The Stone Roses

Features Timeline Dec 2011

By Cam LindsayIf you were to go by pure, raw talent, there may not be a better rock'n'roll band in history than the Stone Roses. With Reni's loose grooves behind the kit, Mani's effortlessly fluid bass lines, John Squire's iridescent guitar jangle and Ian Brown's Northern swagger, their DNA certainly presents the evidence necessary to reach that verdict. But 31 years of history hasn't really been on the Stone Roses' side. The Mancunian band are only heralded for one album, 1989's self-titled masterpiece, which took them six years to release and five more to follow-up. That sophomore album, 1994's Second Coming, was far from what its title suggested. The disappointment of it, along with all the turmoil and embarrassment that followed, should have left a permanent tarnish on the Stone Roses' legacy. But in the 15 years they were gone, people wouldn't stop hoping and whispering about a reunion for a reason. Their influence cannot be understated. Whether it was making "baggy" a fashion trend and or planting the seeds for Britpop, Manchester's finest are the constant source for inspiration. If you ask the Gallagher brothers, it was the Roses who made them start a band, not the Beatles. As Noel says in the liner notes to the band's reissued debut album, "The album, and the band, have achieved mythical status. They inspired us." In 2012, the Stone Roses will make their long-awaited comeback. Their first three shows sold 225,000 tickets in a matter of minutes, which should confirm that demand is high. Slightly weathered and nearing 50, Ian, John, Mani and Reni have all made peace with the past and are now looking forward to the future. Brown has reassured fans it's been worth the wait, stating at their official press conference, "It was important to me, in particular, that we play together before we announce to everyone just in case someone said 'When you play together, how do you know it's not going to be shit?' Well, I know it's not going to be shit because we played together and it sounds magic."

1977 to 1984
Though they allegedly first meet in a sandbox as children, Ian Brown and John Squire properly become friends at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys. Brown helps Squire out of a physical altercation and the two immediately bond over the Clash and Sex Pistols. In 1980, Brown (bass) and Squire (guitar) form a band called the Patrol with Andy Couzens (vocals, guitar) and Simon Wolstencroft (drummer), who would later spend 11 years in the Fall after refusing to join a band later known as the Smiths because he didn't like their singer's voice. The Patrol take inspiration from the Clash, playing some gigs and recording a demo, but they lose steam after a year and go their separate ways. Squire forms a new band with Couzens and a bassist named Mani called the Fireside Chaps, later switching to the Waterfront. Squire invites Brown to join as a vocalist alongside a guy named Kaiser. The Waterfront disband, but Brown and Squire form a new one with Couzens, Wolstencroft and Pete Garner (bassist). Squire comes up with a name for the band: the Stone Roses, from the 1959 spy novel by Sarah Gainham. Brown will explain to the Guardian: "We wanted something that said we were hard but we were beautiful and John came up with Stone Roses. Hard but beautiful, like a typical northerner. And it's something that lasts forever, a stone rose." Wolstencroft leaves and they recruit Alan Wren, the only one to respond to their ad, as his replacement. The band play their first gig on October 23, 1984 opening for Pete Townshend at an anti-heroin event in London after sending him a note reading, "I'm surrounded by skagheads, I wanna smash 'em. Can you give us a show?" The Stone Roses impress onlookers and they soon receive label offers.

Page 2 »

GET IT!