Customer Reviews

Second Coming

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

How do you follow up one of the most influential modern rock albums, a universally beloved debut? Well... you can't. Sadly, the Stone Roses couldn't either, several years after their legendary self-titled debut. But after several years, "Second Coming" has gotten over its initial bad rap, and proved itself a solid -- though not stellar -- piece of Brit-rock.

A rising chord seeps into a growling bassline... followed by water trickling and some distant bird songs. "Breaking Into Heaven," is probably the most memorable part of the whole album, especially when it rises into some jungle drums, then a funky rock rhythm. The eleven-minute intro alone has more variety than most rock bands can manage in a whole album.

And after the intro? The fiery rock of "Driving South," funkiness of "Daybreak," or the acoustic-led sweetness of "Your Star Will Shine" and "Tightrope." There are dips into pop, hard rock, and the occasional nod to Led Zeppelin's famous riffs. It ends on a robust note with "Love Spreads," not the best Stone Roses song but a likable, grounded one.

If video killed the radio star, then success killed the Stone Roses. They disbanded shortly after "Second Coming" was given a disappointing reception, and after a nasty lawsuit from their record company. But time has been kind to the sophomore album. Sure, okay, it's not as good as the self-titled debut -- but it is a good rock album in its own right, inventive and sometimes a little insane.

John Squire's guitar contortions are what you really notice about the music -- he can do mellow acoustic strumming in one song, then Zeppelin-style riffs that tear your throat out. Renni's agile drumming is allowed to shine best in the opener and "Straight To the Mind," and Mani's thick basslines slide under the belly of Squire's guitar.

Ian Brown's vocals shift tempo in this album, sounding slow and almost seductive. The one area in which "Second Coming" sometimes stumbles is the songwriting. Some of the songs are gorgeous lyrically ("All through the night I'll watch the skies/And your distant sun will shine like the gun/That's trained right between your Daddy's eyes"), while others are merely mediocre ("Take my hand baby I'm your man/I got loving enough for two").

"Second Coming" suffers from the dreaded sophomore slump, all the more so because the first album was nearly flawless. But the Stone Roses' final album is an hypnotic rock experience, and one that Stone Roses fans should definitely listen to... but only with an open mind.

After the phenomenal success in the UK of their 1989 self-titled debut, the Stone Roses should've capitalised on their success and recorded a follow-up album a year or two later. Instead, the band got tangled up in legal problems with their record label (though I don't know the details), which would sideline the group for five long years. When the smoke *finally* cleared in 1994, with the Stone Roses having switched over to Geffen Records, they finally released their long-awaited second album, appropriately-titled "Second Coming." Unfortunately, in the five years that the Stone Roses had been away, it seemed that time had passed them by. Oasis were now the UK's #1 group, and reaction to "Second Coming," both in sales and fan & critical response, was disappointing. The Stone Roses disbanded shortly afterwards, and since then, "Second Coming" seems to have been forgotten. It doesn't deserve to be---"Second Coming" is an outstanding album that I, personally, like even *better* than the band's celebrated 1989 debut, though brilliant that album is. I guess this makes me a "twisted" Stone Roses fan, but seriously, people, I LOVE this album. Nevermind the ridiculous criticism or disappointing sales---"Second Coming" is a fantastic, powerful piece of work, and one of my all-time favorite albums. For "Second Coming," the Stone Roses branched out into rock music even more experimental than on their debut disc, combining even more abundant elements of pop, psychedelia, dance, acoustic, progressive, and Zeppelin-esque hard rock. The towering 11 1/2 minute opener, "Breaking Into Heaven," is sensational, beginning with jungle sound effects, followed by some tight, rhythmic percussion by drummer Reni, and then at last, the rest of the band charge in with some incredible grooves & musical interplay, capped off by Ian Brown's smooth, assured vocals. The rest of the album brilliantly matches this track, including the tough-as-nails rock of "Driving South," the funky "Daybreak," and the acoustic beauty of "Your Star Will Shine." "Begging You" is a thrilling dance rave-up, recalling the group's earlier classic, "Fool's Gold." "Tightrope" is a wonderful sing-along, and "Tears" is the Stone Roses' obvious tip-of-the-hat to Led Zeppelin, from guitarist John Squire's opening acoustic riff to the hard-rocking bridge that recalls "Stairway To Heaven." "How Do You Sleep" is beautiful pop, and the album closer, "Love Spreads," is awesome, beefy rock with all the trimmings. Once again, the band's musicianship & songwriting is stunning, as Squire, Brown, Reni, and bassist Gary "Mani" Mounfield's chemistry sparkles like fireworks. It's such a terrible, terrible shame that this outstanding band closed shop after only a pair of albums, but oh, what a pair of albums. Most Stone Roses fans prefer the 1989 debut album over "Second Coming." So be it---it is indeed a superb album. But, in my opinion, "Second Coming" is even more superb, and it's also a very fond farewell to this groundbreaking, trailblazing British band. As I said in my review of the group's first album, popular bands like Coldplay, Radiohead & Oasis may rule the roost in British rock these days, but ALL of them owe a debt in some way or another to the Stone Roses. Thank you John, Ian, Mani & Reni---you guys rock!

