Faces was the ultimate groove-rock band. The musicians were notorious party animals who never performed sober nor missed a note, and danced their way through their brief stint as band. They were blessed with a legendary line-up. These were musicians at the peak of their abilities and their most confident.

Casual listeners know about the band members. Rod Stewart became a pop superstar. Ron Wood became a Rolling Stone, and Kenny Jones replaced Keith Moon. Ronnie Lane was in The Small Faces and wrote some classics.

But, really, Faces is one of the most underrated bands in the history of rock. These are their 10 best songs. Each deserves to be played loudly!

The 10 Greatest Songs by Faces

10. “Had Me a Real Good Time”

If Faces could get a final word in, you couldn’t come up with anything better than “Had Me a Real Good Time.” The band was excessive on and off the stage and, for the most part, a real joy.

The rumble of “Had Me a Real Good Time” is a fitting testament to one of the most rock n’ roll bands of all time and a group that didn’t overstay its welcome.

9. “Wicked Messenger”

You might not think so, but the man who sang “D’You Think I’m Sexy” and “Hot Legs” actually has incredible taste in music. This was reflected often in his early career when he’d choose to cover the odd Bob Dylan number or later when he’d go for a Tom Waits tune.

“Wicked Messenger” isn’t just slightly obscure for most fans. It’s delivered with venom in one of Stewart’s best-ever vocal performances.

8. “Bad ‘n’ Ruin”

Faces was a rhythm machine that would not let up. There was an undeniable groove to every single song of theirs. Bands like The Black Crowes would carve out whole careers while trying to capture some of that magic.

“Bad ‘n’ Ruin” is a song that might just be about the band’s collective penchant for a drink and too much of a good time. But it shows that much of the group’s music was meant to be played to large crowds.

7. “You’re So Rude”

The thing about Faces was that it was a supergroup of sorts. And, in the beginning, it was quite a democracy. Rod Stewart broke things up when his solo career got too big.

But, if anything, Ronnie Lane had been the most successful musician by the time the band was formed. His Small Faces career and songs written with Steve Marriott had been British Invasion hits.

Lane’s “You’re So Rude” shows just why Faces were so fun. Largely a comedy monologue about young kids fooling around, this is, nonetheless, one of the band’s finest.

6. “Three Button Hand Me Down”

Sex Pistols used to cover this. They used to try and punk-it-up, too. But you couldn’t really make it sound much nastier or give it a great stir than Faces did.

“Three Button Hand Me Down” is another tale from the self-proclaimed beautiful losers of Faces and a real winning formula.

5. “Glad and Sorry”

In Faces, Lane wrote some heartbreaking material. “Glad and Sorry” is simply beautiful melancholy pop-rock.

These songs also helped the band’s cause. They stood in sharp contrast to the restless boogie-rock of most of their other tunes.

4. “Cindy Incidentally”

Faces, you get the feeling, would’ve inevitably become stadium-filling rockers had the group hung on for longer. It wasn’t just that their songs were humour-filled and kind of naughty. These excellent musicians really played with a desire to get themselves heard in front of the largest audiences.

“Cindy Incidentally” is more of that famous boogie-rock and gritty singing for which Faces had made a name for themselves. It’s also a song about feeling forced by time to move on. It’s precisely what Stewart and many of the others in the band would soon do.

3. “Debris”

Lane pens one of the great heartbreakers of the classic pop-rock era with “Debris.” A minor entry into Faces’ discography, “Debris” became a sleeper hit later on. The song has been featured on movie soundtracks and even covered by people like Steve Jones.

But it’s Lane’s vocal delivery, funny yet tragic, which really sells the song. If you haven’t heard it, do yourself a favour and improve your life today!

2. “Ooh La La”

“Ooh La La” is, perhaps, the finest piece of songwriting that Faces ever relied on. It’s another cheeky little Ronnie Lane number. But Stewart himself treasured it enough to cover it later as a solo artist and make it a hit all over again.

“Ooh La La” is a song about living for the moment and being all too dumb to realize what’s really going on. It’s also about gaining wisdom later but not having the youth to do anything about it. I think that there are fewer finer songs out there.

1. “Stay With Me”

No groove guitar quite explodes into outer space like Ronnie Wood when Rod Stewart sings the first lines of “Stay With Me.” This is as arrogant as any band of the 1970s allowed themselves to get. And Faces wear it well and with good charm.

“Stay With Me” isn’t so much a song as the ultimate jam rock coupled with rude boasts. It rocks! And it’s Faces’ biggest hit and the best performance that they caught on tape.