Sticks and Stones (New Found Glory album)

Sticks and Stones is the third studio album by American pop punk band New Found Glory.

Sticks and Stones
Studio album by
New Found Glory
ReleasedJune 11, 2002
RecordedFebruary 2002
StudioDML and Signature Sound Studios, San Diego, California; Larrabee West Studios, West Hollywood, California; NRG Studios, North Hollywood, California
GenrePop punk
Length40:03
LabelDrive-Thru, MCA
ProducerNeal Avron
New Found Glory chronology
New Found Glory
(2000)		 Sticks and Stones
(2002)		 Catalyst
(2004)
Singles from Sticks and Stones
  1. "My Friends Over You"
    Released: August 27, 2002
  2. "Head on Collision"
    Released: November 26, 2002

Background

New Found Glory released their self-titled second album in September 2000[1] as a joint release between MCA and Drive-Thru Records.[2] MCA had a distribution deal that allowed them to acquire Drive-Thru Records' bands over a period of time.[3] Lead single "Hit or Miss" received heavy airplay rotation from the US's biggest rock radio stations.[4] Appearing on the Warped Tour and featuring in the film American Pie 2 (2001) helped increase the band's profile.[5] Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus was highly impressed by New Found Glory's self-titled album,[6] going as far as to champion them in an issue of Rolling Stone.[7]

They eventually supported Blink-182 on their summer tour.[5] Blink-182's manager Rick DeVoe met New Found Glory, and soon afterwards, began managing them.[6] By September 2001, the group were making plans to release a new album by mid-2002.[7] At the end of the year, bassist Ian Grushka got married.[8] He was unable to go on a honeymoon due to their record label paying for a bus to transport the band from Florida to California two days later. The group set up residence in apartments in La Jolla, a community within San Diego, California, for the next three months.[6]

Production

In February 2002, the band began recording[8] with Neal Avron, who acted as producer. Sessions took place at DML and Signature Sound Studios in San Diego, California, Larrabee West Studios in West Hollywood, California, and NRG Studios in North Hollywood, California. He was assisted by engineers Sam Bukas, Mike Harris, Juan Jose Ayala, Ted Regier and Mark Kiczula.[9] For the group's self-titled, Avron wanted a laidback approach for the drums. For Sticks and Stones, he had more confidence in letting drummer Cyrus Bolooki played what he wanted. Bolooki tracked his parts with the tom on his left side. He started playing with this set up while on tour with Fenix TX, whose drummer had a tom and China cymbal on his left side. Bolooki liked the setup, but thought he wouldn't be able to use it as he was right-handed. After setting up his kit in that manner, he found it easier for certain parts.[10]

Several members of contemporary bands contributed to the recordings: Rusty Pistachio and Toby Morse of H2O (backing vocals on "Understatement"), Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 (bass on "Something I Call Personality"), Bane and What Feeds the Fire (backing vocals on "Something I Call Personality" and "Belated"), and Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio (backing vocals on "Forget My Name"). In addition, Chris Georggin of the group's management team Rick DeVoe Management added backing vocals on "Something I Call Personality".[9] Hoppus was initially brought in to add vocals, but after Grushka was unable to do bass for "Something I Call Personality", Hoppus did it instead.[11] Jay Baumgardner mixed the recordings, before they were mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering in Hollywood.[9]

Composition

Guitarist Chad Gilbert would typically write rough ideas and then jam them out with the rest of the band. After a while, guitarist Steve Klein would take the instrumental and begin adding lyrics to it. Klein and vocalist Jordan Pundik would work on the melody, before sharing it with the rest of the group.[12] Bolooki, who initially started out as a guitarist, contributed a few ideas that Gilbert or Klein would build a whole song around.[10] According to Klein, they attempted to move away from lyrical nature of their self-titled, on which, every song was about girls.[4] He added that since becoming a full-time touring act, it was difficult for them to maintain relationships, which had an influence on the lyrics.[6] Musically, it retains the pop punk sound found on the self-titled,[13] drawing comparison to Green Day.[14] It incorporated new elements to the group's sound, such as hardcore punk-influenced breakdowns.[4] Avron said the group experimented with different tempos, specifically naming "Sonny" and "Head on Collison".[6]

Discussing the album's title, Gilbert said Sticks and Stones "fit[ted] perfectly with the sound of the record and what a lot of the lyrics are about".[15] The group wanted a track that would match the popularity of "Hit or Miss"; they came up with "My Friends Over You".[16] It was the last song written for the album, and evolved from a sole riff to a full song within a day or two.[6] It talks about a guy going out with a girl, who hates his friends. She wanted to take to take the next step, but due to past experiences, the guy picks his friends over her.[11] "Sonny" sees Pundik discuss the death of his grandad.[17] "Head on Collison" is about someone you continually get into arguments with, and feeling that you're at a loss as a result.[18] "Singled Out" opens with an electro intro,[19] and features Gilbert screaming in the manner that he did while he fronted hardcore band Shai Hulud.[20] The opening two snare hits that begin "The Story So Far" were done by Grushka.[21] Similarly, the four bass notes that follow were done by Bolooki.[21]

