The Stone Roses

I was mostly familiar with “Love Spreads” and a couple other songs from Second Coming, so I went into this expecting more of that heavier rock sound and slide guitar. Their debut is a completely different animal. It’s much more poppy, jangly, and psychedelic. “Waterfall” was probably the song that stood out the most to me. It sounds like something that could’ve been sitting on Rubber Soul, and the transition into “Don’t Stop” was perfect. That whole section has this hazy, backwards feel that was probably the most interesting part of the album for me. I can hear why this album was such a big deal, and there are some really catchy songs here, but I think I prefer the heavier direction they took later. I kept waiting for more guitar bite and never really got it. Good album, just not quite the version of The Stone Roses I was hoping for.

The Stone Roses' debut album is bold and at times chaotic. The dreamy, riff-heavy guitars stand out while blending in surprisingly well with the other instruments, giving the album a unique sound and texture you wouldn't very often find during its era. The lyrics also fit in nicely with the vibe of the album as a whole, which I really like. Overall, a 4/5.

"The Stone Roses" is the kind of music your mom wishes your new boyfriend would listen to. It’s tuneful and well made, but rarely risks being impolite. The songs glide on elegant basslines and chiming guitars, with detached, almost conversational vocals. Copious amounts of reverb give it an airy, dreamlike atmosphere throughout. The lack of musical bite makes some tracks land as toothless power pop for me, which is probably not the intention. Take the opener “I Wanna Be Adored.” It’s a strong track with a lush arrangement, but it feels like it’s being sung by an ambitious young man who simply believes in himself. The line “I don’t need to sell my soul, he’s already in me” is meant as blasphemous swagger, yet in this musical context it reads more like he doesn’t need drugs or deals with the devil to get what he wants. The perfect in-law. Some of the tracks have very gritty lyrics that the music doesn’t support. “Bye Bye Badman” is about brutal street riots: “I want to throw stones at you man, I want you black and blue and I wanna make you bleed.” Words fit for a death metal song, but delivered so politely that it almost makes me wonder if the stone-throwing is some kind of biblical reference. It’s difficult to hate this album though - it’s full of tracks that are pleasant to the ear. The bassline in “She Bangs the Drums” is very groovy and makes you want to dance. I enjoyed the jangly guitar riff in “Waterfall” and the overall flow of the track. “Made of Stone,” a song about the gruesome death of Jackson Pollock, has a very anthemic chorus that makes you want to ignite a lighter and wave it over your head. Overall, a very respectable showing, especially for a debut. I just wish it had more balls and wasn’t so damn agreeable all the time. A decent 3 for me.

Most of this is pleasant enough jangly midtempo pop. That said, I don’t know what it is that would make this album essential listening. For entities with a brief career (and these guys only put out two albums over five years in their first incarnation), I always use the music equivalent of my sports Koufax rule. Which is to say that, if your career is truncated for whatever reason, you better have made a hell of an impact or otherwise be a generational talent to make a list of all-timers. Obvious sports examples include people like Sandy Koufax, Gale Sayers and Jim Brown. Analogously, prime musical examples would be The Sex Pistols, Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix. I do not find this album super impactful in any major way, and likewise these nice lads are no one’s idea of a generational talent. Three stars.

Great album, very coherent with some stand out pieces.

Meh. Sounded very bland musically.

The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses (1989) On Day 310, this iconic debut proved to be an entirely different breed of peak musicianship a dreamy, deeply groovy masterpiece that seamlessly fused jangling indie rock with the hypnotic rhythms of house music. Moving far beyond traditional rock constraints, the band crafted an immaculate, beautifully sequenced body of work anchored by John Squire’s shimmering psychedelic textures, Ian Brown’s effortless swagger, and one of the most fluid rhythm sections ever recorded. The opening triumvirate of "I Wanna Be Adored," "She Bangs the Drums," and "Waterfall" established an untouchable standard of melodic elevation and rhythmic drive. Meanwhile, "Shoot You Down" stood tall as an undeniable, heavily underrated pinnacle—effortlessly balancing a laid-back, mellow atmosphere with an infectious, danceable jazz-funk swing. Without a single misstep across the entire tracklist, the album stands as a breathtakingly cohesive, transcendent milestone that redefined British guitar music. An absolute, essential classic. A definitive 5/5.

