Reviews (page 2 of 14)
Best ever
Dived into this blind, and I'm floored. Such a treat. It's got its eyes on the prize and its feet tapping to a rhythm that's equal parts rock 'n' roll swagger and funky 80's groove. Really dig that teasing 80's sound. It's childhood to me. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - I Wanna Be Adored - She Bangs the Drums - Waterfall - (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister - This Is the One
Easy five flawless album.
Shoot you down & This is the one c'est quoi cet enchainement de fou furieux. L'album est juste incroyable et je pense que plus je vais l'écouter et plus je vais l'aimer. Super découverte, tout ce que j'aime dans un album de rock expérimental. Je suis certain de l'écouter pendant longtemps. Magnifique
Contains the greatest song of all time in I Am The Resurrection, which I could happily listen to everyday til the end of time. A classic.
One of the all time best outros to an album. I don't listen to this as much as I used to so was lovely to revisit
One of the all great albums, 5 stars!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Tom.
#172/1001 🇬🇧🍋🐝 I'm getting a lot of 5 star albums at the moment. This one is really special to me - the sound of growing up in the 90s (i know it was released in 89). From the rumbling brooding intro to Adored right through to the false endings and restarts of Resurection this is a perfect album from start to finish. Ian Brown is obviously a pretty average singer but this record is all about Squires's guitar and the rhythm section of Mani and Reni. I always think that debut albums represent bands in their truest form and this is as pure a sound as you will ever hear. Best Tracks: I Wanna Be Adored, Waterfall, Made Of Stone, This Is The One, I Am The Resurection.
Fiquei ouvindo esse várias vezes ou invés de ouvir outros novos mt bom quando começou a primeira música já senti o rajadao
One of my favourite indie rock albums from the uk, is in the debate for one of the best debut albums of all time which helped bridge the gap between post punk and britpop beautifully. Loved the guitar tones on this and has an easy listenable sound for any occasion . Comfortable 5
I came into this with an old prejudice. At the time, I struggled to see what all the fuss was about. I understood the cultural weather around it: Manchester, baggy, clubs, terraces softening, inflatable bananas, the sense that guitar music had suddenly discovered hips. But I’d always slightly filed it as a “better on E” album. One that needed the right room, the right hour, the right crowd, the right social chemistry. The surprise is that it passes the 07:30 test. Heard at breakfast, away from its natural habitat, the album still has architecture. It isn’t just aura. It isn’t just Ian Brown mumbling over dance-adjacent grooves. What you hear is a band that had spent years failing towards the right version of itself, absorbing 60s jangle, Paisley Underground weather, post-punk looseness, club rhythms and Manchester insolence until it all came out as something unmistakably theirs. That matters, because this does not sound like a debut album in the usual sense. It sounds like a band finally shedding the wrong versions of itself. The confidence is unforced. Not “please admire us”, more “obviously this works; keep up.” The key, I think, is that the Roses don’t always give you songs. They give you phases. A lot of the album doesn’t move like conventional guitar pop: verse, chorus, middle eight, resolution. It moves more like pulse, shimmer, lift, refraction, burn, release. That is why it can be hard to reduce to busking, terrace chant, or sober historical explanation. A normal song survives extraction. A phase-band needs the ecology intact: rhythm section, tone, momentum, repetition, altered perception, collective lift. I Wanna Be Adored is a fabulous opener because it prowls before it blooms. It begins like something stalking out of the scrub, then suddenly opens into the kind of wide-armed guitar lift Noel Gallagher would later recognise and simplify. But the Roses are stranger than Oasis. They don’t quite become an anthem. They become the apparition of one. She Bangs the Drums is purer Roses: bright, chiming, absorbed neo-psychedelic guitar pop, lifted by a rhythm section that refuses to sit still. The lazy cliché is “dance groove and mumbling”, but this could almost have blown in from the Paisley Underground, except the Roses don’t sound like collectors recreating the 60s. They sound as though that whole revivalist weather system has passed through them and left the air changed. Then Waterfall happens, and that is a genuine masterpiece. It has the structure of a good acid house track: not simply song sections, but a journey through states. It grooves through phases. The fade-out doesn’t end the song; it lets it pass beyond the frame. Then Don’t Stop folds the same material back on itself. With the backwards reverb on Brown’s voice, the whole thing feels as though the song is arriving before itself. It’s prismatic origami. The dream sequence from Twin Peaks as baggy. What I hadn’t fully appreciated before is how much of the album is running on insurrectionary imagery. Bye Bye Badman turns Paris ’68, tear gas, lemons and revolt into bouncealong pop. Elizabeth My Dear then becomes more pointed: not just a throwaway republican squib, but a little act of folk-song vandalism after a song about riot. Sugar Spun Sister sounds sweet, but the lyric is sticky, bodily and queasy, with MPs tripping on glue. Made of Stone returns to singalong jangle-pop, but with burning cars and cold streets running behind it. Call it Manchester Situationism. Not as academic doctrine, but as instinct: politics as image, city as theatre, revolt as colour, everyday life made strange. It sounds blissed-out, but it keeps smuggling in barricades. Ian Brown’s limitations are not incidental. The album uses them. A stronger singer might ruin parts of this record by over-declaring the emotion. Brown’s flatness keeps the songs suspended somewhere between arrogance, vacancy, bliss, side-eye and threat. On Shoot You Down, the pause before “I’d love to do it and you know you’ve always had it coming” is perfect because he doesn’t snarl it. He lets it fall quietly, which makes it much colder. John Squire’s guitar playing is also more interesting than a simple “guitar hero” reading allows. His solos are often not technically dazzling. He runs through simple shapes. But that simplicity is the point. His real strength here is chordal chops, riffs, texture, rhythmic ignition, and knowing when not to clutter the architecture. He doesn’t smother the groove. He sparks across it. And the rhythm section is absurdly good. Reni makes guitar-pop dance without turning it into ordinary dance music. Mani gives the songs bounce, pocket and confidence. Together they stop the album becoming merely pretty, merely jangly, or merely retro. They are why it levitates. This Is the One gives the album its progressive-pop expansion without becoming pompous. It has opening panels, swelling movement, threshold drama. But it is not earnest in the cosmic old-prog sense. It is blissed-out Manc side-eye. It levitates with its hands in its pockets. Then I Am the Resurrection is the perfect final argument. The first section is pure 60s strut: snap, sneer, riff, chorus, Brown doing the messianic shrug. Then the song finishes being a song and becomes a band happening in real time. The excitement is not really in Squire’s soloing, but in the chordal chops and riffs burning alongside Reni, the stop-time, the sense of “you want more? We got more.” It is controlled detonation. Depending on the edition, Fools Gold then gets shoved on afterwards, and it slightly changes the balance. It is magnificent, obviously, but it is not the same organism. The album proper is a guitar band using dance logic. Fools Gold is closer to dance music wearing a guitar-band badge. Essential Stone Roses, but not necessarily essential to The Stone Roses as an album. So yes, it is an ecstasy album. It wants weather. It wants bodies. It probably still improves with a pill. But the important discovery is that it doesn’t need one. I came in respecting its importance more than feeling grabbed by it. I came out hearing the craft under the glow. It is disciplined, funny, arrogant, strange, politically barbed yet daft, rhythmically alive, and far better built than the mythology sometimes allows. A strong four, blurring into five
HELL. FRICKEN. YEAH !!! My first five stars !!! Been a rough few days of lots of ones and twos so I was delighted to find that I love this ! Never heard of this band or their music before but they’re great - I will be listening to more. Many songs have gone straight onto my faves list and only one or two I wasn’t super bothered about. YIPPEEEEE!
Wonderful, especially the first half
No notes, banger after banger
This album is definitely better than the last one. This one is more geared towards my tastes, which is more bass and drums sounds. I had a difficult time figuring out which one I like the best since they are all so good! My top two are “she bangs the drums” and “waterfall”
The kind of album that always comes back to me at the perfect times in my life. This particular instance, the sun was shining and the heat has been the highest it's been in ages, creating the perfect listening conditions for an album which exudes that summer feeling. Uber catchy, still just as revolutionary as when I first gave it a go, and some of my favourite basslines in anything. Iconic stuff. Favourite track: I Am The Resurrection Least favourite track: Bye Bye Bad Man
The rare album I wanted to be twice as long. I've always been a sucker for the jangling guitars and outside of Ticket to Ride this is the best version I've come across. I can't believe how catchy these songs are, this is the rare straight five that I'd never listened to until the generator sent it our way. I probably listened to She Bangs the Drums twenty times this weekend.
all timer!