Release

On March 13, 2002, Sticks and Stones was announced for release in June. In March and April, the group went on a tour of Australia. On April 12, the album's artwork was revealed.[7] It features a boy and a girl fighting. Klein explained that when the band was younger, their relationships with girls were "a lot easier. You could hit each other and it would be fun. And I think as you get older everything gets a little more serious. When you have an argument with a girl it can actually break your heart or ruin your life."[11] Sticks and Stones was released on June 11[22] through MCA and Drive-Thru Records. The UK edition includes the bonus tracks "Anniversary", "Forget Everything" an acoustic version of "The Story So Far".[9] Between late June and mid-August, the group went on the Warped Tour.[23]

On July 16, a music video was filmed for "Head on Collison" on the Universal Studios backlot. The video, directed by the Malloys, features the band on a 1930s movie set. While the video progresses, the group realize they are on the wrong film set, before taking the stage and beginning to perform.[18] On August 27, "My Friends Over You" was released as a single.[24] While the track was doing well at radio, the president of the group's label stopped funding the track, and decided to reinvest the money in Shaggy.[6] In October and November, the band went on tour across the US alongside Something Corporate, Finch and Further Seems Forever.[25] On November 26, "Head on Collision" was released as a single.[26] On the same day, Sticks and Stones was reissued with an extra CD consisting of the group's contemporaries.[7]

In December, the band performed at KROQ-FM's Almost Acoustic Christmas festival.[27] In January 2003, the group went on a tour of Japan with Good Charlotte and The Starting Line.[28] On April 7, a music video for "Understatement" was posted online.[7] Between April and June, they co-headlined the Honda Civic Tour with Good Charlotte. First half the tour was supported by Less Than Jake, with MxPx supporting the second half.[29] In August, the band played the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan, before supporting Sum 41 on their headlining Australian tour. To coincide with the Australian shows, the album was reissued in that territory with a bonus disc. It included radio performances of "Head on Collision" and "Something I Call Personality", and music videos for "Head on Collision" and "Understatement".[7]

Reception and legacy
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Alternative Press8/10[30]
Chart AttackUnfavorable[20]
Kerrang![31]
Melodic [14]
The Morning CallUnfavorable[32]
NME7/10[33]
PopMattersUnfavorable[17]
Rolling Stone[19]
Ultimate Guitar Archive10/10[34]

Sticks and Stones charted at number four on the Billboard 200, after selling 91,000 copies in its first week.[35] On July 30, 2020, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over one million units in the United States.[36]

The group celebrated the album's 10th anniversary by playing it in its entirety on two separate US tours, one in 2012 and the other in 2013.[37][38] They played it in its entirety again on a tour in 2017 to celebrate the 20th anniversary since they formed.[39] Cassie Whitt of Alternative Press said "Understatement", "My Friends Over You" and "Head on Collison" had become "staples across a couple generations of pop-punk fans—and bands, too."[40] All Time Low and The Story So Far took their name from songs on the album, "Head on Collison" and "The Story So Far" respectively.[41] In 2016, Gilbert ranked Sticks and Stones as his fourth favorite New Found Glory album.[16]

Accolades
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
BuzzFeed United States 36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F——ing Die[42] 2014 11
Rock Sound United Kingdom The 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time[43] 9
Kerrang! 51 Greatest Pop Punk Albums Ever[44] 2015 3

Track listing

All songs written by New Found Glory.[9]

No.TitleLength
1."Understatement"3:11
2."My Friends Over You"3:40
3."Sonny"3:28
4."Something I Call Personality"2:40
5."Head on Collision"3:47
6."It's Been a Summer"3:33
7."Forget My Name"3:10
8."Never Give Up"3:12
9."The Great Houdini"2:47
10."Singled Out"3:20
11."Belated"3:06
12."The Story So Far" (some editions include the hidden track "The Toothpick Song")4:09
Total length:40:03
Bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Anniversary"2:51
14."Forget Everything"2:32
15."The Story So Far" (acoustic; includes the hidden track "The Toothpick Song")27:09

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[9]

Chart performance
Album certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[52] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[54] Platinum 1,000,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Singles
Year Title Peak Chart Position
US Hot 100[55] US Modern Rock[56] UK Singles Chart[57] CA Single Chart
2002 "My Friends Over You" 85 5 30 11
2002 "Head on Collision" – 28 64 –