This album puts a HUGE majority of albums to shame with it's virtuosity, lyrics, melody, beauty and art. It is SO overlooked and underappreciated that it should be considered a crime against humanity.

I really have to respectfully submit a theory that those who don't like this CD had expectations problems from the first release. This CD is not "The Stone Roses Part II" it is a new direction with hints at the old direction (listen: "Ten Storey Love Song").

This is a BIG slice of funk, blues, pop, and rock that would make any rock music fan drool endlessly. I am so sad that this CD is not listened to and admired as it should be. From the opening jungle sounds, betraying the (ultimately) African (or African American) influences which shaped this wonder to the final guitar soloing, breathy singing of Ian Brown, and rollicking bassline of "Love Spreads", this CD is full of quality art.

Please, if you discovered the Stone Roses late or just never picked this up, pick it up and listen to it as a work of art. An independent CD not related to the first CD in any but the smallest ways.

Let me put you in the picture,
let me show you what I mean.
The messiah is my sister,
ain't no king man, she's my queen!

Thank you Stone Roses for giving us this beautiful CD and all the other wonderful music you created!

A travesty that this album is not known to all. The Stone Roses could have changed the world. How do you sleep? is one of the most brilliant, soaring rock songs of all time. Tightrope is the greatest love poem of all time. Ten Storey Love Song is magic, and Love Spreads came from the lost soul of Robert Johnson. Second Coming is one of the few pieces of pop culture that is not rubbish. Even though John Squire seems to be a jerk, he is an incredible musician. Ian Brown is a man of destiny. While today's world does not remember them, history won't forget them. Long live the Stone Roses. One Love.

The Stone Roses eponymous first album deserved all the accolades it got (and still gets). One of my all time favorites. Superlative. Sublime. Alright, already.
That being said, I can't believe how this album was slagged off by just about everyone when it came out.
Granted, it took forever for it to be released, no fault of the band's. (Goddamn label woes).
But this thing rocks - John Squire has taken over the reins and look out !
If you separate the rest of the bands tunes from Squires, you have two different albums.
Ignore the second half of Side one and the first third of Side two, and you have songs that rival anything on the first album.
"Ten Storey Love Song" is phenomenal and should be playing on every radio station as we speak.
But what makes it for me, is the last four songs on side two.
"Good Times" - BAM ! - Squire lets loose with a fantastic, ending solo that seems to go on forever.
"Tears" - BAM ! - a slow, midtempo rocker that gains steam and feeling with one of Ian Brown's more arresting vocals giving way to another Squire signature guitar solo with feeling. (You can tell Squire is just itching to break out from the Roses into solo territory which did eventually lead to him forming another band soon after their disintegration).
"How do you Sleep" - BAM ! - a great kiss off to those bastards at Silvertone (title courtesy of John Lennon).
"Love Spreads" - BAM ! - the college radio hit that still gets played, thankfully letting people know there was more to the Stone Roses than one album.
Even though this release belongs to John Squire, Ian Brown is still at the top of his game with his singing and Mani and Reni are still the best rhythm section in alternative rock.

Ignore the critics - buy this for 7 out of 12 songs - it ain't a bad percentage given the crap on most albums. And the 7 songs alone stand up against anything else around, especially if you're a guitar lover with a penchant for some tasty leads.

Think about it: Imagine the first Stone Roses album as The Yardbirds. After a few years of gestation, what pops up? Led Zeppelin.

Similarly, "Second Coming" sees a band stepping out of its psychedelic haze and plunging into hard, blues-inflected rock. Those expecting to see 1967 rehashed again will be sorely disappointed. This is more like watching Zeppelin circa '69. Indeed, Driving South and Love Spread come straight out of the blues rock playbook that Zeppelin and others wrote. I think that John Squire's attempt to be Page just irked those who weren't prepared for the sound's natural evolutionary course.