I've not listened to them since I was but a lad, my dad was into them but I never liked what I'd heard other than Fool's Gold. I was the fool though because this is really good. I remembered it being more indie but it's softer alternative, I can really see the influence this has on the genre going forward.

These are based off FIRST LISTEN. Dive deeper into lyrics and REALLY LISTEN after first analysis. 1.) I Wanna be Adored: Theatrical start up, HEAVYY bass. Ooo, the synth?? What is that instrument?? Bass drum is smooooth. Creamy vocals?? Could be a heavy riff song without vocals. Has a lot of inspiration from Smiths... Cure, Duran Duran during those drawn out dog parts.. but also pop/synth wave. Very nice. Like the break/s. 8/10 2.) She Bangs the Drum: AGAIN W THE BASS!! Cymbals are on point and into those creamy vocals with a more punchy guitar tone with some smooth riffs. Sounds like a radio single compared to first song so far but still solid altogether. R.E.M like harmomies/vocals... not that big of a fan of the hook and it repeating. Love the guitar and bass +2 stars. 5.5/10 3.) Waterfall: Nice Lil riff in beginning, beatle-esque start mixed with like... Zepp?? I like... drums doing their thing for sure but THAT BASS. I hope hes getting paid well 🤣. Lyrics are cool too, first ones to really hit me off the record. HEAVY on the Beatles sound on this with a "heavier" shift with guitsr tones. GAWT SUM TWANG but GroOvY 8/10 4.) Don't Stop: lil more Beatles with the tape recorder repeat start. That bass is yet again cooking. Feel like im transcending into some other world when the vocals hit. If I still tripped 100% would to this. IMO too much effect on his vocals with what's going on in background but its not terrible. Still very listenable. Props to mixes on all of these so far too. All instruments are in their pockets perfectly. That bass is still kicking but definitely dialed back a bit, with a slight slide and a few notes backing the track. Nice touch. Shines at the end with some cut-off effects. 7.5/10 5.) Bye Bye Bad Man: Clean almost indie/punk guitar start with less whispery vocals and more twangy acoustic guitar. Very nice mixup from first 4 songs. Soft but theres a lot of layering and things in the background from the get go. Turns folky, almost Irish bluegrass? Ill have to look that up to fact check. I like the swing of it. The bass is punching but not in your face, carrying the song along with the boom-clap beat it meshes nicely. 9/10 6.) Elizabeth My Dear: Another slow, love ballad this time. Very medieval sounding with a slow melodic guitsr and singer echoing. Short lived but nice. 6.5/10 7.) Sugar Spun Sister: Surf rocky guitar riff but not surf rocky lmao.. Synth poppy but I dont hate it. That bass kicks in and soothes like the rest! Id throw this on in the background but wouldn't throw it on to JAM. Maybe another radio? The break is nice but very bland progression makes it get droning very quickly. Again the breaks with the guitsr taking the lead with the singer are nice touches. Could imagine a white blazer and pink shirt under for some reason. Will have to look up what band/listeners look like. Not yacht rock but kind of?? Can see ALOT of indie influence from these guys or they got it elsewhere. 7.5/10 8.) Made of Stone: Back to the theatrics!! Bass is SLANGIN with a nice chord cleanly slicing behind set against the punchy bass and kick beat. The vocals carry nicely and can definitely imagine singing/dancing. Drum fills are unexpected. Very dark but bright sounding in the same breath. Kind of long for how much repeating is going on but cant hate its still a banger. 8.5/10 9.) Shoot You Down: BASS and Brushes??? The slide guitar is very diff vibe. Almost WEEN-ish. Beatles with like Stevie Ray Vaughn. Oo tight ass band. I like the vocals sitting in the pocket like that. Harmonies are on point. Effects perfect on this one. GroOvY ass guitar. 7.5/10 10.) This Is The One: Punchy but quick start to mandolin like guitar. Sounds like cookout music, Whitesnake¿? Not much musically but it hits. 6/10 11.) I Am Resurrection: Punchy drums... fitting for punky song name. BASS! But Monkees sounding vocals come in... Beach Boys style lyrics swing. But changed up, Punchy. Not a huge fan musically but lyrics aren't bad. Writer is good for sure. Bass KICKINNN. Lil jam sesh at the end HITS(NVM were only halfway) 6/10 would be better if it was just the jam part tbh 12.) Fools Gold: STRAIGHT FUNK, HIP HOP??? WTF. Groove is in the heart but then hes whispering?? Bass and guitar went EXTRA HARD. Lyrics also hit on this one I will definitely have to look up lyrics on ALL SONGS. Parts of this def sound like commercial music... but im not hating it. 9/10 All around solid album listen through. 7.5/10