References

Citations

  1. "New Found Glory - New Found Glory | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  2. New Found Glory (Booklet). New Found Glory. MCA/Drive-Thru Records. 2000. 112 338-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. Billboard 1999, p. 74
  4. "New Found Glory Band Biography - Pics, Videos, NFG Bios and More". Honda. Archived from the original on August 1, 2003. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  5. Ankeny, Jason. "New Found Glory | Biography & History". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  6. Manley 2010, p. 65
  7. "News". New Found Glory. Archived from the original on December 28, 2003. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  8. White, Adam (January 2, 2002). "New Found Marriage". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  9. Sticks and Stones (Booklet). New Found Glory. MCA/Drive-Thru Records. 2002. 112 972-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. "Cyrus Bolooki". Modern Drummer. Isabel Spagnardi. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  11. Wiederhorn, Jon (June 20, 2002). "New Found Glory Dissect Their 'Friends'". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  12. Skordina, Tanya (November 20, 2002). "New Found Glory - Interview". Kludge. Archived from the original on August 25, 2004. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  13. Unterberger, Richie. "Sticks and Stones > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  14. Roth, Kaj (July 5, 2002). "New Found Glory - Sticks and Stones". Melodic. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  15. "Chat Transcript: New Found Glory". Teen People. Time Inc. June 6, 2002. Archived from the original on June 28, 2002. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  16. Stocks, Matt (July 11, 2016). "Every New Found Glory album ranked from worst to best". Louder. Future plc. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  17. Ellis, Andrew (September 4, 2002). "New Found Glory: Sticks and Stones". PopMatters. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  18. Wiederhorn, Jon (July 30, 2002). "New Found Glory Get 'Toxic Avenger' Team For Clip, Drummer's Arm Falls Off". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  19. Relic, Peter (2002-07-02). "Sticks And Stones : New Found Glory : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-02-06. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
  20. Davies, James (June 7, 2005). "CD Reviews: Korn, The Tragically Hip, Holly McNarland, New Found Glory and many more". Chart Attack. Channel Zero. Archived from the original on December 6, 2005. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  21. McMahon, ed. 2015, p. 19
  22. "Sticks and Stones - New Found Glory | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  23. D'Angelo, Joe (January 30, 2002). "Warped Tour '02 To Feature Bad Religion, NOFX, New Found Glory, More". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  24. "My Friends Over You - New Found Glory | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  25. Heisel, Scott (August 13, 2002). "New Found Glory/Something Corporate/Finch/Further Seems Forever tour". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  26. "Head on Collision - New Found Glory | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  27. Moss, Corey (December 9, 2002). "Audioslave Deliver Like Santa Claus, Creed Booed At Radio Show". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  28. "News (page 5)". The Starting Line. Archived from the original on June 11, 2004. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  29. Moss, Corey (February 25, 2003). "New Found Glory, Good Charlotte To Roll Out On Civic Tour". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  30. Heisel, Scott (August 2002), "New Found Glory: Sticks and Stones – MCA – Florida pop-punks use major-label budget to make their best disc yet", Alternative Press, p. 77, ISSN 1065-1667
  31. Griffiths, Mark (June 2002), "New Found Glory: Sticks and Stones (MCA) KKKK – [With] crisp production...[and] some truly brilliant and instantly memorable moments", Kerrang! (885), p. 46
  32. Warminsky, Joe (July 13, 2002). "New Found Glory "Sticks and Stones" (Drive-Thru/MCA)". The Morning Call. Robert York. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  33. Chester, Tim (June 2002), "New Found Glory – Sticks and Stones (7) – Endless chainsaw wedgies, snot-colored hair and sugar-rush guitars", New Musical Express, ISSN 0028-6362
  34. UG Team (July 18, 2003). "Sticks And Stones review by New Found Glory". Ultimate Guitar Archive. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  35. D'Angelo, Joe (June 19, 2002). "Korn Can't Kick Eminem From Top Of Billboard Chart". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  36. "RIAA Search – New Found Glory". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
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  38. Whitt, Cassie (March 1, 2013). "New Found Glory post spring, North American tour dates". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  39. Ralph, Caitlyn (December 8, 2016). "New Found Glory announce 20th anniversary tour, to play classic albums in full". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on December 9, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  40. Whitt, Cassie (August 15, 2014). "And the best New Found Glory album of all time is…". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  41. Major, Nick (February 28, 2014). "11 Bands Named After Songs". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  42. Sherman, Maria; Broderick, Ryan (July 2, 2013). "36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F----ing Die". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  43. Bird, ed. 2014, p. 74
  44. "51 Greatest Pop Punk Albums Ever". Kerrang! (1586): 18–25. September 16, 2015.
  45. "Australiancharts.com – New Found Glory – Sticks And Stones". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  46. "Lescharts.com – New Found Glory – Sticks And Stones". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  47. "Irish-charts.com – Discography New Found Glory". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  48. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  49. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  50. "New Found Glory Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  51. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  52. "Canadian album certifications – New Found Glory – Sticks & Stones". Music Canada.
  53. "British album certifications – New Found Glory – Sticks & Stones". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Sticks & Stones in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  54. "American album certifications – New Found Glory – Stick and Stones". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 30 June 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  55. "New Found Glory > My Friends Over You". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  56. "New Found Glory > Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  57. "Sticks and Stones". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-08-19.

Sources

  • Billboard (September 11, 1999). "Newsline..." Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (37). ISSN 0006-2510.
  • Bird, Ryan, ed. (September 2014). "The 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (191). ISSN 1465-0185.
  • Manley, Brendan (March 2010). "The Oral History of New Found Glory". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. (260). ISSN 1065-1667.
  • McMahon, James, ed. (8 August 2015). "Rock's Biggest Secrets Revealed!". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group (1580). ISSN 0262-6624.
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