Madchester mad for it. Happy days cracking album. As another reviewer pointed out nothing new here but everything at the highest level.
It's the best. End to end, not a duff note. I still remember how wild it felt to hear them play Don't Stop live - you'd think that the same song forwards and backwards couldn't work and yet... And then finishing with I Am The Resurrection is perfect. (Obviously Fools Gold shouldn't be included as it wasn't on the original release. Even though its magnificent.) Mani, Reni and Squire together at that moment was just some kind of magic. I'm convinced that at any other time, Reni wouldn't play like that, which turns them into more than just another band. What an album.
Madchester, neo-psychedelia, indie rock, alternative rock.
Insane this is a debut album. I knew some of their music but not the whole history. Every track rocks, so many different kinds of sounds. I feel like they took the best from the post-punk sound, but cast of the taboo against also resurrecting some of the psychedelia/noodly guitar vibes of the 70s. Incredible that this album came YEARS before the alternative music of the 90s. Also paved the way for Oasis etc. stunner of an album, easy 5
good
Gran disco
Great album!!!
Perfect. Beautiful jangly guitars, Ian Brown's voice suits it so well, perfect drums, catchy basslines, EVERYTHING IS SO GREAT! First three songs might genuinely be one of the best song runs of all time.
5/5
I had never heard this before, and I don't understand why. I love the vibe of the album, it is laid back but somehow manages to draw you in. Favourite song - Fool's Gold. Great album.
really great album
One I already knew I was giving 5* to but it was a pleasure to listen again. So influential on 90s British guitar music but a great listen too, packed with hooks and great guitar playing from John Squire. I don't really consider Elephant Stone and Fool's Gold part of the real album because my physical copy didn't include them, but it's 5* regardless. Those 2 tracks are the cherry on an already delicious cake
perfect. next
Favorite Song: Made of Stone
i wanna be adored: i love the bassline, so wonderfully dreamy. "you adore me, i wanna be adored." also, turnstile did a good job covering this song. she bangs the drums: "the past was yours, but the future is mine." you can feel the optimism oozing from this song; it makes me want to put my headphones in and dance. it clearly has the quality of being an anthem for teenagers. waterfall: the "she" from the previous song is now free, likened to a warerfall, "she'll carry through it all, she's a waterfall" and i love that. it's about free spirits, youth, and the desire to leave behind home and the familiarity of home, which at a particular age doesn't quite inspire inspiration and awe. don't stop: only makes sense when i listen to this right after waterfall, but even though it's not my favourite song off the record, i can't deny its genius! reversing a song, aaah! even lyrically, it makes much more sense when seen in tandem with waterfall. bye bye bad man: lyrically wonderful! musically? might not be my favourite song from the record. but i love the lyrics and what they stand for, and the may '68 student protests, and the album art. "citrus-sucking sunshine" is the smartest lyric i have come across. elizabeth my dear: reminds me of a simon and garfunkel tune. ooh, scarborough fair! and is elizabeth the queen? "i'll not rest till she's lost her throne." love the craziness and punk-iness of the madchester people. (song for my) sugar spun sister: so visceral! reminds me of unrequited love, like black by pearl jam or you're beautiful by james blunt. also, the stone roses remind me a lot of the smiths and the cure, i think it has to do with happy sounding melodic tunes and visceral lyrics. easily one of my favourite songs on the record. it's so hard to feel 'worthy' of love, but i am willing to do all it takes, even though it's practically impossible. made of stone: the intro reminds me of like a stone? and the first verse reminds me of paint it black, but i love the spookiness and the urgency. also, i have always remembered pollock and it's so crazy that this might be about pollock's car crash. the chorus is A1: "sometimes i fantasise...are you all alone, is anybody home?" and i love me a guitar solo! shoot you down: lovely intro, aah! "i'd love to do it and you know you've always had it coming" sounds like something indie bands would sing nowadays, and it's such a comforting and uplifting sounding song. i love the production. but at the end of the day, it's still about foreseeing the end of a relationship. this is the one: glory glory man utd! iconic song. love the intro, always makes me dream of watching a game at old trafford. i love when songs have refrains and utilise them as beautifully as the stone roses did in this song. another favourite from this album! i am the resurrection: "i am the resurrection and i am the life." i love the anti-religious sentiment and man, what a wonderful way to diss the god/religion. A1 instrumentals, especially the guitar solo. i will dream about this outro. there's also the sound of a coin dropping? fools gold: oooOOH, what a banging intro, man! i see why pete townshend called reni the greatest drummer since keith moon. sounds like james brown's funky drummer. and did i spot beck in the music video? overall: WHAT AN ALBUM! brilliant, brilliant debut album, they could have definitely been the best in the world. love their contribution to the madchester movement, and the influence they have had on so many bands i love and adore: primal scream (love you, mani), oasis, libertines etc. it's the most perfect fusion of the 80s and what came to define the 90s in the UK. if i would have been a teenager in the 80s in london, this would be MY record. not a concept album, but definitely one of the best albums to show how the order of songs is really important! GENIUS and so bloody innovative. love the political commentary and general awareness. also aziz ibrahim. on my way to get it on vinyl. also, i think this is the kind of delusion and sheer belief in your abilities you require at times. ALSO I GET TO DO THIS TILL MAY 27th, 2029!
You may say they are boring but I think they do what they are doing very well and I would listen to this album many times.
Yippie! 6/5 stars!
A perfect blend of jangly guitars, groovy basslines, and dreamy vocals by Ian Brown i add this list to my fav I just luv it 💖
Great album to get.
this is right up my alley, I'm surprised I hadn't listened before! ambient, a bit shoegaze-y (especially in the first song "I Wanna Be Adored"), a bit of jangle-pop in the guitar lines too.... u know i love jangle pop #JohnnyMarrJuice i really enjoyed "(Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister". was a bit irritated by the backwards vocals in "Don't Stop" as the kinda ruined an otherwise-great song for me honestly might go buy this on CD, its exactly the kind of music I want to play in my room... a great discovery! :)
They sound like if The Cure, Oasis, The Smiths, and The Beatles had a music baby. Such a great album. One you can just put on and enjoy the whole album.
File this as another album that I’d for some reason decided wasn’t for me. But absolutely is. Obviously heard a fair few of these songs but never the full album.
Should be mandatory listening for anyone who starts talking about Oasis whenever Manchester is mentioned. Amazing how well this has aged for an album nearly 40 years old.
Gem
A classic. Impossible to follow up
What a fun album!
Essential.
10
Går inte att tröttna på
I feel like my third eye has been opened. I wonder if my dad would like this
killing myself Was back on. but halle fucking lujah. 4.6-5. not thinking about it more than i need to (although i will note that fool's gold Might not be main tracklist worthy). "bye bye bad man" would be such a Baller end credits track for the last 28 years later. the conclusion i've come to is that there's a line for me. the line's going Full Beatle. never go Full Beatle. Ian's good at #edging.
No skips. One of the best alt rock albums ever, imo
This album passed me by the first time around. It wasn’t necessarily the type of music I would have listened to at the time but as a NME subscriber I began to be aware of it and the Stone Roses as they were quickly proclaimed the next big thing. It was only when I was bought their next album, Second Coming, on cassette by my nephew at Christmas that I began to realise what a good band they were. I naturally went back to this album and can now appreciate its value. Many say that this album is one of the best ever in the history of UK rock music. I wouldn’t go anywhere near that view but no one can doubt its influence and longevity. The one thing in its favour is that ‘guitar moment’ at the end of I Am The Resurrection. Never fails to get me and one of my all time hair on back of head experiences. 5/5 19/5/26
Don't Stop is a stroke of genius, and on a first album no less. This album is full of deserved swagger.
О! Ну це класні хлопці)
I already knew and loved this album, nothing more to say! A classic!
