The Stone Roses Reviews

Watching it today, the passage of the Stone Roses on the British rock scene seems to be a chimera. Or we could write that their advent was equivalent to that of an influential prophet, as in the years following the exit of the first single and in particular the eponymous debut album, many young people in England have set up a band dreaming of becoming the new Stone Roses.
But their success is not if they are not so enjoyed: keeping faith epithet Madchester saddled the rock frame of their city, Ian Brown and his companions had to helplessly watch the sprouting and the explosion of new groups and small groups as if they saw it in court for an unfortunate thing that can not be exempt from reporting when you tell stories of Brit-pop like this.
Consequently, the success of the release of their first album, the first record of the group - who had published a few singles before - sent to the printer without the knowledge of the authors of a new version of the song "Sally Cinnamon", complete with a video clip of the song. This move, with particular reference to the video that was considered of poor quality, infuriated members of the group who went to the offices of the old label to discuss with the director, the Paul Birch. The discussion degenerated into a furious argument and the Stone Roses smeared with the spray the walls of the office, two cars parked outside the home, and the Birch and his girlfriend. They were all arrested and prosecuted, and convicted offenders of course. It was 30 January 1990. It was just the beginning of an ordeal that also involved the then current label, the independent Silvertone, which managed to free himself only four years later, when the younger brothers of the Stone Roses had now conquered the media and public. Select the music magazine wrote in 1994, referring to the quality of the album "Definitely Maybe" by Oasis, "Whatever they are doing the Stone Roses, now it does not matter to anyone." And it was true. When more than five years after they released their second album, figuratively called "Second Coming", the quartet of Manchester was now hopelessly out of contention. The disc then it was not even comparable to that debut fulminant instead had time to wipe the tears for the dissolution of the Smiths. There was no lack either the internal struggles with the band, and was the inevitable dissolution and the beginning of erratic solo projects.

However, it remains an album and a handful of large individual (because the brit pop is above all a matter of individual) to be handed down to posterity, and - especially in Italy - to be clear to the public that rock for too long has ignored the existence when on British soil their songs have become part of the popular consciousness.

The Stone Roses is quickly revealed a single machine, there is no piece on the album, even those not out separately, which has a high potential radio. Parade so, one after the other, with songs like "I Wanna Be Adored", "She Bangs the Drums", "Waterfall" and more: buy a collection of Stone Roses, is to have at least half of their debut album . Just because basically collection of 45 rpm, it is not easy to find the right edition, which is equivalent to one with more songs as possible. You risk losing the street songs like "Elephant Stone", published just a few months before and then inserted only in special editions of the album, which features the band as the true heir to the lesson of Johnny Marr and members, plus the frenetic drumming drummer Alan Reni Wren said, he, the one with the hat, what imbastiva by canon 4/4 rhythms with jazz and funk accents. Definitely one of the strengths of the group, and still be considered as the best drummer of all the English scene at the time, including the nineties.
Criminal would also miss "Fool's Gold", a song just after the exit of the disk, initially conceived as a b-side, which later became the most famous piece (and if we are atypical) of the band, thanks to the next repechage by the director Guy Ritchie that makes the song bearing the soundtrack of his "Lock, Stock". It 'a piece peppered with funk to capacity, with John Squire's guitar to play in balancing the wah-wah over a rock beat but almost danceable. Perhaps only "Soon" by My Bloody Valentine will be able to equal two years later.
"Made of Stone" is another song also published on 45 rpm and features a melody worthy of the best Morrissey in which he plays a key role, as well as a large part of the album, the work of Squire alternating electric guitars with arpeggios sound.
The pace and melody innodica of "Waterfall", the fragment folk "Elizabeth My Dear", the uptempo rock but still the flavor of the 80s "She Bangs the Drums", or the melody whispered, then shouted to four winds of "This Is the One" make this self-titled album The Stone Roses' much more than a cornerstone of British rock, but a record made of sun immortal songs of worship, because in the end this is what need. Exactly ... Is it possible that Ian Brown has sold his soul to the devil to be able to write such songs, then the devil would take away all the success and made known only disappointment in music? From the text of "I Wanna Be Adored" seems so: "I do not have to sell my soul, he's Already in me."
Possible that the best album of British rock of the nineties it actually came out in the nineties? Possible.





01 I Wanna Be Adored
02 She Bangs the Drums
03 Elephant Stone
04 Waterfall
05 Do not Stop
06 Bye Bye Bad Man
07 Elizabeth My Dear
08 (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister
09 Made of Stone
10 Shoot You Down
11 This Is the One
12 I Am the Resurrection
13 Fools Gold