Product Description

The Welsh trio's debut album containing the singles 'Local Boy In The Photograph' and 'More Life In A Tramp's Vest'. This album is made up of short, sharp melodic anthems with theband sticking to a more poppier sound for the most part, though deviating to the occasional ballad (e.g 'A Thousand Trees'). This radio friendly debut led to the band gaining a BRIT for best new band.

Track Listing

1. A Thousand Trees
2. Looks Like Chaplin
3. More Life in a Tramps Vest
4. Local Boy in the Photograph
5. Traffic
6. Not up to you
7. Check my Eyelids for Holes
8. Same Size Feet
9. Last of the Big time Drinkers
10. Goldfish Bowl
11. Too Many Sandwiches
12. Billy Daveys Daughter

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #557 in Music
• Released on: 2000-02-06
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
After the release of Word Gets Around, the Stereophonics blistering debut album, word did, indeed, get around, and rightly so. Firm adherents to the philosophy of "write what you know", Kelly Jones escaped the rural Welsh village of his upbringing and unleashed his remarkable songwriting talent on a world outside the valleys. The album title encapsulates its content perfectly--canny small-town observations rooted in real-life experience and drama. The setting is so insular that the rumours, gossip and stories have nothing to do but buzz round from lip to lip, reverberating off the surrounding mountains. Whereas contemporaries such as Super Furry Animals or Oasis may have exuded a more escapist vibe in their early songs, Jones immerses himself in the everyday events of small-town life and admirably demonstrates an unconditional love for the place he grew up.

Possessing an ability to say so much with so few words, his songs are as emotive as they are mosh-inducing, nowhere more aptly demonstrated than in "Local Boy in the Photograph"'s "He'll always be / Twenty-three / Yet the train runs on and on / Past the place they found his clothing," delivered with the kind of rusty-hacksaw vocal that belongs to Satan himself. Balancing this seriousness is a fine line in subtle humour, as displayed on the customer-service frustrations of "More Life in a Tramp's Vest".

However, the closing salvo of "Billy Davey's Daughter" (a song based on a story that, after its release, turned out to be nothing more than a rumour, thus perfectly capturing the very essence of the album) is a wonderful acoustic outro to a solid rock record. The Stereophonics have never bettered this, and it's their cross to bear that they probably never will. --Ben Johncock

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Album **********
Quite simply one of the best albums ever. Each track is distinctive, keeps you rocking, Kelly's voice is amazsing. Great lyrcis, great music, buy it!

Qulity album from a quality band
The first two Stereophonics albums are in my opionion two of the greatest rock albums of the last ten years. Featuring the fantastic Local boy in the photograph, 1000 trees, more life in a tramps vest and traffic this is a must have in any true rock fans collection - buy today!

One fantastic album!
Stereophonics are my all-time favourite band, and this album is possibly the best I've ever heard. Every song is pure genius, the lyrics are very thought-provoking and entertaining, and it's impossible to get bored of even if you play it on repeat (I'm speaking from experience) Buy this album! :o)