Some of it recorded live, this second album with Rod Stewart only goes to show that, yes the Faces are super, and yes Stewart is about the best rock vocalist still around. The music is freer and more confident than the last album but not tremendously different. As usual there is super good taste in the selection of songs, and as usual it's the already familiar songs that stand out on first listening, particularly Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" which has a classic new dimension under Stewart's lead. Long Player is an immediate standard coming from one of the most authentic English rock super goups pounding the beat this year.

- Danny Goldberg, Circus, 5/71.

Original album advertising art. Click image for larger view.

Bonus Reviews!

- Billboard, 1971.

The difference between these guys and their smaller forebearers, the ones who released round-covered albums and sang "Itchycoo Park" with whine and phase, isn't just Steve Marriot vs. Rod Stewart. Marriot was a pop craftsman with the Small Faces; with Humble Pie he's a boogie man. Boogie's not a bad idea, especially when you play it fast and loose rather than 'eavy like the 'Umbles. But as exciting as it is theoretically -- and by comparison with the competition, boogieing and otherwise -- it doesn't have much staying power. That's partly because they play it too loose and not quite fast enough. And partly because Stewart reserves his popcraft for solo LPs. B

- Robert Christgau, Christgau's Record Guide, 1981.

With their second effort, The Faces grew more muscular and loose, rocking with loose abandon on "Bad N' Ruin" and "Had Me A Real Good Time," two of their best songs. At the same time, their ballads also improved, with Stewart's "Tell Everyone" and Lane's "Richmond" rivaling each other for the most touching number on the album. Out of the two live tracks, "Balling the Jack" goes on a little too long, but "Maybe I'm Amazed" is tremendous -- The Faces tear into the song, transforming it from a McCartney ballad to a heartfelt cry of devotion. Long Player is a sloppy, terrific record; although it may have a couple of weak moments, it has the heart and soul of the band. * * * * *

- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

Long Player captures the party-hearty sound of the Faces, highlighted by live versions of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" and Big Bill Broonzy's "I Feel So Good." * * * 1/2

- David Yonke, Musichound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, 1996.

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