Listening to this weeks Rockenteurs podcast featuring Mani from The Stone Roses, made me go back and watch this from the Shane Meadows film of their reunion – “Fools Gold” from Heaton Park, Manchester (see video in comments).
When they were on form, they were sublime. The drumming of Reni must be up there with some of the best – or is at that the combination of him and Mani just works for so well ? Some pretty nifty guitar from John Squire also. (I still think Ian Brown is a bit of a prat though).
The rockonteurs is worth a listen also.
Here’s “Fools Gold”
That’s one of my absolute favourite things on the internet.
It’s fun to watch with the shots of the crowd, off their heads and besotted. When I watch such performances it’s the crowd that I really like to see, as in Monterey Pop and especially South American stadium shows with The Stones and Coldplay among others.
Fucking glorious.
Shrinks the gap between Haight Ashbury and Heaton into about 13 mins of groove.
That’s amazing, and I speak as one who has never paid much attention to the Stone Roses. Props to the bass player for keeping it going all that time.
And the Rockonteurs….
Love this too – Waterfall rehersals 2013
That’s what I thought of when I read the OP. Sublime.
It was excellent, was unaware of his wife passing in 2023. Also made me realise that take away the first 2 tracks which preceded the first album and Turns into Stone could almost be a bonafide 2nd interim album. I would rejig the track listing and open with Fools Gold (full version)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turns_into_Stone
The Stone Roses – responsible for one of the greatest debut albums ever
I’ve read music affecionados listing the greatest debut albums many times (including here) and the usual names always crop up: Stone Roses, Oasis, Doors, Velvet Underground etc etc. The one that never, ever gets mentioned on such lists and I think should is Rickie Lee Jones.
Chuck E’s in Love, first track, talk about peaking early!
When I hear it now, it seems to owe a bit to Domino by Van Morrison. I used to regard it as wholly fresh. It’s still great. Best debut album must have been done on here at least once. (It’s High Land, Hard Rain to save you the trouble of looking it up).
Kilimanjaro
ITCOTCK
LegEnd..
…or possibly Unknown Pleasures
I’d never heard of LegEnd and had to look it up. I assume you mean the Henry Cow album? I’ve never heard of Henry Cow. But some of the titles should be on the “memorable titles” thread. ‘Nirvana for Mice’, ‘The Tenth Chaffinch’, ‘Nine Funerals of the Citizen King’. Great titles!
Huzzah!
Wait til you listen to the music!
Alas, no longer possible. I’m deafer than a politician.
It’s a great film. The warm-up gig, which was announced at 12 hours’ notice I think, and you had to turn up at the door with Roses merch to get in, is as close to religious ecstasy as Warrington will ever witness. Reni, anti-rock star that he is, fucks off home before the others have even reached the dressing room.
My son was there! Did you go?
Ian Brown lives not far from me. My son is on first name terms. I wouldn’t recognise him if I fell over him and I like The Stone Roses.
Hard to recognise. He has changed a lot, looks about 80. Too much smoking, drinking and drugging (possibly)
Love them, love that performance, even love (most of) the Second Coming
Same here. Played it to death in the car for about 6 months after it (finally) saw the light of day. Oddly, I found that if I alternated it with Led Zeppelin 2 it worked really well when I was doing a 90 mile commute to work.
Their debut had done the same sort of thing for me when belting up to Brum and back on the M5 every day just after it was released.
Not odd at all – one of the acknowledged reasons why the haters hate it…
You might not be surprised to learn that I enjoy it more than the debut (but then, I’m not in thrall to orthodoxy – I like Adventure just as much as Marquee Moon!).
Terrific band in their 88-90 pomp. They were different, not just in the way they were an indie guitar band with tunes who had a genuine fluidity and groove to their songs, but in the way they looked too. All downhill after 1990 though, even if they shouldn’t be blamed for all the posturing dullards (Oasis etc) who followed in their wake.
I blame them…
I like Squires’ artwork, too.
“posturing dullards (Oasis etc)”
There’s my next T-Shirt, right there.
