Faces: Ron Wood (vocals, guitar, slide guitar, pedal steel guitar, harmonica, bass guitar); Ronnie Lane (vocals, acoustic guitar, dobro, bass guitar, tambourine); Rod Stewart (vocals, electric guitar); Ian McLagan (Wurlitzer piano, harmonium, organ, keyboards); Kenney Jones (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel: Bobby Keys (saxophone); Harry Beckett (trumpet); Tetsu Yamauchi (trombone, bass guitar); The Memphis Horns (horns); Harry Fowler (steel drum); Neemoi Acquaye (percussion).

Liner Note Authors: David Fricke; Ian McLagan.

Released at a time when lead singer Rod Stewart was exploring the Great American Songbook, the music presented on FIVE GUYS WALK INTO A BAR... reinforces the argument that the Faces were one of rock's great overlooked bands. The quintet's ease around a bar never diminished the organic musicianship that found them easily melding their love of rock & roll, blues, and soul.

Fueled by Ron Wood's stellar guitar work, Ian McLagan's fluid keyboard playing, and the rock-solid rhythm section of Ronnie Lane and Kenney Jones, the Faces shared space with Stewart's burgeoning solo career, but still managed to crank out four excellent studio albums in less than six years. Not only are these records all included in their entirety in this four-disc collection, but the band's official output is practically doubled here by way of numerous live BBC performances, alternate versions, and rehearsal tapes. Along with the soaring passion of "Flying," fall-down raucousness of "Stay with Me," and unheralded Lane-penned classic "Debris" are loving covers of tunes by John Lennon, Luther Ingram, Free, and Robert Johnson. Words can't do justice to the wealth of musical manna to be found in this wonderfully annotated and compiled package.