Since
the Stone Roses were the nominal leaders of Britain's "
madchester" scene -- an
indie rock phenomenon that fused guitar pop with drug-fueled rave and dance culture -- it's rather ironic that their eponymous debut only hints at
dance music. What made
the Stone Roses important was how they welcomed
dance and
pop together, treating them as if they were the same beast. Equally important was
the Roses' cool, detached arrogance, which was personified by
Ian Brown's nonchalant vocals.
Brown's effortless malevolence is brought to life with songs that equal both his sentiments and his voice -- "I Wanna Be Adored," with its creeping bassline and waves of cool guitar hooks, doesn't demand adoration, it just
expects it. Similarly,
Brown can claim "I Am the Resurrection" and lie back, as if there were no room for debate. But the key to The Stone Roses is
John Squire's layers of simple, exceedingly catchy hooks and how the rhythm section of
Reni and
Mani always imply
dance rhythms without overtly going into the disco. On "She Bangs the Drums" and "Elephant Stone," the hooks wind into the rhythm inseparably -- the '60s hooks and the rolling beats manage to convey the colorful, neo-psychedelic world of
acid house.
Squire's riffs are bright and catchy, recalling the
british invasion while suggesting the future with their phased, echoey effects. The Stone Roses was a two-fold revolution -- it brought
dance music to an audience that was previously obsessed with droning guitars, while it revived the concept of classic
pop songwriting, and the repercussions of its achievement could be heard throughout the '90s, even if
the Stone Roses could never achieve this level of achievement again. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
