The Stone Roses - StoneRoses

Mon 28th Mar, 2005 in Music Reviews

In the late 1980s, a scene was emerging. It involved melding guitars with the acid house music of the time and probably involved a little, no, a lot of MDMA, amongst other things. The Hacienda nightclub, owned by New Order, was the place to be. They called it Madchester. A viewing of the recent film 24 Hour Party People will help set the scene.

Manchester was trying to climb out from behind The Smiths’ gloominess, and the city wasn’t the happiest place to be at the best of times, given its geography, unemployment and the weather. The football team weren’t even winning the football. You could imagine the joy and happiness that must of swept through the city when this new funky, dance-style music, combined with all the colourful, baggy clothing came to take over. And yes, the drugs probably helped a little also.

The Charlatans and Inspiral Carpets were there, but the Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses were the main protagonists of the scene. While the Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets arguably showed more of a dance influence in their finished product, The Stone Roses definitely provided some funk and soul on tunes like Fools Gold, Elephant Stone and I Am the Resurrection. Anyone who can’t find a beat to move with in Fool’s Gold has got to be kidding, surely.

Formed by schoolmates John Squire and Ian Brown, English Rose officially formed in 1985 and from those ashes came The Stone Roses. With the addition of guitarists Andy Couzens, bassist Pete Garner and drummer Reni (Alan John Wren), the original lineup was complete. Couzens left the group in early 1987 followed shortly after by Garner. Bass duties were taken over by the now-legendary Mani (Gary Mounfield).

The particular release on compact disc I am referring to throughout this review includes an extended mix of Fool’s Gold; a bonus if ever there was one. My vinyl doesn’t have it. Research reveals that there are 15 different pressings available. This raises another of the problems that haunted The Stone Roses: label issues. I am not going to get into that here - you can find that elsewhere - but it’s just one of the many pieces of baggage that accompanied them on their trip, and I mean many.

Two singles were released on Thin Line Records, those being So Young in 1985 and Sally Cinnamon in 1987 and in 1988 the band secured a contract with Silvertone Records, releasing Elephant Stone as a single. Even though these singles still displayed the band’s early guitar hook feel, even post-punk in So Young, the underlying rhythm section definitely had a groove to it. Elephant Stone is a great conglomeration of ‘60s tinged jangle pop and dance beats.

While Ian Brown has been accused of singing off key or flat, his vocals seems to compliment the amazing sounds that John Squire managed to emit from his Gretsch guitar. Sure, there were no vocal harmonies reminiscent of The Byrds going on, (although, on occasions, with Reni’s backing, they got in the ballpark) the similarities between the two bands, beyond Brown’s vocals, are definitely there. Arguably, I Wanna Be Adored, Waterfall, She Bangs the Drums and I Am the Resurrection are at the same level, just on a different plane. Once Brown came to terms with his accent and the fact that a hushed vocal would stand up just as well, things fell into place.

Writing duties for the album were shared by Brown and Squire, but it was mainly Brown who took up the penmanship duties for later efforts, with some assistance. Squires, is arguably more famous for his artwork, which accompanies the release cover.

The production credits are impressively split between Peter Hook and John Leckie. Looking at the credentials of the two, it would be easy to say that Hook, whose playing with Joy Division and the more dance orientated New Order, Revenge, Monaco, took a heavier hand with tracks like She Bangs the Drums, Elephant Stone and Fools Gold. Leckie, whose credits have included Pink Floyd, The Fall, The Verve and Radiohead, and is one of Britain’s most prolific producers, seems to have left his mark more on I Wanna Be Adored, Waterfall and Made of Stone. I Am the Resurrection splits the honours straight down the middle as the almost mod-style first four minutes, gives way to a glorious funky dance bassline, albeit with some very heavy psychedelic overtones.

This is the One, with its clean-cut opening, goes almost folk like before heading back into Merseyside anthem territory for the finish. Shoot You Down starts in a similar vein. An intricate guitar line over a syncopated drum beat makes for easy going on the ear before things get a little more interesting in the middle of the tune. Squire’s guitar comes to the fore in this one.

The ‘60s influence is around in Made of Stone, I Wanna Be Adored and I Am the Resurrection and She Bangs the Drums stands out as a highlight. I still can’t work out if it starts at my feet and works up or at the back of my head, and tingles down my spine. From a dance perspective, Elephant Stone and Fool’s Gold are where it’s at, but you could just as easily slot I Am the Resurrection or She Bangs the Drums here as well. These songs, arguably, make this album what it is. The ease or should that be the arrogance, in which the Stone Roses had their fingers in both the dance and guitar pies for this release is surely part of the attraction and what made the album.

Fred Perry and bucket hats, they made ‘em look good and cool.

Now listening to Fool’s Gold, I’m thinking that Brown was the weakest link in all of this. Reni’s drums are outrageously funky and cool; ditto for Mani’s efforts on bass, combining to form one of the best rhythm sections ever; John Squire’s guitar work is astounding; and that leaves Brown. His vocals weren’t that great, but they made them work to their advantage. Someone had to write this stuff. Someone had to have the vision to make the leap. And together with Squire, he did.

Hats off to you Ian Brown, John Squire, Reni and Mani. I am glad you found each other. They can’t take this away from you.

Ever.