A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse

A Nod's As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse
Studio album by
Faces
Released17 November 1971[1]
RecordedMarch–September 1971 at Olympic Studios, London
Length35:56
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerFaces and Glyn Johns
Faces chronology
Long Player
(1971) 		A Nod's As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse
(1971) 		Ooh La La
(1973)

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 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,[2] and reaching No. 2 in the UK. It also contains their biggest US hit, the swaggering "Stay with Me" (No. 6 in the UK, No. 17 in the US), and the album itself would be certified gold by the RIAA in 1972.

The album features two original ballads and a cover of Chuck Berry's "Memphis Tennessee". Bassist Ronnie Lane, usually confined to backing vocals and the occasional sole lead vocal on previous Faces records, sings lead on three of his own compositions here (one co-written with keyboardist Ian McLagan). Of these, "Debris", an elliptical examination of father-son relationships, was chosen as the B-side to their hit "Stay With Me". (Lane's "You're So Rude" served as the B-side of the American release.)

Release and reception

The original issue of the album came with a large poster. The poster included the lyrics for the album, as well as close-up images of pills and pharmaceutical capsules, and polaroid photos (apparently taken on tour) of band and crew members reveling with naked groupies in hotel rooms. Within weeks of release, the record company re-issued the album without the poster, turning original copies with the poster into collectors' items overnight.[3]

On 28 August 2015, the album was reissued in a remastered and expanded form, with the bonus tracks being two songs from a previously unreleased BBC session. The new vinyl reissue even replicated the poster included with the first-pressing vinyl release.

Reception

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[4]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Rolling Stonemixed[7]
The Village VoiceA−[6]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Miss Judy's Farm"
Rod Stewart3:38
2."You're So Rude"
Ronnie Lane3:41
3."Love Lives Here"
  • Lane
  • Stewart
  • Wood
Stewart3:04
4."Last Orders Please"LaneLane2:33
5."Stay with Me"
  • Stewart
  • Wood
Stewart4:37
Total length:17:33
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Debris"LaneLane (with Stewart on harmony vocal)4:36
2."Memphis"Chuck BerryStewart5:29
3."Too Bad"
  • Stewart
  • Wood
Stewart (with Lane, McLagan and Wood backing)3:12
4."That's All You Need"
  • Stewart
  • Wood
Stewart5:06
Total length:18:23

2015 reissue bonus tracks

  1. "Miss Judy's Farm" [BBC Session] (Stewart, Wood)
  2. "Stay With Me" [BBC Session] (Stewart, Wood)

Personnel

Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[18] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Reissues

Year Label Cat. number Edition
2005 Audio Fidelity AFZ 026 24 Karat Gold HDCD

References

  1. ^ "Random Notes". Rolling Stone. No. 96. Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. 25 November 1971. p. 4.
  2. ^ Faces > A Nod's as Good as a Wink . . . to a Blind Horse > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  3. ^ "Random Notes". Rolling Stone. No. 99. New York City: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. 6 January 1972. p. 4.
  4. ^ Dimery, Robert; Lydon, Michael (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Bloomington, Indiana: Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
  5. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 November 2005.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert (30 December 1971). "Consumer Guide (22): Faces: A Nod's As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse". The Village Voice. Retrieved 7 April 2012 – via robertchristgau.com.
  7. ^ Landau, Jon (6 January 1972). "Faces A Nod's As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse > Album Review". Rolling Stone. No. 99. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 107. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7504". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Faces – A Nod Is As Good As A Wink...To A Blind Horse" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Faces – A Nod Is As Good As A Wink...To A Blind Horse" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  12. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Faces – A Nod Is As Good As A Wink...To A Blind Horse". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  13. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  14. ^ "Faces Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  15. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1971" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  16. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1972" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  17. ^ "great britain's million sellers, 1971-72" (PDF). Cash Box. 6 July 1974. p. 8, Part II. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  18. ^ "American album certifications – Faces – A Nod Is As Good As a Wink". Recording Industry Association of America.