Faces
Maybe I'm Amazed

Among the several hundred songs Paul McCartney has composed, besides the pointless ones (many) or even irritating (some), we can all agree that there's a good bunch of absolutely fantastic ones.

And there is no doubt that "Maybe I'm Amazed" belongs to that bunch, and in my opinion, it's among the very first. Paul composed it when the Beatles were at their end, and if they had managed to continue for another album, it would surely have ended up in the successor to "Abbey Road" and today it would have much greater fame and historical importance... Instead, it found its place in his first solo album released in 1970, and later in some live compilations, as its author has always maintained a high reputation for it, gladly including it in concert setlists.

In the same 1970, the Londoners Faces were in a slow restart phase, after the reorganization of the old beat group Small Faces from which the leader Steve Marriott had left, through a double addition from the Jeff Beck Group in the persons of Ronnie Wood on guitar (future Rolling Stone) and Rod Stewart on vocals (future womanizer pop singer).

The debut of the new formation is with the album "First Step," then a second work "Long Player" the following year, 1971, recorded mostly in the studio but with a couple of live covers cleverly included, as given their reputation as drunks and noisy people, they performed much better on stage than confined in a recording studio. One of these live tracks is Mac's "Maybe I'm Amazed," a vigorous ballad full of soul without a hint of the sugary indulgence present in the ex-Beatle's version, even more powerful and intense in the hands of a group undisciplined but full of grit and impetuosity like the Faces.

Keyboardist Ian McLagan opens the track with the electric piano, soon joined by a tipsy Ronnie Wood, obviously with a few too many Martinis in him, who struggles with his guitar's volumes, taking a while to adjust and staying offbeat in the meantime... The first verse, still without the rhythm section, is sung by the poor bassist Ronnie Lane with his clear, very pop and very unimpressive voice.

So when in the second verse bass and drums arrive, and especially the fiery and powerful approach of the young Rod Stewart, the song really moves up a notch! This man, over the years, has become increasingly vain, empty, annoying, and useless, but when he was young, he rocked! Rod sings with his heart in his hand and remarkable fervor the vicissitudes of the song (the usual unrequited love), heating both the present crowd and his guitarist who, in fact, eagerly performs the beautiful obligatory solo, a true song within a song, typical of McCartney who, above all being a great melodist, has always conceived even instrumental parts (solos but also bass lines) in a very sung, melodic way.

At the second chorus, McLagan leaves the piano for the Hammond organ, what a sound!... and everyone gets into it with an admirable musical fullness, then an unusually long stop&go is organized that leaves the audience bewildered, Kenny Jones's (future Who) drum roll for one last round of guitar and increasingly hoarse and string-breaking chorus ending with some alone Stewart vocalizations and a disastrous final stop with the usual Wood out of phase. Stewart then mumbles into the microphone "So, just to warm us up a bit"... and it all ends. Very beautiful.

For anyone who has never heard the Faces in their life, there is a successful (and high-quality) '90s group that incredibly reminds them: it's the Black Crowes.