Word Gets Around

• Artist: Stereophonics
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1997
• Total Time: 42:02
• Type: Lyrics are included with the album
• Genre: Rock

Review

In the late '90s, a rash of Welsh rock bands emerged, among them Catatonia, Super Furry Animals, 60 Ft. Dolls, and the Stereophonics. On the surface, the Stereophonics' gritty rock & roll seems relatively uninspired, but upon close listen Word Gets Around proves to be a very accomplished debut. Vocalist/guitarist Kelly Jones' vocals are raw and rip the songs apart, as his loud, arena-ready guitar assault gives every track a gritty edge. Jones' lyrics are also of note; highly poetic and meaningful, he writes about the underbelly of a small town. The anthemic opener, the outrageously catchy "A Thousand Trees," details how a respected high school athletic coach ruined his career through a lurid sexual encounter with a female student, and the quick, jagged "More Life in a Tramp's Vest" displays the view of the world through the eyes of a supermarket bag boy. Word Gets Around isn't all about hard rockers, though; the hit "Traffic" is a beautifully constructed ballad that works marvelously when a juxtaposition is made between the music and Jones' rough vocal styling. While Word Gets Around occasionally suffers from blandness, it is a remarkably accomplished debut LP. ~ Jason Damas, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
A Thousand Trees	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(3:02)
Looks Like Chaplin (Lyrics)	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(2:32)
More Life in a Tramp's Vest	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(2:19)
Local Boy in the Photograph (Lyrics)	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(3:22)
Traffic (Lyrics)	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(4:54)
Not Up to You (Lyrics)	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(4:37)
Check My Eyelids for Holes (Lyrics)	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(2:43)
Same Size Feet (Lyrics)	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(3:59)
Last of the Big Time Drinkers (Lyrics)	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(2:45)
Goldfish Bowl (Lyrics)	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(3:02)
Too Many Sandwiches (Lyrics)	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(5:03)
Billy Davey's Daughter	Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones	Stereophonics	(3:47)

Credits

Bush (Producer), John Musgrave (Assistant), John Brand (Management), Richard Flack (Assistant Engineer), Paul Read (Assistant), Richard Payne (Accordion), Emma Jones (Assistant), Marco Migliari (Assistant), Bob Ludwig (Mastering), Bird (Producer), Russell Kearney (Assistant Engineer), Russell Kearney (Assistant), Bird (Engineer), Barney Herbert (Assistant), Matt Lawrence (Engineer), Bush (Engineer), Marco Migliari (Assistant Engineer), Marshall Bird (Keyboards), Ian Davenport (Assistant), Emma Jones (Assistant Engineer), Barney Herbert (Assistant Engineer), Richard Flack (Assistant), Matt Lawrence (Assistant)

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