The Stone Roses (S/T)

Gotta be "Made Of Stone". Such a beautiful song.

Several great songs here though. "I Am The Resurrection" is obviously a killer closer, and "Bye Bye Badman" is sort of the underrated, lesser known, gem.

I hope this will have a 20th century Deluxe Edition released next year - imaging the original album, remastered, adding all of their 87-90 singles (A's and B's) at the end of the first CD and then a second CD consisting of live material and various of those numerous mixes that were made of the songs at the time.

Is "Fool's Gold" only on the American edition?

the first American edition did not contain "Fool's Gold"...it did have "Elephant Stone", though...

hmmm.... i really love the opening three tracks on this album, so it's gotta be one of those. jesus, i've listened to these songs so much, it's really hard to come up with a critical favourite. i'm gonna opt with 'waterfall'.

Geir do you even like the second half of I Am The Resurrection? You know, the big funk workout?

(Do I even want to go here?)

This thing has been reissued/repackaged so much, a "deluxe" 2cd all-encompassing version would be both valuable as a once-and-for-all final edition, and completely redundant at the same time.

It's quite "inspired by James Brown" you know!

This thing has been reissued/repackaged so much, a "deluxe" 2cd all-encompassing version would be both valuable as a once-and-for-all final edition, and completely redundant at the same time.

It seems to me that the Roses have had as many half-arsed compilations as New Order, with a fraction of the material (plus most, if not all, of them only cover pre-Geffen material, up to One Love (actually that one was quite good too wasn't it).

Made of Stone, anyway.

the "Very Very" best of has the Geffen singles as well as the silvertone / Black ones.

Aye, it does. The album's never been remastered as whole. It could do with at, although it would need to be sensitive, not just a wave-hammer job to make it loud as fuck.

'this is the one'

I didn't know there was a "Very Very". Ah well, it's not like I ever need to hear these songs again (too many crappy nights out in crappy indie clubs in Manchester in the late-90s).

Waterfall.

Don't Stop

Geir do you even like the second half of I Am The Resurrection? You know, the big funk workout?

At first, there are four minutes of a beautiful pop song with a great bridge and a great chorus. Then, you have four minutes of Chris Squire showing his best with some slightly danceable and funky rhythms in the background. I have no problem with that, but the last four minutes alone wouldn't have been among my fave tracks.

As for influence from James Brown: No problem as long as they aren't influenced by his "music shouldn't have a melody" idea.

Don't stop seconded. I like the "you're an imbecile" bit.

As for the American edition, I believe I own kind of an American edition (for some reason), which has both "Elephant Stone" and "Fools Gold" on it. But they don't belong on the "official" tracklisting that is referenced in all kinds of lists, and Wikipedia etc. When the album originally arrived in the shops, there was no "Elephant Stone", and "Fools Gold" wasn't even made yet.

posts so fucking in character

"Don't Stop" here too. Why does that song never get mentioned?

It's John Squire, not Chris Squire.

http://dubyad40.com/images/blogimages/brewster.jpg

Hmm, context aside (i.e., I was not living in the U.K. and/or gobbling MDMA in '89/'90), I've always thought this album was overrated. I could expand upon that more, but...

For the moment I'll say that Adored and She Bangs the Drums are a perfect one-two punch. Waterfall strikes me as being a bloodless exercise in "psychedelia", as do much of the remaining tracks. By the time Shoot you Down turns up, my interest is re-captured, but also it serves to reinforce for me the notion that many of the singles/b-sides are superior to tracks that made it onto this one. (I'm looking at you, "What the World is Waiting for", etc.)

Depends on what you like. This album is where Stone Roses invented (or more like predated) Britpop, while the non-album singles were where they (well, along with Happy Mondays anyway) invented baggy/Madchester.

It's all baggy to me, man.