I reckon that other factors also fed into some people's disdain for this album. The CD itself is more of a mixed bag than the first album. Breaking into Heaven has a patience-depleting intro that consists of ambient jungle sounds. Its only when the funky guitar and Ian Brown pop up that one is truly roused. Tracks like Straight to the Man and Begging You, although sequenced right next to each other, expose constrating elements of this band's abilities. The distinction is quite apparent, but captivating. Other songs, however, just lack the "it" factor embodied in the first album's compositions.

The album's production might have something to do with it. While the first album boasted a hazy, psychedelic production that emphasized an aloof character, their album is much more down to earth. As such, things are brought to the fore and part of the mystery and ambiance just dissipates. It also makes the album harder to digest.

This album isn't perfect. However, it's not a carbon copy of its predecessor. If anything, the saga of the two Stone Roses albums echo the course of psychedelic music. Alas, many tracks don't stand up as well as they should, and the production removes some of the allure associated with the debut.

Still, if you liked the original and if you like early Zeppelin, this is worth checking out.

I am a big fan of the Stone Roses and have everything they released. In my opinion, this was their BEST album. From the opening "Breaking into Heaven" to the rumbling closer "Love Spreads" this is a rocking, thumping, funky, eclectic and all round thoroughly enjoyable CD. Whilst the first album was great, I found that the second album is just so much more energetic and "rocks". I can't believe that this album has been maligned by critics and fans alike. Then again, this album is very different to their first and represents a changing direction. Personally, I think this album is better than the first in every way - especially in terms of production (which is where I believe the first one suffered and as a consequence had a "hollow" quality about it). Highly recommended listening.

The 1994 follow-up to their 1989 self-titled debut, this album is routinely slagged off as crap and their death-knell. However, if you actually take the time to listen to it, while not a perfect album, this is one hell of a record. John Squire seems to have beefed up is guitar chops with a steady diet of Hendrix, Zeppelin, Clapton, and The Who....his guitar lines rip, from Breaking Into Heaven and Driving South to the screaming soloing at the end of Good Times and his tour de force, Love Spreads. Mani's bass is fantastic as always, and Reni's drumming is awesome, especially during the jungle-psychedelic freakout intro to Breaking Into Heaven. Ian Brown's hushed, swaggering vocals are a perfect hit....LISTEN TO THIS if you loved their first album!

I was a huge fan of this band's debut album. As they spun their wheels during the first half of the ninties that release took on epic status and the wait for the sophmore effort brought on very high expectations.

I remember purchasing this and being terribly disappointed. It sounded like a parody of seventies hard rock. After a handful of plays, it was relegated to the back of my collection and was a candidate for trading in at a used CD outlet. I also noticed whenever I would visit a used shop that the bins were loaded with copies of SECOND COMING. I felt that my judgment had been vindicated.

For some reason of late I noticed a lot positive reviews of SECOND COMING on this site and decided to see if I had missed something. SUPRISE! This had aged extremely well and sounded great. The songs that had sounded forced when I first listened had gained depth, especially with John Squire's Jimmy Pagesque chewing of the scenery. The band sounds powerfull and assured, only Ian Brown's vocals sound occasionally awkward.

While I would not rate this as highly as their first album, I am sure glad that I didn't let this escape my collection. I would encourage anyone who felt dissapointed initially with this to give it a second chance.

I liked Second Coming much more than the debut disc, which is more mellow and atmospheric. Half of Second Coming is lighter pop and half has more of a hard rock feel. If you liked "I am the Resurrection" and "Fool's Gold" from their debut CD, you'll probably like Second Coming much better.

The best songs:

- "Breaking into Heaven": as others have said, this is the best track; a stunning melody with great lyrics
- "Good Times"
- "Tightrope" starts out with quirky slightly off key (in a, oddly enough, good way) backing vocals but eventually develops an irresistable groove
- "Love Spreads"

I haven't seen anyone mention it yet, but I absolutely loved the bonus track (caution: atonal screechy violin / coughing). That and little things like the 'world' percussion they occasionally used on the debut, the 'jungly' beat in "Breaking Into Heaven" and the backing vox on "Tightrope" seem to indicate that the Roses were seamlessly incorporating all sorts of genres into their music, which just makes Squire's leaving such a shame, especially considering the mediocre solo stuff he and Brown have been making.