Pull the Pin | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 12 October 2007 | |||
Recorded | December 2006–August 2007 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 46:25 | |||
Label | V2 Vox Populi Records RMG Chart (Ireland) Sony Music (France) Rough Trade (Germany) | |||
Producer | Kelly Jones, Jim Lowe | |||
Stereophonics chronology | ||||
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Singles from Pull the Pin | ||||
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Pull the Pin is the sixth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, released by V2 in the UK on 12 October 2007. A Stereophonics newsletter released the Pull the Pin album artwork to subscribers. The cover was also shown to Myspace users that had added the band in a bulletin.
The taster track "Bank Holiday Monday" had its world premier on Radio 1's Chris Moyles Show on Tuesday 1 May 2007 and was made available for digital download on Monday 28 May 2007 from online retailers. The album became a critical and commercial low-point for Stereophonics, receiving negative reviews and—at the time—having the lowest sales figures of their career. Despite this Pull the Pin still managed to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart; however, it was their last until Keep the Village Alive almost eight years later in 2015.
Lead singer Kelly Jones had to take ten months off before commencing to write songs for the album due to an illness in his family. [2] About two years prior to the release of Pull the Pin, he had written the lyrics for "It Means Nothing" and "Daisy Lane" in a hotel in Germany—the latter was written for Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (2005) but it wasn't completed during that time. [3]
"It Means Nothing" was written based on the 7/7 London attacks, it is about the feeling of unease in the city and people realising what was important in their lives. [4] "Daisy Lane" is about a young boy who was stabbed to death on the street where Jones lives. The song "Stone" contains lyrics which were also featured in their earlier single "Moviestar", namely: "You're in my soul / You're in my mind". [3] [5] It was considered for the album's lead single but the band and record company decided for "It Means Nothing" instead. [3]
"Bank Holiday Monday" was made available to download on 28 May 2007 to those who purchased tickets for the band's tour in November 2007. [6] Pull The Pin was released on 12 October 2007 [7] on three formats, including CD, digital and LP. [8]
The artwork of the two lips was designed by Miles Aldridge while Graham Rounthwaite and Stereophonics handled the art direction. [3] The band photographs inside the CD booklet were taken by Hans Peter van Velthoven. [3] The title and cover art of Pull the Pin was negatively received. When reviewing the album, Ian Cohen from Pitchfork called them "awful" [1] while Drowned in Sound contributor Cpt Howling Mad Murdock called the cover art "some of the worst artwork of the year." [9] Sonja D'Cruze at the BBC also disliked the artwork, commenting, "And that's not to mention the distasteful artwork of two sets of psychedelic glossed-up lips pulling a grenade pin." [10]
The band's newsletter on 24 July 2007 confirmed details and artwork of the first single to be released from the album. "It Means Nothing" was released as the first single from the album in digital form on 24 September 2007 [11] and later on 1 October three major versions were released, including one CD single and two vinyl singles. [12] It charted at number twelve in the UK Singles chart, [13] making it the first lead single to miss out on the top five since "Local Boy in the Photograph". [14] "My Friends" was released as the second single on 10 December 2007 on three formats, CD, 7" vinyl and USB, [15] and charted at number thirty-two on the UK charts. [16]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 46/100 [17] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [18] |
BBC | (unfavourable) [10] |
Drowned in Sound | (4/10) [9] |
The Guardian | [19] |
Hot Press | [20] |
The Independent | [21] |
NME | (7/10) [22] |
The Observer | (unfavourable) [23] |
Pitchfork | (3.4/10) [1] |
The Skinny | [24] |
Pull the Pin received generally mixed to negative reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 46, based on 12 reviews. [17] Contrasting with the negative reviews however, NME – who have been critical of the band's past albums – contributor Paul McNamee praised the album, stating it lives up as a successor album to Language. Sex. Violence. Other? and summarised it as "an unapologetic rock’n’roll record by a band who are hard to like but impossible to ignore." [22]
In the negative, Sonja D'Cruze from the BBC summarised the album as having "no real depth, imagination or anything to connect with." [10] Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian criticised the album, saying "the only things worse than Kelly Jones's aggrieved bellow and flatpack songwriting are his lyrics" and compared them to someone "performing brain surgery in boxing gloves: the patient always dies." [19] Pitchfork contributor Ian Cohen also criticised Jones' lyrical content and said the rock genre of the album was different by having "no sex, no spark." [1] Cpt H.M. 'Howling Mad' Murdock from Drowned in Sound was negative toward Jones' vocals by calling them "least-sincere" and compared them to "as if a diseased cat’s being garrotted in his throat." He summarised the album as: "... absolutely without spark and wholly forgettable." [9]
The album reached number one in the UK, [25] becoming the band's fifth consecutive studio album to do so. [26] Despite this, record sales were at an all-time low for the band, receiving only a gold certification [lower-alpha 1] for sales over 200,000 copies. [2] [27] The album didn't fare well outside of the UK either. In Ireland the record reached number fifteen, breaking the band's three number-one albums streak. [28]
All tracks are written by Kelly Jones; "I Could Lose Ya" co-written by Richard Jones and Javier Weyler [3] .
