Pool Hall Richard Single (1973)

A Reading Festival Live B-Side Glory

Released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK on November 30, 1973, on Warner Bros. Records (catalogue: K 16341), Faces’ “Pool Hall Richard” was their raucous glam-rock anthem. Backed with the live “I Wish It Would Rain (With A Trumpet)” (recorded at Reading Festival ’73), marketed as a double A-Side this Stewart/Wood original (A1) and Strong/Whitfield/Penzabene cover (A2) peaked at No. 8 on the Official Singles Chart for 11 weeks. Pressed by CBS Aston Clinton with solid centre, knockout centre, and promo variants, lacquer cut by MELS. A Faces classic.

Single Overview

Release Details

Label: Warner Bros. Records.

Formats: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single (solid centre / knockout centre / promo).

Full Track Listing

Side A

Pool Hall Richard (4:20) – Written-By: Stewart, Wood – Producer: Mike Bobak

Side B

I Wish It Would Rain (With A Trumpet) (4:50) – Written-By: Strong, Whitfield, Penzabene – Producer: Ron Nevison – Recorded live at Reading Festival ’73

Global Variants

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – Warner Bros. K 16341 – UK – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single, Solid Centre – Warner Bros. K 16341 – UK – 1973

- 7", Promo – Warner Bros. K 16341 – UK – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – Warner Bros. – France – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – Warner Bros. – Germany – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – Warner Bros. – Netherlands – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – Warner Bros. – South Africa – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – Warner Bros. – Japan – 1974

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – Warner Bros. – Yugoslavia – 1974

Production and Context

A-side produced by Mike Bobak. B-side produced by Ron Nevison, live at Reading Festival ’73. Last major Faces single before Ronnie Lane’s departure.

Official Singles Chart Data

Peak position: 8

11 weeks – 08/12/1973 to 16/02/1974

38 → 26 → 20 → 20 → 16 → 8 → 11 → 11 → 15 → 24 → 41

Singles Released and Chart Performance

UK Official Singles Chart: 8 (11 weeks) – 8 December 8, 1973

Legacy and Collectibility

“Pool Hall Richard” is Faces’ raucous glam-rock anthem with live B-side thunder. Original UK Warner pressings (solid/knockout centre) fetch £10–£30 on eBay/Discogs, promos £20–£50. Verify catalogue K 16341.

Streams on Spotify preserve the festival fire. This single is a must-have for Faces/Rod Stewart collectors.

Do you have Pool Hall Richard in your vinyl stack? Does it cue the funk? Share in the comments!

Sources

Information is drawn from personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts Company, Billboard Chart History and YouTube