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
Released	17 November 1971[1]
Recorded	March–September 1971 at Olympic Studios, London
Genre	Rock & roll, boogie rock, blues-rock, hard rock
Length	36:28
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Faces 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)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Robert Christgau	A−[3]
Rolling Stone	mixed [4]

A Nod's As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse was the third album by British rock group Faces, and their second album of 1971. It was their most successful album, peaking at #6 in the US,^[5] and reaching #2 in the UK. It contains their biggest hit, the rollicking "Stay with Me" (#6 in the UK, #17 in the US), and the album itself would be certified gold by the RIAA in 1972.^[6]

The original issue of the album came with a poster consisting of a picture collage, including images of pills and pharmaceutical capsules, as well as photos apparently taken on tour of band and crew members reveling with naked groupies in hotel rooms. Within weeks of release, the record company had second thoughts and re-issued the album without the poster, making original copies with the poster into collectors' items.^[7]

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.

Track listing

All lead vocals by Rod Stewart except where noted

Side One

1. "Miss Judy's Farm" (Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood) – 3:42
2. "You're So Rude" (Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan) – 3:46 (lead singer: Ronnie Lane)
3. "Love Lives Here" (Lane, Stewart, Wood) – 3:09
4. "Last Orders Please" (Lane) – 2:38 (lead singer: Ronnie Lane)
5. "Stay with Me" (Stewart, Wood) – 4:42

Side Two

1. "Debris" (Lane) – 4:39 (lead singer: Ronnie Lane)
2. "Memphis, Tennessee" (incorrectly titled on original U.S. pressings of the album as simply "Memphis") (Chuck Berry) – 5:31
3. "Too Bad" (Stewart, Wood) – 3:16
4. "That's All You Need" (Stewart, Wood) – 5:05

2015 Reissue bonus tracks

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

Personnel

• Rod Stewart – lead vocals tracks 1,3,5 & 7-9, harmonica
• Ronnie Lane – bass, acoustic guitar, percussion, lead vocals on tracks 2,4 & 6, backing vocals on "Too Bad"
• Ronnie Wood – lead, slide, acoustic and pedal steel guitars, backing vocals on "Too Bad", harmonica
• Ian McLagan – piano, organ, backing vocals on "Too Bad"
• Kenney Jones – drums, percussion
• Harry Fowler – steel drums on "That's All You Need"
• Glyn Johns – co-producer, engineer

Reissues

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

References

1. "Random Notes". Rolling Stone. Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. (96): 4. 25 November 1971.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 November 2005.
3. 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. Also posted in a revised version with a lower rating at "Faces: A Nod's as Good as a Wink . . . to a Blind Horse > Consumer Guide Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
4. Landau, Jon (6 January 1972). "Faces A Nod's As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse > Album Review". Rolling Stone (99). Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
5. Faces > A Nod's as Good as a Wink . . . to a Blind Horse > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
6. http://www.discogs.com/Faces-A-Nod-Is-As-Good-As-A-WinkTo-A-Blind-Horse/release/4847644
7. "Random Notes". Rolling Stone (99). Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. 6 January 1972. p. 4.