The thing I liked about The Stone Roses was that they were cocky. The late 80s was a very earnest time, and there was a lot of deference towards the heritage acts that I don’t really remember seeing much of before. I liked that they had a bit of swagger, it was very refreshing. Unfortunately, I think this was one of their main legacies, with every indie band who topped the end of year NME poll in the 90s announcing themselves as the best band in the world. It was fun when the Roses did it, and for a short while at least, they probably were.
Cheers for the podcast link. The Roses are my favourite band and Mani is my favourite member. I think he played the Ringo role in that he’s the member you couldn’t fall out with.
There are other great episodes of this fine podcast too – the previous weeks with Richard Branson was unexpectedly brilliant.
Messrs Kemp & Pratt are really good interviewers!
I liked the Branson one as well, particularly when he had to admit that he didn’t know what they were talking about whenever they said “prog”…
He seems a decent sort, and it was nice hearing about a different, higher-level side of the music biz.
This is probably my fave podcast series. I think the muso interviewees open up a lot as they know they’re talking to a couple of fellow pros, rather than journalists with stock openers like “Tell us about your new album.” It must be a refreshing change to swap war stories about famous venues, fellow travellers they all admire, and mutual mates.
Guy seems to have either played with or met most big names, and Gary still has that “Spandau songwriter” cachet, so even guests who might be interview-shy know that they’re not going to be stitched up.
Even after all the many episodes so far, it’s still funny when the hosts have to introduce themselves to some American who has never heard of them, only for Guy to casually mention that he’s played with the Floyd, Madonna, etc.
It’s very good, even if Guy has to shoehorn Pink Floyd into every conversation. I quite like that Gary often seems to be quite friendly with acts who I would consider to be his competition in the 80s. Not sure anybody from Duran Duran has been on yet though 😉
Simon Le Bon has definitely been on, and maybe Andy Taylor?
I imagine that in the 80s, the rivalry between the big acts all chasing the same teenage market was probably quite fierce, so it’s nice that they all seem to have put that behind them. I suppose they’re past the point where money and fame matters so much, and are happy to chat to others who’ve been there and done that.
If you enjoy Rockonteurs, then another good series is the Sodajerker on Songwriting one.
They are also fantastic interviewers & have had some fantastic guests. Just recently they have had Graham Nash, Labi Siffre, John Fogerty, Sharon Van Etten & Self Esteem on & each episode is brilliant. I started out just cherry picking the artists I was interested in, but have gone back & started from the beginning as they are all gold!
Don’t mention the second album … I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it.
Released in a wave of expectation and hype, common opinion is it failed to deliver.
I like it – OK it’s not the equal of the debut.
I also like The Seahorses, and the album John Squire did with Liam Gallagher last year
Common opinion may be wrong in this case…
Yes it is … for most (or those that stuck with it) I think once they got over the initial “this isn’t what I was expecting” what was left was a fine album that many bands would be really pleased to have in their canon.
Or right? It’s not a complete disaster (there’s a good EP in there), but I greatly prefer the first one. It’s also the most annoying CD I ever bought.
Just my opinion, Dai…and Mr Digit’s…
Is this because of the ‘hidden track’? I remember it used to constantly skipm an issue I used to find with a lot of Geffen releases for some reason!
About 70 odd tracks of silence I believe followed by that horrible track and few more tracks of silence
Love Spreads and Ten Storey Love Song are pretty good singles. There are some good album tracks on there too but it could really have done with some honing down and editing.
Agree
The Seahorses album is excellent.
@nick-l
Bang on. Ten Storey Love song could have fitted on the debut I reck.
@Freddy-Steady yep, it’s definitely one that harks back to the first album’s guitar sound, as does the feel of the song.
Seeing the thread title made me think of this:
I had an entry published in the Viz Profanisaurus under “fools gold”. You’ll have to look it up. It was inspired by a Joan as Police Woman gig.
“The gold road’s sure a long road
Winds on through the hills for fifteen days
The pack on my back is aching
The strap seams cut me like a knife”
Curious lyrics – apparently inspired by watching The Treasure of Sierra Madre and by backpacking around Europe.