Faces – Snakes & Ladders: The Best Of

Faces – Snakes & Ladders: The Best Of arrives here as a 50th anniversary LP pressing that deserves serious attention from anyone who cares about early 70s British rock. Released by Rhino, with lacquers cut from the original analog master by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, this is a compilation done right at the source level.

Who Faces Were and Why This Collection Matters

Faces were one of the great live bands of their era, a loose-limbed, good-time rock outfit built around Rod Stewart on vocals, Ronnie Wood on guitar, and the rhythm section of Kenney Jones and Ronnie Lane. They made records that sounded like the party was already halfway through when you walked in. The band split in 1975, and this collection landed just one year later, pulling together the best of what they left behind. That context matters. This was not a cash-grab decades down the line. It was a close-to-the-moment document assembled while the tapes were still warm.

What You Get on Faces – Snakes & Ladders: The Best Of

The record covers the core hits, including “Stay With Me,” the strutting, riff-driven track that probably best captures what Faces were about on stage, and “Ooh La La,” Ronnie Lane’s gentle, wistful closer from their final studio album. Beyond those, the compilation pulls in later singles like “Pool Hall Richard” and “You Can Make Me Dance, Sing, or Anything,” tracks that never found a home on a proper studio LP. That makes this collection something more than a highlights reel. For those singles alone, it fills a real gap in the Faces discography on wax.

The Pressing: Why This Rhino LP Is Worth Owning

The mastering work here is the main reason to seek this out over other pressings. Matthew Lutthans cut the lacquers at The Mastering Lab directly from the original analog master, which means no unnecessary digital conversion sitting between you and the source recordings. Rhino has a solid reputation for treating catalog titles with care, and the decision to go back to the original tapes for this 50th anniversary release reflects that. If you already own a battered original or a middling reissue, this pressing gives you a legitimate reason to upgrade. If Faces is a gap in your collection, this is a clean, well-sourced way to fill it.