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77. 'Word Gets Around' - Stereophonics (1997)
40 Plays4 months ago
As Britpop began to wane, certain British bands started to abandon the emphatic, polished sound that we were used to from Blur and Oasis in favour of a more gritty, energetic rock style. ‘Word Gets Around’ by Stereophonics is a very easy to listen to album that transcends both Rock and Pop individually and was one of those transitional albums that kept the ideals & attitude of the 90s, but added a raw and melodic personality that became synonymous with early 2000s British Rock.
APOLOGIES: Laz's microphone was intermittently cutting out so we switched to the camera microphone whilst we get the normal mic sound sorted!
Episode Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4EravPaw49EJeEYVkO4Hs2?si=52a9c2987a2d4e11
LONG LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
#Stereophonics #WordGetsAround #IndieRock #Britpop
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Kickoff
00:00:12
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to the Long Live Rock and Roll Podcast.
Transition from Britpop to Grittier Rock
00:00:16
Speaker
As Britpop began to wane, certain British bands started to abandon the emphatic, polished sound that we were used to from blur and oasis in favour of a more gritty, energetic rock style. Word Gets Around by Stereophonics is a very easy to listen to album that transcends both rock and pop individually and was one of those transitional albums that kept the ideals and attitude of the 90s but added a raw and melodic personality that became synonymous with early 2000s British rock.
Co-host Introduction and Weather Chat
00:00:45
Speaker
Joining me to discuss this album is my co-host, Mr Felipe Amarin. How you doing, bro? Doing great, man, and you. Good, good. Yeah, very well, thank you. We're ah we're currently basking in sweltering English heat, aren't we? Yeah, exactly. We were just discussing that we we've been, we myself and Felipe, we've been and we've toured around the world and we've been to Brazil and it was 40 degrees every day, wasn't it?
00:01:05
Speaker
And we were just saying, what are you yeah, 25 degrees in England, it feels worse than 40 degrees in Brazil, doesn't it? I think it just gets used to the code, doesn't it? And and and then when it goes, you know, and anything above 20 is too much for me. in the In the UK, not elsewhere in the world. It's ah it's a massive culture shock, isn't it? It's like, what's going on? The sun for five days straight? We tried to stop complaining about the cold and start complaining about the heat. There you go. It's one or the other,
Deep Dive into Stereophonics' 'Word Gets Around'
00:01:34
Speaker
isn't it? never um but Anyway, talking about Britain and British bands, as I mentioned, we are doing Word Gets Around by Stereophonics today. So I'll give you some quick fire facts before asking Felipe a question.
00:01:45
Speaker
So the album was released on the 25th of August, 1997, recorded between October 1992 and February 1997. But I assume that's probably they had some songs from a few years ago that they reworked the genre. That's the interesting part. We've got rock in the rock and Britpop. More on that later. The length of the album is just over 42 minutes, released on the label V2 and was produced by Bird and Bush. So the first question I want to ask you Felipe is We, every week, we seem to do these albums that have massive meaning behind them. We do The Beatles, we do Van Halen, we do Led Zeppelin, we do Fleetwood Mac. This initially feels like a big step down from those classic albums. So can I ask you why, what made you choose an album that is way more normal than epic? Well, that's the thing. This album was recommended to me by Phil, a good friend of mine, who is Welsh.
00:02:45
Speaker
Can I explain something? That explains a lot and so because so we were talking about the Stereophonics and he said man he got into the first album but and I said why the first album right because they have some iconic like best-selling albums right they've been on top of the charts like so many times the Stereophonics had five consecutive number one albums in the UK this is like It's a big deal. it's quite It's quite the record, isn't it? And this is one of the three albums out of the, I think, 11 album discography that didn't make it to ah the top of the charts.
