As The Stone Roses reform for their Third Coming, Brit books their Second one into Record Rehab…
The world of British rock journalism – as it exists in the music mags, student newspapers and weekend supplements – is inherently absurd. Its principal absurdities include but are not limited to: excessive hype and instant mythologizing of new acts; the desire to fit pop musicians into a grand social narrative beginning either with The Beatles or The Sex Pistols (I once felt moved to parody this business here); and a fashion-conscious herd mentality that virtually eliminates dissent and means that new albums receive largely identical positive or negative reviews across the board (compare with the varying critical notes on, say, new novels).
None of this becomes apparent to the music nut until he or she reaches a certain age – about 25 usually – when the degree to which a new pop release is decreed to represent artistic ‘progress’ (towards what?) or to display ‘relevance’ (to short-lived minority trends in youth culture), begins to matter much less than whether it will be enjoyable to listen to in the car; and reading music reviews becomes largely a question of sifting through the hyperbolic drivel to try to discern whether the reviewer is saying the tunes are any good.
Which brings me to The Stone Roses, a band whose recently-announced reunion made main news headlines and sold record numbers of concert tickets despite their having released a mere two proper studio albums, both in the last century and only one of them enjoying a positive critical reputation. The Stone Roses – the band’s 1989 debut – retains an untarnished status as an all-time British pop great. In fact, it isn’t a flawless record (it’s wonderful fore and aft but sags in the middle) but it is distinctive and powerfully evocative for people of the relevant generation, because the Stone Roses at the time had an intangible rockstar something – swagger? – which inspired such fan devotion that when they eventually got round to a tardy follow-up, they were cocksure enough to call it Second Coming.
Preceded by the terrific single Love Spreads, Second Coming came out in 1994 amidst a heap of hype and t-shirts, it went platinum and then…. well, everyone decided it was rubbish.
I myself bought one of the Second Coming t-shirts and sported it around campus for a few semesters, before gradually relegating it to jogging, then pyjama, then painting-and-decorating status – an apt metaphor for the album’s decline in the critical fashion stakes. But while I outwardly followed the trend, at home I carried on playing the record…
The consensus on the Roses holds that the first album is a work of staggering genius and the second a dismal failure. But no consensus will ever go unchallenged on The Dabbler and this one is clearly too trite.
True, Second Coming is not a great album. It is marred by a long boring intro and by its indulgence in the stupid 90s fad of inserting pointless ‘hidden’ tracks between long silences at the end of the CD. But it has several great songs: Love Spreads, which really is awesome; the riff-heavy tracks Driving South (below) and Begging You; and the lovely up-and-down melodic chimes of Ten Storey Love Song (also below). In addition it has some decent numbers and a few duds – a broadly similar good/bad ratio to nearly all premier league rock albums.
The opprobrium still heaped on Second Coming then, is attributable not to the objective quality of its songs but to: the excessive hype and mythologizing of its predecessor; the grand narrative which grants the first but not second incarnation of the Stone Roses an ‘iconic’ place in culture; and to the herd mentality of music journos. But as I noted in the first paragraph above, these things matter less as you get older, and, as many former rock pseuds of my generation secretly agree, in terms of the ‘how enjoyable is it in the car?’ test, Second Coming deserves record rehab.
Indeed, this insight formed the basis of a fine generational injoke in Shaun of the Dead, when the hapless heroes flick through Shaun’s LP collection to decide which records they can spare as anti-zombie ammunition (above). Second Coming? As Simon Pegg says, I like it…
On my big road trip to Morocco earlier this year, I started off with Driving South which was played 146 times (itunes verified) in all mainly before Dijon, Between Dijon and my Sisters near Valencia, it was Sade (who btw lives in Madrid i believe) interspersed by Polly jean Harvey. Down into Morocco and on the desert road south it was a mix of Arab rap on the radio, and Zimmers Black Hawk Down soundtrack. Barra Barra in the main, I suppose to keep me on my guard if any Somali pirates make it from east to west Africa.
Its very strange how music kind of goes with the general climate and surroundings as well as your mood. I think the SR rode the Madchester road very well, but its a road I think most of us have been up and down a few times, the sort of road when you go through the traffic lights you jolt yourself asking yourself if the lights were on red or green.
Driving South is indeed a monster of a track and I’m often of a mind to play it… but 146 times? That ain’t normal…
I have known several people who take that approach to music though – they find something they like and just play it into the dirt.
None of this becomes apparent to the music nut until he or she reaches a certain age – about 25 usually – when the degree to which a new pop release is decreed to represent artistic ‘progress’
And therein lies the crux of the matter, it’s age related, the senses can cope with a certain amount, then overkill sets in. I threw in the towel when junior latched on to the Dead Kennedys, enough already, punk, schmunk.
I couldn’t tell a Stone Rose from a Gun Rose except, Sweet Child o’ Mine is brilliant, sung by Taken by Trees.
never understood the whole stone roses, primal scream thing, all sounds like ‘rawk’ to me, very beeryblokey, I think I must be too effete for that stuff, give me some radiohead anyday
I suppose Brit its a bit like self hypnotism that can only really be done while driving on motorways.
The album I have without doubt most listened too in my life is Remain in Light by the Talking heads. Brian Eno (joshua tree, avalon ect) is an utter musical genius, crap on question time (never get too close to your heroes, you wont like them) but a genius none the less.
The Album Ive most listened too over the last 2 years is Eminem’s recovery, if Michael Portillo can have Wagner’s ring as forbidden fruit then I can have Eminem, its the best newish thing ive heard in a long time.
I wouldn’t have a cat’s chance in hell of seeing them live but I’ve seen The Complete Stone Roses tribute band, who are pretty good. I read somewhere that the lead singer of the tribute band is better at keeping in tune than Ian Brown.
I’ve not seen the video of Ten Storey Love Song before and don’t think it adds anything to it at all – in fact detracts from a sweet love song.
This is the One is my favourite song of theirs. I’ve just played it yet again and enjoyed that opening bit on the guitar followed by the crashing chords.
Was pondering this very question the other day. ‘Tears’ is wonderful and much passes the driving test. Gives overblown guitar work outs a good name.
Also love Tightrope.
Worst tracks are Straight to the Man and Daybreak.
Completely agree – Second Coming is excellent and unfairly dismissed. Their B-sides (collected on The Complete Stone Roses) are also wonderful.