Customer Reviews

Complete Stone Roses

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, some corrections are in order pertaining to at least one of the former reviews. Yes, "complete" Stone Roses is something of a misnomer but it must be recalled that the "complete" refers to their singles from their inception until the last decent thing they have done prior to the mediocre second coming era recordings. Thus it spans from the mid-eighties (85 or 87, depending if one considers release dates, copyright dates or otherwise) up to '91. That being said this compilation does not intend to be a retrospective as such, only a collection of a handful of very important recordings, and any layover between the tracks compiled here and the tracks on their self-titled debut are merely because these are singles. And neither are they abriviated versions as such made for this collection. As "singles," tracks generally need to fit within a certain format. Radio is not necessarily friendly to nine-plus minute anthems such as Fools Gold or I am the Resurection. Indeed, some of the singles from their first album were edited down in the studio but others were actually rerecorded, or in the case of Elephant Stone, recorded as a single prior to the release of their album and then recorded again for their first album.

Now on to the music proper. The tracks are more or less in chronological order, diverging only slightly toward the end where 91's Where Angels Play is plotted prior to the Fool's Gold single and the One Love single. The first two tracks are from the mid-eighties and represent their supposed 'Goth' period, however true or false that categorization might be. I have read more than a few unfortunate descriptions of these tracks, calling them "immature" or "not yet realized." To be sure, So Young and Tell Me are not quintessential Stone Roses, but as a first go it is interesting to here them, and, quite frankly, I see them as being quite good. They are raw and powerful and, as I see it, are somewhat to the Stone Roses as This is Your My Bloody Valentine is to MBV; a gritty, pseudo-punk, slightly dark, and perhaps even fragmentarily reminiscent of a cross between the better goth stuff from that time and the Cramps.

With the next single, Sally Cinnamon, The Stone Roses are beginning to come into their sound: sixties-ish pop with sweet lyrics--the b-side repeats, as if a mantra, the unforgettable lines "I'd rather be no one than someone with no one."

After these early singles Roses fans familiar with the first album - as if a Roses fan could be unfamiliar with the first album - should find themselves in familiar territory. Even the b-sides to some of the album tracks will likely not yeild too many suprises other than the shock of how good some of these songs are. Some of the highlights are Going Down and Mersey Paradise, the former of which pays a nice homage to Jackson Pollack, reinstilling the fact that John Squire's aesthetic sensiblities are fully indepted to the yank ab-exer.

Many of these songs I have heard before on vinyl but because of cost and rarety I was unable to get them. It is a wonderful thing that this compilation exists. At first I was afraid that the number of tracks also contained in one form or another on the first album would diminish my suprise or enthusiasm. Not that I find those songs tired or hackneyed, but rather because I have heard them so many times I feared I might be tempted to skip ahead to the b-side songs. This, however, was not the case. As I remarked earlier, some of the tracks are different from the album version, but beyond that, hearing them in a different context, juxtaposed against their b-sides, is as refreshing an experience as it was when I heard these tracks for the first time over a decade ago.

So, whether you are a hard-core Roses fan, a Madchester revivalist, or neophyte groove-meister, this collection is great to groove to or simply as an historical collection of some rare material of one of the most influential bands that barely made a ripple here in the States. Too bad for us we've collectively bad taste, but let those select few who are disenfranchised with ...poor metal, tired American indie, and all-too-pop hip-hop, rejoice that there is enough interest in the good stuff to warrant the release and continued printings of the Roses.

First of all, a "truth in advertising" alert : this is not the "complete" Stone Roses. Far from it. This CD collects pretty much all their singles (A's and B's) and selected tracks from their first album, "The Stone Roses". Many of these tracks are brilliant and the rest merely great, although one should be warned that some of the tracks are abbreviated single edits. For all this great music, though, the CD doesn't really hold together the way "The Stone Roses" CD does. "The Complete Stone Roses" is essential for SR fans, but new converts or the curious should definitely begin with "The Stone Roses" before picking this up. After you hear that CD you'll want to get the rest, including this one.