Stereophonics' British Identity
00:03:22
Speaker
And that's why I wonder, why is this a good album to listen to? So I started to listen to it and I think
00:03:27
Speaker
We very often talk about the albums that changed the direction of a band and made them a mainstream band and I think with this Terrafonics, right from the beginning they had the key elements that made them i a a phenomenal band. a um i hundred the pieces already isn't it its it's full yeah All the seeds are there. The thing is, ah this album particularly didn't go that well compared to what came after, to everything that came after the album. But I think if you want to know who the Stereophonics actually are, you got to listen to this album. that's That's why. And everyone knows them. Like in the UK, they're huge. And um I think a lot of people in America, in South America, know know them as well. but
00:04:10
Speaker
uh if you want to know how everything started out this album is just like really good to listen to i highly recommend it's a good point and i think it's one of those albums where as you said the band kind of they got it that they they started and they didn't stop it's not like as you said they do a few albums and then they found their sound they hit the ground running with this and even you know reading what fans think of this album many songs from here are still fan favorites and stereophonics still play live. I don't know if they're still touring, but like even years and years later, they're still playing songs from this album, which is a massive testament to how good the album is and how much the fans love it. Yeah, exactly. i mean
00:04:51
Speaker
They are a you know the one of the most iconic British bands from the 90s, but um sometimes people forget where everything started from because everyone knows Dakota, everyone knows maybe tomorrow and all the other hits they had that came a bit later in their career. But this album, as an album, more than individual songs, as an album, I think ah it's got everything that define the sound of this aerophonics. Yeah, so you mentioned your Welsh friend. Do you want to expand on why on why Welsh people like this band?
Welsh Influences in Stereophonics' Music
00:05:21
Speaker
and than than in particular this album yeah ah Yeah, I think i think he's he's not from the valleys like the Seraphonics, but I think ah the whole um idea that the songs are about life in Wales, right? It's not about, it's very specific about like small town ah lifestyle.
00:05:42
Speaker
Yes, a little village. I'm not even going to try Welsh, but it's okay, like Cumbaman. Right, so I wouldn't dare to try pronounce any any Welsh words. people cute me I'm allowed to get away with it because I'm British. Yeah, exactly. I don't try, it just sounds awful when I try. yeah As you said, this is ah an album full of songs detailing and storytelling about life, the normal working-class life and the working-class struggles of a man or a family or a person in this little Welsh village. Yeah, exactly. And and you see a lot of ah
00:06:18
Speaker
personal struggles and problems that also actually also happen in big cities and and and everywhere in the world. But it's really interesting to see under the perspective of just a local guy who is reading the news or oh is really cool because it talks about reading the news and the lyrics. But the idea of word gets around is like in his motel, you hear it from people first. It's a lovely title, isn't it? yeah When you know what the album is about, the title makes sense. The whole album has a certain connection. It's not a concept album, but the whole album has ah some sort of reference to to the idea of word.
00:06:55
Speaker
gets around with the the idea of like local people talking about local issues, stop talking about ah tragic deaths. and and and and know it's it's It's interesting. The other thing that really fascinates me about the album is how sad it can be at some point and and how light-hearted can be at other points. So, yeah you know, so you got songs about just just drinking and having fun. And you've got songs about people who died tragically. And the way they balance it out is really cool. Because I think it it kind of shows you life has got a little bit of everything. I feel like it's almost a quintessential British album. It like, and you know, that that is such a big statement to say when you've got bands like Led Zepp and The Beatles and The Who doing their thing. But just in terms of
Kelly Jones' Storytelling Prowess
00:07:42
Speaker
a down-to-earth album,
00:07:44
Speaker
that, and I'm saying this, i'm I'm being, I'm generalizing a lot, but I think a lot of British people like music like this. I think Zeppelin and The Who might be a bit too heavy for some people, a bit too old for other people. The Beatles probably definitely too old for some people, but do you understand what I'm saying? This album just feels like, as well as the storytelling of the British, it's from British people, the as I mentioned, the the the British ethics and values and models and storytelling that's in it. it just feels so quintessentially British to me it it does it does i think i might have been here long enough to to identify those things and see oh i understand why people i understand why the seraphonics are bigger in the uk than than anywhere else because it's it really speaks to you to to the people of uh wales and and the rest of the uk and i think um
00:08:36
Speaker
