Stereophonics | en

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Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band, formed in 1992 in Cwmaman, Wales, United Kingdom, by friends Kelly Jones (guitar/vocals), Stuart Cable (drums; died 2010) and Richard Jones (bass) but no relation to Kelly. Colloquially known to their fans as the 'Phonics or the Stereos, in the years preceding their popularity, they went through shifting line-ups and were known by a variety of names including "KDR", "Zephyr", "Silent Runner", "Blind Faith" and their most widely known pre-Phonics moniker "Tragic Love Company," taking one word from each member's favourite band (The Tragically Hip, Mother Love Bone, and Bad Company). The band's official current line-up is Kelly Jones, Richard Jones, Javier Weyler and Adam Zindani.

Tragic Love Company had started out as a 4-piece band playing covers and original songs that had a blues vibe. After various fourth members, including childhood friend Simon Collier, left, the band decided to stick to being a 3-piece, ditching the blues for an edgier, punk sound which would translate better when played live. The band played up and down the country playing shows which ranged from less than 10 people to packing hundreds into small venues the length of the M4. It wasn't until John Brand took over as their manager in 1996 that the music industry started to take interest in the band. The name Tragic Love Company was decidely dropped for being too long-winded, and after Stuart saw the lettering on his father's radiogram, they adopted the name 'The Stereophonics', before quickly dropping the 'The' to simply Stereophonics. On August 1st, 1996 they became the first band to be signed to Richard Branson's new label V2.

Kelly, Stuart and Richard grew up in Cwmaman, a former coal mining pit village near Aberdare, South Wales, noted only for having some of the steepest hills in the United Kingdom; a fact eluded to in the BBC Wales documentary 'The Road Up is the Worst' aired as part of BBC Wales' St. David's day celebrations. Kelly worked locally in a variety of jobs including on a fruit and veg stall where he would observe people as they wandered by or stopped to talk. It was this acute attention to detail that provided the inspiration for all of the early Stereophonics material. Inspired by a modern approach to storytelling a la Paul Weller, the only natural way of songwriting for Kelly, who was and remains the principal lyricist for the band, was to write about what you know. At the time, the young Kelly felt that having as many words in the songs as he had written would mean that they'd be harder to remember and even harder for fans to regurgitate at gigs, but they pursued with writing material that meant something to them on such a personal level. These songs formed the majority of material submitted to tape for their first studio album and also in a wealth of B-sides that accompanied their subsequent singles.

As part of the rising Britpop movement in the late 1990s, and also what would eventually be coined as the 'cool Cymru' phase of a dominance of welsh bands charting well on a national level.

Word Gets Around

'Word Gets Around' was released on the 25th of August, 1997, with equal credit being given to all three members of the band for writing the songs Jones/Jones/Cable) with credit for the words given to Kelly Jones. It was preceded by singles Local Boy in the Photograph (#51), More Life in a Tramps Vest (#33) and A Thousand Trees (#22) and it charted well at #6 in the UK album charts. Following the success of the album, Traffic (#20) was released in October 1997 and the band capped off an exceptional year by winning the 1998 BRIT award for 'British Breakthrough Act'. They also re-released Local Boy in the Photograph and it gained a more respectable chart positioning at #14 and played to their biggest crowd in their career to that point by receiving a heroes welcome at their homecoming gig in Cardiff Castle on June 12th, where they played to a 10,000 strong crowd during a 19-song set which included 5 new songs. By this stage, the live setup of the band had grown to include Tony Kirkham as the touring pianist and keyboard player.

The song Local Boy In the Photograph has since become a cult classic and was given a Q Classic Song Award at the Q Awards in 2007. A video was also shot for the song Not Up to You but the track remained unreleased by V2.

