AKA: First Step

The First Step 1970 Album

Faces

When Steve Mariott split from the Small Faces to form Humble Pie, what was left of the group (Ian McLagan, Ronnie Lane, and Kenney Jones) joined forces with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood for a new venture, and became the Faces. From there, they proceeded to record four of the most unassuming, beguiling, down-to-earth rock releases of all time, along with one so-so live album. Out of the four studio records, this is the one that sounds most like a late-period Small Faces album, so it's clear the Small Faces part of the group were running the show. The good thing was, how seamlessly Stewart and Wood fit into the Marriott role and in some cases, kicked things up a notch ("Flying"), while Lane was given room for his ever-burgeoning contributions ("Stone", "Devotion"). This was and is a highly underrated record.