Such a good album. Wish we had more bands like this these days
It's so good, the composition, the flow of the songs, and the feel is immaculate. Immortalized in this record is this moment of brilliance and togetherness. Loved it
After starting to listen to new albums daily just over a year ago, I listened to this one going off of the next album on the 33 1/3 book list about 3-4 months into my journey. I'd never heard of this band, and there's so many random rock albums from that series that I figured this was just another one since I'd listened to a ton of them by that point. Little did I know this album would click so quickly with me. The riffs, the drums, the feeling, everything about it was so captivating. I think this was the album that really led me to believe that I can love an album so quickly from a band I was completely unaware of. Each side has such a hypnotic and tight beat to it. The vocals are psychedelic but grounded. The entire feel of the album is so addictive. It's legitimately one of the best rock albums of all time, and I know because even though it usually takes me time to warm up to albums, this one hit so quickly and I've loved it ever since. This is the one.
Super Dope
Ilman stone rosesia ei oasista. Yksi brittipopin kulmakivistä, 10/10. I wanna be adored - biisin intro on ehkä jopa kaikista paras intro ikinä?! Squiren kitara jokaisessa biisissä uskomaton.
The best album of the late 1980s bar none
I Wanna Be Adored - 4.5/5 She Bangs the Drums - 5/5 Waterfall - 4.5/5 Don’t Stop - 3.5/5 Bye Bye Badman - 4/5 Elizabeth My Dear - 3.5/5 (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister - 4/5 Made of Stone - 5/5 Shoot You Down - 4/5 This Is the One - 4.5/5 I Am the Resurrection - 5/5 Put this one in the "pleasantly surprised" category for me. I had never heard of the Stone Roses, so going in with no expectations and hearing a mixture of jangle pop and funk that bordered on the ethereal at times. Unfortunately it seems that the band members turned out to be a bunch of twats so that might hamper my view in the future. Overall: 5/5 Favorites: I Wanna Be Adored, She Bangs the Drums, Waterfall, Made of Stone, This is the One, I Am the Resurrection
Peak
This felt like an endless Roadtripp to me.
Loved. It.
One of my favorites, I love the bass and drums in the whole album. Before I got this generated, I was already listening to it. Almost like it was predetermined.. spooky!
Yup More than half of these tracks are absolute bangers, that still sound fresh today What an achievement! 5 stars for sure
The Cure meets Oasis. Review didn’t save again What a fun debut. I’ve always loved the opening track off this record. This is such an easy listen. I love how jangly and vibey this record is. The layered guitars here are awesome. Lots of great pulls on here lately. There’s some filler in here for sure, but even that I think will grow on me. Fav Tracks: I wanna be adored Shoot you down Made of stone She bangs the drums
Okay I am a bit busy today timmy so I think this may come down and I will have time to listen again later but this will get edited probably around 3-4 cst. I enjoyed this alot it is so ahead of its time and I want to listen to this because they really go for it creatively and it feels so awesome. I wanna see today's cause I have to leave literally the moment i hit send.
I like it
SUCH AN EPIC ALBUMMMMM
Monumental. It’s both an old, old friend, and a record that sounds as fresh as a daisy.
Didn't know what to expect, but ended up really vibing with it.
Generated a few days before its 37th anniversary, this is up there for all time albums with me and one of my most listened to ever. Been really loving this one for years and its my favorite album cover ever also.
I'd forgotten all about this gem. It's not a masterpiece but it's still solid work.
Solid
I liked some more than other, but most of the music didn’t have lyrics.
This really grew on me over the years. This album really leans into both their popular appeal and their more experimental and musically complex tendencies (case in point, the transition from Waterfall to Don’t Stop). When I was a bit younger I found them a bit cheesy but honestly that’s part of what makes them good. This album stays relevant for very good reason.
It's a 5. Just stop banging on about it. Best album ever? Too many mediocre tracks for me. Yes, I'm looking at you Don't Stop (lazy backwards track), Elizabeth My Dear, Sugar Spun Sister and Bye Bye Birdman. Everything else is pretty much perfect.
Not giving this 5 stars would be akin to me denying my own youth, zits and all, Peter denying Jesus.. Highlights - Waterfall, the almost Hawaiian Shoot You Down (would often nap-out to this one) and the outro to Resurrection - a band confident that in that moment they are the Zeitgeist. Love the (again Hawaiian-esque) closing strums to this one, always thought there was another 5-10mins in that closer going off on another tangent.
I wrote a really long and thoughtful review for this album, but then I got a message which I clicked on and when I came back, I’d lost it all. So basically, it’s a five each day every day, loses 0.25 marks for don’t stop being a bit rubbish
Loved it more and more as it went on
Album that changed my musical direction. In autumn 89 I was still listening to Deacon Blue and Hue and Cry and when I heard this it was The Stone Roses and REM. An album that still sounds fresh and you can listen to no matter what mood you are in.
All day long this is a 5. One of the best debuts ever.
It was like discovering dynamite
Manc masterpiece
More of my musical DNA. This album feels part of me at this stage. On my all timer list. Fools Gold? more like solid gold!
No question. However make sure you listen to the 13 track version. There is an 11 track that is missing Elephant Stone and Fools Gold. I went to check my CD to verify the original playlist.
Brilliant
Probably the finest 1st album ever? I bought a copy in 1989 - soon after it’s release- and now I play it and am surprised “Fools Gold” is not on the album - Amazing 1st album. RIP - Mani🙏🏻
Good debut album.
buenardo
Thoroughly enjoyed
The Stone Roses' self-titled album is an undiscovered gem for me personally. The production was so pleasing to the ear and perfectly done for the style of music. The vocals and distortion on the guitar were my favorite aspects of the album. As an indie rock lover, this album is absolute perfection. It is so reminiscent of The Smiths, but it is a little brighter. I am so happy to have discovered this album!
I'm Watching You Sinking 1001 Albums Generator 271 (4/17/2026) The Stone Roses’ debut album is widely regarded as one of the best and most influential indie albums of all time, so I was excited to dive into it, having only previously heard She Bangs The Drums. Am I insane for thinking that this album sounds almost dream pop/shoegaze at times? I won't elaborate any further, but I think it's undeniable that this album surely shaped the indie of the 90's, from alternative dance to britpop. Hell, Shoot You Down sounds like a lost Khruangbin song. It's just such undeniable fun front to back. As great as John Squire's reverb drenched guitars are (and they really are fantastic), the secret sauce of The Stone Roses is in the rhythm section. Alan Wren's constant, energetic drumming and Mounfield's catchy, melodic basslines are at the core of the sound here. Let's not forget Ian Brown's incredible vocal melodies; I swear multiple of the catchiest indie choruses of all time are on this thing. The worst moments are probably when they go psychedelic and slow, most notably on Don't Stop and (Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister. And I don't normally do "bonus tracks", but Fool's Gold was on the original US pressing of the album (just not the original UK pressing), and thank God it's here. It's the most explicitly dance song, even having some breakbeat influence in it, and it is just amazing. It's long, especially right after the 8 minute I Am The Resurrection, but it earns its length. Really strong 4.5/5, and I'm rounding it up to a 5. Also this came out on the exact same day as Disintegration by The Cure. Indie kids were eating that week. Favs: I Wanna Be Adored She Bangs The Drums Fool's Gold Least Fav: Don't Stop
A foundational Madchester album and one of the smoothest, most groovy pop, rock, rave fusion albums ever. And, if that wasn't enough, it's also one of the most influential albums ever.
So I’m about 300 albums in and it has finally happened! I was much less familiar with the Stone Roses than I thought - in hindsight Im not sure what i thought - but this album thoroughly impressed. Maybe I was ripe for something new tonight. Maybe it was just that good. I ended up favoriting almost every song and by my 3rd time through was convinced I’d finally heard my first time 5-star record. This project is worth every effort when there are payoffs like this. The vocals were good - the jam session style of the songs even better. Bravo! 5/5
It came. It resounded. It changed the scene. This is one of those albums. Influential - never gets old
One of those albums I've been listening to for more than 30 years. Never grows old or tiresome, a classic from the opening chords of I Wanna Be Adored right through to the end of the full length version of I am the Resurrection. (Fools Gold is a great track but doesn't belong on the album) Full of charm, charisma, bravado and swagger.