"She Bangs The Drum" for the guitar solo and for Ian Brown sounding so cute while singing cute words.

what's the story with "Elephant Stone"? Why did Peter Hook produce it? (I like it a lot, but it sounds flat, compressed)

Impossible to choose. Resurrection will always be my fave but I feel I gotta vote for This is The One so it gets at least one vote.
Made Of Stone would be the next choice but Geir gave it a vote so This Is The One it is.

these guys were always so great!! like ECHOBELLY with beats and funk a combo that just won't quit

actually i like one echobelly album a lot

what's the story with "Elephant Stone"? Why did Peter Hook produce it? (I like it a lot, but it sounds flat, compressed)

there are two versions. i believe that it was the 7" that was produced by hook. the 7" version is the better one by a long shot, and it starts with drums rather than guitar.

waterfall by far. somehow this record managed to sound impressive whilst being rather badly mixed

waterfall

wow! I'm glad I'm not the only one who picked Waterfall here! I'm impressed at the votes posted here so far for this song. It won't come close to winning of course, but...

Also I found out the bass line to I Wanna Be Adored is extremely difficult. In fact, I partially blame it for an elbow injury that ensued for several months.

Also Don't Stop is like the young kid brother of Waterfall, so it's just always going to get short shrift. Can't be avoided, really. Even though it's nearly as brilliant.

Anyway, the fact that it was released on a small indie label 20 years ago, obviously not with the largest of budgets, means that a remaster is seriously due.

CD 1 could look something like

1-11: The original album
12. Sally Cinnamon
13. Elephant Stone
14. Full Fathom Five
15. The Hardest Thing In The World
16. Fools Gold
17. What The World Is Waiting For
18. One Love
19. Somethings Burning

I don't know...I remember being extremely disappointed after finally hearing this album about five years ago (I know, I know, nobody asked)

Voted for "Don't Stop" bcz it was the only song I wanted hear for a second time.

If I was underwhelmed by this, would I like Shack's Waterpistol? (I adore Love)

waterpistol is lovely, though not their best. actually the strands album is probably closer to what that album should have been

Ha! I've wanted to try Shack's Waterpistol for nigh on 15 years or something. It was reissued on CD wasn't it? I'm remembering reading this now. I'll write this down right now so I don't forget.

On the other hand, "This Is The One" is almost enough to make me doubt the importance of the Smiths. But I said ALMOST.

The Stone Roses >>>> The Smiths :)

Deluxe version should have only the album itself on CD1.

I too have that american CD w/ ElSton + FoolsG, it's just plain wrong to finish 8 mins of Resurrection and then go into 9 mins of FG immediately.

The CD2 could have the 'single' remixes that Silvertone did after the event, "Waterfall", "Resu" etc, and any they didn't issue. There are remixes aplenty of 'Fools Gold'. I wouldn't add Sally Cin as it's way before time.

I'd just stick all the b-sides on the second disc, sod the crappy, not-band-approved 'mixes' that Silvertone did and released after the band had taken the label to court.

Start with Sally, Hardest Thing In The World, then have Going Down, Guernica, Mersey Paradise, Standing Here, Where Angels Play, Fools Gold, WTWIWF, One Love, Somethings Burning.

I guess there was so much reverb on the album (not *overloads* but *much*), that I quite liked the single of "Res" as it was quite 'tight' in that respect, almost "Marquee Moon" tight.

But that's me.

oooo waterfall as the dark horse!

I never liked Waterfall. And I'm heartily sick of I Am The Resurrection, after years of indie discos where they played it EVERY FUCKING TIME. But I think I wouldn't object if I Wanna Be Adored came on now, so I guess it's that one for me.

I guess there was so much reverb on the album

Meet 80s underground "guitar rock" production in general. :)

We are aquainted.

I Am The Resurrection. I could happily cast my vote for most of these songs, but sometimes the obvious choice is the right one.

Guilty secret: I think She Bangs The Drums is rubbish, an appalling, dull dirge. But I've never heard anyone else slag it off. It won all the 1989 Single of the Year polls, even though Fools' Gold came out then too.

I was in Liverpool at the weekend. When we went out on Saturday night we passed a busker playing Mersey Paradise. When we trekked back at the end of the night we passed him again, still playing Mersey Paradise.

To clarify: I think he was playing the same song over and over, rather than tacking a Squirelike 4-hour guitar solo onto the end.

