The Untouchables 12.29.05: The Stone Roses
Posted by Stephen Mogan on 12.29.2005
This week, we take a peek at one of the most influential bands to ever come out of Britain...
There are many bands that are universally recognised as being great, some achieve superstar status, but very few reach the point where the acclaim for them is so intense, that it becomes inconceivable to question their genius. They are The Untouchables….
Hello there, and welcome to this week's Untouchables column. I'm Steve Mogan and I'm your host again as we take a look at another band that has achieved Untouchable status. Last week we featured Nirvana and decided that, ultimately, they were undeserving of the Untouchable status they've been given. Luckily, the column was posted during the traditionally busy Christmas week, so I've yet to receive any death threats and/or horse's heads in my bed (or death threats in my bed for those of you who like to mix things up a bit). If you so wish, you can send me a horse's head here. Now for some plugs…
Radio Free Berry continues Brian's top 10 albums of the year, with a particularly awesome top 5. Also, he mentions !!!'s version of "Get Up" by Nate Dogg, a song which everyone needs to listen at least once in their life, if only so they can sing along to the line "you know, that I'm a baaaaaaaaaad maaaaaan!" (on the original anyways, though the cover is more suited to my spazzy white-boy dance moves).
Dancing About Architecture returns this week with news on Gary Glitter (when will that man learn?) and that Green Day mash-up thing that I didn't get to hear before they took it offline. Not that I'd like it or anything, but it'd be nice if Warner Brothers would let me know before they start suing people. It only takes a phone call. Is that too much to ask?
The Selected Discography Of… looks at the Get-Up Kids, a band I used to be very into during my young, impressionable punk phase. I even got a little bit of a misty-eyed nostalgia thing going on when I read it, which is quite an achievement considering Christmas should have sucked all the sentiment out of me by now. Top work, Shane!
My Take On has been renamed to Our Take On this week, with Larry and Steve looking at the highs and lows of TNA Wrestling this year.
Ok, only four plugs is a bit lame, but I haven't had much time for reading this week. Plus it's pretty quiet round here on 411, probably due to holiday craziness. In fact I almost didn't get this column ready in time due to my father's apparent Christmas Day vendetta against my computer. Hard drive failures, broken cases and disruptive DVD drives are just the start, plus you know you need to get out more when losing your entire (80Gb) music collection practically sends you into mourning. Appropriately, the computer rose from the dead a couple of days later, just like the other miraculous individual that we traditionally think about at Christmas time, ET. Hey, at least I'm gonna be nice and toasty during my afterlife.
This week, we take a peek at one of the most influential bands to ever come out of Britain, and a band that have a lot in common with last week's subjects. In the same way Nirvana kick-started a musical revolution in the early 90's over in the US , this band re-invigorated the music scene in the UK around the same time and helped put their home city firmly on the musical map. Not only that, both were signed Geffen and played gigs at the Reading festival that would prove to be defining moments of their respective careers (in completely different ways, unfortunately).
The Stone Roses Iconic leaders of a new musical dawn, or a bunch of chancers who got lucky?
It was really difficult writing that tag-line without using the words "Manc" or "scallies". If you don't know what the hell either of those two words are, don't worry. If you do, you'll know what I was getting at (I feel like I'm talking in riddles, here).
The Band:
The Stone Roses formed in their home city of Manchester in the early 80's. The band was made up of Ian Brown on vocals (known for his undeniable resemblance to an ape. Seriously, his nickname is still "King Monkey" to this day. Who in their right mind would want to be known for looking like an ape? Let alone celebrate the fact? Wait, I was writing a column there…), Gary "Mani" Mountfield on bass (who didn't resemble any animal, but looked as if he smelled like one), John Squire on guitar (one of the most technically proficient guitarists of his generation, which would eventually contribute to the band's downfall, see later) and Alan "Reni" Wren on drums (he was kinda boring, but often wore a hat). The group started off making goth-tinged rock in the same vein as The Cure, but this had changed somewhat by the time they released their first major EP, "Sally Cinnamon" in 1987. This featured what was to become the bands signature sound; the tight, funky basslines and drumming of Mani and Reni, with Squire's jangly guitars and Brown's unique vocals. I say "unique", when I really mean "not very good". He had a sort of strained, hoarse, sometimes whispered singing style that simultaneously gave off a mysterious, other-worldly aura and made you wish he'd stop yelling at you; the vocal equivalent of a piece of sandpaper inside a big box with a question mark painted on it. It was the kind of voice that the drunk guy who finds you in a club and shouts things about his band right down your ear always has. I could go on all day but, in short, Ian Brown really wasn't a great singer, in fact it's testament to the rest of the band that the songs they made sounded so good despite him. Fortunately, Brown had charisma, stage presence and even a bit of charm thrown in, which often made up for his vocal shortcomings.