RIP MANI!
I mean, is there a better debut album in the history of music?
One of the greatest of all time
RIP mani
Day 243 Actually feels strange listening to some of the songs on here as I’m so used to the complete stone roses which has slightly different versions of most songs on here, what an album though, never seen them live but seen each individual member about 10 times each between Ian Broen, Seahorses and Primal Scream. Highlights This is the one I am the resurrection Fools gold
I have listened to this album several hundred times. As debut records go, one of the best ever. This also was such a left field record coming out of nowhere in a period where Madchester was more of a notion than the press hype that followed. This album, coming as it did at the end of the 80’s incorporated the jangle pop of American college rock into something completely novel. Its closest cousins sonically were the House of Love and The La’s. As I think about it, The Stones Roses were a British version of Material Issue. No skips on this record. Every song still holds up after 37 years. 5/5
this album keeps me a live, some may say it resurrects me - maybe I am the resurrection 9.3/10
Defined a moment in time.
Really awesome album. My prior exposure to The Stone Roses was GH3, which slightly mislead me as to the rest of the sound of the album. Was expecting jangle but got a very sonically dense, slightly experimental, but very mature and entertaining album.
second time listening to this album. so much better than i remember.
Simply put this album was amazing. Debut album for The Stone Roses and they knocked it outta the park. Such a unique sound and style! Waterfall was my personal favorite song on the album along with I Wanna Be Adored. Amazing album!
This was my first album. I had never heard of the Stone Roses although I was listening to 80's rock on the radio in 1989. I really enjoyed this album and have downloaded some songs to my streaming account. A good start to my participation 1001. One down 1000 to go.
Legendary, iconic, many of the songs were already in my playlist so listening to whole album just made sense.
Excelente!
Best Track - "She Bangs The Drums"
Like fine wine. I hadn’t listened the the full album in years and what a treat. Psychedelic, old school alternative rock, incredible guitar segments, the rhythm and percussion. I could help but sing along on my commute to so many of these songs. Instantly put me in a good mood as I delved into what is an intensely pleasurable listening experience
Uno de mis 5 discos favoritos de todos los tiempos. Lo he escuchado cientos de miles de veces. Desde la portada (obra de Squire, inspirada en mayo del 68) hasta la última nota son un ejemplo del mejor debut de la historia. Se trata de un debut con trampa, tenían tras de sí una lóngeva carrera de varios años ( con relativo éxito y un estilo aún sin pulir y sirvan como ejemplo So Young, Tell Me, Sally Cinnamon, (Song for My) Sugar Spoon Sister...). Cuando publicaron el disco, en el que la producción de John Leckie tiene una enorme parte del éxito del mismo (basta compararlo con el mucho más pobre Garage Flower), temas como I wanna be adored ya llevaban años en circulación. Madchester, el segundo verano del amor, baggy, MDMA, The Hacienda, Mis Favoritas? Fools gold, This is the one, Waterfall, I wanna be adored, Made of Stone, Don't Stop con su backmasking, I Am the Resurrection.. en realidad cualquiera. Por el camino Couzens, Wolstencroft (que montó Freak Party junto a Marr y Rourke, antes de los Smiths), Geno Washington que tuvo la visión de hacer de Ian un cantante exitoso, The Waterfront, y sobre todo Mani al que su fallecimiento en noviembre hace imposible una vuelta. Y el segundo no era tan malo, sobre todo las producidas por un John Leckie que no entiendo como le dejaron marchar del proyecto.
This is a very good album. Great guitar work, chill vibe, catchy melodies, melodic bass lines, cool drums. “Don’t Stop” is so inventive! It’s like if Real Estate were a more interesting band. Definitely one I’ll revisit. And where “Heaven or Las Vegas” by Cocteau Twins is from 1990 and sounds like the end of the 80s, “The Stones Roses” is from 1989 and sounds like the beginning of the 90s. EDIT 6/10/26: More than most albums on this list, I consistently find myself returning to The Stone Roses. It rewards repeat listens, and I'm constantly finding new things to love about it. "I Am The Resurrection" and "Bye Bye Bad Man" are always running through my head. With all this in mind, I'm bumping my rating from 4 stars to 5.
For over 250 albums, Hounds of Love by Kate Bush has been my favorite album of this entire project. In more than a years worth of listening nothing has taken the crown. The Stone Roses is now my new favorite album I’ve heard from this project. What a rush. This felt so far ahead of its time. I wish there was more offerings from this band but I feel lucky to have found this one.
This is a hidden gem that somehow I missed when it came out in 1989. I am definitely going to follow up with the rest of their collection to see if they continued creating such great alternative rock with sounds along the lines of Indigo Girls or The Charlatans or The Smiths. My first 5 star review.
This album feels like a culmination of all good British music up to that point. Not a bad track on it and the instrumentation is incredible. Can’t fault it.
Very easy listen, finally a great brit rock album and a debut one at that! Catchy stuff
Пиздато
so so good omds. I love this album so much especially when i listen to it in the early hours of a morning!
Set the bar so high for British Indie it really never truly recovered
A revelation at the time and still superb today. I owned all the singles / 12 inches / tshirts and at the age of 13 thanked my lucky stars for having an older brother who could give me an early heads up on this. It's hard to describe to younger generations quite how momentous it was, and given that their much delayed follow up was far from impressive (though still quite enjoyable) this becomes even more alchemical. A 4.5 on RYM due to Elizabeth My Dear & Don't Stop, but here it's a 5
Big fan
Amazing. Will never get tired of listening to this.
que álbum GOSTOSO. Fui até escutar outras coisas da banda. Gostei bastante
te amo
WHAT A FUCKING BANGERRRRH
1990 teen dromedy soundtrack in a good way
obsesssssssssssssed
The best ever
Amazing album start to finish, unique indie-britpop style. Always great to return to this one after not listening to it for a while. 1. I wanna be adored 2. She bangs the drums 3. This is the one
Indie Rock. For me, this is one of the great albums and up their for best debut album of all time. The lyrics, vocals, guitar sounds, the swagger and the clothes. As a young fella in 80s England I loved their whole vibe. It was all a bit bleak in working England and this album seemed colourful and dancy, it spoke of love and loss and life in a way that made me feel positive about myself and my mates around me. I love every track. 48 minutes of perfection.
Aside from Dark Side, I may know this album more than any other of that era. It was stuck in a friend's car, so anytime we went somewhere for lunch, to a club, or a rave, this played. For years. And it's okay. I never got sick of it. There are other Britpop bands that I like more, but this is the one that started it. I adore this album so much and can't imagine what the 90s would've been like without it.
I’m glad I listened to this album. I love how it beautifully welds together Brit pop with psychedelic rock and some elements of shoegaze. It is definitely an exhilarating listen throughout its 50 minute duration. This album is truly a masterpiece.
Crazy that I've never come across this before. Adored this from front to back. Can see this becoming a regular listen for the foreseeable future.
Astounding! Never expected anything like this. The Stone Roses!!! Favourite tracks: "She Bangs the Drum", "Waterfall", "Made of Stone", "This Is the One"
so good you almost want to be a man united fan
son… i already listened to this, too extraordinary for me to say something else. (reviews are bland so expect it)
What every indie rock band that came after this probably think they sound like. 90% of them are horribly mistaken.