Pretty decent album. A lot of it was nice enough to listen to, with a few standout tracks (Waterfall, I am the Resurrection and Fools Gold). Not sure I quite understand the hype around this one but it's a solid enough album. 3 5/5.

I'd never heard of The Stone Roses but damn this is a really good album. Huh. I wasn't sure at first, but it keeps getting better the further in you get. You get to the end and it's like the beginning of the album comes together. "Don't Stop" and "Made of Stone" standouts, but this is easily going in regular rotation.

A minor Himalayan peak but still a peak - 5 star for fools gold alone.

4/5

The 1st track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 2nd track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 3rd track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 4th track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 5th track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 6th track is a 3/5 short song, about a message being clear to someone's partner named "Elizabeth" The 7th track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 8th track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 9th track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 10th track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 11th track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 12th track is a 3/5, it's not a bad track, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. I would give this album a 3/5, it's not a bad album, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to.

The best, and arguably only album worrh hearing, from the Madchester scene.

Love the forwards backwards songs concept

прикольно, але nothing special

Need to listen with the attention it deserves.

I really enjoyed this, a band I had heard of but not really heard. A couple of tracks were familiar . A couple of stand out tracks, some good lyrics and decent music. Enjoyed it.

Pleasantly boring. These are nice tracks, quite dreamy and easy to listen to. There's just enough going on to keep your focus on it, but you could just as easily do the housework to it as background noise. I knew most of the songs already without listening to the album which is always impressive I find. Not a bad album.

There is absolutely nothing to dislike here.

BIBLICAL/10

Interest album

Great guitar riffs and well written music.

Boring

The Stone Roses is the album of my youth. Every time I listen to it, it brings back so many wonderful memories, and even after more than 30 years, it still sounds as good as ever. There are very few albums that mean as much to me as this one. I absolutely love the sound of this record. John Squire's guitar playing is beautiful, and some of the riffs are genuinely iconic. Just listen to "Waterfall". What an incredible piece of music! The guitars, bass and drums all work together perfectly, creating a sound that is instantly recognisable as the Stone Roses. What makes this album so special is its unique sound and texture. The production is superb, somehow managing to sound polished and beautifully put together while still feeling loose, slightly chaotic and wonderfully unpolished. There's a real energy and atmosphere running throughout that makes it unlike anything else. The songwriting is also fantastic. The lyrics are full of character, and there's something lovely about the melodies and the way the songs develop. Ian Brown's voice works perfectly on these recordings. He might not be the greatest technical singer in the world, and I'd certainly advise against going to see him live these days, but on this album, his voice is absolutely right for the music. And what a collection of songs! "I Wanna Be Adored", "She Bangs the Drums", "Waterfall", "Made of Stone" and "I Am the Resurrection" are all absolute classics. Any band would be delighted to have written just one of these songs, let alone have them all on the same album. There are so many wonderful moments, and the whole record has a fantastic flow. The only thing stopping this from being a completely perfect album is that there are one or two tracks I could happily skip. "Don't Stop" has never really done much for me, and I think the album would be even stronger without it. But that's a very small criticism of an otherwise extraordinary record. Overall, *The Stone Roses* is an absolute masterpiece and one of the defining albums of my life. It's full of brilliant melodies, incredible guitar work, wonderful rhythms and songs that have stayed with me for decades. I've been listening to it for over 30 years, and I know I'll still be putting it on for many years to come. Favourite tracks: Where do I start? "I Wanna Be Adored", "Waterfall", "She Bangs the Drums" and "Made of Stone" are all superb. And that's without mentioning the incredible "I Am the Resurrection". I could go on and on! Least favourite track: "Don't Stop". One of the few songs I'd happily skip, and probably the only thing stopping this from being a completely perfect album. Album artwork: Absolutely iconic. One of the most recognisable and brilliant album covers of all time. I love it.