Their self-titled debut was released to rave reviews in 1989. They were painted in the press as the poster boys for a new musical movement eminating out of Manchester, known as "baggy" or "Madchester", which mixed elements of indie rock and dance music. The same year also saw them going into the charts at no. 8 with the double A-side single "Fools Gold/What The World Is Waiting For". This was pretty unprecedented for a rock band at the time. Following this, they played a number of now-legendary gigs, including their most famous one at Spike Island , a Merseyside island surrounded by chemical plants. The gig drew nearly 30,000 people and, though badly organised and offering poor views and sound for most of the attendees, was testament to just how popular the band were at a time when most indie bands would struggle to fill venues a twentieth of the size. Unfortunately, this was to be the crowning moment of the band's career. The Stone Roses soon became embroiled in a contract dispute with their label, Silvertone. Court cases followed, and they were eventually released from their contract and inked a new one with Geffen. The court case, however, was a lengthy one and it took 5 years for the band to follow up their debut, eventually releasing "The Second Coming" in 1994. The album was panned by the press and viewed by most fans as a complete let-down. It was too heavy, ignoring the pop elements that made their debut so great. The guitar solos seemed to go on forever, especially at the live shows. This wasn't what the people wanted and the band began to crumble. 1995 saw the departure of drummer Reni, followed by guitarist John Squire in 1996. The band struggled on, replacing both members and playing a headline show at the Reading festival that August. The show was a disaster. Brown's voice was terrible and the fans not only booed, but pelted the stage as well. After that, all that was left was for Brown and Mani to officially dissolve the band.
The Albums: The Stone Roses (1989)
The first sounds heard on the album are creaking and whirring, like a machine slowly moving into life, creating an eerie atmosphere, that slowly builds to a crescendo with Squire's soaring guitar riff on "I Wanna Be Adored". The way the instruments all kick in one after another is truly magical, with Mani and Reni's well-oiled rhythm section keeping the track ticking over underneath the intermittent guitar slashes. Brown's voice suits the song perfectly and, even though the track only consists of about 10 different words, it's a great way to start the album. The hazy, stoney, euphoric atmosphere is indicative of what's to come and lets the listener know that this is no ordinary record. Speaking of euphoria, "She Bangs The Drums" is next. This track is simply blissful. It's like somebody took all the happiness of falling in love, winning the lottery and finding out Pauly Shore is retiring and distilled it down into 4 minutes of indie-pop. Fantastic, and unlike the first track, shows that The Stone Roses could do urgent songs as well as laid-back ones. The third track is probably the most famous on the whole album, "Waterfall". This is another awesome song, and the third of the singles the album spawned (along with the two we've just covered). If you've never heard this, you should really invest in their CD. This is the sound of all the great British bands of the 60's stuck in a blender and brought right up to date (well, at the time anyway). A ridiculously simple riff, ridiculously simple drumming; a ridiculously catchy song. They make it sound so easy. The instrumental bit at the end is incredible as well. So far, it's perfect, and I haven't even noticed that Brown can't sing yet.