I LOVE STONE ROSES I LOVE STONE ROSES Fav tracks: I Wanna Be Adored, Elizabeth My Dear, Made Of Stone, This Is The One, I Am The Resurrection
The Stone Roses truly had it all for a brief moment: a magnetic, distinctive frontman in Ian Brown, a virtuoso guitarist and songwriter in John Squire, and a formidable rhythm section in Mani and Reni. Their debut is an excellent example of production, thanks to John Leckie, and is underpinned by superb song writing and arrangements. Despite the links at the time to the 'Madchester' scene, there is actually very little 'dance' influence in these specific songs. Instead, it is a musically varied album, loaded with melody, hooks and quite superb dynamics. The standout track for me is 'Made of Stone' - high praise indeed for an album that also boasts 'I Wanna Be Adored' and 'I Am the Resurrection'! While 'Don't Stop' feels like a minor misstep - particularly given the superior tracks left off the final cut - such as the shimmering pop of 'Elephant Stone' or the ground-breaking groove of 'Fools Gold' - it remains an undeniable five-star debut. 1 "I Wanna Be Adored" (5/5) 2 "She Bangs the Drums" (5/5) 3 "Waterfall" (5/5) 4 "Don't Stop" (3/5) 5 "Bye Bye Badman" (5/5) 6 "Elizabeth My Dear" (3/5) 7 "(Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister" (5/5) 8 "Made of Stone" (5/5) 9 "Shoot You Down" (4/5) 10 "This Is the One" (5/5) 11 "I Am the Resurrection" (5/5) Total - 50 Average - 4.55 269/1001 144/269 albums reviewed were new to me
First got turned onto Stone Roses early 2000s due to my love of Britpop (mostly Oasis). Remember even then listening and thinking these guys are superior musicians, the rhythm section just phenomenal. I Wanna Be Adored an iconic opening, and I Am The Resurrection an iconic end. Strong nostalgia of coming home after watching Celtic game with my dad at the pub, putting this on in my room and falling asleep
Radiohead and oasis
Groovy, catchy, psychedelia. Amazing.
10 y me la pela
I listened to this one twice as I needed to mull it over more. As I listened, I kept thinking the album was over, but found that not to be true. In most cases this would be a negative, but I really enjoyed the way this album took me through numerous acts, chapters or movements. It earns it's length and then some, and I was disappointed when it ended. The drums really stole the show for me here, as they allowed the songs to find a groove and just roll... I'll be adding this to my rotation. 9/10
Have loved this album since it was released. Heard nothing like it at the time. Every song is a gem
A classic mellow grungey guitary vibe, of course it’s gotta be one of the top ones. But is it actually a HELL YEAH album? No. 4.9 if I could.
I’ve loved this album for ages, and it still gives me that same little buzz every time I put it on. There’s just something about the way it flows — a bit messy, a bit dreamy, but totally confident. John Squire is the star for me. His guitar parts feel like they’re just spilling out of him, especially when he stretches out into those long solos. They’re not show‑offy, just really fun to sink into. It’s one of those albums I never seem to get tired of. A stone-cold classic!
Phenomenal. One of my favourite albums. Listened to it hundreds of times but going to listen to it again.
This one moment in time stars aligned perfectly for Ian Brown, John Squire, Mani and Reni. They released one of the strongest debut albums ever and few very strong singles after this, until fame, big money record deals and probably certain illegal substances messed things up. It's a shame that this story got cut short, but at least we have this perfect pop gem to listen to and it still sounds as fresh as it did back then.
love this album forever and ever, the best madchester band in my opinion
The late 80s wasn't the finest hour for rock music, and then this gem appears created, somehow, by a group of averagely talented musicians. But despite the technical limitations the songwriting and production soars, effortlessly blending bits of different decades, genres, and moods while still remaining definitively 80s and defintively Stone Roses.
I came to The Stone Roses a little late, discovering it during the early-2000s indie revival, when every band with a fringe and a Rickenbacker seemed to owe it a debt. By then, it already felt mythical. But the moment I pressed play, it didn’t sound like a relic, rather it sounded immediate, confident, and strangely modern. From the swagger of I Wanna Be Adored to the sunlit rush of She Bangs the Drums, it felt like finding the blueprint for half the records I loved at the time. The grooves are loose but hypnotic, the guitars shimmer without ever showing off, and there’s an effortless cool running through it that bands in the 00s were desperately trying to recreate. Even the baggier, more psychedelic moments feel grounded: not nostalgic, not try-hard,just self-assured. It’s a shame they would never be able to recreate it (though
they somehow picked all the good songs out of their "best of" compilation album and put it on their debut
Such a good album. I grew up with my parents always playing The Stone Roses in the car on long trips. Good memories associated with this album. It also just slaps. The bass lines are incredible, the guitar work is equally fantastic. Dare I say, a perfect album?
I love this album. It was the first CD I ever bought. I still have it. Great album all the way through.
🔥
Good stuff. Still sounds fresh today. Songs all a bit similar.
Lots of great tracks throughout. It's not quite a perfect album, but it's definitely in the right direction. John Squire's guitar work throughout is fantastic and inspired a generation of musicians.
There are few albums as infectious and groovy as The Stone Roses' eponymous debut. You pick up the vibe immediately, within the first minute of I Wanna Be Adored, and just carry that lush, summery bliss all the way through to the very last second of I Am the Resurrection (or Fool's Gold more likely). The way they're able to master the psychedelia of this album while still keeping it incredibly danceable perfectly showcases what Baggy is about. This album is so ahead of its time; it easily could've come out today without questioning, but 1989?! The record is incredibly clean and polished, has beautiful production, and utilizes some of the purest guitar tones of any record ever. I'd say this album single-handedly beats out every album from the Britpop movement that defined the decade AFTER its release. To say this record blows my mind would be an understatement. The Stone Roses defies reality and remains one of only a few good things to come out of Manchester.
Never heard this album with total attention. And I still haven't but putting it today noticed the influence this album would have in all the psycodelic indie in the years to come. Great listen as always, fell in love with the song waterfall.
I got into The Stone Roses in a formative period of time during my first year of uni. I would often put on an album after spending some time with my cannabis-inclined friends (as every student in Birmingham seemed to be) and lay in bed listening to it. For that situation, The Stone Roses was the perfect match. I don't know why I picked them that one night - the name was floating around in my head but I'd never listening to them before. I was already obsessed with Oasis, so The Stone Roses must have been floating around in my subconscious mind. Maybe it was from a Spotify playlist or a recommendation from my dad. Needless to say, this album blew me away. From the opening bass line of I Wanna Be Adored, I knew I would love the album. And I was right. For 48 minutes I swimming in a euphoria of jangly guitars and psychedelic indie rock. It combined everything I loved about Oasis with everything I was beginning to love about dance music (which I was also getting into at the time), wrapped in a 60s-esque package reminiscent of The Beatles. From that night, I was hooked. I remember being sat on my bed in my uni dorm, 18 years old, with the overwhelming feeling that this is who I am as a person. I already loved indie rock but Madchester, Britpop, dance music, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Happy Mondays... this was me. It was a great feeling, knowing as a teenager that the music I would listen to would define me as a person. I had a whole 90s Madchester era of my own, bucket hats and all. I started wearing Fred Perry, Lyle & Scott, and took an interest in 80s Casuals fashion. And it's not like I had friends who were inspiring this - my friends from home were more interested in heavier rock and my university friends would scoff at anything that wasn't drum and bass or hip hop. No, this was truly my own. Of course, I'm not in my first year of uni anymore. I'm 26 now, and my taste in music and outlook on life has expanded in ways I couldn't have comprehended as a teenager. I listen to music from countless other genres and eras, thanks in part to this album generator. But I'll always have that part of me. Despite being born in 1999 I've been fortunate enough to see almost all of the most prominent British rock bands from the late 80s and 90s (Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Radiohead, Suede, Supergrass, Richard Ashcroft of The Verve). Maybe someday I'll see The Stone Roses too. RIP Mani
I really like this album. I like the flow, the lyrics and the tone. Definitely one of the best albums I’ve heard using this website so far. Glad I listened.
I first listened to this when I was on a long flight to China aged 15 - I meant to put on the Rolling Stones and got confused. I loved it from the first listen and it's been one of my all time favourites and most played albums ever since. The whole vibe is magnificent, every song is top quality. The songwriting and vocals combined with the gorgeous tone of Squire's guitar add up to a classic. 10/10
Madchester seemed to peak hear...and then came the Gallagher brothers!
