Stanley Road

Stanley Road is the third solo album by Paul Weller, released by Go! Discs in 1995. In 1998 Q magazine readers voted it the 46th greatest album of all time. The album took its name from the street in Woking where Weller grew up.[2] Weller's cover version of the song "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" was featured in the season ending montage of The Wire's fourth season finale, Final Grades.

Stanley Road
Studio album by
Paul Weller
Released15 May 1995[1]
StudioThe Manor Studios, Oxfordshire
GenreSoft rock
Length52:10
LabelGo! Discs
Producer
Paul Weller chronology
Live Wood
(1994)		 Stanley Road
(1995)		 Heavy Soul
(1997)
Paul Weller chronology
Studio 150
(2004)		 Stanley Road (10th Anniversary Edition)
(2005)		 As Is Now
(2005)
10th anniversary edition cover

On 30 May 2005, a three-disc 10th anniversary deluxe edition of the album was released by Island Records. The expanded edition included demos, live and BBC session recordings and a DVD documentary directed by Simon Halfon which featured interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and music videos.

Artwork

The album's cover collage was created by the artist Peter Blake, designer of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's album artwork (album package design for Weller was supervised by his long-term associate Simon Halfon).

Collaborations

The album features contributions from several notable collaborators, including Noel Gallagher (then of Oasis), who appears playing acoustic guitar on "I Walk on Gilded Splinters", and Steve Winwood (formerly of The Spencer Davis Group and Traffic), who performs on the songs "Woodcutter's Son" and "Pink on White Walls". Weller is also joined by long-time collaborators Steve Cradock (co-founder of Ocean Colour Scene) and Steve White (The Style Council).

The album was co-produced by Brendan Lynch, who had also worked on Weller's previous two solo albums, Paul Weller and Wild Wood.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[5]
The Guardian[6]
NME6/10[7]
Record Collector[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Spin[10]
Uncut[11]

Ted Kessler, in his contemporary, May 1995 review for NME, felt that the album was "doggedly retro and straight ahead" – an "old fart rockin' blues record" in the style of Eric Clapton, though with "just enough edge to keep you tuned".[7]

Evelyn McDonnell, in a July 1995 review for Rolling Stone, noted the collaborations with musicians such as Steve Winwood and Noel Gallagher, commenting that "Weller's work supplies the connecting link between several generations of British rock and soul", and that Weller's session band were able to lay down "some admirably funky grooves". However, she felt that "Weller takes his musical bombast to Springsteenian levels at points. And his attempt to return to populist roots sinks well below Springsteenian levels of banality".[9]

Legacy

In a retrospective summary for Record Collector in 2008, John Reed commented that "Stanley Road remained the apex of Weller's career in terms of commercial success".[8]

Track listing

All songs written by Paul Weller, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Changingman"Brendan Lynch, Paul Weller4:02
2."Porcelain Gods" 4:51
3."I Walk on Gilded Splinters"John Creaux (Dr. John)5:24
4."You Do Something To Me" 3:38
5."Woodcutter's Son" 4:43
6."Time Passes..." 4:56
7."Stanley Road" 4:18
8."Broken Stones" 3:16
9."Out of the Sinking" 3:51
10."Pink on White Walls" 2:39
11."Whirlpools' End" 7:11
12."Wings of Speed" 3:13
10th Anniversary Edition (Disc 1: Bonus Tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Sexy Sadie"John Lennon, Paul McCartney2:41
14."I'd Rather Go Blind"Bill Foster, Ellington Jordan4:09
15."It's a New Day, Baby" 2:12
16."I Didn't Mean to Hurt You" (Live) 3:51
17."My Whole World Is Falling Down" (BBC Radio 1 The Evening Sessions version)William Bell, Bettye Jean Crutcher, Booker T. Jones3:21
18."A Year Late" 4:18
19."Woodcutter's Son" (BBC Radio 1 The Evening Sessions version) 4:20
10th Anniversary Edition (Disc 2: B-Sides and Demos)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Trident Jam" (Take 3)Paul Weller, Steve White1:37
2."Pink on White Walls" (Demo 2) 3:25
3."Porcelain Gods" (8 track demo) 4:46
4."Broken Stones" (Demo 1) 3:06
5."Wings of Speed" (8 track demo) 2:42
6."The Changingman" (8 track demo)Brendan Lynch, Jeff Lynne, Lee Mavers, Paul Weller4:21
7."Everyone Must Have a Purpose" 2:38
8."You Do Something to Me" (Demo 3) 3:32
9."A Year Late" (Demo 1) 4:11
10."Whirlpools' End/Steam" (Alternative version)Brendan Lynch, Paul Weller4:00
11."Gtr + Moog Jam" (Demo) 1:25
12."Corrina, Corrina"Traditional, arranged by Jesse Ed Davis, Taj Mahal2:52
13."Out on the Weekend"Neil Young2:58
14."Time Passes..." (Demo 2) 3:21
15."Time Passes..." (Demo 3) 3:33
16."Wings of Speed" (Demo 2) 3:14
17."Stanley Road" (Demo 1) 5:15
18."Woodcutter's Son" (8 track demo) 3:48
19."Porcelain Gods" (Instrumental) 5:33
10th Anniversary Edition (Disc 3: Broke 'n' Stoned – Stanley Road Revisited)
No.TitleLength
1."Broke 'n' Stoned"30:15
2."Out of the Sinking"3:59
3."The Changingman"3:28
4."You Do Something to Me"3:44
5."Broken Stones"3:22

