Critically Reviled Albums Due A Re-evaluation : Stone Roses - Second Coming

I've been thinking maybe it's time to give it go.

or maybe not.

I know a few people who saw the Second Coming tour and they said it was amazing. ANY ILXors see that tour?

I went to three shows on the Second Coming tour (Wembley Arena and the two at the Barrowlands) and thought they were spectacularly average.

Seriously. It hardly seems like a quantum leap from the first album - just more muscular and looser - I've always been befuddled by the level of vitriol directed at it. It's a Classic Rawk album in the very best way.

I didn't buy this when it first came out and a few years later felt a strange need to listen to 'Love Spreads'. I think that's still my favourite track, but I can't say I put it on very often.

Love Spreads is just the worst.

http://home.egge.net/~savory/ook.jpg

More recently (i.e. 6 ears ago), got it as a cheapie off e-bay with the first album (both CD, both USA editions, both mint).

And you know, I think it's great. Would not change any of it...

This tends to happen with double albums. First impressions are "Urr its too long, can't take it all in", and so it takes a good two months before it really hits.

Or maybe the LP wasn't as good in sound quality as the CD...

"A wailing Jew’s Harp welcomes in "Good Times" – "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned..."

Doesn't the jew's harp go "boing boing twang twang", instead of wailing?

they don't HAVE to do anything, but in my opinion they ditched a style that suited them rather well, and adopted one that didn't. simple enough.

that must be the best comment ever, for an album that took nearly 5 years to make.

its a great album

on the other hand. saw the tour and it was fab

I actually listened to Second Comning yesterday for the first time in a while. It's not an LP I dig out a lot, so in that sense it can't be said to be a favourite, but all the same there are tracks on it I really like. I think "How do you Sleep" and "Your star will shine one day" compare well with the debut, but everything else is a bit "good to mediocre". I like "Breaking into Heaven" and "Ten Storey Love Song". I think that Brown's voice still sounds oddly delicate and seductive, as with the best moments of the first coming, but it's clearly Squire's album and is thus way too wanky. But it's not a terrible album, just not a great one either.

[as it should]

Apart from the violin and piano track at the end...

b) The problem being that The Stone Roses weren't that good in the first place.

c) No they weren't. Admit it.

d) Led Zep are allowed to sound like Led Zep. It was the early 70s.

e) Seriously. Half a dozen good-ish songs, tops.

Daybreak is extraordinary, though, and I don't recall it being one of those that really stood out for me before. Ten Storey Love Song is nice, of course, but it makes me think that it might just have been an even worse thing if the Roses had come back with an album of substandard stuff in the same STYLE they had for the first album. Tightrope is great and I recall liking that one last time round. Begging You is just an explosion of infectious energy, can't argue with that one. Good Times & Straight To The Man are just filler. Tears is another Led Zeppelin ripoff/embarassment, although it does feature some fine guitar playing towards the end. "Love Spreads" sounded good when I heard it out-of-the-blue in a club a few years ago, and I remember liking it back in the day quite a bit. But unfortunately now it just sounds like yet more superfluous ZEPPELINWANK.

Well this is just something I had to do, hear this album again, and now I have. Also I recall now seeing the Roses live on this tour. That was when I found out Ian couldn't sing live. But they played a few old numbers, so it was alright overall.

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PIANO/VIOLIN SHIT AT THE END OF THIS ALBUM?

Christ even Tom Waits is better than that.

POMPOUS!

This sounds good right now but I'm not sure it actually IS good but I like it. Nostalgia is starting to sound good so the endtimes are probably nigh.

13 years now and I still can't work out whether or not this is a good record.

it is a record

Bloody great record. Still listen to it regularly , even more so than the debut. Saw them at the Barras and loved the gig.

If they ever reform I hope they just give a big fuck you to the people who only want to hear the 1st album and play this instead.

Saw them at the Barras and loved the gig.

Me too!

it could do with losing that noisome run of tracks in the middle (daybreak, your star will shine, straight to the man), and 'good times'. then, move 'the foz' from track 90 to track 4 (thus becoming the centrepiece), sit back, and watch as people run screaming from the stereo.

if we're being honest, though, the only songs I *love* on this album are the first two and 'begging you'. most of the rest are ok.

it has some redeeming features, but not many.

Dump your star will shine and straight to the man and its a great album. But you can't dump daybreak! Man that was soooo good live.

I went on holiday and whilst away, the barrowlands tickets went on sale. I still remember the harsh laugh the woman at virgin tickets gave me when i phoned up a week later and asked if there were any tickets left.

not good times.

Critically Reviled Shite Albums Due A Re-evaluation Somebody Saying It's Shite : Stone Roses - Second Coming

lol Jim. I knew you would be along.

lol autopilot

Did you actually buy it when it came out?

It was Mondays vs Roses when I were a lad. I was on Bez's side.

"Ten Storey Lovesong" is gorgeous.

it's a decent record. miles worse than the debut, but still really fun to listen to from time to time. i particularly like 'ten storey love song', 'how do you sleep' and 'love spreads', all of which are testament to the fact they still had some spirit and energy left.

I also like the fact it's a darker record. Shakey otm upthread though.

Not about 'Tears' he's not. Beautiful track. They're like Ride to me, though - no matter how much I love 'em, there's no getting away from the fact that there's not a single great vocal on any of their tunes.

Oh yeah, I like Tears shakey almost OTM then

'Tears' is more Fleetwood Mac than Led Zep.

I loved the part in Shaun of the Dead when they're trying to figure out which of Shaun's LPs to throw at the zombies, and Shaun stops his friend from throwing Second Coming. His friend gives him a look and Shaun sheepishly says, "I liked it!"

"Your Star Will Shine" and "Ten Story Love Song" rank among their best, if you ask me. At first I thought the latter was subpar and kind of schlocky, but I now find it very moving, particularly the lyrics. Maybe it's because of that whole bizarre One Love Story thing (in which the author claims the Stone Roses are messengers of God's love, the story of which, incidentally, would make a really great movie), but anyway, when I start paying attention to the lyrics of "Ten Story Love Song," in this new context, I find it incredibly poignant and touching.

ILM's fave britpop album POLL: Best Britpop Record based on AMG's Top Britpop Albums

was this supposed to be the "joke vote" selection?

No.

I'm really surprised then. While I like this album, I pretty much thought everyone else thought it mediocre and not really worthy of much attention. I voted for the first one, and I figured that anyone who liked the Stone Roses at all would have voted for that one.

Like I said up above (on my other account) it's a very underrated album that just needs 2 songs removed from it.

Louis needs to hear this classic 90s lp.

hahahaha, i've already said what i think of it! first two tracks and 'begging you' classic, rest variable.

I know you play air guitar to this album.

for my sins, i will confess to dusting off the old air guitar for 'breaking into heaven'

It's not bad, but it's not compelling.

It just sits at the back of my record collection being slooowly squashed between other not bad but not compelling vinyl.

I bet the inner jacket is starting to smell now.

I'm surprised that so few people see "Your Star Will Shine" as one of the standout tracks.

So. Will there be any other albums in this series? "Tales From Topographic Oceans", "Their Satanic Majesties Request" and "The Elder" all need threads like this one.

I don't think Their Satanic Majesties Request needs one on ILM. Didn't it do rather well on the best albums poll?

Still critically reviled.

Nothing stopping you doing the thread yourself.

Phil K OTM. I honestly still cannot see any reason to return to this album. Ever. Again.

I already did a TSMR thread, not so long ago.

I'm sure the Yes album gets much love on ILM too.

It's probably only a matter of time until a dave matthews one exists,sadly.