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Soldiers Make Good Targets" | 4:37 |
2. | "Pass the Buck" | 3:24 |
3. | "It Means Nothing" | 3:48 |
4. | "Bank Holiday Monday" | 3:14 |
5. | "Daisy Lane" | 3:37 |
6. | "Stone" | 4:17 |
7. | "My Friends" | 3:35 |
8. | "I Could Lose Ya" | 3:17 |
9. | "Bright Red Star" | 3:39 |
10. | "Ladyluck" | 3:45 |
11. | "Crush" | 3:56 |
12. | "Drowning" | 5:08 |
Total length: | 46:25 |
No. | Title | Length |
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13. | "Hangman" | 2:48 |
14. | "Helter Skelter" (Beatles cover) | 4:19 |
15. | "Have a Nice Day" | 3:26 |
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Charts
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Just Enough Education to Perform is the third studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Released on 11 April 2001, the album topped the UK Albums Chart with 140,000 copies sold. and spawned three top-ten singles in the form of "Mr. Writer", "Have a Nice Day", Step on My Old Size Nines" and "Handbags and Gladrags". The album's title comes from a line in the song "Mr. Writer".
Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones, Richard Jones, Adam Zindani, Jamie Morrison and touring member Tony Kirkham (keyboards). The group previously included Stuart Cable (1992–2003) and then Javier Weyler (2004–2012) on drums. Stereophonics have released twelve studio albums, including eight UK number one albums. A successful compilation album, Decade in the Sun, was released in November 2008 and charted at number two on the UK Album Chart.
You Gotta Go There to Come Back is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Stereophonics. Produced by Kelly Jones and released on V2 in 2003, this LP became their third consecutive album to top the UK chart, selling 101,946 copies in its first week alone. It is the final Stereophonics album to feature long-time original drummer Stuart Cable before he was fired in September 2003.
Word Gets Around is the debut studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It was released on 25 August 1997 through V2 Records and reached number six in the UK Albums Chart, making it one of three Stereophonics albums not to reach number one; the other two being 2009's Keep Calm and Carry On, which reached number eleven, and 2013's Graffiti on the Train, which went to number three. Much of the album is written about everyday life in Cwmaman, the band's hometown. The deluxe and super-deluxe editions were released on 18 October 2010. The name of the album comes from lyrics in the album's last song, "Billy Davey's Daughter".
Performance and Cocktails is the second studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It was released by V2 on 8 March 1999. The name of the album comes from lyrics in the album's first song, "Roll Up and Shine", just like the previous album's name, Word Gets Around came from lyrics in that album's final song.
Language. Sex. Violence. Other? is the fifth studio album by alternative rock band Stereophonics. Produced by Kelly Jones and Jim Lowe, it was released on 14 March 2005 on V2 Records. After the band's two previous albums, which contained much more acoustic music and an overall mellower sound, the band brought back the harder and more abrasive alternative rock and indie rock sound they were known for and songs such as "Doorman" and "Brother" are some of the band's most aggressive songs. A new wave influence is also prevalent on the album.
"Have a Nice Day" is the second single from rock band the Stereophonics taken from their third album Just Enough Education to Perform (2001). Written by Kelly Jones and produced by Bird and Bush, it was released on 11 June 2001. The song received negative reviews but reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and went on to become one of the band's biggest hits. It also found success worldwide, reaching number 11 in Ireland, number 37 in New Zealand, and becoming Stereophonics' first song to appear on a US Billboard chart.
