I was sitting in my chair, watching National Treasure (the greatest movie ever made), when I happened to let my mind wander for one second… in this one second, I received a plethora (what IS a plethora?) of information from the universe… here are just a few of those tidbits…
1. Michael Jackson apparently owes a certain Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa seven MILLION dollars.
2. A woman in London received a new windpipe made from tissue grown from her OWN stem cells.
3. The new Thomas the Train show sucks because they computer animated all the trains, thus losing the charm of the miniatures.
4. Stereophonics released their first greatest hits package, Decade in the Sun: Best of Stereophonics, yesterday.
You can probably guess that since this is a music site, I chose the news of Stereophonics to be the topic of this post.
What? You don’t know who Stereophonics are? For SHAME! Why, if you were here right now, I would beat you with a rubber hose until…
… I bet a lot of you ladies out there were hoping I would say that ;-)
Anyhow, Stereophonics are a Welsh band that has been making some great albums since the late 90’s. They have one of the coolest names in Rock n’ Roll because it includes something that has to do with music or sound.
Other cool names like this (in no particular order)
1. Audioslave
2. Soundgarden
3. Radiohead
4. Sonic Youth
5. Deftones
You get the idea.
The release of this greatest hits collection reminded me of their amazing debut album, Word Gets Around. I remember hanging out with singer Kelly Jones when they were putting this record together… he told me of their signing with the brand new label V2 (they were the label’s first artist), and expressed concerns that nobody would ever hear the record.
“Do not worry, you have made an excellent album and people will notice… after all,” I said, “… word gets around.”
And THAT, my friends, is exactly how the name of the album came about. I said it, I dubbed it, I called it, and if anyone tells you different, just look them in the eye and say, “F*** YOU! You’re wrong! Sherman named it!” They will undoubtedly not believe you, but that is just because they are uninformed ignoramuses. Pat them on the head, tell them you forgive them, and let them buy you a drink. Then order the most expensive drink available, and make it a double.
Word did get around because the record hit the UK charts, peaking at number six. Kelly bought me some girls fine Italian bowties to thank me for my support and encouragement. I gladly accepted and reminded him never to doubt himself again.
Since that day he hasn’t, as every subsequent Stereophonics album has hit number one in the UK. I f***ing RULE.
The guys in the band said that much of the album is about Cwmaman, the town in which they grew up in. I often referred to the place as “Cavewoman” because come on, “Cwmaman” looks like “Cavewoman.” The guys would get upset and call me “Sperm-man” because apparently “Sherman” looks like “Sperm-man” to the Welsh. They would yell out, “Look out! It’s Sperm-man coming our way!” whenever I would see them.
I would return the favor with, “You are correct! Sperm-man is coming in Cavewoman!” And everyone would have a nice laugh. After we came down from our drunken stupor, we would realize that the joke is not THAT funny anymore, and everyone in Cwmaman was tired of hearing it.
Then we would have a few more pints and find it a riot again. Go figure.
I realize that this article has not really discussed the album, and for that I do not care because I am enjoying this walk down memory lane.
Here is a shot of us standing somewhere inside Straylight Studios in London, where the song “Traffic” (my favorite song from the album) was recorded.
Yes, I am scratching my arse in the picture. The guys thought it was a hoot and used that as their promo shot for a few months. PETA ordered them to stop, deeming the photo “an embarrassment to bears.” I personally think my arse looks GREAT there.
Check out some of their music below in the Dig-It section, then go get some Stereophonics records. I would recommend starting with Word Gets Around. Their greatest hits Cd, Decade in the Sun: Best of Stereophonics, also looks good as it pretty much covers their entire catalog. All their albums are worth buying, but it is always best to start at the beginning. That is my philosophy on women, too.
If you can figure out what that means, then you will have unlocked the Ultimate Secret of the Universe.
Until then, enjoy some Stereophonics.
But in case you do not enjoy some Stereophonics, then let me ask you this: “What the F*** are you listening to a little stuffed bear for??”
Good day.
Buy It: Stereophonics
Your Dig-It Downloads:
Download: A Thousand Trees
Download: Traffic
Download: Local Boy in the Photograph
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