The Stone Roses have been called jangle pop, rave, classic rock, psychedelica, proto-Brit Pop, dance, etc, but I think they did what so many other great black swan-type bands have done before and after them. They took a whole bunch of genres and sounds that they loved and put them in a blender and made something great that defies all expectation. The producer said that band members thought the drum and bass were too low in the mix because they were blasting Public Enemy at full volume in the studio and it skewed their expectations for what music should sound like, and I’m honestly not surprised that PE was influencing them when they made this. This album is one long infectious groove after another that I can’t help but be carried along by. I hate long songs that seem to be going nowhere, but I am generally onboard with long songs like this, which I consider grooves rather than jams. I’d describe a groove as a repetition with intent. It is circular, hypnotic, disciplined. It invites the listener not to marvel at the musicians’ cleverness but to submit to the forward motion of the thing. A jam, by contrast, is often just motion without destination: musicians congratulating themselves for not stopping. Nearly every track on “The Stone Roses” is built around a locked-in rhythmic idea that refuses to wander. The bass lines and drum don’t evolve so much as deepen. They repeat, insist, hypnotize. The pleasure comes not from surprise but from immersion. The guitar decorates the groove rather than disrupting it. The rhythm gets drilled into your skull then the guitar comes in to elaborate it. On top of those elements, the vocals are perfectly suited to the aesthetic. They are almost another percussive element, flat and declarative, like a hypnotist. What makes “The Stone Roses” so enjoyable to me is that it is never loose or sloppy. Every song knows exactly how long to stay in place and when to stop. There is no lazy wankery, no sense that the band is killing time while waiting for inspiration to strike. The album grooves because it commits to rhythm, to structure, to the idea that transcendence comes from restraint paired with constant movement. This is music that has somewhere definite in mind that it wants to take you and every note is part of getting you there. A truly great album.
Very enjoyable listen for my first album of this project!
Favorite tracks: I wanna be adored, Made of stone, Shoot you down
Känns som britpop innan britpop var en grej. Påminner mig mycket om Blur och Oasis. Fast det skadar inte, eftersom jag är väldigt förtjust i britpop. Stone Roses känns som ett band som jag alltid vetat finns, men aldrig lyssnat på. Favoritlåtar: Waterfall, Made of Stone, (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister. Minst favorit: I Am the Resurrection
Great collection of psychedelic britpop tunes that are totally mind-being and enchanting. Waterfall is pure psych-pop bliss, as is the incredibly catchy Made of Stone. The ending suite is honestly breathtaking, with the monstrous Fools Gold, which is led into by I Am the Resurrection. Just jaw dropping stuff. Absolutely phenomenal album, and even more incredible for a debut!
Excellent album. Not a bad track on it. 5
Sublime
Love love love! It's everything...nostalgic, catchy, free spirited. It's just beautiful, makes me feel alive.
Sad it came out right as I left Manchester, but I do love the US version that adds Fools Gold
The perfect album? Too bad dude’s an antivaxer. I hate that personal politics can stain a classic. I’ll never turn this off if it comes on though.
I liked it as I do every time I’ve listened to it. In Glasgow rn and it lands very English but that’s who I am so that’s alright. I like the way they play guitar 🧡
After weeks of dross I finally get this gem. Easy 5 stars. In the conversation for best debut ever. Seminal.
One of my all time favourites. Made of Stone is hairs on the back of the neck time. The whole album sounds like Manchester. Manchester sounds like this album. As close to a perfect album as you'll find. Great Cover Art.
Waterfall is so good I'm obsessed. You know I love a 4 on the floor. reminds me of that Wolfmother song from the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack Was very into this whole album, will be spinning this a lot.
A+
A lot of people say Oasis shamelessly ripped off The Beatles, which is certainly true to a great extent, but they absolutely ripped off The Stone Roses too; in fact, The Stone Roses inspiring them to pursue music further is one of the few things Liam and Noel Gallagher agree on! And I can't blame them, this album is stellar! Okay, it might be a bit of recency bias talking as I'm presently going through a huge Stone Roses phase, but their debut album has a serious case for being one of the best debut albums of all time. A pioneering record of the aptly-named 'Madchester' movement (essentially Manchester acts combining alternative rock and acid house music), 'The Stone Roses' has it all: northern English mopeyness, heart-on-sleeve lyrics, psychedelic passages and an all-round feeling of youthful exuberance with a distinctly working-class flavour. Musically, I feel the exact same way about The Stone Roses that I do about the Red Hot Chili Peppers: a pretty average vocalist yet impressive lyricist backed by an absolute God-tier line-up of musicians. Ian Brown doesn't have a great voice at all, but his lyrics about melancholy, blissful arrogrance and introspection more than make up for it. Brown's loutishness and distinctly working-class British persona would be aped by Liam Gallagher in a few short years, so his influence is pretty profound in that respect. But that's merely scraping the surface of how good this band (and record is). Guitarist John Squire is as much in debt to Led Zeppelin as he is The Beatles or The Byrds with his guitar tones, and he has a solid case for being Manchester's most iconic guitarist, although Johnny Marr probably pips him by a hair or two. Then you have the criminally underrated rhythm section in drummer Alan 'Reni' Wren and the late Gary 'Mani' Mounfield on bass. Reni and Mani's abillity to somehow make much of this record club-friendly (a rarity in rock music) is unparalleled. Together, they not only add plenty of groove and excitement to the music, but ensured an entire generation of British youth were able to 'come of age' and party on to a style of music that truly had a bit of everything, from anthematic rock to acid-tinged spirituality that wouldn't feel out of place at Woodstock. Bookended by two absolutely stellar tracks; the sparse 'I Wanna Be Adored' and the club-heavy 'Fools Gold', this album truly is a trip full of self-awakening, relateability, rebellion and seriously remarkable musicianship. It's bloody great, and I highly recommend it! Best songs: I Wanna Be Adored, She Bangs the Drums, Elephant Stone, Waterfall, Bye Bye Badman, Made of Stone, Shoot You Down, This is the One, I Am the Resurrection, Fools Gold
Always resisted this because of it being something of a lad culture classic and an inspiration for lots of Britpop I don't like. But it's the real deal. Defiant young attitude, amazing riffs, big choruses. Fantastic.
I've listened to this one dozens of times and still love it.
Perfect
Classic and enduring. Music has been my saviour at times and 1989 was one of those times. Takes me right back to my bedroom in the shabby student flat. I had the Fools Gold single sleeve with the John Squire painting of the dolphins on my bedroom wall. They never managed anything anywhere near as good as this but it’s more than enough. RIP Mani
Monster
I've listened to this three times -- all of them fairly distracted.both times surfaced for the old-school surfer vibes on Shoot You Down. Not a single song that I disliked on my background listens -- going to give this one more focused listen before giving final review. Opener I Wanna Be Adored is an interesting fusion of psychedelia and shoegaze and makes for a delightfully simple and airy anthem of sorts. I've heard of She Bangs the Drums, though I can't say where. Also don't think I've ever heard it before. Carries through the same blissful energy as in the previous track and sounds a bit like a lot of 80s indie alternative songs (in a good way). Waterfall actually feels like a distant cousin of Umphrey’s McGee song August. Clearly different, but something in the progression and tone and overall warmth. Really enjoy the bright psychedelia on Bye Bye Bad Man. Absolutely love the surfer vibes on Shoot You Down -- quite possibly my favorite individual track here. Fools Gold is a nice extended jam to close out the album. Very dancey -- absolute vibe. Tough one to grade since none of my three listens were undistracted. And yet, each time I found more to love here. I could see this one growing on me with time and repeated listens. Sneaky low 5.
hell yeah
5/5... Such a great record. This has been a favourite for many lifetimes.
It's the perfect album for me. It was the soundtrack to the UK heading into a new decade. The 90s were amazing. So many bands in the 90s copied their sound but the Stone Roses were the first and best.
Unexpected peak. Har inte äns lyssnat halva typ men bestämmer nu att dethär är final fate
Loved it! Waterfall changed my life!!!
Top album this one. It was revolutionary and helped define the sound of late 80s early 90s British alternative. Incredibly influential within the Britpop movement and pivotal for other ground breaking bands like Oasis, Blur and Pulp, among many others. Clearly a cornerstone in the evolution of British music.
One of my favorite albums of all time. Listening to this feels like ascending to a British heaven of indie rock yearning. I wanna be adored is a masterpiece song and a crazy opener, those first few chords get me every time
Love this album!
Great album, fantastic guitar riffs from catchy to psychedelic, a super tight rhythm section and arguably one of the best jams on i am the resurrection, what a way close out an album.
