Just Enough Education to Perform

Reception

Critical response

Just Enough Education to Perform received generally mixed to positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68 based on 10 reviews. Despite some negative reviews, it had their highest score on Metacritic until 2022's Oochya! exceeded it by one point with a score of 69.

Writing in Observer Music Monthly, Tony Heyman commented on the title of the album, claiming "regardless of their level of education, the Stereophonics clearly have no performing qualities whatsoever. If they are suggesting a connection between formal education and musical ability, they must be four [sic] illiterate morons who were expelled from playschool for being too thick." Heyman launched a rant against the group, referring to the album as "musical excrement, scooped unhygienically from a poorly-maintained squat toilet in an area without adequate sanitation." He suggested that if it wasn't laminated, the CD insert booklet could be distributed to third-world communities as toilet paper.

Commercial performance

On its initial release in 2001, Just Enough Education to Perform reached number 1 in the UK charts where it stayed for two weeks, it topped the charts for another two weeks in the second week of January 2002, nine months after its initial release. The album then went on to re-enter the charts several times: it peaked at number 27 during June 2002, number 37 in July 2003 and number 34 in August 2003, until finally disappearing from the top 100. In 2001 it was the 4th biggest selling album in the UK, and in 2002 it was the 24th biggest selling album in the UK, as well as being the 39th biggest selling album of the decade. It went on to be certified 5× platinum in the UK. As of 2009 it has sold 83,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Track listing

Personnel

;Stereophonics

• Kelly Jones – vocals, guitar,
• Richard Jones – bass, harmonica
• Stuart Cable – drums

;Additional musicians

• Marshall Bird – piano, backing vocals, Wurlitzer, harmonica
• Aileen McLaughlin – backing vocals on "Vegas Two Times"
• Anna Ross – backing vocals on "Vegas Two Times"
• Hazel Fernandez – backing vocals on "Vegas Two Times"
• Glenn Hyde – harmonica on "Rooftop"

;Technical personnel

• Production – Bird, Steve Bush
• Engineering – Bird & Bush
• Mixing – Andy Wallace
• Mastering – Bob Ludwig
• Production on "Handbags and Gladrags" – Laurie Latham, Stereophonics

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Popular culture

• Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney has the album's name tattooed in a design on his right forearm. Rooney is a longtime fan of the band and is good friends with them.

References

References

1. (17 March 2001). "New Releases – For Week Starting March 19, 2001: Singles".
2. (9 June 2001). "New Releases – For Week Starting June 11, 2001: Singles".
3. (22 September 2001). "New Releases – For Week Starting September 24, 2001: Singles".
4. (1 December 2001). "New Releases – For Week Starting December 3, 2001: Singles".
5. (30 March 2002). "New Release Countdown: Singles".
6. "The Official Charts Company – Stereophonics". [[Official Charts Company]].
7. "Stereophonics – Just Enough Education To Perform (2002, CD)".
8. Wilson, MacKenzie. (17 April 2001). "Just Enough Education – Stereophonics".
9. (6 April 2001). "Pop CD releases".
10. (12 April 2001). "Album Review: Stereophonics - J.E.E.P".
11. (April 20, 2001). "Stereophonics".
12. (2000). "Lockere Melodien und eine ungewöhnliche Stimme.". [[laut.de]].
13. (May 2004). "Stereophonics: Just Enough Education To Perform".
14. Sutherland, Steve. (4 April 2001). "NME album review". [[NME]].
15. Dark, John. (17 April 2001). "Pitchfork Media review". [[Pitchfork (website).
16. (May 2004). "Stereophonics: Just Enough Education To Perform".
17. (12 April 2001). "Stereophonics - Just Enough Education to Perform". [[RTE.ie]].
18. "Just Enough Education To Perform". [[Metacritic]].
19. (December 2001). "The Best 50 Albums of 2001".
20. Smirke, Richard. (7 November 2009). "Stereophonics survive label chaos to "Carry On"". Reuters.
21. (2001). "Just Enough Education to Perform". [[V2 Records]].
22. "Just Enough Education to Perform credits". [[AllMusic]].
23. "Rapports Annuels 2001". Ultratop.
24. "Best of Albums 2001". [[Irish Recorded Music Association]].
25. "2001 UK Albums Chart". [[UKChartsPlus]].
26. "2002 UK Albums Chart". [[UKChartsPlus]].
27. "The Official UK Albums Chart 2003".
28. Jones, Alan. (1 November 2019). "Charts analysis: Stereophonics score seventh No.1 album".
29. "Album artist 832 – The Stereophonics". Tsort.
30. (October 3, 2009). "Welsh rock bits: Stereophonics".
31. (3 May 2009). "Goal.com's Top 50 English Players: Wayne Rooney (44)". Goal.com.
32. Football Focus, 28 November 2009