Made Of Stone (The Stone Roses - Stone Roses)

Member Name: Jake Speed

Product:	The Stone Roses - Stone Roses
Date:	03/04/08 (136 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An uplifting collection of great pop songs

Disadvantages: Hmmn...

How great were The Stone Roses? Fairly great it has to be said on the basis of this record, though sadly it all apparently fizzled out fairly quickly, the Roses, like so many groups, eventually undone by that fatal mix of drugs, laziness and litigation. Their eponymous 1989 debut album though is still regarded as one of the greatest introductions to any British band and features highly on magazine lists of the greatest albums of all time.

The Stone Roses boasted an eclectic mix of characters and musical styles and their fusion of British indie guitar pop and acid-house dance influences probably paved the way for the likes of The Happy Mondays and Oasis.


Cover Art;

A Jackson Pollack inspired painting by guitarist John Squire.


The Songs;


I WANNA BE ADORED

An atmospheric and slow build up to the opening song morphs into a huge guitar riff by John Squire and right away you know this album is going is going to be a bit special? Why? Because the guitarist is brilliant! You know that some great music and crashing/melodic guitars are going to flow through the record. Ian Brown was never the world's greatest wordsmith or singer, but his distinctive Mancunian voice has its own charm and sense of swagger. A great start to the record.


WATERFALL

'Waterfall' has repeating guitars and a psychedelic sixties style sound that is as poppy as The Byrds' poppiest single listened to after a sugar overdose. The Stone Roses never really had incredibly dense or clever lyrics, being more in the 'Oasis' vein of vague words and slogans that scanned to a reasonable degree, but Ian Brown had a certain simple but hugely enjoyable knack for sounding in sync with John Squire and his other bandmates. 'Waterfall' is a great pop song.


SHE BANGS THE DRUM

Another John Squire masterclass, his distinctive and poppy wall of sound guitars are pretty amazing on this. The Stone Roses boasted a great drummer and bass player and they both contribute hugely both to this song and throughout the album. There is an incredible guitar solo on 'She Bangs The Drums' and the song is fast, up-tempo and completely brilliant.


DON'T STOP

Has been described as Waterfall backwards, probably because I think it actually is! More melodic fun that harkens back to the sixties, it works pretty well. It illustrates the confiedence of the group to include this but they managed to come up with another excellent addition to what is a distinctive and very 'fresh' sounding debut album.


BYE BYE BADMAN

Another great song. You expect at least one, if not howler, but a tune you tend to skip past to surface on most albums. But not here. The song is very well put together and The Stone Roses, I think, had a great knack for coming up with deceptively simple but melodic slower songs. Ian Brown's tendancy to sound just a tad folky at times is a plus on songs like this and the other three come up trumps as usual with the slightly druggy but infectious musical backdrop.


ELIZABETH MY DEAR

The one lurch towards agit-prop on the album, Ian Brown has a few swipes at the Queen; "Tear me apart and boil my bones/I'll not rest 'till she's lost her throne/My aim is true, my message is clear/It's curtains for you Elizabeth my dear". It's the sort of thing that Morrissey would do now and again with 'The Smiths' but do better simply because he had more of a way with words. The song is still quite catchy though, although not the best song on the record by a long shot.


SUGAR SPUN SISTER

Possibly the weakest link on the album this a bit of a shuffling tune, and athough the Roses rich and distinctive sound is still apparent, it doesn't quite pay you off with the hooks and highs of most of the other material. For most other groups it would be fine but not quite with this one. Sounds a bit b-side compared to the rest of the record.

MADE OF STONE

Arguably the group's most famous single this has an instantly recognisable and dark, striking guitar riff and possibly the best chorus ("Sometimes I fantasise/When the streets are cold and lonely/And the cars they burn below me") they came up with in their short but eventful career. I like this song a lot because it has quite a melancholic element to it and you find yourself listening to the lyrics more closely subsequently. Plus of course it sounds great.


SHOOT YOU DOWN

Begins with a great drum introduction and then John Squire's familiar jangly guitars. A really catchy but slower song that settles into a pleasant groove. Because the Roses had such a great guitarist (plus Reni and Mani) even their lesser songs were at least infused with an intricate and distinctive background of music that lifted them somewhat. It's fair to say that Ian Brown might have struggled a bit more to be cool if working with lesser talents!


THIS IS THE ONE

An anthem like song that grows and grows. 'This Is The One' is great fun, although not the most complex song they ever wrote. It still sounds remarkably fresh and you have to applaud the incredible strike-rate at this stage in the album. Not one out and out duffer amongst the entire lot.


I AM THE RESURRECTION

Another great bassline powers one of The Stone Roses most famous songs. Like much of the album the song is infectious, catchy, and the sound of a group who have complete and utter confidence in themselves. There isn't a lot to deconstruct or discuss in terms of lyrics or complex themes with The stone Roses, just a sugar rush of great pop songs left by a group who seemed to peak before they even really got going.


Overall

A fantastic debut album by The Stone Roses with a remarkable collection of British guitar songs that still sound fresh today. The record has a postive and upbeat feel and John Squire's guitars wash over you, lifting everything up to another level.

A great album to listen to in the summer when the sun is out and a hugely enjoyable slice of British music history.



John Squire - Guitars
Ian Brown - Singing
Mani - Bass
Reni - Drums, Backing Vocals

Summary: Fun!