Unfortunately, the next song, "Don't Stop" is just unnecessary. It's "Waterfall" played backwards (not live, like a tape of "Waterfall" played backwards), with Brown doing gibberish vocals over the top of it. What the hell is this? You'll skip it every time. Completely pointless. "Bye Bye Badman" is next and the 60's influence is back. This is jangle-pop at its finest, with a good old fashioned stomp-along bit on the chorus. Another great song. Unfortunately, it's followed once again by a pointless track. "Elizabeth My Dear" sounds like "Scarborough Fair" by Simon & Garfunkel and lasts under a minute. That's all you need to know. Not bad, just pointless. "(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister" is next. This is good, if by-the-numbers stuff. Chiming guitars and nice vocal harmonies (I can't believe I'm writing that) abound, another happy slice of 60's influenced pop. Things pick up again big time with next track "Made of Stone". A pretty spooky guitar intro leads to spooky finger-clicking, which leads to spooky vocals from Brown. The rhythm section is again on top form, the guitars are fantastic and the song somehow manages to make the subject of car crashes sound anthemic. Possibly the best song on the album, at least so far.
"Shoot You Down" is a laid-back stoner track with a nice bassline from Mani. It's a good song, but it's really just a chance to catch your breath before the final two. "This Is The One" is worthy of finishing any album released in the last 20 years. It builds up slowly to an absolutely storming chorus. If you don't finish this song with a smile on your face, there really is something wrong. Sheer joy, yet again. I'm about to jump out of my seat just listening to it. But wait a sec, if it's so good, why isn't it finishing THIS album? I shall answer your question with another question; what's better than one huge anthem at the end of your album? How about two? "I Am The Resurrection" begins with a simple drum beat and bassline, giving no indication of what's to come later in the track. Minimal guitars too. The song slowly chugs along before unleashing its killer chorus of "I am the resurrection/and I am the light...", which feels like a gigantic release at the end of the record, a celebration if you will. This would probably be enough to close us out, but just when you think the song has finished, it carries on. For another 5 minutes. This instrumental jam session, apparently recorded live in the studio, is possibly the best thing committed to record by any British band ever. Everyone is on point, every beat is perfect; it's an incredible feat. Squire's amazing guitar solo is backed by some incredibly tight drumming from Reni. When I eventually learn to play guitar I'm going to spend the rest of my life learning to play this solo. I don't care about chords (I'll give them my own names. Jeff, for example), I don't care about playing anything else, if I can ever master this before I die I'll be happy (I doubt I will, but it's worth a shot). Just amazing, you'll rewind it and play it again immediately after it's finished, it feels like the shortest (and best) 8 minutes of your life. Could I gush any more? As you may have gathered, I rate this album pretty highly.
The Second Coming (1994)
What a gigantic disappointment. I'm not saying that because it's "cool" to do so, or because it's generally the accepted opinion of the record now. Listening to these two albums back to back is simply depressing. Everything about it is inferior to its predecessor. The first track for example. On their debut, we had this slow 50-second build before "Adored" kicked in. On this, we're almost five minutes into the record before anything resembling a song kicks in. And when it does it's not even that good. And it lasts for 12 minutes. *sigh*. Second track "Driving South" redresses the balance slightly, by being a bit better than the opener (which was called "Breaking Into Heaven" by the way, but please don't download it). But not much. All the pop elements of the self-titled album have been ditched in favour of overly-powerful drumming and big rock riffs that often swamp the tracks. There's nothing wrong with the track, it's probably one of the few on the album I'd voluntarily listen to, but it's just nowhere near as good as what they should be producing. Distinctly average, with a decent riff. "Ten Storey Love Song" follows, and is an attempt to recreate the pop melodies of the first album, but it doesn't come anywhere close. Brown's voice is just horribly grating here, too.
