“Don’t these times fill your eyes” closes the song Made of Stone and indicates the end of a difficult decade in Britain. Those “cold and lonely streets” make a clear reference to the social and economic policies that affected the working class in England during the 80’s. By then, The Stone Roses were embraced by the youth after the release of their debut album, called after the band, instantly hit the charts all around the world to put an end to such a decade, giving hope to what was going to come.
The 80’s were ruled by the first punch given by the label Factory Records from Manchester. Taking advantage of the Sex Pistols punk revolution, Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, a cultural promoter and entertainer, saw an opportunity to develop a new music trend in Northern England by promoting the appearance of Joy Division. Then the scene got ready for what was next and lots of bands —like New Order, A Certain Ratio and The Durutti Column— took their chance to shape the new British sound. However, after the strike of Punk music, other different styles took their own course and made the sound that had appeared a few decades ago fell into oblivion.
With the press’ eyes on Manchester, four lads from the working class suburbs showed sufficient talent to fuse the guitar sound beat from the sixties with some excerpts of the flowering Mancunian dance music scene and so The Stones Roses were born: Ian Brown (voice), John Squire (guitar), Mani Mountfield (bass) and Reni (drums). Included in the Indie Rock phenomenon, their debut album was release in 1989: a fresh record that took them to the top with great songs, such as Made of Stone, I Wanna Be Adored, She bangs the drums, I Am The Resurrection, amongst others, all of which became hymns for the British youth.
Raised in the previous acid scene from the Mancunian dancing venue The Haçienda, The Stone Roses understood the spirit on the streets, which were full of the euphoria created by raves and punk attitude. So the album sound shows that influence and explores the different textures produced by John Squire’s guitar on Waterfall or on the psychedelic Don’t Stop. Despite of some sadness or melancholy, I Am The Resurrection explodes as the triumph and hope of the music of the new generation.
Moreover, the popularity was based not only in gold pop tunes but also on rescuing a classic guitar sound from the old sixties and on Ian Brown’s charisma, the powerful bases of Reni’s drum and the groovy harmony from Mani Mountfield’s bass. The Stone Roses (1989) deserved the glory received, having great success in the USA and in all Europe. They spread a sound that seemed to be lost after different paths of the postpunk scene and set a distinguishing style that defined the band.
Therefore, this first album by The Stone Roses had a great influence on those bands who were part of the 90’s scene and took that Indie spirit on their music, like Blur, Ocean Colour Scene, Kula Shaker, Flaming Lips, The Verve and, of course, gave place to the last successful band Britain gave birth to: Oasis.