If you want to hear The Stone Roses buy this cd. It contains 21 songs, and not one is for filling empty space.All the songs are great.The Cd contains some of their early material, which was previously unreleased, and all their greatest hits from their first album, and some singles released shortly after that.It's a great compilation that contains their most important material from 1985 to 1991, the period when they were most popular.Fantastic...

If you're a 60's raised teenager and you want to revisit the enthusiasm and sheer "joy of playing" that spawned your enduring love of music then look no further, "The Complete Stone Roses" has it... as close as you'll get to recreating the experience of opening a subsequently "classic" 60's album for the first time.

This record (an excellent compilation, featuring the best of the Stone Roses' early work and including "tighter" versions of several tracks from their first album) makes you want to be where you once were but where you couldn't be... about 18 in a Manchester club in 1990, watching a group that your friends say you should see but few have heard of. They don't sing too good (these studio recordings fortunately rectify that), their format is straightforward (dominant lead guitar, strong snare, tambourine & bass, lots of vocal echo), their arrangements' follow a well tried format but... they make ecstatic, often erratic music that makes you feel alive... wonderful!

You don't have to be young, to enjoy this. You just have to love uplifting music. Like your long-eclipsed favourite band on a good day this takes you there... not the same (although "Waterfall" could sit quite happily amongst the best of the Byrds' records), often better (few 60's groups dared go anywhere near the brilliant rhythmic complexities of "Fools Gold" or "Elephant Stone") but capturing that same elusive "magic".

To my daughter Katie... thank you for buying this record, it's made an "old boy" very happy.

OK, I'm 10 years late to the party, but last month I was browsing through cd's at my local store and I remembered a coworker from Britain telling me that "The Stone Roses" was his favorite album of all time. So I bought "The Complete Stone Roses" because it had over 20 songs for only $12.99, and haven't listened to anything else since. Good, catchy tunes, and poetic lyrics that are a refreshing change from the smart-alecky nonsense of the 90's. I hear something new with every listen. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I can't wait to buy all the other Stone Roses cds.

All of these reveiws are being posted on the cd review page and on the video tape review page. They are quite different products.

I have listed what is on the tape by adding a picture to the video page.

Oasis, Blur, Charlatans UK, Catherine Wheel, My Bloody Valentine, Happy Mondays, etc.. If you want to know where Funky-
Cool-Brit-Pop started... here it is.

A collection of songs covering mainly the Stone Roses apex,the couple of years in which they were unarguably the best band on the planet.

In their brief reign they managed to produce music which doesn't fall short in comparison with any of rock's classics.The momentum which they gained between 89/90 is something that no band will ever be able to reproduce,for the Stone Roses at that time passed more as messianic messengers than as rock stars,gathering an almost obsessioned following which hanged on their every words.

It's only a measure of their worth the fact that no one else could have produced lines like"I am the Ressurrection and I am the Life"or"I don't have to sell my soul,it's already in me"without sounding arrogant or ridiculous;indeed these claims perfectly fitted the Stone Roses god like aura.

The compilation focuses on their peak era music seamlessly blending the gems from their first album(in all truth the only amazing song missing from their debut is "This is the One")and high quality B-sides,adding still their early singles,some of them quite distant from their habitual sound(the thrashing guitars of"So Young"and the minimalistic simplicity of the rocker "Tell Me").

One thing is for sure,they posessed the most cohesive band sound ever created with each element of the band connecting with the other with a fluid unity simply outstanding.Moreover Mani's bass,Reni's drums and Squire's guitar were no less than groundbreaking.

Exceptional melodies come one after the other in this milestone in music history.Perfection perpasses every second of their songs in a dazzlingly unearthly way.The World should have been at their feet.

This album is almost as good as their self-titled one (almost). The first two are very early tracks and don't hold up as well but after "Sally Cinnamon" it's pretty solid. Best tracks:Mersey Paradise, Standing Here, What the World is Waiting For and One Love. Enjoy, because theres not much Roses material to buy after this one.

Since I'm American and nobody here ever mentions the Stone Roses (probably my favorite band), this is perfect for me. I've never even seen them in motion before I got this, just in still pictures. There is a great live show on here as well as a bunch of promo videos and TV appearences.