I only knew the Stone Roses by name (I think I had them mixed them up with the Happy Mondays lol) and have never listened to any of their music, so I was completely caught off guard by this beautiful gem of a record.

Edgeless, boring, generic rock with the occasional glimpse of genius (the last two songs especially).

Enjoyed the first tracks

This band was doing a lot of interesting and progressive sounds for an album in 1989. Doesn’t quite sound like an album from the late 80’s and I appreciate that. It still sounds fresh in 2026. Favorite track - I Am the Resurrection

britbotpoptopflop ? c

This is one of those well-regarded albums you see come up so often on greatest albums lists. Some of these tracks are phenomenal, but some just don't quite feel like they're on the same level, and for me this just narrowly misses out on 4 stars.

Such a great album

Quality

Not a huge fan of this band but I did like the album. It’s sort of a precursor to the 90’s British Invasion

Didn’t like the first 2/3. Last three songs were really enjoyable

Meh, most of the songs were fine, but nothing special.

Nostalgic album for me - if Fool's Gold was on the final album it would be a 4.

i love it. best album i’ve gotten so far, i particularly love waterfall, made of stone, shoot you down, this is the one and fools gold (basically the whole album). there isn’t a song i didn’t like i will be adding the whole album to my library and definitely will listen again!!

Really loving this dreamy ethereal rock sound. Very pleasant

An all time favorite. It's funky, it's britpop, it's snearing, it is thoughtful. Awesome album. 5 out of 5

I was not expecting to like this so much, but every song on here is great. I did not feel I needed to skip any of them.

the songs are good but all of them are rather similar to each other.

3/5

#119 These guys seem like they knew exactly where alternative rock was about to go in the years following this release. I get similar vibes to Pixies and REM. Nice find from the generator. Highlights: Made Of Stone, Shoot You Down, I Wanna Be Adored, Waterfall

Technically my first album as my Dad bought this for me when I was about 7. What’s to say that hasn’t already been said? This is one of the greatest albums of all time.

Pure bliss from the late 80s that is ear candy still today.

goated

Brilliant brilliant brilliant Sonically beautiful and warm and every song hits

nada muy especial. mid. 2.5. no me molesto en ningun momento, pero no era uque decia, oh que estare escuchando

RIP Mani. I’ll never forget the first time I heard I Wanna Be Adored

made of stones é um musicão! realmente, um bom álbum. merece o destaque que tem por ai, além de ter influenciado todo um nicho de rock alternativo.

Álbum muy interesante, pero me gustó mucho. Demasiada mezcla de sonidos y buenas vocales. Gran álbum.

