The Stone Roses

33⅓ Main Series #33

by Alex Green

The Stone Roses shows a band sizzling with skill, consumed with drive and aspiration and possessing an almost preternatural mastery of the pop paradigm. This book explores the political and cultural zeitgeist of England in 1989 and attempts to apprehend the magic ingredients that made The Stone Roses such a special and influential album.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Journalism

140 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Alex Green is the author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Emergency Anthems, as well as the novels The Adventure Teen All-Stars, Malraux and the Midnight Organ Fight and The Heart Goes Boom. He's also the author of The Stone Roses, which is part of the 33 1/3 series on seminal rock and roll albums. He is the Founder of Stereo Embers Magazine and the host of the weekly program Stereo Embers: The Podcast. A native of California, Alex currently teaches in the English Department at St. Mary's College of California, where he also served as the Distinguished Visiting Writer in Non-Fiction in 2011.

IG: @emberspodcast

Reviews

[Heather Powell Browne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am in love with a pocket-sized novella. We don't know yet where we'll live but we are sure that we will be very happy together.

Several months back I received a copy of Alex Green's contribution to The 33 1/3 Series, The Stone Roses. For those uninitiated into this fantastic little series, it is essentially the zenith of musical dorkitude: entire books that look song-by-song at a seminal album. I had not yet found spare time to crack open Green's mini-tome on the messiahs from Manchester, but finally when I settled into my seat on the airplane to go to San Francisco (very close to a large neighbor in 12E who was seat-dancing to Arabic music, complete with hand motions) I pulled it out of my bag and settled in.

By the third paragraph, I was hooked -- already laughing out loud at the flawless way that Green captures the everyday and crystallizes it into something fabulous. His ardor and undying passion for The Stone Roses and their 1989 self-titled debut album is evident in each chapter, on every page. This is an absolute must-read (even if you have no idea who The Stone Roses were or why they were important).

[Tom Boniface-Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta say, I really love this series of books. This book appears to be one of the earlier ones, critical analysis has been partly swapped in favour of personal connection to the record, which doesn’t spoil the read in any way, just takes a different approach.

For a record that means so much to so many people from a particular place and in a particular time, bold approach to follow the view of an outsider (writer is American), but that just proves the universal appeal of the record and allows a different perspective to the one explored many times already.

[Spiros · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice track-by-track insight into the nuts and bolts construction of a seminal album, sprinkled with some nice personal anecdotes. On a personal level I have to confess that for an embarrassing number of years I thought that the song "Don't Stop" was just the extended tail end of the song "Waterfall".

I take a bit of an issue with Green's blanket disparagement of "Second Coming". Sure, it's not nearly as well constructed as "Stone Roses", but very few albums (almost none) are. I feel like Shaun off "Shaun of the Dead", as he and Ed are chucking vinyl at zombies in their back garden: "Stone Roses?"
"umm..." "It's 'Second Coming'." "I LIKE it!"
In my ranking of Manchester bands, I have Stones Roses and Oasis in a dead heat: each band produced two really good albums, which I would rank: "Stone Roses", "(What's the Story) Morning Glory", "Definitely Maybe", and "Second Coming". Oasis going on to produce a decades' worth of forgettable albums subsequently doesn't move the needle, as far as I'm concerned.

[Petty Lisbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only mildly know this album but I enjoyed learning about the 80's British counterculture scene. Maybe I'm rating the album more than the book but it was a pretty good length for learning about the music without getting too personal about it.

[Shant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised I liked the book as much as I did. I seem to be the only person without a polarized opinion on the Stone Roses. I liked how he talked about the political context of the songs and the cultural context (is that the right phrase?) for the band.

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stone Roses by Alex Green is, so far, one of the best books from the 33 1/3 series by Continuum Books. I think a lot of it has to do with his style which is personal, passionate, engaging, witty, as well as informative. He loves music and knows a lot about it and demonstrates that music can carry very deep personal associations as well. But occasionally it can transcend emotional associations and predictability and become a sort of personal classic-this album is one of those for him. I think this album has stood the test of time very well, but I'm not sure I can say the same. It is by far the best thing from the late 80s Manchester scene in my opinion, though. So it is befitting that these personal links be explored as well. I think he does a particularly good job of providing the context from which this record was made as well as the context of what it was in relation to other driving forces of music-particularly independent (alternative) or what was then known as college music. I know and understand these references, because Green is the same age as me we and, generally, listen to the same music. However, he was much more passionate and willing to shell-out the cash for the music he needed. For example, he mentions how The Stone roses bridged the gap between indie rock and the rave dance culture. As he states, there was an absence of dance music among what he calls the Westgergians (a truly fitting title for the indie rock guys like me-I didn't really "get" dance music until I came to Japan in 97', but I still profess to be mainly a Westbergian). This was demonstrated by one of my old room mates, who worked at the college radio station DJing and reviewing records for them, put on what I imagine to be either "Elephant Stone" or "I Want To Be Adored" when his roommate burst into the room shimming to the record.

