Five Guys Walk Into A Bar...Four CDs Walk Out...

Long-Awaited Faces Boxed Set Is A Treasure Trove Of Rare Gold BBC Sessions, Original Studio Recordings, Never-Before-Released Jewels, Alternate Takes, Studio Shenanigans, Hotel Room Gems & More

Rhino Set In Stores May 25

"The Faces were the greatest rock 'n' roll band that ever stumbled and strummed across the face of the Earth," says Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke. "They could play it all-blues, soul, funk, country, boogie-and they played it like the world was their bar stool and it was never closing time."

Rhino Records invites you to raise your glass in tribute to this seminal rock band with the release of the long-awaited boxed set FACES: FIVE GUYS WALK INTO A BAR... Fans will become intoxicated listening to this keg-sized collection of digitally re-mastered BBC sessions, original studio recordings, never-before-released gems, alternate takes, outtakes, studio hijinks, hotel room tapes and much more. The set also includes anecdote-laced liner notes by Fricke and Faces organist/piano player Ian McLagan.

Faces: Five Guys Walk Into A Bar... will be available May 25 at all retail outlets and at www.rhino.com [ http://www.rhino.com/ ] for a suggested retail price of $59.98.

The Faces came together in 1969 when former Small Faces McLagan, drummer Kenney Jones and bassist Ronnie Lane hooked up with ex-Jeff Beck Group vocalist Rod Stewart and guitarist Ron Wood. "We knew we were meant for each other," says Wood in the liner notes. "When Rod and I were in Beck's group, our favorite band was the Small Faces. They were so fantastic, with so much energy-a band of merry men and all the same size."

To get a sense of the band's persona of five fun-living, hard-drinking, long-touring rockers, just take a look at the Faces' script logo (seen on the front of the box)-it was inspired by the Holiday Inn logo, because the band spent so much time on the road living in hotels.

Though the band only recorded four studio albums in five years, Faces: Five Guys Walk Into A Bar... amplifies their output with a plethora of smoldering live tracks and studio rarities, including previously unheard covers of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" (an outtake from 1971's Long Player), Free's "The Stealer" (a 1973 recording from the BBC Radio Program In Concert), Luther Ingram's "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right)" (an Ooh La La outtake) and Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" (recorded in 1971 and pulled from the BBC TV program Sounds For Saturday: The Music Of The Faces).

McLagan's liner notes are a special treat, filled with personal stories of life with the Faces and memories of his old friend, the late, great Ronnie Lane. "He was a rascal and charmer," writes McLagan, "And he always seemed to get away with it. And though he never rated himself highly, he was simply the most melodic and subtly inventive bass player I've ever heard." Lane passed away in 1997 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. Lane's songs are celebrated on Faces: Five Guys Walk Into A Bar... "A lot of people don't know who he is anymore," McLagan says sadly. "But he shines throughout here." Tracks such as "Debris," "Richmond" and "Last Orders Please" are just a few of the set's many Lane highlights.

Fricke's liner notes are written with the insight of a faithful fan and include interviews with the band, who recall making music and mayhem. "The Faces drank all the time," writes Fricke. "Concerts were no exception." "I don't remember too many gigs," Stewart adds sheepishly. "Still, we were never so drunk we couldn't play. It was an air of merriment." Jones recalls one bizarre night behind his kit: "I was playing away, stopped to touch my arms, and they were all sticky. It was the sweat. All the Lowenbrau I'd been drinking-it was literally coming out of my pores."

Sloshed or not, the Faces rocked onstage and off and those moments are captured on this barn-burning box. From "Stay With Me" and a John Peel session of "Maggie May" to an alternate take of "Cindy Incidentally" and the previously unreleased "High Heel Sneakers," Faces: Five Guys Walk Into A Bar... has it all.

Sadly, Lane left in '73 and the band called it quits in 1975. Wood joined The Rolling Stones, Jones eventually hooked up with The Who, McLagan went on to play with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan, and Rod Stewart became a solo superstar. Though the Faces' tenure was short, they definitely left their mark on rock 'n' roll. "We had such a laugh, just being with each other," says Jones. "Being in the Faces was such spectacular fun."

You can hear it for yourself on Faces: Five Guys Walk Into A Bar... Says McLagan, "Have a look, have a laugh, have a listen."

Source: Warner Strategic Marketing