Performance and Cocktails

In November 1998, the band moved quickly to start the wheels turning on the release of their second album, 'Performance and Cocktails', releasing the song The Bartender and the Thief to wide commercial success. Despite it's heavier, archaic sound it charted at #3 - the band's highest charting up until that point - which would remain the highest ranked single chart position for 7 years along with other songs they would subsequently release. In February, just prior to the album release, another single Just Looking (#4) was released, again to massive commercial and critial acclaim and on March 8th, 1999 V2 released Performance and Cocktails. The songs were variously recorded at Real World Studios in Bath, Parkgate in Sussex and Rockfield in Monmouth, and the album was a major success, hitting the UK album chart #1 instantly. It's success was only heightened by the following successful single Pick a Part That's New (#4) with it's promotional video which included the band sending up the film 'The Italian Job'.

Buoyed by their first #1 album and recent chart success, the band announced they would be playing their biggest ever show at the soon to be demolished Morfa Stadium, Swansea. On July 31, 1999, the band took to the stage in front of 50,000 adoring people. The show, which was one of the largest ever outdoor gatherings to take place in Wales at the time, and was a triumphant success. Two weeks after playing to their mammouth audience in Swansea, the band took home the Kerrang! award for 'Best British Band' and 'Best Album' for 'Performance and Cocktails'. On the back of the Morfa Stadium show, they released two more singles. I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio and Hurry Up and Wait, both songs which were a departure for the normally consistant, rockier sound that had come to be expected, but still charted well, both hitting the #11 spot.

The videos for the songs on this album also became more elaborate than that of the singles from 'Word Gets Around' and leant heavily on the medium of cinema. The inspiration for four of the singles came directly from the films the band liked and they played out their fantasy roles in their individual promos. By subtely tweaking the narrative to suit the look of the band or feel of the song, the videos for The Bartender and the Thief, Pick a Part That's New (a track the band performed before the 1999 IRB Rugby World Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff), I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio and Hurry Up and Wait all took their direct inspiration, or as some would say, parodying out of films such as Apocalypse Now, The Italian Job, Easy Rider and M*A*S*H* respectively with Just Looking, though not a direct tribute to any particular film as such, still had a very filmic quality to it. These videos, along with the videos from 'Word Gets Around' were released on a compilation DVD in 2000 called 'Call Us What You Want But Don't Call Us in the Morning'.

In 2000, Stereophonics featured on the Tom Jones comeback album called 'Reload', contributing a duet performance of the Three Dog Night cover, Mama Told Me Not To Come, and Kelly was a guest artist on the Jools Holland Hootenanny New Year's Eve show, where Kelly would accompany Jools and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra in a performance of the Mike d'Abo penned classic Handbags and Gladrags. This song would eventually go on to become a Stereophonics favourite in it's own right.

Just Enough Education to Perform

Once again teaming up with Bird and Bush to produce their album, the Stereophonics set about recording an album that was a sonic departure for what they had previously amassed as a band. In the years that had taken them away from small town Cwmaman and around the world as the new darlings of the Britpop machine, they had come to experience a lot more of the good and bad sides the music industry had to offer. Preceded by the track Mr. Writer, it was a downbeat, acoustic drawl that saw their comeback on the UK chart scene. It charted well at #5, and had an infectious melancholy hook, but the song was a direct response to a journalist that had toured with the band on an American tour. The band claim that he had "lived amongst them, ate their food and drank their drink" (citation needed) but when he left the band to write about them, the review was very negative. This lead to a steely attitude being taken by the band after this. However, this had a knock on effect to the band in general, as the media regarded Jones with a growing discomfort and unease that neither he, or the band have ever really been able to shake.

The second single, the polar opposite of Mr. Writer, was Have a Nice Day (also UK#5), a poppy, joyful song about taking a taxi ride in California. The subjects of Jones' writings have for a long time been put under the microscope, but consistently, you can get a feel for the experience he was having at the time by taking the lyrics as read. Have a Nice Day itself is a clear dividing point for many Stereophonics fan. The success of this song and the album that followed gained the band a wealth of new fans, but older fans felt that the band were moving too far into a new, pop-orientated direction. The album, the appropriately titled 'Just Enough Education to Perform' went straight in at #1 in the UK. The band had originally wanted to name the album 'JEEP', a shortened word which stood for the phrase that apparently Kelly got from his brother after he came home from a stint in the army and wrote the word on his bedroom wall. However, Daimler-Chrysler copyrighted the word this name so it was changed to its current, elongated title. It is commonly referred to by it's acronym, 'J.E.E.P.', with the album itself seeing a departure from the normal 3-piece rock sound, and straying more into dreamy acoustic and indie rock territory.

