Customer Reviews

Stone Roses

5 star:		(225)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

People are starting to bash this CD. Please, they are all wet! This CD is PERFECT. EVERY second of this CD is absolutely amazing. Melodic, timeless(!!!), uplifting, thirst-quenching, day-breaking, love-making, soul saving. The guitar playing is flawless (see: JAMMING last 5 minutes of I Am The Resurrection). The airy vocals of Ian Brown (heard throughout). The driving bass (Fool's Gold/I Am The Resurrection) and ecstatic drums (She Bangs the Drums, This Is The One, Fool's Gold). There is not one dud in the whole group. I have listened to this CD HUNDREDS of times and it still makes me feel like life is perfect (although it is far from it).

If you like pop music. If you aren't a crabby, contrarian. (fragmented sentences for dramatic effect. ;) ) If you LOVE great tunes, BUY THIS CD and enrich your life. You'll thank me for gushing like this when you experience this work of genius. I am not being generous, I am being honest.

Someone said it earlier and it is completely true - this album gets better and better after every listen. It is a truly rewarding experience to listen to this album, whether it is your first time or your hundredth (which I am approaching). As others have mentioned, this was the album that paved the way for Oasis, the Verve, Pulp (to a degree), Radiohead (also to a degree), Blur, and many other of the so-called "Brit Pop" bands.

"I Wanna Be Adored" may be the greatest opening track ever and then there is the sheer brilliance of "Waterfall" running into "Don't Stop" (they play a part of "Waterfall" backwards). Ian Brown, John Squire, Reni, and Mani came together one day and for that moment, they laid down some music that was never going to be equalled, no matter how hard they tried. "Second Coming" (which was a belated 5 year follow-up) is solid but no where near the album that "The Stone Roses" is. But how could it have been? "The Stone Roses" was an album to perfection.

Everyone who is into rock music or just music period needs this album in your collection. You don't have a serious collection without this one. I own over 1100 CDs and if I had to choose 5 albums to save from a fire, this one is there along with "A Tribute to Jack Johnson" by Miles, "Ultimate Blue Train" by Coltrane, "Animals" by Pink Floyd, and "Disintegration" by The Cure. Buy it today if you don't own it already.

The Stone Roses were one of those bands who burned brightly... and all too briefly. Thankfully their presence has been long-lasting -- the music of their self-titled first album still lingers long after the breakup of the band. They captured lightning in a bottle, even if their first album's musical perfection was their downfall.

After the panoramic, rumbling buildup of "I Wanna Be Adored," the Roses catch you with rollicking, infectious rock songs and psychedelic trips. While sticking to strong pop melodies and rock instrumentation, the Roses manage to experiment around a bit -- the delicate "Waterfall" is literally turned backwards and replayed, in a song that is almost as good as the original.

The true rock rebellion shows in "Bye Bye Bad Man" with protests concerning French student riots ("Every backbone and heart you break/We'll still come back for more") and an acid-tinged anti-royalist song. Finishing up the unalloyed brilliance is the bitter, complicated "I Am the Resurrection," and the melodic "Fool's Gold" -- two of the best songs on the album.

The Stone Roses spread their influence far in this album -- there are soft ballad-like melodies, whirling psychedelic trips, and rock that rises, crests and slowly sinks. Expect your heartbeat to rise and sink with it -- because this music has a richness and depth that most rock music cannot even begin to equal.

John Squire's guitar riffs are flexible and fluid; it sounds like this guy was reinventing guitar licks all on his own. His shimmering guitar riffs of "Waterfall" are truly magnificent. The deep basslines will drawn you in whether you like it or not, as will Reni's outstanding drumming. Everything culminates in a wild, dense psychedelic mass in the overwhelming "I Am the Resurrection."

Ian Brown's vocals are excellent; unlike many rock singers, he has genuine vocal talent. The writing for these songs is deeply vibrant. Sometimes the intensity is almost breathtaking, 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." Ow, heavy stuff. But he is equally good with the quieter songs, sounding sad and a little pensive.

"The Stone Roses" is an unforgettable musical experience. A culmination of musical genius, this is one of the handful of albums out there without a bad track or a sense of monotony. Very, very highly recommended.

