Ronnie Lane

[Ed Driscoll]

Rough Mix is an absolute gem of an album; just brilliant.

 

[Dan R]

Big thumbs up for Ronnie Lane! Such a talented musician, he deserves far more praise. He was the secret weapon in (Small) Faces. He was a very good songwriter too.

I picked up a used copy of Rough Mix many years ago. A friend saw it and said, "Hey, that's a really good record."

 

[black_doug]

I just listened to Rough Mix again. Still sounds good!

 

[Deeve]

Misunderstood - my vote for the gem cut
or Annie

 

[slauson slim]

I saw him and Slim Chance at the Roundhouse, Camden Town, July 1975. Great empathy and communication with the audience.

 

[elihu]

Misunderstood - my vote for the gem cut
or Annie

Misunderstood always brings a smile!

 

[boxocrap]

I loved the guy as a musician. His playing, singing and writing really came across to me as heartfelt and genuine. Here he is on a musical collaboration with Pete Townshend called Rough Mix.



And here's an interview with Ronnie and Pete.

deleted post

 

[Geoff738]

My love of the Faces in general, and Ronnie Lane in particular, is well documented here.



Cheers,
Geoff

 

[RodeoTex]

I always wondered how Ian ended up in Austin. I never made that connection.
Thanks for all the posts, I've learned a lot.

 

[elihu]

My love of the Faces in general, and Ronnie Lane in particular, is well documented here.



Cheers,
Geoff

Yes is is Geoff.

What do you think of this analysis of Debris?

“Debris” is Ronnie Lane’s tribute to his dad, first recorded with the Faces. By all accounts, Lane’s father, a bus driver (hence the reference to “the depot” in the song) was an irrepressibly cheerful guy who never once complained about his lot in life as a de facto single parent, caring for a couple of young sons as well as a wife disabled by multiple sclerosis. Sadly, MS is the same disease that would one day rob Ronnie Lane of his ability to play his music, and eventually take his life at the age of 53.
The “debris” in the song refers to a bombed-out portion of the hardscrabble East End London neighborhood in which the Lanes lived that had not yet been rebuilt after World War II. Apparently, on weekends an impromptu flea market would spring up on the rubble, with locals trying to generate some cash by selling whatever they could.
The last lines in the song are “And I wonder what you would have done/ Without me hanging around”. In live performances, Ronnie Lane often changed the wording to “I wonder what you could have been”, in clear recognition of the great sacrifices his father made for the family. Understated as it is, I can’t think of a greater expression of gratitude toward a parent that I have heard than this song.

 

[teleman1]

 

[burtonfan]

I'm also a lifelong member of the RL fan club! Rough Mix was where I first heard his material, KNOWING it was his material. I always loved the Faces, but I was too young to realize who the members were outside of Rod Stewart.

RL... one of my absolute FAVS!

 

[Geoff738]

Yes is is Geoff.

What do you think of this analysis of Debris?

“Debris” is Ronnie Lane’s tribute to his dad, first recorded with the Faces. By all accounts, Lane’s father, a bus driver (hence the reference to “the depot” in the song) was an irrepressibly cheerful guy who never once complained about his lot in life as a de facto single parent, caring for a couple of young sons as well as a wife disabled by multiple sclerosis. Sadly, MS is the same disease that would one day rob Ronnie Lane of his ability to play his music, and eventually take his life at the age of 53.
The “debris” in the song refers to a bombed-out portion of the hardscrabble East End London neighborhood in which the Lanes lived that had not yet been rebuilt after World War II. Apparently, on weekends an impromptu flea market would spring up on the rubble, with locals trying to generate some cash by selling whatever they could.
The last lines in the song are “And I wonder what you would have done/ Without me hanging around”. In live performances, Ronnie Lane often changed the wording to “I wonder what you could have been”, in clear recognition of the great sacrifices his father made for the family. Understated as it is, I can’t think of a greater expression of gratitude toward a parent that I have heard than this song.

Fantastic. Great insight into one of Ronnie’s most poignant songs.

Cheers,
Geoff

 

[hamerfan]

I saw him and Slim Chance at the Roundhouse, Camden Town, July 1975. Great empathy and communication with the audience.

Maybe I am Amazed is really a great Paul McCartney song. There was a slight chance to become a Beatles song, since Paul played it on the Get Back Session for a brief moment.