The album spawned three further other singles, one of which was the country-tinged Step On My Old Size Nines (UK#4). On July 21st, the Stereophonics followed in the footsteps of the Manic Street Preachers and played a full concert at the newly built Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Then in November 2001, the band announced it would release Handbags and Gladrags (UK#4) as an official studio track, though it wasn't on the current album tracklisting. 'Just Enough Education to Perform' got a re-release with the song included, and also a hidden bonus track called Surprise, which was originally a b-side on the Have a Nice Day single .

The band performed as part of the lineup for the follow up to the Secret Policeman's Ball for Amnesty International's 'We Know Where You Live' 2001 at Wembley Arena, where they played an acoustic version of Have a Nice Day and also teamed up with Tom Jones to perform Mama Told Me Not To Come.

2002, saw the release of the DVD, 'A Day at the Races', which was a live DVD documenting the gig at the Millennium Stadium the previous July, and to raise the profile of the DVD, the fifth and final single from 'J.E.E.P.' was released. Vegas Two Times, the album opener was released on DVD single, and live footage from 'A Day at the Races' was overdubbed with the studio track for the video. 'Just Enough Education to Perform', and Vegas Two Times (UK#23) as a prime example was also the first time the band moved away from having just one prolific singer or harmoniser. Vegas Two Times opens the album with a minute of female harmonies before the track kicks in. This extended intro was completely cut for the single version, and also when being played live, but by this point in their career, the live 4-piece had once again grown to included second touring guitarist Scott James, and backing singers Aileen McLaughlin and Anna Ross.

The album itself divided fans and critics alike. Most opinions were and still are very cold towards the record, citing the dramatic departure from the band's signature sound as main reason behind it's poor critial reception. It is also worth noting the effect that 'Mr. Writer' had on the relationship between the media and the increasingly outspoken Jones. Most reviewers refute this claim however, citing a lacklustre performance in songwriting as the principal downfall of the LP. Fans are also split, for some of them were not fans until the release of the album and use of such tracks as Have a Nice Day on TV commercials. Others see the departure in signature sound as a fall from grace the band has yet to recover, whilst the more pragmatic approaches seem to suggest that the giddy days at the time of 'WGA' and 'Performance' were dizzy heights that will probably never be reached again, if only for the luck of timing and social chords that were struck within the era of these intial albums.

The band themselves were quick to defend the sound of the album, without making any apology for the songs that made the cut, suggesting that the rigours of touring the world as a rock band mean that they were constantly in an environment surrounded by loud music, and when they got back on their tour bus, they wanted to distance themselves from that sound, so they turned to a different type of music. In turn, this music feeds the inspiration for the upcoming songwriting process.

You Gotta Go There to Come Back

In June 2002, the band headlined the Pyramid stage of the prestigious Glastonbury festival, displaying a confident reportoire of songs new and old alike, and for the first time played unreleased songs, the most significant and electrifiying of these performances being that of future lead single Madame Helga. After a summer of festival appearances the band settled in back at their homes to write songs for the album. In the coming months, both Kelly and Richard both decided it would be better if they moved to London, to ease their label pressures and commitments. Stuart declined to do the same. Instead, Cable was given his own TV chat show, Cable TV, by BBC Wales, where he would host lively chat and music, which included an acoustic set by Stereophonics, although curiously without Stuart, obviously wanting to draw clear definitions between his band and his TV persona. They played acoustic versions of songs that would go on to become Getaway and Climbing the Wall.

When it came to the new album, it is widely assumed that Kelly wrote the songs without any input from anyone, except live recording engineer and personal friend Jim Lowe. In the liner notes of the new album, Kelly wrote: "We got together as a band and rehearsed the demos at Stuart's garage a week before going into the studio..." But demanding schedulings had already begun to put a strain on the working relationship of the band. The studio process also changed for this album. Relying heavily on live engineer Lowe to capture the tracks in as few takes as nessessary added to the very live and raw sound on the album. Kelly also took over the role of producer, and outsourced the mixing of the album to experienced, Grammy Award-winning music engineer and producer Jack Joseph Puig (Weezer, Green Day, The Black Crowes, Goo Goo Dolls).