I bought this album 11 years ago and it still finds it's way into steady rotation on my cd player. I hate most of the stuff that comes out of the UK, but these guys were unique. They wrote the most beautiful melodies, heaped on soaring choruses and the interplay between musicians was outstanding. They played the most uplifting happy music but never sounded sappy. It wasn't embarrassing to say you dug these guys. Everyone I know who has heard this album has LOVED it. Somehow, they managed to squeeze 30 years of pop music into one majestic piece of work. From the distant clicking train tracks that introduce "I Wanna Be Adored" to the final tambourine shake at the end of "Fool's Gold", the Stone Roses' debut inspires awe and adoration. I'm running out of superlatives here. It's as if they took every good element of indie-pop, folk-rock, funk, house and psychedelia and somehow made it click. "She Bangs The Drums" is pure grandeur. Not one hook or melody is wasted. "Waterfall" takes it's cue from a propelling shuffle beat and a pulsing bass line that raise the shimmering guitars to heights way beyond your standard UK jangle guitar bands. R.E.M. only wish their guitars could chime like this. "This Is The One" is a the most uplifting cynical song ever and "Shoot You Down"'s soft brush drumming and gentle arpeggios create a magnificent ambience. "I Am The Ressurection" sees the band start off in a Merseybeat pop style only to morph into a monstrous psychedelic jam that includes 12-string and countrified slide guitar, maracas, tambourines, bongos, funk-derived basslines and frenetic drum soloing. It's as if all the 60's had been compressed into one eight-minute power pop jam. In truth, there is not one bum track on the whole album. John Squire's guitar playing is the unholy bastard child of Hendrix, Page, Johnny Marr, Paul Simon and Roger McGuinn. Reni is the best drummer to come out of Britain in a generation. Not since John Bonham and Keith Moon had their been a limey drummer with such a distinctive style. Mani's bass playing is functional, but, because he's surrounded by virtuosos, somebody has to keep it simple. Ian Brown was tone-deaf live, so his vocals must have been run through heavy harmonizers and sequencers because he sounds good here. At their peak the Roses could do no wrong. Their b-sides could have easily been saved up and used as a second album, and it would have still been better than most bands' best outputs. Oasis copped their attitude, the Verve borrowed their jam-heavy stylings, Blur took the art-school feyness and Radiohead even nicked their producer. The Roses have to be the most influential and inspirational cult band in the world. Unfortunately, they frittered away all their potential by delaying their second album, losing Reni's powerful drumming, by abandoning the sound that made people love them and by playing awful live shows. Their aloofness turned into laziness and killed the band. At least they can be proud of this one gem they bestowed upon the music world. I was lucky to come across something this sublime at the moment it was unleashed upon the world. God Bless.

I've read some of the above reviews, and for those who have criticized the album as bland and unremarkable, I can honestly say that I said the exact same thing when I first heard it. My friend gave me his Walkman (yes, this was back in 1989) and begged me to listen to what he described as the greatest band EVER! I listened to Waterfall (track 4) and concluded that it sounded repetitive and unassuming. Dull, in fact.

But, a few months later, I wouldn't take this tape out of my cassette deck, as it had become my favourite record of all time, period. It still holds that status today. The strange thing about this album is that it GROWS on you, and it takes some repeated listening to; some of the greatest albums ever have this odd characteristic (e.g., Radiohead's "OK Computer"). It won't grab you right away like a Michael Jackson LP - it's much more subtle and complex than that.

Listen to it intently, without distraction, and with a good stereo, and be amazed at Johnny Squire's incredibly deft, hooky and shimmering guitar work, Ian Brown's inspiring, defiant and intelligent lyrics, Reni's funky, polyrhythmic and almost freestyle drumming, Mani's uniquely groovy bass playing, and the astonishing complexity with which they tied it all together. Most bands don't attain this level of technical and creative ability after releasing five studio albums, and this was the Roses' debut.

It takes a careful ear to recognize the genius at work here in this album, but with a little bit of effort, you'll discover the magic of an album that will keep you humming its melodies for a lifetime.

For me, who has been an eager listner for last 25 years, This is THE GREATEST ALBUM in ROCK HISTORY. Beach Boys' Pet Sounds could be arguable, but Stone Roses excels it in many ways. Of course, Beatles made many great albums but none of them tops SR.

I even began to trust NME when I saw this album made No. 1 in their "great rock albums poll" in 2003.

So, no one can say s/he is a genuine rock music listner without fully appreciating this classic. Buy it, period.

