Best of Stereophonics CD/DVD Release

Stereophonics have a compilation coming out October 18th called Decade in the Sun: The Best of Stereophonics. It's a (UK) single laden retrospective of their six album releases, but it also includes two new songs "My Own Worst Enemy" and the new single "You're My Star". It comes with a DVD of 26 music videos.

The CD tracks are weighted more toward the first three releases, 1997's Word Gets Around, 1999's Performance and Cocktails, and 2001's Just Enough Education to Perform (JEEP), totalling 11 of the 18 previously released tracks. I was surprised 2003's You Gotta Go There To Come Back is represented with only one original track, "Maybe Tomorrow" (although later editions of the CD included the bonus single, "Moviestar").

Stereophonics music is somewhat a circular journey starting with a post-punk sound on their first two releases. That grittiness, balanced out with some folksy tunes, captured the hearts of rowdy pint-drinkin' soccer fans everywhere and made them a big draw on british festival circuits. Performance and Cocktails entered the UK charts as number 1 and went platinum within 3 weeks.

In the middle of this retrospective, their sound changed vastly on JEEP and You Gotta Go There To Come Back. The music of this period represents a richer, some would say more mature sound mixing acoustic, folk, blues, rock, and even gospel elements. The music and especially the lyrics expressed a period of transition for singer songwriter Kelly Jones as he ended a long relationship and later became a father. Artists sometimes produce their best work during adversity, and it was this period where Stereophonics crafted songs both beautiful and haunting. 

After the release of You Gotta Go There To Come Back drummer Stuart Cable, who named the band after his father's record player maker, stopped touring and then left the group. As alluded to by that CD title, the band came full circle back to their rocker roots on the next album, 2005's Language. Sex. Violence. Other?, and also on last year's Pull The Pin. 

Because of this turn around, Stereophonics may have missed the chance to achieve a bigger audience in the US.  "Maybe Tomorrow" was getting a fair amount of airplay here and on soundtracks of TV shows (Charmed, One Hill Tree) and movies (Crash, Wicker Park). Americans were just getting familiar with the "mature" Stereophonics, when they changed directions with Language. 

This collection is a good starting point for anyone who's a novice to Stereophonics. The DVD may be more of a lure for hardcore fans. Either way, it's a lot of music for the cost. Here is the CD track list:

1. "Dakota"
2. "The Bartender and the Thief"
3. "Have a Nice Day"
4. "Handbags and Gladrags"
5. "Local Boy in the Photograph"
6. "Maybe Tomorrow"
7. "Superman"
8. "A Thousand Trees"
9. "Just Looking"
10. "Moviestar"
11. "It Means Nothing"
12. "Pick a Part That's New"
13. "Hurry Up and Wait"
14. "Devil"
15. "Rewind"
16. "Mr. Writer"
17. "Step On My Old Size Nines"
18. "Traffic"
19. "My Own Worst Enemy"
20. "You're My Star"

 

I'd highly recommend picking up both JEEP and You Gotta Go There To Come Back, if you don't already have them. They are those rare CD's good from start to finish.  I've posted some of my favorites from those CD's below. 

Just Enough Education to Perform

Mr. Writer

Have A Nice Day

You Gotta Go There To Come Back

Maybe Tomorrow

Also, here's the video for the new single "You're My Star"

Enjoy, GB