Preceded by the released of lead single Madame Helga (UK#4), the new album, titled 'You Gotta Go There to Come Back' again went straight in at the UK#1 spot. The album had more of a bluesy feeling, and with it, a confident swagger of sleazy Rock 'n' Roll (showcased on songs such as Jealousy and Help Me (She's Out of Her Mind)) juxtaposed with the subtle frailties of lost love and innocence (I Miss You Now, Since I Told You It's Over). The song were on a more personal level, rather than on a narrative, and faced issues like alcohol and drug abuse, sex and procarious living more than had reviously been addressed by the band.

On July 21st, 2003 the band released their biggest international smash song to date, the gorgeous and aching Maybe Tomorrow which charted in the UK at #3, but went on to transcend the band's status as a restricted UK act. The melotron and rhodes piano sound that gave the song its melancholy charm found it's way onto quite a few American TV and film soundtracks including 'Wicker Park' and later on the 2005 Academy Award-winning film 'Crash'. The band lined up on last single to be released in the UK prior to finishing their world tour in 2003, the aforementioned Since I Told You It's Over was scheduled for released in November. However, in September whilst in America touring the album, Stuart Cable was sacked by the two founding members of the band, Kelly and Richard, citing commitment issues as the sole reason for the departure. Reported by the BBC in September 2003, Kelly said on the band's website: "Me and Stuart started a band when I was 12. Emotionally to me this is heartbreaking, I love him like a brother, but commitment-wise there have been issues since Just Enough Education To Perform."

Cable had pulled out of imminent and ongoing US tour dates citing ill health and had suspended his own touring regime at the advise of doctors, though the band were set to continue toruing without him, leaving him to return to the UK to recuperate. Cable has always claimed that he knew nothing of his sacking until being confronted with it by the media. The band replaced him on the road with friend and former drummer for The Black Crowes, Steve Gorman. Gorman remained on tour with the band until they had completed every date, and even appeared in the video for bonus single Moviestar, a track that didn't make the original cut of the album, but was to be released as a single in it's own right. Stuart Cable provided the drums tracks for the song in studio before his departure, but had already been sacked before the video had been shot. Similarly, Cable had completed the shoot for the previous single Since I Told You It's Over just before his abrupt exit.

On the 20th December, Cardiff's Millennium Stadium would once again play host as the final gig of the world tour, and end a successful year on the road in which they had played in excess of over 60 gigs and festivals in no less than 14 different countries. They ended a turbulent year on a high.

Language. Sex. Violence. Other?

Work began on the follow up record in January 2004, almost as soon as the 'YGGTTCB' tour was completed. A settlement was reached between the remaining members of the band and Cable as compensation for his axing, but the bitterness between the band, both current and former, was apparant, with Cable brandishing Jones a 'dictator'. The recording process for new record was to take up the entirety of 2004. Writing for the album had taken place on the road between 2003-2004, and the band quickly put the disappointments of the previous year behind them and focused on recapturing the imaginations of their listeners. After writing the bulk of the songs for the new record, which was set to throw back to the days of old, the band went into the studio to record the album demos. In April 2004, Kelly and Richard were assisted in the studio by Javier Weyler, an audio engineer, and former member of Vitriol I.D., who had worked with the band on 'You Gotta Go There to Come Back' and provided percussion on a number of songs that made the eventual cut of the finished album. The band felt at this point that this process required a committed drummer. Steve Gorman was not considered as a full time replacement for Stuart Cable and Gorman later rejoined the reformed Black Crowes in 2005.

As Weyler had assisted in recording demos for Stereophonics' new studio album, later on that year Kelly Jones and Richard Jones wrote to Javier inviting him to drum permanently within the band. Javier accepted the offer and met up with the rest of the band to fini...

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