I mean, ah the storytelling is really really really interesting that you mentioned storytelling as as a strong a point. And I think ah that's Kelly Jones' just like biggest skill, I would say. His main skills should be capable of telling stories in a way that you want to listen to to the story all the way to the end. and And you can picture a scene in your mind, you can see the story. I think every song in this album is like an episode of of a series that I want to watch and get and and and and get to the end of it. And there's not a single song in the album that doesn't make me feel think of the scene like because it describes things so well and there's so much detail and it makes you think of the you know the local boy in the photograph makes you think of the newspaper with that boy's picture it makes you think about everyone getting really upset with the the the football coach which is mentioned in the first song you can see people talking you can see the things happening and i think uh yeah i think that's the the the main point the the main reason for me to like an album like this
00:09:42
Speaker
Well, as we mentioned, is it is their debut album and I think that's the point that we should sort of talk about for a bit because to to come in with such personality and such vigour and such a concise sound I think is really admirable. i mean
00:09:59
Speaker
culturally capturing the British life in the late 90s, as we've just said, it does this perfectly. And Kelly Jones, as you said, you know, his writing in this is fantastic. Just, you know, getting across the values of a small Welsh town and everything you mentioned. ah For a debut album, I think it's really great, isn't that it? is really good and I think as I said some some of the topics and some of the ah um the concepts can be ah deep in a certain way but they approach in a laid-back non-pretentious way and I think that's probably what you're describing when you say it's very British it's almost like yeah you know not too bad kind of thing
00:10:34
Speaker
it kind of the one of the songs um
Impact of 'Word Gets Around' in the 90s
00:10:36
Speaker
which one is it uh last of the big time drinkers it's got that drum the slight you know chozy dagger by the fruit yeah it's a shuffle like that one yeah whenever you would i think you and me we know that whenever we hear that it's like british wedding yeah yeah midnight you're playing the final two songs before the bride and groom go off and the wedding ends is The only song on the album with a piano solo. you know which is like yeah you yeah um Just sorry for listeners and viewers, just quickly as I always say, um any so that at the bottom of the show notes there will be a link to the episode playlist and the episode playlist will take you to Spotify where I've made a playlist that has all the songs on the album and any other songs we mentioned.
00:11:16
Speaker
um So I'm going to put Chelsea Dagger in there right now. I'm sure everyone knows it, but if you don't, check it out. um But yeah, at least everyone in the UK knows that one. It's like Mr Brightside as well. yeah Right. um Anything specific you want to talk about? Well, i I do want to talk about a couple of songs and and and and lyrics. just just mention so yeah the The idea of storytelling that we're talking about. um ah The third song in the album, it's probably my favorite in terms of lyrics, ah More Life in a Trump's Vest, which is this, you know, backpacker in a street market, like just describing the end of his shift when someone is like, you know, it's cheaper down the road. He's like, go on, buy from them. like he's like getting his stuff But off at the customers at the end of his shift, and he's really annoyed that nothing happens in his life. but it' such You're just getting involved with this story and think, like yeah, I feel you, brother. like i yeah This is painful. Everyone had those jobs or is still in one of those jobs. you know it's it's And ah it just describes feelings that I think every person can relate to. I love that. i think And it's so it just is just good fun, really.
00:12:30
Speaker
I think um lyrically one of the funniest ones I thought is that I'm listening to this album and I'm like yeah this is really easy to listen to it's really lovely it's nice to just put on you know I wouldn't sit there and analyze it for chord progressions it all seems very simple in that sense but in terms of you know just nice and nice to put on in the background I get to song number seven, Check My Eyelids For Holes, and I'm thinking, hold on, pause a second. That's lyrics I would expect to hear in a Slayer song, like, Check My Eyelids For Holes. I'm like, what are we doing here? But yeah, this and this is quite valid. But you know what that means, right? What? No, I don't actually. No, it's when you when you fall as asleep. So someone says, were you sleeping? No, no, just checking my eyelids for holes.
00:13:14
Speaker
British and never heard of that. I never heard of that. I had to research that. So basically Stuart Cable, the drummer, he fell asleep in a pub after drinking too much. And then the landlord was like, guys, you've got to leave. You've drunk too much. Apparently Kelly Johnson is not asleep. He's just checking his eyelids for hold. I'm going to use that now. That is just brilliant. But yeah, a few other songs you said you want to talk about. Well, yeah, so um that's we're talking about the lighthearted side of the album and and those songs that make you just laugh. But there's the i say well there's another one who's not ah which kind of stands in between the yeah the saddest ones and the happiest ones, which is the song Traffic.
