Stereophonics survives label chaos to "Carry On"

By Richard Smirke

LONDON (Billboard) - Scoring a fifth successive U.K. No. 1 album should be a momentous occasion for any band, but in October 2007 the Welsh rock outfit Stereophonics wasn't able to savour the achievement for long.

Just as their sixth studio set, "Pull the Pin," topped the Official Charts Company (OCC) albums list, Stereophonics' label, V2, was integrated into Mercury Records following its acquisition by Universal Music Group. That left one of Britain's biggest contemporary rock bands effectively between labels.

Looking back, Stereophonics singer/songwriter Kelly Jones reckons the timing affected sales for "Pull the Pin." "Nobody was working the record," he recalls. "Mercury didn't want to step on V2's toes, and V2 staff were going, 'We're all being fired.' It was a s--t time."

Fast-forward two years, and Jones says the quartet is "in a better place than it's ever been." His mood is fuelled by the U.K. release of the band's new studio album, "Keep Calm & Carry On," November 16.

Mercury will release "Keep Calm" simultaneously in Japan and Australasia; the album will roll out internationally in February 2010, but an American release is yet to be confirmed.

The album's mix of contemplative ballads and fiery rock numbers pushes Jones' deep vocals to the fore. "I didn't want to make a guitar album with a big wall of sound," he says. "I just wanted to do something a lot more reflective and a bit more layered."

The act has sold more than 9 million albums worldwide, says its Los Angeles-based manager, Dan Garnett of Nettwerk.

Label upheaval notwithstanding, the OCC says "Pull the Pin" has sold 199,700 copies in the United Kingdom. But that doesn't compare to Stereophonics' 2001 best-seller "Just Enough Education to Perform," with 1.8 million copies.