Stereophonics - Biography
Wales has been a relatively consistent breeding ground for pop bands throughout the 90's. Early on in the decade, it gave us Manic Street Preachers and the Pooh Sticks. In the middle of the decade came Super Furry Animals and Catatonia. Just a year behind those two came Stereophonics, a three-piece rock band originally featuring guitarist and vocalist Kelly Jones, bassist Richard Jones, and drummer Stuart Cable. Led by the dark and handsome Kelly Jones, who always seemed to put his lyrics ahead of his compositions, Stereophonics shot up the British charts almost instantly and didn't have much trouble staying there. If the band harbored one flaw over the years, though, it was their unwillingness to divert from their tried and true sound. Their brand of anthemic rock only got a bit bluesier, and Jones' scratchy wail got even scratchier. But while the critics who began as the band's supporters may now be their detractors, Stereophonics UK fan base has always remained colossal.
Cwmaman, a one-time coal mining village near Aberdare, is where the band had their beginning. They called themselves Tragic Love Company (a name that took one word from the names of their three favorite bands: the Tragically Hip, Mother Love Bone, and Bad Company) and began playing covers at the local bars. They soon changed the name to the Stereophonics, after the brand name on the record player owned by Cable's father. They were signed to a label called V2, a new venture at the time for British mogul Richard Branson. It was so new, in fact, that chief executive Jeremy Pearce signed Stereophonics (they had dropped the “the”) in 1996 before the label was even officially underway. They introduced themselves to the press that November with their single, “Looks Like Chaplin,” the B-side of which, “More Life in a Tramp's Vest,” became a successful single all its own. Their first wave of singles saw supporters and detractors alike incessantly comparing them to another Welsh band, the Manic Street Preachers.
The real chart success began with “Local Boy in the Photograph.” Every single after that was notably more successful than the one before it, and very shortly after the release of their debut, Word Gets Around (1997, V2), they were in the top ten UK album charts, peaking at number 6. Upon the release of the LP, the reviews were less about similarities to the Manics and more about the emergence of a new talent. Critics showered Jones with praise for his artistry in lyricism and musical compositions. And then there was his voice, which, though not a revelation, was another clear example of his exceptional talent. A new single, “Traffic,” subsequently entered the top 20. They earned similar success with a reissued “Local Boy in the Photograph” single in 1998. That same week, the band took home a Brit Award for Best New Group.
In 1999, Stereophonics were still doing very well with their debut album, and yet they already had another one waiting in the wings. Preceded by the wildly popular single, “The Bartender and the Thief,” which went to number 3 on the UK charts, Performance and Cocktails (V2) arrived in March of 1999. Although the LP offered nothing new to fans, it was enough to keep them a lot higher on the charts than many industry observers had anticipated.
Two years later, Daimler-Chrysler caught wind of the band's intention to name their third album “J.E.E.P.” and they promptly put the kibosh on the plan. An acronym for “Just Enough Education to Perform,” the title was not given the go-ahead as the corporation claimed ownership of the word “Jeep.” And so, the band was forced to put out the album with its elongated title. Just Enough Education to Perform came out on V2 in 2001. Again, Jones' lyrics were in top form, and the band sounded more mature and sure of themselves than ever before. By now, they had even achieved some popularity over the ocean, as the LP broke through the Billboard 200 in the US.
You Gotta Go There to Come Back (V2) followed in 2003. The album marked a turning point in Jones' songwriting, as he was now tackling personal themes, reflecting on a failed relationship and the isolation he felt while touring with his bandmates. During the making of the album, Cable became a father while Richard Jones became a husband. Everyone was in a state of transition, and it showed in the recordings. Less than one month after the LP hit stores, Cable had announced his departure from the band. On the ensuing promotional tour, Jones and Jones were joined by drummer Steve Gorman, formerly of the Black Crowes, but this was to be a temporary partnership.
With a new full-time drummer, the Argentinean-born Javier Weyler, Stereophonics returned in 2005 with Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (2005, V2). To some critics, it felt like the band had a renewed sense of urgency on the album, and that Jones turned out his best songs since the band's initial run of singles. To other critics, it felt like more of the same, another bland set of mind-numbing AOR tunes. One thing was for sure, however; with “Dakota,” they had a bona fide hit on their hands, one that reached number 34 on the modern rock charts in the US and became their first number one single in the UK. Stereophonics released their first live album, the 20-song Live From Dakota, later that same year on the Nettwerk label.
Two years later, Pull the Pin (2007), the sixth studio album for Stereophonics, arrived on V2. Prior releases had not marked any drastic change in the band's sound, but never before had they seemed so resigned to their sound as on this album. Stereophonics received their worst response yet from critics. 2008 saw the release of the greatest hits compilation, Decade in the Sun: The Best of Stereophonics (Fontana Universal). The band released Keep Calm And Carry On in 2009. The band are currently working on the release of their next LP, with the single "Violins & tambourines" already available for download.