00:13:54
Speaker
i love i love while i really enjoy it so Basically, the band was stuck in traffic, right? And they're just watching the other cars also stuck in traffic. And they started to make up stories about who is that person? What are they doing? Where are they going? So the song is about one particular woman and he starts describing like what she's going to do after that. And he comes up with a million different scenarios from she's a nurse without a job or or she's got ah a body in the boot. It's like there's all sorts of stories that but not can't can't possibly but be real or maybe they can or whatever. So it's just like I think ah that's the skill of a really good songwriter. You see something that you don't even know what it is
00:14:37
Speaker
And you can still write about it. So he's writing this story about this woman stuck in traffic. There's literally nothing happening. And he makes something happen in the lyrics. It's really beautiful. About the most ah tragic ones, you get obviously everyone talks about a local boy in the photograph, which which was a boy that Kelly Jones knew. um from school or from play football or something like that. And um and it's a sometimes a topic we don't want to talk much about is is kind of ah ah really depressing, isn't it? But he said that the song was ah ah intended to be more about his life than his death. And I find this really beautiful. On the same topic of death, um Billy Davis' daughter, which is the last song of the album, I think it should be like
00:15:23
Speaker
Yeah, and yeah, exactly. Apparently jumping from a bridge or something. And he, it's, it's one of those things that, again, it relates of the the the the the phrase, word gets around is in the song at the end, the last line of the album. And he's basically said, I didn't even know her name, but you heard the story, you know, so you know, Billy Davis got a daughter, you know, young daughters, you know, and now he's left with just a dream. So it's really cool. really sad, but like the is the the the way is really cool, the way he touches a a um um sad subject and make it make it poetic. So it's not, it is sad, but listen, we've made music out of it and we kind of celebrating those people's lives rather than their deaths. And I think it's it's it's ah it's a it's a difficult way of approaching these subjects, but I think he did it really, really well.
00:16:19
Speaker
I think if you do if you put a random if you do an album that's over the that has a central theme and then you veer off a theme to do a song about someone who you know who died it can stand out quite a bit and as you say it might not necessarily have a good place in the album but going through each of these songs and seeing a different aspect of what he's talking about in this well in this Welsh town. It feels,
Small Towns and Cultural Parallels
00:16:44
Speaker
this is really weird, I've got goosebumps talking about it, because I just feel like this is an amazing album for storytelling, because we're just getting, every song, there could be something that happens on a different day. Monday, A Thousand Trees, Tuesday, never but The the Thursday, The Traffic, then on Sunday, Billy Davies' Daughter, you know, just having this these experiences, and and
00:17:06
Speaker
and it's almost experiencing them as as Kelly Jones experienced it. It's just like, I want to say a day in the life, but because it's 12 songs, I'm going to say two weeks in the life of Kelly Jones and Stereophonics. It could have been two two weeks, could have been 10 years, because as a matter of fact, we we tend to believe that nothing happens in in a small town, but yeah everything happens in in a small town. You
Britpop to Indie Rock Evolution
00:17:29
Speaker
know, sometimes you don't hear about, yeah. Well, I was going to say for us Brits, you know that if you watch Coronation Street, EastEnders or Emmerdale, because it's always, ever worth they know them man they're absolutely shit. But yeah, they they're very, so they're British. So what do you call them? They're British soap operas. And the idea is that they're filled with drama every day. Someone is angry at someone else. I'm thinking, do these people not just have one day off? Like, you know, but but like as you said, it could be two weeks, it could be 10 years. But we've got a real insight into
00:17:58
Speaker
into the lives of the people of this town um what they experience i think it's lovely yeah is' I want to talk about Britpop, which is really interesting because as I said at the top, the genres associated with this album, rock, indie rock and Britpop, and I think one of them is correct. I think indie rock is correct. But I want to just give a little brief history about into indie rock because I learned this yesterday the and today. This is all new to me and lives of it's new to me the people of because of this. I'll tell this town and what you how I got through it. they experience. I think it's So I was looking at the lovely. accolades and the critical praise for this album.
00:18:31
Speaker
and it reached number six in the yeah UK charts and number eight in the New Zealand charts and everywhere else it was like 30, 40, 70 and I thought that's really weird like why UK and New Zealand? And then I found out that the UK and New Zealand are the were essentially the first nations to have this indie rock uprising if you like that came came out of their cultures. um in New Zealand, I think they call it Dunedin rock, which is a specific kind of sub genre. But and you can look into that, it's really interesting. um But then I just started down the rabbit hole of indie rock. And what is this? And this is why I felt this album is so important. So here we go.
