The Stone Roses (studio album) by The Stone Roses

Blew me away. Gorgeous sound, not what I was expecting. This Is The One made me pause while driving to focus on what I was listening too. Near perfect tier.

On this one album you can hear 80s transforming into 90s. The highlights are so unbelievably good that they overshadow the mid stuff in between them. We start off with great, classic 80s alternative I Wanna Be Adored with its title repeated like mantra gives it unique feeling, then we ger She Bangs The Drums and Waterfall, I think the latter is slightly better, because it's more calming and gives a certain vibe this album conveys. Don't Stop is weird, but somewhat enjoyable. Bye Bye Bad Man is a quite good track and Sugar Spun Sister and Shoot You Down are my least favorite tracks here. But here we get Made Of Stone track depicting cars burning on the lonely streets at night and makes you feel like you are there. This Is The One manages to keep the hype towards monumental I Am The Resurrection which is magnificently crafted track ahead of its time. The same can be said about bonus track - Fools Gold which is honestly mind-blowing for 1989. Overall very strong and important record.

1989 was one of the greatest ever years for albums and this only strengthens that claim with it being one of the most enjoyable experiences released that year. They have mastered this early Britpop sound to create a vibrant and consistent listen that so easily captivates its listeners. This is primarily due to the amazing hooks and choruses they have created on here with the two best examples for me being Made Of Stone and She Bangs The Drums. Both of these tracks always bring a smile to my face as they are just that irresistible that I can't help but feel upbeat. The group also demonstrate they can make darker and more progressive songs with the bookends of this record always impressing me whenever I listen. I Wanna Be Adored is an absolute masterpiece in my eyes and it is one of the main reasons that I got drawn back to this record time and time again so that I could fall in love with it. Overall, this is a fantastic record to experience as it is just so much fun and it has a lot of quality backing it up.

Let’s pin this classic album as exactly as possible into its unique timeframe.

At the time there was no britpop. Nightclubs were for drinking and Alexander O’Neill, oversized jackets and chinos. The charts were dominated by Stock Aitken and Waterman and pish-poor pop fodder.

Looking back at Exile on Main Street Jagger said that the 60s didn’t finish until the early 70s. Spot on. It sums the the feel of Exile perfectly. The 80s were such a cultural desert they ended in 1989 with this record. Although the world was (sugar) spinning faster now, no one wanted to cling on.

For the first time you could go to a club in trainers or a football game with your girlfriend. SAW was just a horror film, not a living nightmare. Thatcher was gone and the sigh of relief was jangly and dandy, and the world was upside down for a while.

But the corporate world’s finger nails were still in the mortar, and though they gave a little ground, back they came hand over fist. Ian Brown at No. 10? F**k that.

One of the great albums of 80s rock. Stone Roses: one of those bands, like Neutral Milk Hotel or Portishead that make you think "if only they´d been more prolific"

Good album

From pedro1976 04/27/2022 12:46

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Album of the year - 1989

A timeless classic with an abundance of fantastic hits. Hugely influential and set up 1990s brit-pop perfectly.

From Jboy56 02/18/2022 12:30

What a great album this is, belongs to the canon of British Rock. so very Brit stuff. It has its antecedents in Kinks, Beatles, Yardbirds, and Clash but it does not fail to be original in compositions and tones. Don't stop owes very much to #Tomorrow Never Knows". It is amazing how advanced that song was in 1966! This is an essential album.

First time listening to this album. Very enjoyable. The songs have a bouncy quality that lend themselves to either a deep intentional listen or a fun background presence.

The band makes extremely good use of musical dynamics…for a band that knows how to rip, they show admirable restraint when a quieter sound will benefit the song.

While there aren’t any real duds on the album, the final three songs are a force. Great ending to a really strong debut record.