Sex Pistols bass player Glen Matlock could very well have been the bass player with The Faces had the reunion happened.
There was a lot of press about Flea taking the place of Ronnie Lane but Faces keyboard player Ian McLagan tells Undercover that was never going to happen. “Ronnie wanted Flea. I wanted Glen Matlock. Rod wanted his guy from his band,” Ian tells Undercover News. “I was thinking why not get Glen Matlock to do it because his whole career is based around Ronnie Lane. He started playing to Small Faces and Faces songs. He gets it but I don’t think Flea does. Flea is great with the Chili Peppers. It is a different thing”.The legendary band, including McLaganMcLagan, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood and Kenny Jones got as far as one rehearsal. “We rehearsed with Rod’s guy and he was great,” Ian said. “If he hadn’t played Ronnie Lane’s bass part with respect, I would have had a few words to say to him. But he did and he is a lovely guy and he played beautifully and he played in the style of Ronnie Lane which is all I wanted because if you are not going to have Ronnie there is no point having Flea who is quite an individual bass player. Ronnie’s got him on his new album which is great. It is different”.
That well-publicized Faces reunion did not happen because of Rod Stewart. “He has put the block on it for this year,’ he said. “It might happen next year. We rehearsed in November in London. It was loads of fun. We had a blast. We went through a dozen songs, reminisced and had a good time. Then I figured we would do something this summer but he is touring with his own stuff so he has knocked that on the head, but maybe it will happen next year”.
Ian McLagan is also playing on Ronnie’s record. “I was just in LA with Ronnie Wood playing on his new album. He had an idea that we (Faces) should get together and play a couple of nights at the Hollywood Bowl and film it and see how that goes and then take it from there. Rod nixed that so there is nothing going on at the moment. Frankly, I have waited around for so long that I haven’t got the patience to sit here waiting for the phone to ring. I don’t need that”.
Stories surfaced that The Faces worked on new material during the rehearsal. Ian says that is not true. “No, I saw that press release. There were no songs at all,” he tells Undercover. “Woodie is making an album. I am making an album. Rod’s not. Rod is touring. Kenny is back in England so there is nothing going on. I am afraid there is no news. Maybe next year. As I say. Never say never.”
Never say never is an appropriate statement for the keyboard player. It was the title of his last album released in 2008. He is currently working on his next album with The Bump Band. “It will be next year,” he tells us. I’m looking forward to it.