"Daybreak" is next, a funky track that's pretty boring until about 5 minutes in when the band start jamming. Unfortunately, this goes nowhere and the track finishes a minute later. This is probably due to a lack of time because of the ridiculously long opener. "Your Start Will Shine" is dull filler with awful, out-of-tune vocals. "Straight To The Man" sounds like bad jazz that the even the Style Council would reject on the grounds of being too crappy. I'm losing the will to live listening to this. Incredibly self-indulgent and incredibly bad. "Begging You" is next, and it's a dance-rock stormer. Brown's vocals are like having granite rubbed against your face, but the band pull out all the stops to make this a monster. A good song, finally. Tightrope is a gentle acoustic song that is also pretty good; a nice singalong track. "Good Times" and "Tears" follow, clocking in at 12 and a half minutes collectively. Both are variations on the big riff, bad vocals theme we seem to be stuck with on this album. The end of "Tears" is particularly atrocious, with its ridiculously dated guitar lick that should have been left in the 80's where it belongs. Just when you think Brown's vocals couldn't get worse, we get "How Do You Sleep", a stupidly sentimental song with a cookie-cutter chorus (pretty much like all of the slow songs on the album). "Love Spreads" closes, and this is the only time that "The Second Coming" even approaches the greatness of the first album. A nice riff and an anthemic quality in the same vein as "This Is The One". At least the ending is good. The rest of the album still leaves a sour taste, however.
Their Influence:
The Stone Roses undoubtedly helped kickstart the whole "Britpop" thing that took the country by storm in the mid-1990's. Fellow Mancunians Oasis and the Charlatans are two bands that probably have the biggest debt to pay to the band, with the former becoming global megastars, and the singer with the latter "borrowing" Brown's vocal style (though I can't for the life of me figure out why. He has a special box that they feed his voice through to "fix" it for his records, for crying out loud! Ok, that's enough about Brown's voice, maybe I should just make a column out of that, I've spent most of this one waffling on about it). It's not only Manchester bands they've influenced, however. Without the Stone Roses we probably would never have heard of the likes of Blur and Pulp. Though both bands were already together when the Roses became popular, it's unlikely that either of them would have achieved the success they did without riding on the wave of "baggy" and later, "Britpop" (God, I hate that name). Also, spare a though for a little-known Brit band called The Music, a four-piece with a singer whose voice divided opinions amongst journalists. They crafted a self-titled debut of fine indie-dance tunes amidst a fairly hefty chunk of publicity, before following it up with a Led Zep-style rock monster that led to them sinking without a trace. You'd think they'd have learned, right?
The Verdict:
Well this is difficult. How can any band that produced the likes of "Waterfall", "Adored", "She Bangs The Drums", "Resurrection" and "This Is The One" be anything other than Untouchable? As difficult as it is to say, that second album is unforgivable. The first had a clutch of incredible songs, with two pointless ones thrown in. The second had two good songs, two average songs and eight unspeakably bad songs. That's not a great strike rate for a supposedly legendary band. Sorry, this one is a negative. Making one classic album does not make you Untouchable as an artist. "The Second Coming" illustrates just how bad Brown's voice is, and no amount of endless guitar solos from Squire can make up for the fact that they just couldn't work their magic again. The fact that they split up and will probably never reform just shows that they knew that the first album was a one time deal. It's a piece of brilliance that they'd never get anywhere near again. Thank God they're not still trying.
What Now?
Ian Brown is by far and away the most successful former member. He's released four solo albums (and recently, a greatest hits) to date. His latest tour saw him headlining a stage at the Glastonbury festival and selling out a 20,000 capacity arena in his home city (the fact that he's started playing Stone Roses songs as well as his own solo stuff this year probably helped just a bit with both of these things). Also, he still can't sing (though, remarkably, he's better than he used to be). Mani went on to play bass with dance-rockers and all-round angry men, Primal Scream, helping them to create some of the best albums of their career. He also DJ's around Manchester and will get ridiculously drunk and accuse you of stealing his decks for a small fee (true story). Reni is doing absolutely nothing of note (this guy really doesn't give me much material to go on y'know). Finally, John Squire went on to form his own rubbish indie band, The Seahorses (who have since split up), and has also released two solo albums. Rumours of a reunion continue to fly every time either Squire or Brown is interviewed, but at the moment it seems very unlikely since in those same interviews they also call each other "wank", "knob" and various other terribly English insults.
And there we have it. Send me an email if you have ideas for the column or feedback on anything I've written (not necessarily this week). It's Rage Against The Machine next time, can they turn the tide after two "overrated" verdicts in successive weeks? Tune in to find out! -Steve
