Face to Face

Face To Face - Face To Face (1996) {2016 Remaster with 2 Bonus Tracks Fat Wreck Chords FAT 970-2}
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© 1996, 2016 Antagonist Records / Fat Wreck Chords | FAT 970-2
Rock / Punk Rock / Alternative Rock / Punk Revival / New Wave / Skatepunk / Punk Pop

Riding a wave of popularity just about to crest, Face to Face released this self-titled disc for A&M Records in 1996. Although their fourth release, Face to Face, is the first that did not contain the alt radio smash "Disconnected." The single "I Won't Lie Down" more than fills the vacancy left by the ultra-catchy "Disconnected" and even generated intense – but brief when compared to its predecessors' – airplay of it's own. Singer/guitarist Trevor Keith's songwriting prowess reaches its highest level without compromising the band's speedy aesthetic. Rhythms shift through manic turns as Keith and co-guitarist Chad Yaro double up on punk power chordings just before splitting apart into expansive counterparts.

Within a year of the release of their tentative debut, the Angels had come up with an absolute monster of an album. Face to Face was a watershed release in the annals of Australian hard rock, an era-defining work that stayed on the Australian charts for 79 weeks and still holds up to this day…

The Kink Kontroversy was a considerable leap forward in terms of quality, but it pales next to Face to Face, one of the finest collections of pop songs released during the '60s. Conceived as a loose concept album, Face to Face sees Ray Davies' fascination with English class and social structures flourish, as he creates a number of vivid character portraits…

GQ are remembered for two very different things: uptempo disco-funk jams ("Disco Nights," "Standing Ovation") and covers of Billy Stewart ballads. And they excelled in both areas. But by 1981 (the year in which Face to Face first came out as a vinyl LP), the popularity that GQ had enjoyed in 1979 and 1980 was starting to fade. Face to Face, which was the Bronx outfit's third album as GQ (in 1976, they recorded an album titled Soul on Your Side as the Rhythm Makers), wasn't as commercially successful as 1979's Disco Nights or 1980's Two. Unlike those albums (both of which went platinum in the United States), Face to Face didn't contain any blockbuster hits. But Face to Face did make it to number 18 on Billboard's R&B albums chart, and it contained the number 23 R&B hit "Shake."

The Kink Kontroversy was a considerable leap forward in terms of quality, but it pales next to Face to Face, one of the finest collections of pop songs released during the '60s. Conceived as a loose concept album, Face to Face sees Ray Davies' fascination with English class and social structures flourish, as he creates a number of vivid character portraits. Davies' growth as a lyricist has coincided with the Kinks' musical growth. Face to Face is filled with wonderful moments, …

Face To Face - Everything Is Everything (2001) {Anthology CD with DVD5 NTSC Kung Fu Records KFR78791}
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DVD5 -> 3.58 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | Dolby AC3, 2 ch | ~ 65 min | ISO Image
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© 2001 Face To Face / Kung Fu Records | KFR78791
Rock / Punk Rock / Alternative Rock / Punk Revival / New Wave / Skatepunk / Punk Pop

Who, you might be asking? OK, so Americans may regard Southern California’s revivalists of powerful melodic punk *Face To Face *as something of a punk rock institution but over on this side of the pond their tumultuous ten-year career is more viewed as a punk rock travesty. For despite touring incessantly throughout the states and putting out consistently well written and well-received albums throughout the nineties, headlining venues up to 3000 capacity the band still had not released anything in Europe.

Face To Face - Standards And Practices (1999) {Victor Japan VICP-60760 - bonus tracks}
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© 1999 Lady Luck Records / Victor Japan | VICP-60760
Rock / Punk Rock / Alternative Rock / Punk Revival / New Wave / Skatepunk / Punk Pop

Punk revivalism may incite a brash attitude and a sour disposition, but there is also a soft spot. It's not always about angst and rebellion. There's a passionate side too. SoCal punkers Face to Face tone down their skate punk snarl for an intriguing set of covers on Standards and Practices, kissing the hands of those '80s new wave/indie rock/punk bands that came before them. The band picked their own favorite tunes, paying tribute to bands such as the Smiths, the Pogues, Jawbreaker, the Ramones, and the Pixies. Standards and Practices is raw and vibrant, and the underlying power behind their own versions also exudes the excitement found in the original songs and escapes the repetitiveness found on most compilations.

Face To Face - Laugh Now, Laugh Later (2011) {Antagonist Records PLY-468234 Germany 2 Bonus Tracks}
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© 2011 Antagonist Records / People Like You Records | PLY-468234
Rock / Punk Rock / Alternative Rock / Punk Revival / New Wave / Skatepunk / Punk Pop

Outstanding, overlooked relase from Face To Face, worthy of their legacy. Far superior to the massive letdown that was/is Three Chords And A Half Truth. "Staring Back" and "Persona Non Grata" are bonus tracks exclusive to the German release. It's interesting to look back and think about the bands that influenced your musical tastes. I grew up on a steady diet of everything from Guns N' Roses to Run DMC to Black Flag. Eventually I started to lean towards the "grunge" movement of the early '90s, and from the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney and plethora of others, expanded to punk rock. Bad Religion, Rancid and NOFX were staples of the time, but I've always felt that Face to Face was the band that I not only "discovered" on my own, but ultimately most identified with. I picked up a copy of Big Choice after reading about in a magazine, and was instantly hooked. My fandom undoubtedly peaked during the release of their self-titled LP, which to this day I consider to be the soundtrack of my high school years.

Face To Face - Ignorance Is Bliss (1999) {Victor Japan VICP-60761 - bonus tracks}
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© 1999 Lady Luck Records / Victor Japan | VICP-60761
Rock / Punk Rock / Alternative Rock / Punk Revival / New Wave / Skatepunk / Punk Pop

Having helped generate the first wave of '90s pop-punk, Face to Face was due to profit from the mainstream success of artists like Lit and Blink 182 who had taken their melodic approach to punk songcrafting to new commercial heights. With so much punk credibility to be had, the last thing anyone expected these famous SoCal punkers to do is release a hard rock record; which is exactly what the foursome did when they shipped their first disc for Beyond Records in 1999. From the initial drum and guitar blasts of the record's lead cut "Overcome" Ignorance Is Bliss lets listeners in on the fact that Face to Face would not be limited to the punk genre, and that the quartet's songwriting skills stand up against the most successful of hard rock bands.

Face To Face - How To Ruin Everything (2002) {Victor Japan VICP-61742 - bonus tracks}
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© 2002 Lady Luck Records / Vagrant Records / Victor Japan | VICP-61742
Rock / Punk Rock / Alternative Rock / Punk Revival / New Wave / Skatepunk / Punk Pop

How to Ruin Everything is Face to Face's reflection piece. The bandmembers take a look back on what made them love punk rock in the first place and churn it into an infectious disposition. They spent the 1990s fighting against the mainstream and through various personal and professional shifts inside the band, and How to Ruin Everything emerges as Face to Face's strongest material to date. Frontman Trever Keith is fierce, and his songwriting is now shaped into something courageous and meaningful. He and bandmates bassist Scott Shiflett and drummer Pete Parada ignore current punk-pop sounds for a gnarling rock growl.