holy_diver's Full Review: The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
I hate the 80’s. Let’s get that out of the way first. Everything from TV to fashion, movies to politics, popular sayings to popular hairstyles, dance-clubs to cocaine - as far as I’m concerned, no decade in the history of the modern world was more superficial, more shallow, and more phony than the 80’s.
And that’s not to mention the music, which, outside of underground thrash metal, punk, and some stray indie and noise rock bands, exhibited all of the above-mentioned flaws - ten-fold. Sure, you had some mammoth bands like Metallica defining metal for the next generation, while bands like Sonic Youth cleared the way for the low-fi indie movement, but aside from a few exceptions, the 80’s was, in my opinion, a total void of anything decent. In the music world, it was ten years of constant debauchery, ruled by glam, bubble-gum pop, and some of the worst arena rock bands since the start of that God-forsaken genre.
However, as is usually the case during periods of prolonged darkness, the few beacons of bright light that do exist sparsely burn bright enough to cut through the swath of darkness that permeated the air-waves of the 80’s. How did the Stone Roses, mired as they were in a pure 80’s sound, get five stars from this cynic, who had long since concluded that the 80’s should be removed from the pages of history?
We’ll start with the basics - it’s innovative melodies are catchy, yet defined by the bands psychedelic personality. She Bangs the Drum, one of the band’s most successful singles, parades this aspect early on. Guitarist John Squire threads together hook after hook, while reverb and distortion splash playful colors across an already up-beat tune. Waterfall, a more serene evolution of that sound, sooths and calms listeners, while the minimalist gallop of Alan Wren’s drumming keeps a feint but necessary pace. With Bye Bye Bad Man, Squire’s simple strumming and Ian Browns coordinated vocal melodies showcase another strength of the Stone Roses - tight, musical chemistry.
While no member stands out particularly in terms of extreme skill, every instrument manages to stay balanced within it’s own roll inside the music’s greater structure. Within the feint aural atmosphere of the opener, I Wanna Be Adored, trotting bass and thin high-hats form a surprisingly effective foundation from which Squire is able to launch some epic, spacey guitar work. Made of Stone, perhaps the only song aside from Elizabeth My Dear that breaks the album’s constant feel-good groove, puts even more emotional power behind such chemistry, with Pete Garner laying down sophisticated bass lines between well-timed crescendos.
So far, so good. The Stone Roses have made a debut album that is fun, mostly bright in mood, and boastful of some fairly unique and catchy music. However, this alone doesn’t earn an album five stars. It’s with Shoot You Down that the album’s majesty comes into focus. Cool beats, lounge-like bass grooves, mild surf-rock guitars, fun lyrics; for such a mellow tune, it sure is a powerful kick-start for the album’s concluding tracks, which, strangely, contain the album’s best work.
Epic psychedelic jam-pop becomes the name of the game. Yeah, it sounds strange, but I am the Resurrection shows that such a thing is possible. Eight minutes, and note one second seems wasted. After four minutes of structured pop-rock, Squire ignites another four-minutes of pure soulful groove. But it’s not just the guitarist taking it up a notch. Wren’s drums break it down with changing tribal rhythms, while a wash of eerie sound effects creep up in the background. All of these elements climax at the song’s summit; an unstoppable convergence of emotion and energy. Fool’s Gold follows the powerful jam philosophy of the prior track, but is totally distinguished by funk bass and hip-hop back-beats. After Ian’s vocals fade into the background of this song’s sly cadence, structured static and heavy distortion play out during a long-winded but utterly fulfilling closer.
How I ever ended up loving the Stone Roses is beyond me. This is an album that I would have never seen myself enjoying so much. The production, the mood, the overall sound - it’s all been battered with everything 80’s. Perhaps it’s their capacity for versatility (funk, hip-hop, psychedelic rock and pop on one CD is usually a good thing). Maybe it’s their nack for memorable melodies (something that usually doesn’t impress me so much). I guess their “No Fear” policy towards experimentation sure helped (I’m pretty sure the song Don’t Stop is made up almost completely of backwards sound effects). Regardless, I have found at least one piece of true 80’s music that I love.
For me to slap five stars on this staple of late 80’s music is beyond unusual - it will likely never happen again. After hearing this gorgeous gem of sound, I quickly sought out other exceptions from the era, hoping that my scathing judgments were nothing more than the premature evaluations of a man with an axe to grind against an age when men wore pink, and metrosexuals got all of the chicks. . .who tended to look like dudes. But, alas, as of now, this miraculously conceived, original yet accessible debut remains one of the few great musical statements made from an era were skin-deep pop and laughably fake hair-metal stooges strangled the senses of the masses. Take it from someone who has an unusual amount of beef for this time period - the Stone Roses were one hell of a band that, with only two LP’s, burnt as brightly as the sun, but died as quickly as a roman candle.
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out
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