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1 - Roll Up and Shine
2 - The Bartender and the Thief
3 - Hurry Up and Wait
4 - Pick a Part That's New
5 - Just Lookin'
6 - Half the Lies You Tell Ain't True
7 - I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio
8 - T-Shirt Sun Tan
9 - Is Yesterday, Tomorrow, Today?
10 - A Minute Longer
11 - She Takes Her Clothes Off
12 - Plastic California
13 - I Stopped to Fill My Car Up
Album Description
The Welsh indie rock trio's 1999 sophomore release featuring the U.K. top three hit 'The Bartender And The Thief' and the single 'Just Looking'. 13 tracks in all.
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Amazon.com
Stereophonics have evolved remarkably since they were a Welsh covers band who once prided themselves on the authenticity of their Jimi Hendrix set. Though that 1960s influence is muted on the follow-up to their million-selling debut, Word Gets Around, there are enough hard riffs and vocal shred on the power trio's sophomore outing to evoke more contemporary Seattle comparisons. His band's whirlwind success have informed singer-songwriter Kelly Jones' lyrics and vocal persona with some refreshingly wide-eyed cynicism to season his band's hard-edged pop bent. Though they evoke comparisons to everyone from the Faces to Alice in Chains, Stereophonics are clearly carving their own niche, especially on the infectious "She Take Her Clothes Off," the acoustic-rooted "I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio," the raucous opener "Roll Up and Shine," and "A Minute Longer." Like many ambitious young musicians before them, Jones and company have written about the world they've seen from the back of a bar, a tour bus window, and through TV's jaundiced filter; it's the cinematic grace, wit, and humanity of those observations that sets them apart from their Brit-pop peers and forecasts even greater things to come. --Jerry McCulley
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 Great Performance (and Cocktails) ( jfizzle1 )
This was the last Stereophonics album that I purchased, and I wish that I had gotten it a lot sooner. Magnificent. All of the tracks are well mixed and the clarity of Kelly's vocals is crystal clear. What a sweet album, and by saying that I mean that I'm glad they chose to show some of their heart on it. Performance includes some of the most beautiful songs the group has ever put together in my opinion. Case in point being "Hurry Up and Wait". This song makes sense if you put it into context concerning the state of peoples beliefs in this day and age. I think they are saying be patient and the good things in life will come to you. In the same context is the track "Is Yesterday, Tommorrow, Today?". But I'm not saying that this album only has slow or mellow tracks. If you want to hear driving rock and roll, just listen to "Roll Up and Shine", "The Bartender and the Thief", and "T-Shirt Sun Tan". Excellent if you really want to get your head bobbing. However, the best two tracks on the album are of the slower variety. "I Stopped to Fill My Car Up" is beautiful in the fact that it's such a creepy tune. And the best has got to be "Just Looking". It's got great verses that build up to crashing choruses. Magical, just magical. This is definately one for anyone who likes great music and especially if they are fans of The Stereophonics.
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Great album ( usajauk )
This, the Stereophonics 2nd album, is leaps and bounds beyond its predecessor, Word Gets Around, in terms of production, songwriting, and performance. From the brutal opener of Roll Up and Shine to the storming rockers like The Bartender and The Thief, Half of the Lies You Tell Ain't True, and T-Shirt Sun Tan, to the pretty She Takes Her Clothes Off, I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio, and Plastic California, this album is rock-solid (pun intended!). The closer is a little long-winded and repetitive, and there are some limp ballads (Just Looking, Hurry Up and Wait) but overall, this is a solid album!
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 hit and miss...mostly miss
if you can get past the grating voice of the lead singer, you might find this album mildly enjoyable. The record is very schizophrenic and doesn't really put a stamp on what it's trying to do. The band is at their best when they ease off the pedal and put some rythum into their music. There are three great songs on this album - Hurry Up and Wait, A Minute Longer and I Stopped to Fill My Car Up - that exemplify the band's strength. But anytime they try and reach beyond their capabilities, the music falls apart. Having said that, the 3 great songs, along with 4 or 5 more decent ones, are worth the money. It's not the greatest album in the world, but it's not bad.
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 American Perspective ( superfly_ww )
Grunge is just a memory now as the American masses go after Kid Rock. But bands like Stereophonics have been doing the great old punk/metal thing for a few years, and this new record was actually up for this year's Mercury Prize. Songs like "The Bartender and The Thief" and "T-shirt Sun Tan" are classic songs to get excited about. Also they are big on ballads, that show a softer side to the power trio from Wales. I saw them recently live, and they are entertaining, with singer Kelly Jones' head to the side approach, and the drummer Stuart Cable had as much energy as Keith Moon. Finally here's a band who can take the mantel from Oasis and Nirvana. A record for those who want to rock out!(www.freewilliamsburg.com)
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Stomp Rock Brit/Welsh Style At Its Best ( paulallaer )
The Sterophonics' second album offers a refreshing offering of Brit Stomp Rock (except they are Welsh). What a great album, full of great guitar hooks and band leader Kelly Jones' personal views of life and relationships.The album starts of with a rousing "Roll Up and Shine", as good an album opener as you will find. The next track "The Bartender and The Thief" (one of the album's highly succesful singles in the UK) is an up-uptempo rocker, just great. "Hurry Up and Wait" (another of the singles) is an accoustic-based slower song, contemplating the question of why we wanna hurry up all the time. "Half The Lies" is one of the album's best tracks, another stomp-along tracks, and the same can be said for the ironically titled "Is Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow", demonstrating Kelly Jones' smart lyrics. "I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio" (another single) stems from a dream Kelly had about "Ringo Starr and George Harrison singing in front of my parents' house", and while originally intended to be sung by drummer Stuart Cable (in the vein of Ringo Starr), in the end Kelly has lead vocals on this one. This album was the break-through for the Stereophonics in the UK and it's easy to see why: great melodies, great guitar hooks, and interesting themes. The band has made some headway in the US this year (most recently opening for U2), but they deserve much better. BUY IT!
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