5.0 (Genre defining sound - Madchester 1983 to 1989) (61:14, 13 tracks US format, debut album, 1989) Alt Rock (Madchester), Brit Pop Formed in 1983 Stone Roses were THE driving force behind the Madchester sound (basically they invented it), kind of REM's Jangle Pop in the US but with a distinctly British sound. Madchester grew into Brit Pop. Stone Roses also were associated heavily with Freak Party (Johnny Marr, a pre-Smiths band) They didn't release their debut album until 6 years later in 1989. While it took time to gain international popularity this album is widely regarded as one of the most important albums in the 20th century. Cover Art - one of my favorite all covers of all time. Done by Guitarist John Squire (note I almost always hate, looking at you Joni Mitchell, when the musician insists they are an artist but . . . this is the except that proves the rule.) Track List (US release, Fools Gold and Elephant Stone not on UK original release but that is a real shame) * denotes radio released single A – F grading 1. *"I Wanna Be Adored" 4:52 A+ 2. *"She Bangs the Drums" 3:43 A+ 3. *"Elephant Stone" 3:00 B (first single, added to debut album, 20th anniversary Collector's edition is a much better version, original was poorly recorded) 4. *"Waterfall" 4:37 A- 5. "Don't Stop" 5:17 B 6. "Bye Bye Badman" 4:04 B 7. "Elizabeth My Dear" 0:53 B+ (Scarborough Fair tribute/ bridge, traditional folk song with an English protest) 8. "(Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister" 3:25 B 9. *"Made of Stone" 4:10 B+ 10. "Shoot You Down" 4:10 11. "This Is the One" 4:58 A- 12. *"I Am the Resurrection" 8:12 A- 13. *"Fools Gold" 9:53 (double A-side single)
I personally love this album and think the Stone Roses are criminally underrated, at least on this side of the pond. I'd have to go back and look but this might be the best debut album from a band that we've had so far. It's impact on the Brit rock scene that bubbled into the mainstream over the next couple of years following this release is undeniable. Guitars, drums, bass, lyrics are all great. Everyone brought their best and we're all still reaping the benefits. Favorite Tracks: I Wanna Be Adored, She Bangs the Drum, Waterfall, Made of Stone, Shoot You Down, This is the One Sports Bucket List: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-IyU4IFewQ
oh this one is really good. Super lush soundscapes that presage the psych rock revival and the more experimental psych influenced stuff that came out of the 2000s like Animal Collective. Also, a really amazing synthesis of jangle pop. I could easily see how doing some E and rolling to Waterfall would go insanely hard in a club. Great genre switch-ups too, all stuff that works really well together in part because the project is approached with a clear vision. This predated the album I'm about to compare it to so I'll structure this comparison as such; Loveless feels like the inverted indoors cousin to this album. Really dug this.
Clean drum fills, heavy, deep bass lines. Synth punk indie
Perfection, I love this album
I Wanna Be Adored - 4.5/5 She Bangs the Drums - 4/5 Waterfall - 5/5 Don't Stop - 3/5 Bye Bye Bad Man - 5/5 Elizabeth My Dear - 4/5 (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister - 4/5 Made of Stone - 5/5 Shoot You Down - 4/5 This Is the One - 3.5/5 I Am the Resurrection - 4/5 Fools Gold - 4/5
Heavenly
This is a great album. Influenced by 60s sunshine pop like the Mammas and the Pappas. They then take it in a whole different direction with driving guitar and incredible bass. So influential on the later Britpop sound, particularly Oasis and Pulp. 5 stars any day of the week. Fave song - I am the resurrection. Such cutting lyrics deceptively hidden by such a pleasant sounding song. Btw the bonus live videos are well worth watching.
It's both a classic, and a pioneer in terms of the influence on the 90s indie scene that followed. The first 3 tracks are all great, it's a real let down when Don't Stop comes in, i just don't get it. However, by the time Made of Stone kicks in and you round off with I am the Resurection then you can forget the lull in the middle. It's probably a 4, but i can forgive a couple of duff tracks
An easy 5* from me. The band arrived with so much swagger on this album. In I Am The Resurrection we have one of the best closers ever.
Brilliant debut that they never topped.
Unlike some other albums from this time and especially the later britpop era, this feels timeless to me. Still something I can and do listen to anytime.
One of the greatest albums of alllllllllll time!
waow this was actually reallt good!! i have a good feeling about these guys they’re gonna be the british beatles
Undeniable 90's Brit Pop masterpiece 5 without question
Im hooked
Set the pace in British rock music for the next 10 years
Brilliant album. Melodic basslines, creamy electric guitar tones. Driving chords throughout. Notable songs; Waterfall, I Wanna Be Adored, Made of Stone.
6/5, obviously
Nothing to be said, perfection.
Listened to it recently after Mani died and, aside from the unnecessary backwards track, it stands up incredibly well. A huge changing point for post Smiths alternative UK music which ended up with Britpop.
Iconic, classic, era defining. We don't talk about the backwards version of Waterfall, this is a stone cold 5 album.
The guitar tone on this is just gorgeous. Five stars
I was irrationally judgemental of this album as a kid, and I was irrationally wrong. It's a great album.
Absolute classic. Defines the Madchester era and sounds as good tofay as it did then. RIP Mani.
A “desert island disc”’for me! One of my all-time favorite albums. This music was some of the most interesting and original I had ever heard as a high schooler (when I bought this record). I’ve listened to it hundreds if not thousands of times over the years and it never gets old. The Stone Roses defined the Manchester sound. Reni’s drums and rhythms are an absolutely mind-blowing. Who else drums like this?! And Mani’s(RIP) bass is the perfect compliment in the rhythm section. Overlay all that with Squire’s cascading guitar melodies, sometimes funky & slightly psychedelic, sometimes wa-wa-infused, sometimes Hendrix-sequel , always amazing. Then put all that incredible creativity and musicianship with Ian Brown’s vocals. It’s simply sublime. This album is absolute perfection.
Amazing! Track 1 is my favorite
Arguably the album that invented Britpop. A near perfect record, shame about Ian Brown
El álbum se siente súper nostálgico y la mejor parte del álbum son sus instrumentales y el uso de la guitarra y batería 8/10
It was remarkable the day it came out and still is to this day. The closer you listen the better it gets. Simply one of the greatest albums of all time. Every song is an absolute banger.
Stone classic.
Fucking A!! one of the greatest debut albums of all time! Fool's Gold is in my top five songs of all time.
Might be a little too “pop” for me but can’t deny it’s great.
Seems to largely influence the Aussie indie music scene today. The kings of perfecting the first 5 seconds of each song in their own unique way. Adding a dash of many different genres in the most tasteful way. I have been putting off listening to this album in full because I knew it would probably change my brain chemicals forever…… and it did.
One of the best.
Já tinha ouvido
This was incredible. Easy 5 stars
Iconic. One of my favourites... an eternally engrossing and surprising listen. Probably the best opener-closer combo of all time in I Wanna Be Adored and I Am The Resurrection. Arrogance and hubris never sounded this good (looking at you, Oasis). A definitive statement, not only for the band, but for the Madchester aesthetic and Brit Pop in general.
This was a hidden little treat. Never heard of them and sad this is my first experience. Lots of the songs made my looked list including This is the One, Don't stop and She Bands the Drum. Elizabeth my dear was a downer. Shoot you down had a little 50s vibe that I enjoyed. Each song was a little different and had a fun easy going vibe but the lyrics had some depth and meaning. Definitely coming back to this one. They took older bops and sounds but really successfully blended them with new sounds. They could for across lots of decades and genres. Love it
This one took me several listens. The longer songs at the end of the album caught me first. 8 .. 9 minutes of pretty great groove. The poppier songs at the front of the album took me several listens but definitely grew on me. I like it more with every listen!
This was a beautiful unexpected surprise. I've never heard of these guys, and in a day, I'm a fan! I really loved this. It's poetic and emotional and catchy and rockin'...and even groovy and funky at the end. That last song kind of came out of nowhere and went on a bit long, but I didn't mind that. It was a cool groove. I added so many songs to my playlist that it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I think This is the One is the one. Easy peasy 5.
Superb album, I bought this when it came oout, and over the years grew on me, amazing that “Fools gold” is not on the album, finally Mani RIP.
Hidden gem.
