Ron Wood & Ronnie Lane – Mahoney’s Last Stand (1976) Review | The Faces You Meet Along a Wooded Lane
Kronomyth 3.0: I met them on a soundtrack and my heart went boom, the two Ron Rons, yeah the two Rons Rons.
This is one of those weird albums that a lot of people have heard of but few have actually heard. At least, that’s always been my impression of Mahoney’s Last Stand. It was originally recorded as The Faces were folding up shop, serving as the soundtrack to a little-known film of the same name. That film’s release was delayed for several years and so, too, the soundtrack. By the time Mahoney’s Last Stand hit the stands, Ron Wood had already joined The Rolling Stones and Ronnie Lane had successfully launched his own solo career. It was that context, and not displaced fans of The Faces, which would have caught the attention of the record-buying public. For their curiosity, they were rewarded with a solid mix of instrumentals and songs that combined bottleneck blues, R&B-driven horns and the humble if not ingratiating vocals of Messrs. Wood and Lane. The album is otherwise notable for assembling an all-star cast more befitting of a proper solo album than a soundtrack: Pete Townshend, Rick Grech (appearing on drums and violin!), Ian McLagan, Kenney Jones and producer Glyn Johns. Just for a Moment is the standout track, a pretty melody that gets both an instrumental and vocal version, with honorable mentions for Rooster Funeral, Chicken Wired (also treated to an instrumental version) and the rollicking rock instrumentals (Tonight’s Number, Title One, Car Radio). Is it as rewarding as Rough Mix? Nope. More worthy of your attention than Now Look? Nuh-uh. But it has suffered a kinder fate than most soundtracks to forgotten films for a reason. What’s here is both a winding down of The Faces and a window into what might have been if Lane and Wood had decided to keep the band intact. As such, it’s an interesting epilogue to a fascinating group that rightfully remains active in both artists’ catalogs.
The Product
A1. Tonight’s Number (3:10)
A2. From the Late to the Early (3:36)
A3. Chicken Wire (2:00)
A4. Chicken Wired (3:45)
A5. I’ll Fly Away (trad. arr. by Ron Wood/Ronnie Lane) (0:31)
A6. Title One (3:42)
A7. Just for a Moment (instrumental) (2:55)
B1. “Mona” the Blues (4:27)
B2. Car Radio (4:50)
B3. Hay Tumble (2:55)
B4. Woody’s Thing (1:45)
B5. Rooster Funeral (3:55)
B6. Just for a Moment (2:55)
All songs written by Ron Wood and Ronnie Lane unless noted.
Expanded CD reissue bonus tracks
14. Insurance
15. Safety Pin Queen
16. Anymore for Anymore
17. C&W Number
18. My Fault
Original 8-track version
A1. Tonight’s Number
A2. Just for a Moment (instrumental)
A3. Rooster Funeral
B1. From the Late to the Early
B2. Title One
B3. Hay Tumble
C1. Chicken Wire
C2. I’ll Fly Away
C3. Car Radio
C4. Just for a Moment
D1. Chicken Wired
D2. “Mona” the Blues
D3. Woody’s Thing
The Players
Ronnie Lane (bass, guitar, vocals, banjo, percussion), Ron Wood (guitar, harmonica, vocals, bass), Bruce Rowlands (drums, vocals) with Benny Gallagher (bass on A2), Rick Grech (bass on A3, drums on B1, violin on B3/B5), Glyn Johns (vocals on A5), Kenney Jones (drums on A1), Bobby Keys (brass on A1/A6, tenor sax on B2), Ian McLagan (piano on A1/A4/B2, harmonium on A3), Billy Nicholls (vocals on A5), Jim Price (brass on A1/A6, baritone horn solo on A1), Pete Townshend (guitar on A1, percussion on B2), Micky Waller (percussion on B3). Produced & engineered by Glyn Johns.
The Plastic
Released on elpee and 8-track in September 1976 in the UK (Atlantic, K 50308) and the US and Canada (Atco, SD/TP 36-126).
- Re-issued on elpee in December 1988 in the UK (Thunderbolt, THBL-067).
- Re-issued on compact disc in 1990 in the UK (Thunderbolt, CDTB 067) with different cover.
- Re-issued on compact disc in Japan (Wizard, EVA 5007).
- Re-issued on expanded compact disc in 1998 in the UK (NMC, PILOT 29) with 5 bonus tracks and unique cover.
- Re-issued on expanded 180g vinyl elpee in 1999 in Italy (Get Back, GET517) with 5 bonus tracks and unique cover.
- Re-issued on compact disc in 2017 in the US (Real Gone, RGM-0678).