00:19:13
Speaker
In the 1980s, you've got bands like ah the Smiths, REM, Sonic Youth, just sort of really the the fallout of punk, the rock sound, the do-it-yourself ethos that these bands were portraying. um Independent labels like Rough Trade, Creation Records and Factory Records, all now starting to sort of, as I said, independently do and release their own music. Then you've got the 90s, where Grunge paved the way for alternative music and not so poppy music. And what that did is it said to everyone, actually, we don't need love songs to be popular. As Nirvana showed, you just need a song about, you know, get a real gritty song and then the audience will love it. Grunge opened that avenue up to the world, saying we don't need just simple, you know, sing-along choruses. And Britpop blended the DIY ethos of those 80s bands with the pop characteristics.
00:20:03
Speaker
So there you've got the like of Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Pulp, The Verve, who took this do-it-yourself approach, maybe with some independent labels, the fallout of punk, and established it into this kind of rock, but with a poppier sound, as the saying goes, Britpop. Then in 1997, the faithful year that this was album was released was also the year that the Britpop supposedly started to decline. ah Blur shifted their sound. They changed it around a bit from what the audience loved, Oasis' album that was released in 97 wasn't well received, and it wasn't as successful as the other ones. Radiohead with OK Computer went way more electronic and ambient than Poppy. So Britpop started to brit go down, and because all these other bands, Oasis and Blur, started doing different things. And then Word Gets Around releases. And I'm not saying this is the only album that made that transition. There's probably a few. But Word Gets Around comes out, and I think you hear the best parts of Britpop
00:21:04
Speaker
stripped down, less production, less polished, no orchestras, no big sounds, just a rock band doing the grip pop attitude. And then couple that with the fact that we've now entered the 2000s where the internet allows independent bands to reach so many more audiences, We had this rise of what we now call indie rock. Stereophonics, Keem, Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian, Coldplay. These bands were considered post Britpop. But looking back on it now, we can kind of say, actually, you know, technically they were post Britpop, but let's call them the beginning of indie rock. As that started to develop, you get the sort of the stable indie rock, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Block Party, those kind of bands. And then, you know, the indie that we think of more today is like indie, folky.
00:21:52
Speaker
And then you had that branch of folk music come off with bands like Fowls, Kooks, Mumford & Sons. So that's just a quick little history into indie rock, which I learned today, which I'm fascinated, you know, I love the evolution of music and the genealogy and what branches I wear. And I thought that was really cool just seeing that actually, Stereophonics with this album were in that transitional stage from Britpop declining to indie rock. rising up It's not an easy place to be when when everyone is getting kind of, especially when the media is getting like ah tired of a certain style, when they have used that style ah for long enough. And they say, you know what, ah just let's just like, ah leave Britpop alone. Let's not talk about it anymore. And that's the thing. Stereophonics would never, never be happy to be
00:22:40
Speaker
or called a Brit-bop band. They have their own sound. They came out of something with ah with something new. So everyone was kind of sick of the same formula. It always happens with every style, isn't it? Someone does something new, everyone copies them. And then you've got to have a band or two or three that come at the end of that of the of the the period of ah when one genre dominated the scene. Someone has to come and say, look, we're doing something new. Don't don't call us the same name. You call those guys because we're doing something that is unique and we don't want to be compared to anyone else.
00:23:17
Speaker
And I think they were good enough to have that. And they recorded as a power trio.
Recording as a Trio - Raw Authenticity
00:23:27
Speaker
So they've been touring with two guitars for quite a while, I guess. But they recorded this as a trio and it's super cool to have like guitar based drums and that's it. that's true yeah so you've got kelly jones on vocals and guitars richard jones on bass i'm assuming maybe they're brothers they're not related no they're not no absolutely yeah silly me for assuming and stewart cable on drums but you're right man when you've got bands like oasis
00:23:51
Speaker
Listen, their 1997 album, I don't know Oasis very well, so don't don't um shoot me for not knowing it. Their 1997 album apparently was still very good, but it just didn't reach the heights of definitely maybe and what's the story morning glory. um And when you've got bands like Oasis being compared to the Beatles, like the best pop bands since the Beatles, and you you've had you've had a few decades in between the Beatles and Oasis, so it's not like they said, oh, they're the Beatles of the 60s, they're the Beatles of the 70s, they're the Beatles. joe ais got a big big you know There was a lot of pressure put on them for that. And then, as you said, as the genre starts to decline, if you're the band picking up the pieces, saying, well, where do we go from here? I just think it's really interesting that when you think of Oasis and Blur, the height of their music, they're their second, third albums, you're hearing big orchestrations. I think of that Blur song. um
00:24:40
Speaker
Is it the universal? It really, really yeah could happen. It's big orchestras and emphatic sound, really polished production. And then for stereophonics to go, actually, you know what? I don't think this is working. Let's pull everything back. Just a power trio. They were band that played for years in in small venues, pubs and at walking workmen's clubs, you know, that kind of stuff. So they yeah they lived the reality of a rock band building their way up to the top, you know. And I will reflect that really well, I guess. I agree, yeah, I agree. but So all of those bands I just mentioned, I've put a song from each of those bands in the playlist
Curated Playlist and Evolution of Indie Rock
00:25:21
Speaker
It's not like chronology. I mean, it's mainly I've got the 80s ones, the 90s ones, the 2000s. Each song is a chronological, but just listen through it. If you check it out the playlist, go from the Swiss and go all the way to Mumford and Sons and just hear how you got those 80s bands that's a bit punky, 90s bands where it's Britpop, a bit more poppy, then the early 2000s where it's a bit more stripped back and then later 2000s where it becomes a bit more folky. So check that out in the playlist below. um Anything you want to speak about?
