Is anyone going anywhere? (Word Gets Around - Stereophonics)

Member Name: Modena

Product:	Word Gets Around - Stereophonics
Date:	08/04/01 (144 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A classy classic album for £6, brilliant vocals, lyrics.....

Disadvantages: This kind of rock may not be to everybody's taste

Who The Hell Are They?
The Stereophonics are Stuart Cable (Drums), Kelly Jones (Vocals, Guitars), Richard Jones (Bass, no relation to Kelly by the way). They are a Welsh band signed to the V” label and Q describe Kelly’s voice as "a killer instrument too, simultaneously raw and mellow, while his lyrics nail the disdain, boredom and affection inherent in small-town life."

Word Gets Around?
The Stereophonics’ debut album released in ’97, in bargain bins for about £6 nowadays, it’s great value for money.

Provocative, class and British is how I describe this. Songs about life, drinking and full of strange stories, I love this… Some say this is the ‘phonics’ best album, I disagree though, but this has a hell lot of class.

1 – A Thousand Trees
The first track I heard by the Stereophonics was “a thousand trees”, and this is track #1 on this album, brilliant one liner, “it only takes one tree, to make a thousand matches, only take one match to burn a thousand trees”, need I say more?

2 - Looks Like Chaplin
A bit of a dull and rough affair here, but very passionate too, no the best track on this album, but very cool.

3 - More Life In A Tramp’s Vest, very upbeat, still very rough, I think this tune rocks, this is very energetic… just passionate rambling of “more life, more life, more life in a tramp’s vest”

4 - Local Boy In The Photograph
My favourite track, this starts off about being in Britain in autumn, with leaves on the line etc, the beat is excellent. Then they seem to recall an event, some kind of missing local boy in the photograph, it’s a very strange story and very vivid if you ask me. Full of passion and skill… this song makes me smile.

5 - Traffic
Then it all slows down with the sublime “traffic”, I think Kelly just thought he
217;d sit down for a while and write about life and his vocals are perfect, genius…

6 – Not Up To You
Another rough rock song, sung very uniquely, not my favourite track, but quite catchy. The chorus of “not up to me not up to you” is catching and the background guitars remind me of Texas’ Halo.

7 - Check my eyelids for holes
They try to rock harder here, bit dodgy if U ask me, but gets better as you listen further, if it wasn’t for the good vocals, this wouldn’t be so good. Nice title though.

8 - Same size feet
Another sublime track, another song about life and then we get this provocative thought of a body being found in the lake, maybe it really wasn’t his name, same colour same weight, same size feet…

9 - Last of the big time drinkers
I think they overdo the roughness again here, nice song though. Track 10, Goldfish Bowl, nice tempo here, sound quite merry too. Also in a way it sounds like an appropriate way to conclude an album.

11 - Too many sandwiches
Another rough affair, I have no idea what this is about, but maybe it’s because this is a piece of art.

12 - Billy Davey’s Daughter
A provocative song about someone who committed suicide, this is very slow and sad, once again showing Kelly’s talent. This is a class tune and this is where the line “word get around” can be found… “Billy’s left with nothing but a dream, he dreams…” this is genius, like a slow power ballad.

Inlay details
Nice (but outdated) cover design, carried into the inlay, the lyrics are there, and lots of thank yous, not the best inlay ever, but it has the lyrics so I can’t complain.

Did my words get around?
The Stereophonics are great, I have both their albums (and a full track promo of J.E.E.P.), if U want to only buy one, I think that this is a little mor
e inspired, but I prefer Performance And Cocktails because it’s smoother, you can’t go wrong with either, but I know that a lot of people prefer this one.

As to J.E.E.P that is far slower, not rough sounds, less inspiration, but more class in my opinion. But 12 tracks seems fair enough, and £6 is great value for a classic.

Summary: