Released 10 November 2008 Artist Stereophonics Label Universal Music LLC | Recorded Late 1992–Early 2008 Release date 10 November 2008 Genre Rock music | |
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Producer Bird & Bush, Kelly Jones, Jim Lowe Decade in the Sun
Best of Stereophonics
(2008) Keep Calm and Carry On
(2009) Similar Stereophonics albums, Rock music albums | ||
Decade in the Sun: Best of Stereophonics is a compilation album of greatest hits by Stereophonics. The album debuted at number 2 with sales of 67,073 in the UK. 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. The album is available in 20-track edition, 40-track 2-CD Deluxe edition and DVD edition containing all the band's music videos, best live performances and some extra footage. With sales of 528,000 it was the 13th biggest selling album of 2008 in the UK. As of 16 March 2013 it had sold 1,044,219 copies in the United Kingdom. To date the album has spent 165 weeks in the top 100 UK Album Chart.
Contents
The two-disc album features five songs from Just Enough Education to Perform, seven songs from Performance and Cocktails, seven songs from Word Gets Around, four songs from Language. Sex. Violence. Other?, six songs from You Gotta Go There to Come Back, four songs from Pull the Pin, one song from Reload, two b-sides, two non-album singles and two new songs for this album. The one-disc album features five songs from Just Enough Education to Perform, four songs from Performance and Cocktails, four songs from Word Gets Around, three songs from Language. Sex. Violence. Other?, one song from You Gotta Go There to Come Back, one song from Pull the Pin and two new songs for this album.
Track list
All lyrics written by Kelly Jones (except "Handbags and Gladrags", written by Mike D'Abo).
All lyrics written by Kelly Jones (except track 6 and 17).
"Mama Told Me Not to Come" written by Randy Newman.
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" written by Ewan MacColl.
Critical response
Decade in the Sun received generally favourable reviews. Writing for the BBC, Sophie Bruce wrote a positive review. She labelled the album as a "fantastic selection sure to thrill Stereophonics superfans and new recruits alike" but criticised the band's choice of excluding "Madame Helga" and "Moviestar", two of their greatest hits in the UK. At Contactmusic.com, Alex Lai praised the compilation, particularly disc two's track selection for not "just throw[ing] in the singles that didn't make the regular release." Lai summarised that the album "act[s] as a good metaphor for Stereophonics." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic found the band's evolution "effective" and "entertaining". In the negative however, he called the album "comprehensive to be entertaining" and described the tracks as dragging "its heels over 20 tracks that all sound huge and hookless." Erlewine concluded the album shows listeners "why Stereophonics never translated across the Atlantic."
DVD
Decade in the Sun: Best of Stereophonics is a DVD released by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, coinciding with their greatest hits album of the same name. The DVD features all music videos from the band's debut album, Word Gets Around, up to 2007's Pull the Pin, as well as the video for "You're My Star."
Songs
1Dakota (Decade In The Sun Version)4:58
2The Bartender And The Thief (Decade In The Sun Version)2:55
3Just Looking (Decade In The Sun Version)4:14