Welsh rock band Stereophonics have released twelve studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, four extended plays (EP), two box sets, forty-seven singles and thirty-nine music videos. In the UK, Stereophonics have been awarded six multi-platinum album certifications, one platinum and six gold; one of their singles has been awarded a multi-platinum certification, three platinum, one gold and nine silver. They have sold over 9,000,000 albums in the UK, 5,400,000 singles and 100,000 video albums, making them one of the most successful Welsh rock acts. With albums charting across the globe they have sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The band released their first studio album, Word Gets Around in 1997 which reached number six in the UK Albums Chart. With the release of "The Bartender and the Thief" and its album Performance and Cocktails (1999), the band achieved mainstream success within the UK. The album was certified 6× platinum and is one of the band's best-selling albums.
"It Means Nothing" is a song by Welsh rock band Stereophonics from their sixth studio album, Pull the Pin (2007). The ballad was released as a single on 24 September 2007 and reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. B-side "Helter Skelter" is a cover version of the original song by the Beatles.
"You Know Me Better" is a song by Irish singer Róisín Murphy from her second studio album, Overpowered (2007). It was written by Murphy and Andy Cato and produced by Cato, with additional production by Ill Factor. The song was released on 31 March 2008 as the album's third single.
Decade in the Sun: Best of Stereophonics is a compilation album of greatest hits by Stereophonics. It features tracks from all six of the band's previous albums, beginning from the 1997 debut release, Word Gets Around, all the way through to 2007's Pull the Pin, plus two brand new songs, "You're My Star" and "My Own Worst Enemy". "You're My Star" was also released as a single.
"Innocent" is a single by British rock band Stereophonics which was released on 9 November 2009. It was the first single taken from their seventh studio album, Keep Calm and Carry On, which was released a week later, on 16 November 2009. It was also the band's first single for Mercury Records.
Graffiti on the Train is the eighth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Produced by the group's lead-singer and guitarist Kelly Jones and Jim Lowe, it was released on 4 March 2013 on their own Stylus Records. It was the first Stereophonics album since Keep Calm and Carry On (2009), marking the first time they had not released a record within two years. It was intended for an October 2012 release date and took nearly two years to complete. This is the last record to feature drummer Javier Weyler, who was officially replaced by Jamie Morrison on 24 September 2012.
"We Share the Same Sun" is a song by rock band Stereophonics. It is the opening track on their 2013 album Graffiti on the Train and was released as the album's fourth single on 12 August 2013. The song was released as a 10" vinyl format and Stereophonics have regularly played it as part of their set list. When Graffiti on the Train was released the song had a mixed to positive response and has been compared to "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac.
"In a Moment" is a song by rock band Stereophonics. It is the ninth track on their 2013 album Graffiti on the Train and was released as the album's lead-single on 4 November 2012.
"Graffiti on the Train" is a song by rock band Stereophonics. It is the second track on their 2013 studio album of the same name and was released as the third single from the album on 13 May 2013.
Keep the Village Alive is the ninth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Released on 11 September 2015, it was produced by lead singer and guitarist Kelly Jones, along with Jim Lowe. It is intended to be the second of two album volumes, with its predecessor Graffiti on the Train being the first. It is the first album to feature Jamie Morrison, who joined during the production of Graffiti on the Train in 2012. Keep the Village Alive was met with a similar positive response as Graffiti on the Train and topped the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's first to do so since Pull the Pin (2007).
Scream Above the Sounds is the tenth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Released on 27 October 2017 by Parlophone Records, it was produced by lead singer and guitarist Kelly Jones, along with Jim Lowe.
Kind is the eleventh studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics released on 25 October 2019 on Parlophone Records, nearly two years after their previous album, Scream Above the Sounds. Recorded over an eleven-day period between 29 June and 9 July 2019 at The Ramsbury Brewery & Distillery in Marlborough, Wiltshire, the album was produced by lead singer and guitarist Kelly Jones and George Drakoulias. Kind topped the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's first to do so since Keep the Village Alive (2015) and their seventh overall.
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