It’s all been said about The Stone Roses debut. Absolutely flawless from start to finish (yes, including Elizabeth My Dear). Immortal anthems. Legendary solos. A melting pot of genres that paved the way for a musical movement. The non-stop soundtrack of a generation.
But what’s really interesting, and much less often talked about, is the ‘how?’. This is the same band that produced ‘Second Coming’ – a patchwork of decent tracks (some great ones), fighting amongst themselves with no flow and little direction.
The debut, from a bunch of pals full of fire, playing as one. Feeding off each other. The second, a squeezed-out obligation from a long-estranged group of industry-burnt individuals. Same band. Different chemistry.
When people try to put their finger on what made The Stone Roses so utterly, uniquely perfect, it’s not songs, it’s not skills. It’s Chemistry.
Key Tracks:
I Wanna Be Adored
Waterfall
Made of Stone
Let’s be honest, all of them.
Artwork:
9/10
John Squire
Further Listening:
The Stone Roses / Turns Into Stone
The Stone Roses / Second Coming
Every decent indie record since
