better shot of hearing "American Pie" than this, should be like... a crime punishable by death.
Here's what Mac had to say about composing the song, almost right on the spot.
"We were in the studio, and I was sitting at the piano, just f*cking around and playing Chuck Berry's 'Memphis.' Then, for whatever reason, I just reversed the two main chords, and started pounding them out. Rod's ears perked up and he shot over to me and said, "HERE, WHAT'S THAT?!" I said, "I don't know, just came to me." We basically wrote the whole thing right there."
And then of course, he played the first few bars of "Memphis," said, "Here, and then...," played the first few bars and verse of "Cindy Incidentally."
Nyah, nyah.
Faces - Cindy Incidentally
The only complaint I have about this song is that it's too short. It's perfect of course, and its brevity certainly crystalizes that perfection by leaving you absolutely PINING for more, but goddamn, what one more little verse and "Can you refuse..." middle bit could've done... Ah, vell. From 1973's CLASSIC Ooh La La album, which was Ronnie Lane's swansong with the band. Stewart calls it his least favorite Faces album - he hardly showed up to any sessions, opting instead to focus on his own risng solo career. But rather than wait around for him, the rest of the band carried on with Ronnie Wood and Ronnie Lane sharing a lot of lead vocal duties. A lot of resentment was actually borne out of the fact that Stewart didn't show up to sing the album's title cut, and when he did eventually get around to singing it on 1997's RIDICULOUS When We Were the New Boys, Stewart called Mac to inform him of the recording and perhaps offer an invite to play along, Mac shouted down the phone line, "YOU'RE 24 F*CKING YEARS TOO LATE, ROD!" Lane also complained about Stewart's absence during the album's sessions, BUT it says a lot about "Cindy Incidentally"'s own strength, at least, that Lane cited it as one of his all-time favorite Faces tracks (and he didn't even have a writing credit on it).
And turning around "Memphis" was no difficult task for Mac, either, as the boys had covered it on 1971's equally classic A Nod is as Good as a Wink... To a Blind Horse.
Faces - Memphis, Tennessee
Mac made it up to Chicago for three shows this past October, and we got to hang out for a long while after the first night's show, and he was as cool as cool can possibly be. Also, as you can see, a definite SMALL Face.
And FYI, he played "Cindy Incidentally" all three nights. AND IT ROCKED.
We talked for about an hour by phone, and he was actually talking to me from his home studio in Austin, TX, which was fantastic, because as he was talking to me, he was sitting at his piano. The best thing about interviewing Mac is that he's all too happy to answer any question you can throw at him and 99.9% percent of the time, will go off on some fantastic tangent that gives you way more insight on the man himself or any of the artists he's ever worked (or goofed around) with in life (including - aside from the Small Faces and Faces - the Who, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Billy Bragg, Frank Black and eons upon eons of others - check Mac's fantastic website for the whole score) than you ever could've imagined, but also that he's far too happy to oblige you by playing a few bars of any particular song you'd fancy right there on the spot.
Well, I had to ask about "Cindy Incidentally."
Certainly my favorite (well, Rod Stewart-sung, that is) Faces song, it's always amazed me that it isn't a staple on more classic radio stations. Some do play it, granted - but only the cool ones. It shouldn't be like that. It should be in every classic station's steadfast rotation. Maybe the fact that it isn't helps its supreme coolness factor, but still... the fact that you have a better shot of hearing "American Pie" than this, should be like... a crime punishable by death.
Here's what Mac had to say about composing the song, almost right on the spot.
"We were in the studio, and I was sitting at the piano, just f*cking around and playing Chuck Berry's 'Memphis.' Then, for whatever reason, I just reversed the two main chords, and started pounding them out. Rod's ears perked up and he shot over to me and said, "HERE, WHAT'S THAT?!" I said, "I don't know, just came to me." We basically wrote the whole thing right there."
And then of course, he played the first few bars of "Memphis," said, "Here, and then...," played the first few bars and verse of "Cindy Incidentally."
Nyah, nyah.
Faces - Cindy Incidentally
The only complaint I have about this song is that it's too short. It's perfect of course, and its brevity certainly crystalizes that perfection by leaving you absolutely PINING for more, but goddamn, what one more little verse and "Can you refuse..." middle bit could've done... Ah, vell. From 1973's CLASSIC Ooh La La album, which was Ronnie Lane's swansong with the band. Stewart calls it his least favorite Faces album - he hardly showed up to any sessions, opting instead to focus on his own risng solo career. But rather than wait around for him, the rest of the band carried on with Ronnie Wood and Ronnie Lane sharing a lot of lead vocal duties. A lot of resentment was actually borne out of the fact that Stewart didn't show up to sing the album's title cut, and when he did eventually get around to singing it on 1997's RIDICULOUS When We Were the New Boys, Stewart called Mac to inform him of the recording and perhaps offer an invite to play along, Mac shouted down the phone line, "YOU'RE 24 F*CKING YEARS TOO LATE, ROD!" Lane also complained about Stewart's absence during the album's sessions, BUT it says a lot about "Cindy Incidentally"'s own strength, at least, that Lane cited it as one of his all-time favorite Faces tracks (and he didn't even have a writing credit on it).
And turning around "Memphis" was no difficult task for Mac, either, as the boys had covered it on 1971's equally classic A Nod is as Good as a Wink... To a Blind Horse.
Faces - Memphis, Tennessee
Ah, for the days when Rod Stewart wasn't a karaoke lounge singer and was actually kind of cool, eh?
Mac made it up to Chicago for three shows this past October, and we got to hang out for a long while after the first night's show, and he was as cool as cool can possibly be. Also, as you can see, a definite SMALL Face.
And FYI, he played "Cindy Incidentally" all three nights. AND IT ROCKED.
Labels: Faces
posted by Paul at 1.3.07
1 Comments:
Paul, love your comments on "Cindy Incedently"...just a great song. "Ooh La La" was such an underrated album, thanks to Rod's criticism. What an A-hole and fight on, Hoppin' Jacks! Following you diligently!
Rich
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