Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners

The album presents only three songs from the previous albums by the Faces, while presenting six from Stewart's solo releases. Two previously unreleased songs were a cover of "I Wish It Would Rain", originally recorded by The Temptations, and John Lennon's "Jealous Guy".

The performance was recorded with new Faces bassist Tetsu Yamauchi, replacing Ronnie Lane, who had left soon after the release of Ooh La La, fed up at the group increasingly being presented as Stewart's backing band. Coast to Coast was recorded live on 17 October 1973 at the Anaheim Convention Center and was mixed at Island Studios in London.{{Cite AV media notes |title=Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners |title-link=Album Title |first= |last= |others=Rod Stewart/Faces |date=1973 |page=(Inner sleeve) |type=LP |publisher=Mercury Records |id= |location=}}

In an unusual arrangement, LP versions of the album were issued in the United States by Mercury Records (which at the time issued Stewart's solo albums), while cassette and 8-track configurations were issued by Warner Bros. Records,{{cite book | title=Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary | first= John |last=Gray | year=1992 | publisher=Omnibus Press | location=London | isbn=0-7119-2906-8 | page=37}} the Faces' former label—and with whom Stewart would sign as a solo artist following the Faces' demise.

The cassette and 8-track versions also include an extra track - (I Know) I'm Losing You (Norman Whitfield, Edward Holland, Jr., Cornelius Grant).

The back cover photo is actually the Old Boston Garden taken on May 2, 1973.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Long out of print in the United States, Coast to Coast is only available as an import from Japan. The Faces would disband within a year and a half of the album's release.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}

The crowd noise that plays behind the opening of David Bowie's Diamond Dogs was taken from the opening track It's All Over Now. Stewart can be heard saying "Hey" on the Bowie track.[https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/diamond-dogs-david-bowie-song-story Diamond Dogs: David Bowie's "Pre-Punk" Gang Song Explained]

In The Pittsburgh Press, critic Pete Bishop termed the album "50 disappointingly dull minutes" during which "nothing really excites."{{cite news |last1=Bishop |first1=Pete |title='Overtures' an Album for Diehards Only |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oBsfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=E5YEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2210%2C1056929 |access-date=28 May 2024 |work=The Pittsburgh Press |date=6 January 1974}}

Side one

1. "It's All Over Now" (Bobby Womack, Shirley Womack) - 4:38
2. "Cut Across Shorty" (Wayne Walker, Marijohn Wilkin) - 3:45
3. "Too Bad" / "Every Picture Tells a Story" (Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood) - 7:34
4. "Angel" (Jimi Hendrix) - 4:28
5. "Stay With Me" (Stewart, Wood) - 4:50

Side two

1. "I Wish It Would Rain" (Roger Penzabene, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield) - 4:20
2. "I'd Rather Go Blind" (Billy Foster, Ellington Jordan) - 5:55
3. "Borstal Boys" (Ian McLagan, Stewart, Wood) / "Amazing Grace" (Traditional, arr. D. Throat) - 9:52
4. "Jealous Guy" (John Lennon) - 4:25

• Rod Stewart – lead vocals
• Ronnie Wood – guitars, backing vocals
• Ian McLagan – keyboards, backing vocals
• Tetsu Yamauchi – bass, trombone
• Kenney Jones – drums

• Faces – producer
• Gary Kellgren – engineer
• Tom Scott and Tom Fly – assistant engineers

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{{Certification Table Entry|type=album |region=United Kingdom|artist=Rod Stewart & The Faces|title=Overture And Beginners|award=Silver|relyear=1974|certyear=1974|id=4970-479-2}}

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Category:Faces (band) albums

Category:Rod Stewart live albums

Category:1974 live albums

Category:Mercury Records live albums

Category:Warner Records live albums