Thirty years ago, The Stone Roses released their self-titled debut album. It was met with massive critical and commercial acclaim. However, the majority of the band’s success was exclusive to English fans.
While other English indie bands such as The Cure, The Smiths and Depeche Mode have enjoyed consistent success and relevance in the U.S., The Stone Roses have faded into obscurity, which is something they most definitely did not deserve.
When I discovered this band my freshman year of college, they blew the back of my head right off. I had never heard music like this before. They mixed the intensity and attitude of punk bands with the melodies and bright, jangly guitars of 1960s psychedelic bands. I was in awe.
Their debut album is truly my favorite album, and I want to take the time to look back and appreciate the album for what it is — a masterpiece.
The album opens with the track “I Wanna Be Adored.” As singer Ian Brown sings “I don’t have to sell my soul/ He’s already in me,” you can feel his emotion as he admits to the listener that the devil is living inside him. All the song’s narrator wants is to be loved, which is a brilliant and powerful concept to open an album with.
The following song is not only my favorite song on the album, but my favorite song of all time. “She Bangs the Drums” is a shimmering guitar-fueled indie rock masterpiece.
John Squire’s masterful guitar playing shines during the song. Squire weaves lines of lead guitar in and out of the rhythm he plays consistently throughout the song.
The only thing more powerful than the riffs are the lyrics. Singer Brown sings “I don’t feel too steady on my feet/ I feel hollow I feel weak/ Passion fruit and holy bread/ Fill my guts and ease my head.” Brown conveys his passion for a woman in such an interesting and intriguing way, he’ll have you listening to the song over and over trying to dissect each line in an attempt to find the hidden meaning.
Moving through the album, each song has its own unique flair while still feeling uniform with the rest of the album. Songs like “Elizabeth My Dear” and “Shoot You Down” are excellent examples of songs that rhythmically and sonically feel completely different from each other in every way, but somehow feel cohesive in the context of the album.
The final song on the album, “I Am The Resurrection,” is an absolutely spectacular song to end the album. The song begins with a beautiful two-minute buildup of a repeating verse structure. As it progresses, the song becomes more intense and complex as each member of the band slowly begins to complicate their respective instrumentation.
The song finally breaks out into a massive chorus as Brown sings “I am the resurrection/ And I am the light/ I couldn’t ever bring myself/ To hate you as I’d like.” These are the final words sung on the album as the first part of the song comes to a close.
Once this portion of the song ends, the band breaks into a five-minute breakdown – one of the greatest instrumental pieces I’ve ever heard on a rock album. The Stone Roses move through rhythmic changes like it’s nobody’s business.
Guitarist Squire, bassist Mani, and drummer Reni all show off their musical prowess in bringing the album to a close with a terrific and unified performance.
The Stone Roses are, in my opinion, one of the greatest and most underrated bands to ever walk the Earth.
In the years that followed, legal battles and poor management led to the eventual dissolution of the group.
However, all of these problems cannot taint the absolute perfection that is their seminal debut album. “The Stone Roses” is truly an absolute gem I urge anyone and everyone to listen to.