My only familiarity with this band is from their single Love Spreads in the mid 90s, which I remember being cool and a bit bluesy. Not having heard this album contemporaneously, I have to look back to what I know was being listened to back then, and this seems like it would have been pretty fresh at the time. It seems pretty fresh to me even today, really. I guess U2 and the Smiths /Morrissey we working somewhat in this area at the time. They both have different sounds, but I don't find it a stretch at all that someone would be listening to all three of these bands on the same day. I do think Stone Roses set themselves out in that group with their arrangements, use of reverb, and guitar tones. It's not "easy listening," but damn, is it easy to listen to. Fools Gold, in particular was really enjoyable I think I'll add this to my personal collection and give it a few more spins. It's good today, but I think I could really come to love this in the future

This is a good bridge from 80s post punk to 90s Britpop. This is going into the rotation.

2/5

Not offensive.

I knew most of the songs so I’m probably biased but 5/5

The building-block for so many guitar-based bands that followed, whether those bands even realized it or not. This album excels at blending enchanting melodies and solid song structures with true existential depth, an approach that basically redefined what alternative music was going to be for the foreseeable future. Influence aside, this is a (nearly) perfect assortment of irresistibly charming songs. Tracks like “Waterfall” and “Made of Stone” are anthems for every conceivable mood, while cuts like “I Wanna Be Adored” and “I Am the Resurrection” achieve cinematic levels of presentation and gravitas. Fav Tracks: I Wanna Be Adored, She Bangs the Drums, Waterfall, Made of Stone, Shoot You Down Least Fav: Don’t Stop Score: 9

A total classic! One of my faves.

Rating: 4.8/5 Short Review: This just feels effortlessly cool. Dreamy guitars, loose grooves, huge melodies, and Ian Brown sounding like he barely needs to try. Then I Am the Resurrection arrives and the whole thing turns into one glorious extended jam. Fantastic album. Favorite Track: I Am the Resurrection

Some absolute god level bangers

3.5

Never been a big fan but this is decent

Not a bad album at all, impressive instrumentals and pretty chill vocals. I struggled to rank this one, ultimately it was better than most of my 3’s so it must be a 4. Worth noting that I had a headache when listening so enjoyment was tainted slightly. Even still, a solid album. Shoot you down is actually a really good song that I’d say far outshines the rest of the songs of the album.

Really enjoyable album. All song have a good vibe and are generally a really enjoyable listen. Great instrumentals and an honourary mention to shoot you down.

Album 339. The Stone Roses (https://open.spotify.com/album/0um9FI6BLBldL5POP4D4Cw?si=exVf4lBKRsi2jOkvoZn1fg) — The Stone Roses (1989) Surprisingly I have zero songs from this band in my library. Moreover, I've never listened to it according to Spotify stats. My ears can't believe in it, it feels like I've already heard some of it. At least the first song... Okay, anyway This is a great cool alternative rock album. I couldn't get Nirvana out of my head while listening to some songs. I liked 9 out of 12 songs and it doesn't have the highest rating just because it's not my daily music genre. It may be someday, but who knows.. 4/5 Liked: — I Wanna Be Adored — She Bangs the Drums — Bye Bye Bad Man — (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister — Made of Stone — Shoot You Down — This Is the One — I Am the Resurrection — Fools Gold

Stone Roses reminds me of brit pop meets Iggy Pop. I quite like it

very impressive how this album still sounds relatively modern to this day.

For me this is the epitome of "yeah that was fine" and I am unlikely to really remember it.

A few years ago I had a conversation with a colleague and friend about music. We had very similar tastes and I asked him what his favorite no-skip album was. Without missing a beat he said the Stone Roses self-titled album. Though I remember Fools Gold getting a bit of radio play I wasn't familiar with the rest of the album. That friend unexpectedly passed away last week, making it a crazy coincidence that this album came up now. After hearing it, I can see why he and many others laud this album. This feels like the bridge between the Smiths of the 80s and Oasis and Blur of the mid to late 90s. Listing a favorite song would be difficult, I feel like each song is a finely crafted work, though I might lean toward I Am the Resurrection which feels like a multipart suite. I only wish I hadn't sat on this so long before giving it a listen.

