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at a glance...
Hometown: Manchester, England
Year Formed: 1981
Personnel:
Ian Brown -vocals
John Squire -guitars
Gary "Mani" Mounfield -bass
Alan "Reni" Wren -drums
Bands In The Family:
Primal Scream, The Seahorses, Ian Brown, House of Love, Dot Allison
Notes:
Knocking around in bands called Patrol and The English Rose since the early '80s, Ian Brown and John Squire brought undiscovered drumming sensation Reni into the fold in 1984, essentially giving life to The Stone Roses. The metallic, poorly recorded "So Young"/ "Tell Me" single didn't get anyone's attention, though a city-wide graffiti campaign briefly lent the band local notoriety. "Sally Cinnamon" showcased a vastly more melodic band in 1987, but very little prepared Britain for the release of 1989's The Stone Roses. Leading a classicist renaissance in rock that would fire British music for the next decade (CF: Oasis, The Verve), the record also managed to tap into the revolutionary spirit of Acid House. Tragically, their generational significance began to whither after 1991's "One Love" single, as a court battle with Silvertone and general malaise delayed the release of Second Coming for five years. The album showcased an excellent, if changed, rock band, but the Roses' moment had passed. Reni left before the comeback tour, and one year later, the exit of Squire signaled the end of the band.
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The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
Silvertone, Released 1989
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Some records just have it -- a weird kind of life force, a pull-the-stars-from-the-sky magic that says everything at once, without even trying. They capture a moment and never grow old. They turn casual observers into fanatics. Some records are just perfect.
At least, I think there are other records like this. I've never set eyes or ears on a record that gets anywhere near the spirit of The Stone Roses, but hey, I'm willing to believe it exists. Let me know if you find it.
The Stone Roses' debut LP is a crystallization of everything there is to love about the last 40 years of pop music. The wealth of melody on this record is almost embarrassing - only The Beatles ever dared exhaust so many good tunes in the space of an hour - and chiming, arpeggiated guitars leave every song ringing with harmonics. Reni and Mani shift from charging beat-pop to fluid funkadelic grooves, sometimes in the space of a single song, and Ian Brown's singing taps into an inscrutable mix of arrogant cool and sugar-spun sweetness. John Squire's playing is endlessly inventive but never overwhelms the songs, guitar heroism without the attendant pomp and egomania.
"She Bangs the Drums," "Waterfall," "This Is the One"... every song here is knocking on the door of perfection. "I Am the Resurrection" kicks it down, taking in bubblegum, Motown, and psychedelic funk on the way to a glorious instrumental climax that'll having you shaking your head in disbelief. This is as good as guitars, bass and drums can sound together, and if you don't get it, you probably have some disease that keeps you from liking music. Buy this album or seek help immediately.
If you like The Stone Roses, check out:
The Stone Roses Turns Into Stone/Second Coming
Ian Brown Golden Greats
Richard Ashcroft Alone With Everybody
The Beatles Revolver
Primal Scream Screamadelica
King Biscuit Time No Style
The Charlatans Tellin' Stories
Oasis Definitely Maybe
Sly and the Family Stone Stand!
Shack Waterpistol
The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers
-- jf
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