Vinyl Version

All songs written by Paul Weller, except where noted.

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Changingman"Brendan Lynch, Paul Weller4:02
2."Porcelain Gods" 4:51
3."I Walk on Gilded Splinters"John Creaux5:24
4."You Do Something to Me" 3:38
5."Woodcutter's Son" 4:43
6."Time Passes..." 4:56
Side Two
No.TitleLength
1."Stanley Road"4:18
2."Broken Stones"3:16
3."Out of the Sinking"3:51
4."Pink on White Walls"2:39
5."Whirlpools' End"7:11
6."Wings of Speed"3:13

Personnel
  • Paul Weller – Vocals (1–12), Guitar (1–7,9-11), Piano (1,2,4,6,7,11,12), Shakers (1), Organ (3,5), Percussion (3,5), Novatron (4), Hammond Organ (8,10), Wurlitzer (8,9)
  • Yolanda Charles – Bass (4,7,9)
  • Steve Winwood – Piano (5,10), Hammond Organ (5), Wurlitzer (5)
  • Mick Talbot – Fender Rhodes (8), Pipe Organ (12), Hammond Organ (12)
  • Carleen Anderson – Back-Up Vocals (1,5,8), Extra Vocals (9), Vocals (12)
  • Steve Cradock – Guitar (1,2,6), Back-Up Vocals (1,11), Acoustic Guitar (11), Electric Guitar (11)
  • Helen Turner – Hammond Organ (4,6), Novatron Strings (6,7,9,11), Organ (9)
  • Brendan Lynch – Cyremin (1,11), Mini-Moog (7), Tambourine (8), Accordion (8), Finger Cymbals (10)
  • Dr. Robert – Bass (1,2,6,11), Back-Up Vocals (1,2)
  • Joy Hawley – Cello (12)
  • Constantine Wier – Voodoo Vocal (3)
  • David Liddle – Acoustic Slide Guitar (5)
  • Mark Nelson – Bass (3,5,8,10)
  • Steve White – Drums (1–11), Percussion (3,5)
  • Noel Gallagher – Acoustic Guitar (3)

References
  1. Munday, Dennis (2006). Shout to the Top: The Jam and Paul Weller. London: Omnibus Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-85712-016-8.
  2. Woking YMCA. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Stanley Road – Paul Weller". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Weller, Paul". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  5. Mirkin, Steven (21 July 1995). "Stanley Road". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  6. Sullivan, Caroline (19 May 1995). "Paul Weller: Stanley Road (Go! Discs)". The Guardian.
  7. Kessler, Ted (20 May 1995). "Paul Weller – Stanley Road". NME. p. 44. Archived from the original on 30 September 2000. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  8. Reed, John. "The way of Weller". Record Collector. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  9. McDonnell, Evelyn (13 July 1995). "Paul Weller: Stanley Road". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  10. Duerden, Nick (July 2008). "Discography: Paul Weller". Spin. Vol. 24 no. 7. p. 88. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  11. "Paul Weller: Stanley Road". Uncut. 2005. p. 120. [I]t's the warmth of Stanley Road itself which ultimately merits this lavish repackaging and ensures it a high-ranking place in the Weller canon.
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