The Stones Roses were innovative because they fused guitar-pop with dance and rave music. Every song here is good-if-not great, and there's even a couple classics scattered about (the hit "She Bangs The Drum" and "I Wanna Be Adored" are some). Singer Ian Brown perfectly fits the lyrics as I can't see how anybody won't like him. The lyrics are always catchy and are very much worthy of close inspection. The instrumentation is also fantastic - it's all very creative, fun and distinctively Stone Roses - they definitely have their own sound. It sounds just a tad dated, but I don't think most people will care in the end. All things aside, I'm pretty confident that pop rock and 80's rock fans will definitely love this album (along with most other people)! HIGHLY recommended!

Highlights include:
the entire album!

I'm a confessed CD-a-holic. Even when I've run out of CD's to purchase, I'll take a risk and buy a CD of a band I've never heard before. Silly? Maybe. But when it leads to purchases as brilliant as this, I don't really care anymore.

The Stone Roses could have been the biggest band in the world, but somewhere along the line, something went terribly wrong. They only released two albums in their career, and a handful of non-album singles. This was their debut, and what a debut it was.

From the opening chords of "I wanna be adored" to the endless guitar jam at the end of "I am the resurrection", this is music to lose yourself in. The fact that this album was released in the 80's (the decade of one-hit wonders) elevates this album to legendary status.

Only the Roses can make a pop gem ("Waterfall") and the same song backwards ("Don't stop") sound like totally different songs. It was only recently when I discovered that not only is the music backwards, but the lyrics as well! Any band that can make a backwards song sound as good as this is well worth investigating.

Many say the Roses resurrected guitar pop. I find it hard to disagree with this sentiment. Every song on this album is a pop gem. Take the risk like I did. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

This album, simply put, is stunning. In my humble opinion it has to be the best, most wonderful, debut album by a band ever. "The Stone Roses" is a haunting and sublime blend of songs; a seminal work that defines (and is a yardstick for) urban British bands of the '90s like Oasis and Pulp. "I Wanna Be Adored" is one of the best opening tunes for a record. Its slow fade in, with a soft cacophony of noise effects, gives way to one of the most memorable bass riffs ever. The listener has goosebumps well before the song kicks in - lyrically, it's a simple repitition of verses, but lines like "I don't have to sell my soul, he's already in me" haunt you. Religious imagery is a distinctive feature of the Stone Roses' music - sometimes it is reverent, sometimes it is laced with spiritual sexuality. Could it be crisiticed as blasphemous? This depends on your sensitivity - myself, I believe this mixture of images to be no more profane than the Song of Solomon. The theme continues with "She Bangs the Drums", both a danceable pop song and also a celebration of love and spirituality. "Waterfall" is in the same vein, while "Don't Stop" showcases the experimental talents of the band. Musically it is "Waterfall" played backwards, lyrically it is somewhat abstract, but by no means pretentious. Following directly after it makes a terrific impact. This album is hard to fault - "Bye Bye Badman" has a jaunty, poppy tune which belies nasty lyrics ("I have bad intentions, I intend to knock you down") while "Elizabeth My Dear" is a vicious attack on the monarchy - performed in under a minute to the tune of "Scarborough Fair". Listening to "The Stone Roses" you can tell that the band is heavily influenced by the Beatles without being a carbon copy - especially with "(Song for my) Sugar Spun Sister" and "Made of Stone". The latter song is the album's first single. It is another haunting piece, seemingly dominated by images of dying in a car crash. "Shoot You Down" has gentle and subtle guitar work from John Squire. "This is the One" is wonderful while "I Am the Resurrection" is a downright epic - a three minute verbal tirade which changes into a funk style instrumental. At the end you can't believe you've been listening to the same song for eight minutes. For an album like this it is difficult to express exactly how brilliant it is - the spiritual energy is inspiring, the music complementing Ian Brown's haunting vocals. Just listen to it. You won't be sorry.

I became a fan of Oasis in 1994, a fan of Blur in 1995, a fan of Ocean Colour Scene in 1996....I DIDN'T GET TO THIS ALBUM UNTIL 2001!!! Well better late than never you know. This album is one of the most amazing British rock albums ever. The songs are flawless, the production is flawless, the musicianship etc., etc., etc. It was like a version of "Revolver" for 1989. Every Brit pop-rock band that came after these guys sites the Stone Roses as one of their primary influences....almost right next to or even surpassing the Beatles. Not since albums from the late 1960s had a track sequence sounded so invigorating and cohesive. This album belongs in anyone's collection who even skimps at British rock. It's a masterpiece from beginning to end!