The Bartender and the Thief explained

The Bartender and the Thief
Cover:Bartenderthief.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Stereophonics
Album:Performance and Cocktails
B-Side:She Takes Her Clothes Off
Released:[1]
Written:April 1998
Studio:Real World (Bath, Somerset, England)
Label:V2
Lyricist:Kelly Jones
Producer:Bird & Bush
Prev Title:Local Boy in the Photograph
Prev Year:1998
Next Title:Just Looking
Next Year:1999

"The Bartender and the Thief" is a song by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, written by the band in April 1998. The song is the second track on their second album, Performance and Cocktails (1999). "Bartender" was the first single taken from Performance and Cocktails and was released on 9 November 1998, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart. The music video features the band playing at Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, and is based on the Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now.

Versions

The track's full-length intro is only included on the CD1 single and in the music video but was edited off the album. A live version from Cardiff Castle is available on CD2 of the single. Another live version from Sheffield Arena is on the "Moviestar" single. A bar version of the song is on CD 1 of the "I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio" single.[2]

Live performances

The song, which is one of Stereophonics' heavier tracks, is frequently played amongst their live sets. During live performances, vocalist Kelly Jones has been known to use the two bars without vocals before the final chorus to reference the Motörhead song "Ace of Spades". The lyrics therefore are "The ace of spades, the ace of spades. The bartender and the thief were lovers..."

Track listings

UK CD1[3]

  1. "The Bartender and the Thief"
  2. "She Takes Her Clothes Off"
  3. "Fiddler's Green"

UK CD2[4]

  1. "The Bartender and the Thief" (live from Cardiff Castle)
  2. "Traffic" (live from Cardiff Castle)
  3. "Raymond's Shop" (live from Cardiff Castle)

UK 7-inch and cassette single[5] [6]

  1. "The Bartender and the Thief"
  2. "She Takes Her Clothes Off"

European and Australian CD single[7]

  1. "The Bartender and the Thief"
  2. "She Takes Her Clothes Off"
  3. "The Bartender and the Thief" (live)
  4. "Traffic" (live)
  5. "Raymond's Shop" (live)

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the Performance and Cocktails album booklet.[8]

Recording

Personnel

Charts

Year-end charts

Notes and References

  1. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 33. 7 November 1998. 13 July 2021.
  2. I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio. I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio. Stereophonics. 1999. UK CD1 liner notes. V2 Records. VVR5008823.
  3. The Bartender and the Thief. Stereophonics. 1998. UK CD1 liner notes. V2 Records. VVR5004653.
  4. The Bartender and the Thief. Stereophonics. 1998. UK CD2 liner notes. V2 Records. VVR5004663.
  5. The Bartender and the Thief. Stereophonics. 1998. UK 7-inch single sleeve. V2 Records. VVR5004677.
  6. The Bartender and the Thief. Stereophonics. 1998. UK cassette single sleeve. V2 Records. VVR5004675.
  7. The Bartender and the Thief. Stereophonics. 1998. European & Australian CD single liner notes. V2 Records. VVR5004913.
  8. Performance and Cocktails. Performance and Cocktails. Stereophonics. 1999. UK CD album booklet. V2 Records. VVR1004492.
  9. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 15. 48. 13. 28 November 1998. 6 September 2020.
  10. Web site: Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1998 wg sprzedaży. pl. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150604184020/http://hosting1642755.az.pl/sp%20uk%20best%201998.html. 4 June 2015. 1 May 2019.

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