'bye bye badman'. this album is pretty balearic, non?

I am the resurrection, waterfall in dead heat

Silvertone/Zomba rereleased this in 1991 or 1992, in the wake of the court case, with Elephant Stone and Fool's Gold added at the end of sides one and two. I was just getting into music at the time and had read about how good the Roses were, but it was actually really hard to find or just hear their music, even though it only two years after their pomp. But I heard I Wanna Be Adored on the radio and took a punt and bought the cassette. I knew that Fool's Gold was supposed to be their masterpiece, thought I'd heard it before and was eagerly looking forward to properly listening to it for the first time, as I counted through the tracks on side two. Of course, nobody told me that I Am The Resurrection came in two parts, so imagine my confusion during its last three minutes as I wondered what the hell was so groundbreaking about this, what was that 'I'm no clown' song then, and how did a long guitar solo make the charts anyway?

The single version of "I Am The Ressurection" was edited down to 4 or 5 minutes.

I Am The Resurrection. I could happily cast my vote for most of these songs, but sometimes the obvious choice is the right one.

OTM.

I don't think I've ever listened to this album in the right order. Back at the start of 1990 I swapped tapes with someone who (I thought) taped me the Stone Roses album, but who had actually spent quite a lot of time choosing their own preferred track choice and sequence. So for a while I thought this was how the album went: Made of Stone, Shoot You Down, This Is The One, Elephant Stone, She Bangs The Drums, Waterfall, Bye Bye Badman, What The World Is Waiting For, Fool's Gold, I Am The Resurrection. Even when you strip away the singles tracks that shouldn't be on there, I'm still left with a very different order to the original. I find it weird to see Made of Stone and Shoot You Down on the second side, and I think of Waterfall as the start of the build up of killer tracks leading to Resurrection, rather than a track right near the start.

I voted "Waterfall" but I love this whole album.

What, no "Don't Stop", NBS?

I picked Shoot You Down, as it's the one in my head most of all, for some reason. Any will do though, apart from Elizabeth My Dear.

What, no "Don't Stop", NBS?

No Adored either, which seems like a major oversight.

That's true. I remember the first time I played this album, and thought "Don't Stop" was actually still "Waterfull" the long version.

im moving away from manchester after living here for 6 years and now i really acnt wait to never have to hear these idiots ever again

too bad ten storey love song isn't on this one

so 'waterfall'

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Waterfall

The Stone Roses >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The Smiths

Okay seriously I have had enough of the suspense on this poll. I don't usually get like that about polls but this one needs to end right now. GET YOUR VOTES IN QUICK!

And imagine if we'd added Fool's Gold. I wonder what that might have done!

Please be advised that if She Bangs The Drums wins or even places in the top 3, I am going to do a giant "I Told You So" dance. Or else...I'll have egg on my face. Oh well. :)

i am surprised by the lack of love for she bangs the drums, maybe lurkers will vote for it.

I don't get it. It's the weakest song on the album.

this album is great top to bottom. perhaps not the most original album in the world, but it has a unique sound and the song writing is excellent. most of the b-sides from this era are fantastic too.

off the other album, but a great song and a great video

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

well that was unexpected

Good album. Fucking hell, this is a good album. Seriously.

"This Is The One" is surely the big surprise here.

Also, the "Waterfall" and "Don't Stop" fans were very loud in this thread, but they didn't seem to shape the results quite like I expected.

Also surprising that four people voted for "Elizabeth My Dear".

Paul Burrell voted 4 times

Okay well I had this feeling I Wanna Be Adored would be way up there on the top somewhere, but "This Is The One" at #2 is a surprising and welcome outcome. Yes, yes, "I Am The Resurrection" at #3...how bloody boring. I've felt that song was overrrated for years. Not that it's bad - nothing on this album is - but just way overrated.

A good number of votes here for plenty of tracks, though. I'd say ILM has done well on this.

Part of the reason so many people voted is also that this poll stayed in the new answers category for all the time, and the autobumping wasn't really needed in this case.