Hosts' Favorite Tracks
00:25:47
Speaker
I just want to just want ask you, what's your favourite song or any song that surprised you in the album? Do you know what? I've got a top three and I can't put them in order. I loved a thousand trees, like not up to you and traffic. great i just hear in In a thousand trees, I just hear someone wanting to give me a message. and if them if it listen if Even if I didn't read into the the Welsh heritage,
00:26:15
Speaker
if all I came away from that song was being told that actually, you know, one tree can make a thousand matches and one match can burn a thousand trees, then that's fine. I think that's a matter. It is, yeah, but, you know, even if there's meaning behind that sentence, even if that's all I took is that, okay, you can make a match out of a tree, the delivery and the performance from Kelly Jones really makes you you just just, yeah, it really just, it hits home. It does, it does. Every single time his vocals are like emotion and passionate all the time. i would I'd like to to mention the song Looks Like Chaplin, which is the second
Song Analysis and Musical Influences
00:26:50
Speaker
one. I think was the first single, second single. Yeah, it's quite heavy that one. I like it. heavy I just want to say this. didn't Didn't that one remind you of Grunge? There's a little bit of Alison Chang's and Stone Temple Pilots on that one. yeah
00:27:02
Speaker
which quite surprised me because I know I obviously knew all the Stereophonic hits not but this one's not like what it was in a well-known song to me at least but and you have like the falsetto and you know the high pitched notes that he normally doesn't use not not that often, you know. It's aggressive at some points, more melodic at other points. I think in terms of vocal performance this song is beautiful and it's kind of heavy and it does remind me of the American music in the 90s, it does remind of the Seattle on the scene. so Yeah, as you said the drums, yeah that's a great point. I also liked Bill Davies daughter really reminded me of Wild Horses by the Stones yeah and his voal tone yeah
00:27:44
Speaker
and so yeah Yeah, again, that's the other song. Those two songs are the ones that he uses ah a a kind of ah a ah different vocal style. real cool Really cool. But it's a great album with plenty of songs. It's not all full energy. You know, I didn't, I haven't made lots of notes on the songs because they they do have a cohesive sound. It's not like one song's that different to the others. But um One interesting point is not up to you, they used programmed drums at the start, which I just thought was kind of odd. The only one in the oven I guess, and halfway through the song there's real drums, yeah really cool but it was already a thing in the 90s but for a three-piece kind of garage rock band to do that, it wasn't that, it wouldn't be a cool thing but they did it so well and when the real drums come in the song becomes something completely different.
00:28:29
Speaker
yeah yeah now's just screen I'll finish off then with so with how this album was praised
Critical Praise and Album's Significance
00:28:35
Speaker
basically and what it meant. So, got a lot of critical praise and success for the lyrical depth which we've touched on and just the raw energy of the of the of the album, just nice and simple. ah Several hit singles received a lot of radio play and became sort of staples in the band's live sets. As I many already mentioned, number six in the UK, number eight in New Zealand. It went platinum three times. Which is a big deal, yeah. And the longevity of the album I think is something we've also got to celebrate. You know, it still remains a classic of the band. There's a lot of bands who you might think, you know, do you know their first album? but Skip the first one, go into the second and third one, you know. But this one is one that the Stereophonics fans will tell you, keep going.