Best album all time perfect in every way btw
This album is giving me more pause than most. On the face of it, it's more bland brit pop and my knee jerk reaction was distaste and a low rating. But there is a little more here than usual - the melodies are catchier, the guitar and bass parts are decent, and there's variety in the songs. The sound isn't revolutionary but there are some great pop songs on here. Shoot You Down stands as the most modern sounding song - a little like White Denim or Alt J - and I think the back half of the album translates a little better to my American ears. I Am the Resurrection has some big time Beatles vibes and love that they jam it out a little. Apparently these guys were big in the UK, but never took off in the US - makes sense with their monarchy take down on Elizabeth My Dear. They influenced bands we know now though: Libertines, Beta Band, Oasis. Either a really solid 4 or a stretch 5, and hey tis the season of giving.
Already listened to this album alot. Really one of the best
HELL YEAH. i watch football/soccer and firmly support manchester city but oasis (one of my favourite band) love the roses (all man united fans) despite supporting city. but like the gallagher brothers i consider the roses as biblical. 5/5
Really easy listening, was quite uplifting background music for me. Loved the instrumentation and the smooth voice. This album is quite percussive too which I enjoyed.
It's been a while since I've put on this album, and with a new sound system vs whatever I was using in high school when I last listened to this album in full, it's even better than I remember. Read whatever other people wrote about this album that made it significant for Manchester/England and its impact on music today. Very special kind of sound that is often imitated but never really quite replicated.
This is one of absolute favourite albums of all time, and it for sure deserves it's spot on this list. It's damn perfect. I am a bit jealous if you're on here and get to listen to this for the first time! It's lightning in a bottle and has aged super well. It's a shame they didn't follow it up with much else, but one incredible album is better than 7 mediocre ones. I Wanna Be Adored, She Bangs the Drum, Made of Stone, I Am the Resurrection.
nhow ca you not love this. might be a top 5 album on the whole list
There’s been several albums in my life that have been afforded a listen count that outweighs their importance and quality, mostly a long time ago when my record shelves were significantly smaller. These were obsessions of the moment that were on repeat for weeks at a time. In 1989, The Stone Roses’ debut arrived and delivered handsomely on the huge promise of their singles and it immediately became my album on repeat. The difference with The Stone Roses is that it deserved every listen, re-listen, repeat and multiple listen. As my record shelves expanded and my tastes too, the regularity of the spins may have gradually waned, but at no point did my opinion on the record reduce. It would’ve been easy to be put off by the swarm of bandwagoners and the bands (some terrible) that came in the wake of this album, but it just didn’t happen; this remarkable record had the strength to stand up to all of that and more. I may not return to listen so often all these decades later, but when I do it’s never a disappointment. There has been a time when familiarity was diluting the intensity with which this music was reaching my ears, but nowadays with less frequent visits, I get to marvel in the persistence of its success every time. A melodic triumph.
Stunning.
Some great songs
10/10 Absolute gold.
G.E.I.L.O.
Submission ends it all Bye bye badman bye bye
An absolute classic, happy to listen again.
Amazing tone, dreamy, fluttering gooey goodness. I love this band. They send me to romantic calm. Set the 90s stage, thanks!
Perfection
Amazing album
One of the greates debuts of all time and a truly timeless album. And I literally mean timeless - it doesn't sound like 80s or 90s music (although it has been a blueprint for britpop), it's its own thing.
have not heard of these artists before but they’re pretty good, catchy melodies over trancey intstrumentals. great brit music
Legendary. RIP Mani.
Beautiful melodies. The guitar is a highlight on this alb and in this band for me - the bright melodies, the sound, etc. if i had one crisitcism though, funnily it would be the overall mix being a bit too forward on guitar and vocals no enough eveness with drums and bass. The bass in particular gets shoved into the background and its a bit of a shame as the rythm section is what allows the meandering and soaring guitar and vocals. Could be my headphones are shit. Still a 5 star album for me.
Sublime. Can’t quite listen to don’t stop but everything else is a hit. Working class power with innovative lyrics and infectious guitars
Pure Gold (Fools)
Awesome
A lovely gem that I had somehow missed until now!
Awesome. 5 stars, adore me.
Besides 1 song this album is exceptional. Easy 5. Stand out song - Made of stone
aye it’s class, 10/10
I've been super inconsistent on liking the rock albums supplied here but this SUPER worked for me. Great vocals, solid backing tracks, and always tried a bunch of different sounds. Will for sure return to this in the future.
Fabulous album thx!
A perfect album - I almost shed a tear!
near perfect 4.5/5
Classic Favourite songs: I wanna be adored, Waterfall, Made of Stone, I am the Resurrection, Fool's gold Least favourite songs: Elizabeth my dear Rating: 9.5/10
Such a perfect album. From the beginning Ian Browns vocals invite you in, and John Squires guitar keeps you guessing. The melodies and harmonies throughout beg for repeat listens and the lyrics want you to sing along with them. I can't count the number of times I have shouted " I AM THE RESSURECTION" Always a joy to listen to
In a better timeline than this one, The Stone Roses are headlining stadia around the world and the Gallagher brothers are passed out in a Manchester pub mumbling to each other about Pep Guardiola. This is easily one of the all time great British rock records and it’s a shame they didn’t make more of a go of it after this. Though I think Second Coming is also very good. If you are any kind of fan of British rock pop and alternative music from the 80s and 90s, you probably already know and love this record but if not, highly highly recommended
The right mix of distortion and melody
This has so many good songs on it. And lots have been inspired by it but I've still not heard anything like it.
This set the tone for ‘90’s British guitar music. Love this band’s catchy, reverb-laden sound. And yes, I absolutely remember She Bangs the Drums from Guitar Hero III.
woah i recognise some of these tracks very much my thing
A visit from an old party friend who is aging surprisingly well. One of the most sublime recordings of youth culture.
When this came out, I was in hard rock mode but this album was also cool despite them being baggies or Manchester or whatever. In my opinion, it still remains a great album and stands the test of time.
dreamy guitar pop. feels a little ahead of its time? this feels so familiar. honestly a no skips album
Such a great album. Fools Gold is amongst my top songs.
Loved this. Even the longer tracks didn’t overstay their welcome.
this is the best album i’ve heard on here yet. sooooo up my alley, so well balanced, does so much and does all of it right
Vraiment trop kiffé
A perfect album.
Classic
One of the greatest albums of all time in my humble opinion. ‘Adored’, ‘She Bangs…’, ‘Waterfall’, ‘Made of Stone’, ‘This Is The One’ and ‘Resurrection’ all on one album 🤯 Nothing but a 5!
This is a 5 for me, hands down. I may be biased towards the rock genre but wow did I have a great time listening to this. There are so many tracks for me to replay and enjoy that I am saving this album to my favorite playlist. I never heard of The Stone Roses so I was surprised to see the many views and likes their songs got. Now I understand the amount of praise they got. Thanks to this challenge for giving the chance to know this amazing band.
The first Stone Roses album is the first time I heard dance music finally blending with guitar music in a decent way. You can hear the Madchester scene being born in real time on this album, and at the same time the early blueprints of what would become Britpop. There’s a real arrogance to it too. I mean, they literally tell us that "Waterfall" is such a good song that it works in reverse. The arrogance is deserved too. "She Bangs the Drums", "Made of Stone" and "Shoot You Down" are absolute classics, to name but a few in the album. "I Am the Resurrection" shifts gear at the end of the album into that brilliant, endless jam. And, that's followed by "Fool's Gold". It feels like everything has been building up to this - John Squire layers on guitar riffs on top of a groove and beat that works as well in a nightclub as it does on stage in an indie venue. They might not have made a lot more after this (shout out for the criminally underrated "Second Coming"), but the impact of this album is enough for the legacy of the Stone Roses to still be felt today.
Great record
Gostei viu
What a debut! When you can put out an album & it helps launch a whole scene (Madchester) you're definitely doing something right! Stone Roses were on the more rocky side but that's why I like them. Added bonus, their iconic Spike Island concert got Noel Galagher to meet The Inspiral Carpets & I'm sure we'll be hearing more about what happened in later albums.
One for the history books for sure. Not a bad song on it.
I’ve never heard this before, but this might be one of the best debuts I have heard. Originally gave it a four, but decided to bump it up to a five.
A stone cold classic.