Tonight’s selections from the Stone Roses self-titled debut album.
Surly, sullen and fearsomely confident in shaggy hair and baggy jeans, frontman Ian Brown declared on the Stone Roses' eponymous album, "I am the resurrection and I am the light," connecting with a nation of acid-house damaged kids eager to believe in something. As it happens, Brown's arrogance was misplaced and the band's rock stardom a lot shorter-lived than anyone expected. The Stone Roses made a stunning debut, then bled out in a slow agony of contractual disputes, internal discord, and, eventually, public indifference (though their sophomore release and swan song, Second Coming, is nowhere near as bad as people say). More prosaic than drugs or young death, this trifecta killed a career that now essentially consists of just one great record. — Pitchfork
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She Bangs the Drums [1988]
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But the story of The Stone Roses is really a tale of two records, divided by an ocean. As Sony (which now owns original label Silvertone) rolls out a remastered version in celebration of the album's 20th anniversary, Brits wrestle with what's become a cultural crucible. When a record's aura or associations, rather than its content, begins dominating discussions-- especially when a nation routinely votes it one of rock history's best-- clothing-deprived-emperor jive usually isn't far behind. And the fact that the former idols have had the bad grace to survive into their forties and release a string of middling yet well-promoted solo albums hasn't boosted the The Stone Roses' reputation at home.
We Americans are relatively unencumbered (though it'll be fun to see if Nevermind incites as much hair-tearing when it hits 20 in two years). The Roses, and the "Madchester" scene with which they were loosely associated, never translated to the U.S. beyond modern rock radio and late-night MTV. They also failed to hugely impact an underground hostile to anything that implied feet were made for more than propping up a body so it could sip beer and look bored. Many prominent American critics didn't champion the Roses, either. "What do [the Stone Roses] do that the Byrds or Buffalo Springfield didn't do better in 1967?" Robert Christgau wondered in The Village Voice, typifying the Boomer establishment's predictable position on a band of GenXers cheeky enough to remind them, "the past was yours, but the future's mine."
To answer Christgau's question, what the Stone Roses did better was marry smart psychedelic pop to dance grooves in an incredibly accessible and powerful way that appealed both to rock and rave fans, lovers of hooks and beats, punks and people who actually welcomed 10-minute guitar solos. If influence matters, the album influenced scores of other bands, including Spiritualized, Primal Scream (which bassist Mani joined after the Roses collapsed), the Manic Street Preachers, the Beta Band, the Libertines, and, as the Gallagher brothers have never missed an opportunity to assert, Oasis. And unlike most of the Madchester bands, the Roses weren't only about a sound, a vibe, or a scene. They owned a clutch of insanely catchy, emotionally nuanced, lyrically astute songs about love, lust, youth, and raging ambition that didn't require a historical context to understand or embrace. Exploding the false dichotomy of album band/singles band, The Stone Roses is a logical, cohesive album made up of incredible stand-alone songs. — Pitchfork
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Waterfall [1988]
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Have to include Waterfall’s reversed twin; Don’t Stop (the music is Waterfall, backwards).
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Don’t Stop [1988]
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Although “Fools Gold” didn’t appear on the original U.K. pressing of this album, it made its way onto the U.S. version. It was their furthest descent down the funky Madchester wormhole with Mani’s squiggly dance rhythms, Reni’s bongos and perky drum loop and Brown’s cool, distant vocals, and its inclusion feels essential. — Paste
I highly recommend the ten minute version of Fool’s Gold. With headphones. On psychedelics. Or not; whatever floats your boat. Here’s the single version.
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Fool’s Gold [1989]
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Dear Yanks:
Though you missed out on a good chunk of Britpop, you are all familiar with and cherish many British bands and solo artists: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, Pink Floyd, The Clash, The Zombies, David Bowie, Cream, Jethro Tull . . . the list isn’t infinite, but close enough. It is likely that you have some or all the following albums in your collection: Revolver, Sticky Fingers, Village Green Preservation Society, Who’s Next, Dark Side of the Moon, London Calling, Hunky Dory, Odessey and Oracle, Wheels of Fire, Aqualung and others that you consider among the greatest albums ever produced by those funny people with the charming accents.
Well, apparently, you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, and neither do I. The Stone Roses’ debut album was voted “the greatest album ever” at the NME Premier Awards Show in the year 2000, and reconfirmed as “Greatest British Album Ever” in polls taken in 2004 and 2006. Better than anything ever recorded by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, Pink Floyd, The Clash, The Zombies, David Bowie, Cream, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Pulp, Blur, Oasis, The Sex Pistols, The Smiths, The Yardbirds, John Mayall, Radiohead and every other British musician who dared foul our ears with obviously substandard music that fell short of the gold standard set by The Stone Roses.
I invite you to join me in a hearty “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Love, kisses and a pinch of your nipple,
Arielle
p. s. And I thought the Brits only recently went bonkers with the Brexit thing. Silly me. — AltRockChick
Can’t say I 100% agree with that bold-ass statement from AltRockChick, however, it’s food for thought. Regardless, The Stone Roses is a classic; drawing from the past and pointing towards the future. To these ears it’s an album of timeless pop music. That’s all. (Another “long but worth it” tune below).
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I Am the Resurrection [1988]
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WHO’S TALKING TO WHO?
Jimmy Kimmel: Tyler Perry, Usher, Ari Lennox (R 2/23/22)
Jimmy Fallon: Naomi Watts, Rosalía, Omar Apollo
Stephen Colbert: Daniel Craig, Marie Yovanovitch, Rex Orange County
Seth Meyers: Taylor Schilling, Chris Redd, Todd Sucherman
James Corden: Adam Scott, Joachim Trier, Maria Bamford
Trevor Noah: Sandra Oh
SPOILER WARNING
A late night gathering for non serious palaver that does not speak of that night’s show. Posting a spoiler will get you brollywhacked. You don’t want that to happen to you. It's a fate worse than a fate worse than death.
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The Soup Dragons with a Stones cover. Similar vibe to the Stone Roses (Brit rock with dance vibes).
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The Soup Dragons :: I’m Free [1990]
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LAST WEEK’S POLL: WHICH DWARF ARE YOU?
Bashful 8% 2 votes
Doc 21% 5 votes
Dopey 8% 2 votes
Grumpy 21% 5 votes
Happy 8% 2 votes
Sleepy 33% 8 votes
Sneezy 0% 0 votes