00:29:14
Speaker
um but But it's an important album as well, you know, just just a few little. And but when I say innovations, I'm not I'm not saying stereophonic to anything like the Beatles or like Metallica. It's not like they changed music drastically, but little things they did among amongst other bands in the late 90s that moved. us away from Britpop into a bit more of a raw sound. um As I just said, gritty raw sound that presented a new edge to the music that contrasted the polished Britpop that we were used to from the mid-90s. It just showed that as Britpop was waving, there was still a massive appetite for British rock that was away from the Britpop that didn't really sort of fall into that category. And because of this they you know because this debut album and their subsequent works, they became one of the leading bands of the
00:29:57
Speaker
in the British scene of the late 90s and early 2000s. You know, like Travis Coldplay really made a mark on the world. Yeah. Yeah. They have a well-deserved place in rock history. I agree. Yeah. Excellent. Any final points? No, I think that's all for me. Yeah. Should I do my monologue then? Yes, please. Excellent. Okay.
Excitement and Anticipation for the Episode
00:30:17
Speaker
vo I couldn't sleep this week.
00:30:22
Speaker
I've been waiting for this episode for a while. We had last week off because I was a bit ill. So we've been waiting for this for two weeks now and I'm really excited because my first thought, as I said at the start of the show was, Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple, Stereophonics, what do you mean? I'm sort of jokingly ah happyby you go at it but you know it was really nice um better here's the monoook It seems to me the word gets around came about not only at the perfect time for stereophonics but the perfect time for British rock music.
Energetic Alternative to Fading Britpop
00:30:57
Speaker
As Britpop was waning and beginning to decline, stereophonics came out with a raw energetic answer to Britpop's polished and established sound.
00:31:05
Speaker
and with a host of other bands, swung British pop and rock music to another avenue. Very similar and not that far from what came before, but definitely a fresher sound for British rock music. As for the band themselves, the album has stood the test of time with the fans and we attach the the test of time with the fans and delivers a very personable, relatable performance from Kelly Jones with his lyrics and songwriting. The album has a beautiful blend of rock characteristics merged with pop sensibilities, and I think this is why it works. You allow younger audiences to rock out and let their hair down whilst also being able to sing anthemic choruses and singable melodies. I was jokingly dismissive of this album, but listening to it, it's a pleasure to listen to and might be the definition of easy listening for me. As I said above, rock instrumentation with easy melodies means I can put this album on for myself and others, but still get a little kick out of it.
00:31:58
Speaker
It sits perfectly between the likes of Oasis, Radiohead and Blur and Keen, Kaiser Chiefs and Coldplay, playing a crucial role in the development and manifestation of Britpop and the rise and pioneering of British indie rock. Yeah, well said, as usual. it just it just I'm sure there's a bunch of other albums that came out in the late 90s that did the same job. but this is the first one I've heard where it's clipped for me. This is the gap between Britpop and indie rock. This is how we got here. And I'm really impressed. I'm really impressed. So thank you very much for choosing. I can actually- Thanks for Phil for recommending. Yeah, thanks Phil. um Wait, Phil means Felipe. Are you a double agent? He's part of the Felipe's club. Excellent.
Rock and Roll's True Essence and Episode Wrap-up
00:32:45
Speaker
I'm going to finish off by asking you, what makes this album rock and roll?
00:32:50
Speaker
um Wow.
00:32:54
Speaker
Three young men with their guitars and drums talking about their personal lives and the lives of their neighbors in the UK in the late 90s. I mean, they not they're not trying to be anything else but themselves. And that's rock and roll. And they allowed and roll. So that's rock and roll. Yes, and that's rock and roll. Excellent, guys. Well, thank you for joining us for another episode of the Long Live Rock and Roll Podcast. um You know the terms and conditions by now. But if you're new here, please give us a like and subscribe if you're watching on YouTube. Or if you're listening on Apple, Amazon or Spotify, please just scroll down and give us a review. It takes 20 to 30 seconds of your time but means the world of a task because it shoots us up the charts, the algorithms get played with and we get seen by more people. So I mean the world to us if you could just either like and subscribe on YouTube or give us a review on the podcast platform you're listening to. So thank you for joining us and we'll see you again soon.
00:33:51
Speaker
Thanks for being with us again, or thanks for everyone who's been with us for the first time. Yeah, keep on rocking everyone and don't do anything I wouldn't do. As usual guys, take care and long live rock and roll.