The Faces
were unanthologized on CD prior to 1999, but ever since
Rhino
's corking single-disc
Good Boys...When They're Asleep...
, the group has seen a number of different compilations of different sizes, of which
Rhino U.K.
's 2012 set
Stay with Me: Anthology
is the fifth. At two discs, this has 2007's
The Definitive Rock Collection
as its closest cousin: they're both double discs that cover a tremendous amount of ground, but
Stay with Me
has a slight edge, weighing in at 36 tracks compared to
Definitive
's 30. Of those 30 tracks, 27 cuts are present and accounted for on
-- the missing numbers are "Open to Ideas," "Jodie," and "(I Know) I'm Losing You," the latter two cuts from solo
Rod Stewart
albums where he was backed by
the Faces
-- and those other nine songs include some of
' very best, including the roaring rocker "That's All You Need,"
Ronnie Lane
's sweet, plaintive "Richmond," and the gloriously shambolic "On the Beach." Serious fans should pony up for 2004's
Five Guys Walk into a Bar...
, which is one of the great rock & roll box sets, but this double-disc set is like that box in miniature, containing the essence of
in all their messy glory. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine