The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses were a revolutionary band from Manchester, England. They reigned in the late 1980s, and transformed British pop music, combining funky dance grooves with indie guitars. The band disbanded in 1996 following disputes between band members and their record label.

Stone Roses - History and Music

Ian Brown (vocals), Reni (drums, backing vocals), Andy Couzens (guitar) and John Squire (guitar) formed The Stone Roses in 1985. They recorded their first single 'So Young'/'Misery Dictionary' was released the same year on Thine Line records, initially working with Howard Jones and Martin Hannett. Their partnership didn't work out, and the band adopted Gareth Evans as manager. Gareth owned newly opened venue The International, and by day this became The Stone Roses' rehearsal room, by night the band's gig venue. Second single 'Sally Cinamon' was released in 1987, and convinced Manchester of their unque indie-dance sound.

There were a lot of the right people surrounding the Roses at the right time: Lyndsey Reade, ex-wife of Factory Records boss Tony Wilson, was involved in the running of The International. Roddy McKenna, a former researcher for the BBC's The Oxford Road Show approached the band after seeing one of their shows at The International, convinced they were the perfect band for his new project, the creation of Silvertone records. It was also at this point that Mani - Gary Mounfield - joined the band on bass, after a tip from Inspiral Carpets' Clint Boon.

The band brought in producer John Leckie to produce their first album, and The Stone Roses was released in April 1989. Containing such beauties as 'I Wanna Be Adored', 'She Bangs The Drums' and 'Waterfall', it has become one of the most celebrated albums ever to come out of Britain. Following the album, the band played three legendary gigs at the Blackpool Empress Ballroom, Alexandra Palace and Spike Island. That particular gig drew in a crowd of about 35,500 people. By this point the magic of The Stone Roses was beginning to dwindle - at least for them. Fame had encouraged a clash of egos, and musical differences which had always been there were thrusted to the foreground. By the release of the Roses' second album, the rather optimistically titled Second Coming in 1994, the forces that had initially gelled the band were visibly dissipating.

Stone Roses - Musical Sounds

The Stone Roses' sound has been likened to bands such as Slaughter and the Dogs, The Clash, Gram Parsons, The Seeds, and some consider their music to have paved the way for '90s sensation Oasis. I think this can be said for the Roses' obvious conflict between their working class Mancunian roots, and a desparation to get out of the city and become something bigger. Oasis demonstrated that same desire to abandon the industrial claws of Manchester and explore their potential, whilst clinging intensely to their northern identities.

At the time, no one really considered The Stone Roses to be a particularly revolutionary band. Their significance for popular culture is evident only when we observe the development of British music through the nineties, with the onslaught of guitar music and an abandonment of the acid house scene that had snowballed during the late eighties. The rave scene had become ubiquitous as a result of the increasing popularity of Ecstacy, and the creation of the Hacienda club in Manchester. The Stone Roses are often used as a reference point for bands creating music post Britpop, and in a sense, The Stone Roses symbolise that period of transition from dance music to indie. And although acts like Happy Mondays and Primal Scream have in many ways emulated that sound and that carefree ethic, no one has ever really done it like them since.