This was a really enjoyable record with atmospheric and jangly passages and plenty of interesting choices throughout. I liked the majority of what I heard, some of this reminded me of Skylarking. 1 listen Favorite Track: I Wanna Be Adored, I Am the Resurrection

Unfamiliar band. Don't mind this but not wowed. 3.

Wow. Wasnt expecting to enoy it so much ! Really nice

An incredible first track the rest was pretty mediocre. Still that one track made it great

Top 5 albums of all time.

Very pleasantly surprised by this. It’s what The Smiths would’ve sounded like if Morrissey got high on the good drugs instead of just his own farts.

I loved this album. Holds up as an all time classic debut.

I have not heard this before. I’ve heard a lot of these songs and I think one or two of these songs has an alternate version on their second album that I got for a fraction of a penny off Columbia house back in the early 90s. Honestly the last time i heard Stone Roses was in the mid 90s when they had a bluesy song on alternative radio all the time. I’d forgotten how sunny and psychedelic their older stuff is. There’s a good mix of late 80s pop funk and indie rock in here with some good effects added and a number of longer jams. The drums are pretty dated as far as general production and the overall Madchester sound that was built on these beats, but that’s my own problem that i have to deal with. Not a single weak track and chock full of bangers. Great album.

Extremely solid, Adored is a fire opener, there’s much worse britpop out there.

This influenced Oasis big time and the Brit pop movement in Manchester etc. For that it’s an iconic record. But I don’t think it’s a 5. It’s a 4 as a record and 5 for attitude.

I always kicked back against the Stone Roses due to how annoying, and Oasis affiliated, their evangelists trend to be. It's hard to respect the musical opinion of someone that thinks Oasis are the pinnacle of the art form. However, I was wrong, this album starts with some incendiary songs, flows beautifully and is never far from a genuinely classic song. It distilled a lot of what's great about British music, whilst sounding unique to them, no mean feat. It's great, I should have been less cynical.

Groupe inconnu. Pop/rock, quelques morceaux intéressants mais noyés avec d’autres moins inspirés. Donc globalement ennuyeux. Pas sûr d’avoir envie de l’écouter de nouveau. =>2/5

Liminal as fuck, thus you can't really hear it, thus 1.

The Stone Roses (1989) klingt wie der Moment, in dem eine Band ihr eigenes Mythos-Level freischaltet. Der Mix aus psychedelischem Gitarrenflimmern, lässigem Groove und jugendlicher Unbesiegbarkeit wirkt heute noch frisch. „I Wanna Be Adored“ baut eine Atmosphäre, die sofort klebt, „She Bangs the Drums“ ist pure melodische Euphorie, und „I Am the Resurrection“ liefert ein Finale, das bis heute Maßstab für Gitarren‑Jams bleibt. Ein Album, das nicht jeden Track perfekt trifft, aber eine ganze Ära definiert.

i liked it

Brit rock perfection. Such a great listen from start to finish.

Nice heavy rock.

Loved it!

Pretty good! Cool vibe. Little long in the tooth but won’t mark it against them they only have two albums.

I liked it. I bet it will grow on me, too.

Yeah this was fun

So glad I revisited this. Went from a skeptic to an appreciator, if not a true believer. Still a damn good album.

fun and never stale even when it keeps pulling ideas out of its bag

Dude what is going on. Albums have been going insane recently. This is fantastic!!! It’s so so good! It’s such a good mix of most of my favorite subgenres of rock.

Mid

Quite good and I’d listen to relax or roadtrip. 3

This album crafts a version of rock which is light, airy and dream-like rather than dark or gritty. I absolutely love the opening track 'I Wanna be Adored' and I was excited to realise that the religious allusion here continues throughout the project. My other favourite songs included 'Shoot You Down', 'I am the Resurrection' and 'Fools Gold'. Although I enjoyed this album, it didn't completely blow me away. I would have enjoyed a little more variety within the indie rock style that this album establishes.

I’ve enjoyed this record for a long time. It was great to revisit it.

Really really good, can’t believe it took me so long to listen to the namesake of my favourite bar in York