He basically does all this by writing, in essence, a separate essay with a different theme for each song along with a prologue and epilogue. These sections are complete with fitting epigraphs from various sources (songs by Elvis Costello and The Smiths, literary quotes-from Goethe-Byron-Wilde, sound-bites from The Stones Roses and Noel Gallagher). Furthermore, he provides the history of the Manchester scene and the rise of rave culture which begat and influenced this record. He also gets a variety of musicians to make observations about the band and the record (from obscure bands that I used to listen to like The Woodentops, The Mighty Lemons, and Posies). A very enjoyable and nostalgic read-highly recommended.

[Elliot Chalom · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of ways that authors approach their subject matter in the 33-1/3 series. Many aim to canonize the album by showing it as a metaphor or statement of a broader thesis. Some get really deep into the music in a way that only a professional musician could. Some kind of veer away from the album and tell more of a story about the band generally or a time period or, well, anything else.

In his book about The Stone Roses' incredible self-titled 1989 debut album, Alex Green takes the approach that I probably would if I got my chance to write about one of my favorite albums of all time. There's an introduction, an epilogue, and in between 12 'chapters' each covering a song on the album. It's that simple. Green is a HUGE fan of the record and he's not ashamed to say it (over and over again). Good for him! That's not to say that he doesn't put in some hard work. He conducted interviews with musicians and journalists from the era, did his research, and analyzed every song down to the most minute detail. But at the end of the day Green is a gushing fan. And that made me love the album so much more. Highly recommended for any fan of the album.

[Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books in this series are hit-or-miss and it’s really more based on the author than the subject matter. Fortunately, the author on this book (Alex Green… a guy I had never previously heard of) is really great. He’s fun to read, he actually has a solid sense of humor that had me laughing out loud a number of times (be sure to read all of his footnotes), and he does what I want out of the books in this series: He takes you back to the time and place when the album was being made (as well as the time and place in his own life when this album invaded his life) and he walks you through the story. I think this album really is one of the most special albums from the past three decades and Green proves a worthy storyteller for this timeless work of art.

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw the movie - Made of Stone recently, so I finally dove into this book about the Stone Roses first album. It's a fun little read about the band, the state of British music at the time, the frailties of the music industry, the marvels of a well-crafted album that still hangs together, and a little bit of nostalgia for how it used to by mixed with some grudging empathy for what could have been.

[Alice Handley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to this chucklehead I like this amazing album just slightly less.

[Manon · Rating 2 out of 5]

keeping it lemon

[Brian Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between three and four stars, but when in doubt, be generous. It’s fun because his appraisal is based on the original American version of the album, meaning Elephant Stone is in there, just as it was when I heard the album for the first time as an American high schooler a decade later.

The essays occasionally belabor elements of his personal life that don’t quite deliver…but at other times they’re funny, and I think that’s the way this series ought to work: personal and sure, a tad indulgent. The idea is to articulate what an album means to us. And this one is as meaningful as it gets for the author, and for me. A pleasant day’s read - and then I listened to the album on my evening walk to cap it off.

[Desmond Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series of books, but you have to just accept that there is no template, that each is the vision of the individual author, and mileage varies. There is always the question of 1) what the album means to you, and 2) what it means to the author, and what he wants to talk about in the book. I like the Stone Roses, just not as much as this author. So I found this book tedious. The connections he draws to the political climate and events are limited and superficial, although to be fair that is not really the main purpose of the book. Just a fan going on about his favorite group. Which is fine, just not for me.

[Phil Greaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. I mean, it's not great - it is (inevitably) hagiography mostly, offset by some calculated and largely irrelevant observations which tries to balance the saintly tone, such as West not thinking much of the early output (nothing too controversial there) - but you learn some interesting stuff along the way. It's supported by dozens of interviews and lovingly put together, so you might like it more than I did. My favorite track btw is 'Made of Stone', which could well be on my Desert Island Discs list...

[T.J. Gillespie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this is your favorite album of all-time, you will love this book.

Is this my favorite album of all-time? Yes.
Did I love this book? Yes.

In the final epilogue, Green writes: "When we return to our old favorites we find that either we're not there for the music anymore or the music isn't there for us. And so the question really becomes a simple one: do our favorite albums lapse into obsolescence or do we?"

With this album, we transcend that problem.
Five stars.
This is the one I've been waiting for.

[Gary Fowles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deeply average. Here’s your chance to dive deep into your favourite album of all time, and you piss that opportunity away with personal anecdotes about your college years. Thin on actual facts, I feel this album might have been better tackled by someone British, since a fair bit of time is spent unpacking certain aspects of British culture that really don’t need explaining.

Oh well.

[Timothy Minneci · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-research deep dive on the band that connects late 80s Madchester and the 90s Britpop scene. More personal asides and indulgences that I would have preferred, but the number of interviews and amount of research more than makes up for it. Would have liked a little more info on the actual recording process from John Leckie's perspective.

[Adam Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could have done with less coverage of the stories I’ve read about before and more writing like this: “In some cases, when we return to our old favorites we find that either we're not there for the music anymore or the music isn't there for us. And so the question really becomes a simple one: do our favorite albums lapse into obsolescence or do we?“


The album gets 5 stars, obviously.

[Brianna Westervelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author lovingly weaves his own personal memories of the album with the overarching cultural history and making of the album.

[Ted Gurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Why I Read The 33 1/3 Series

Never paid much attention to The Stone Roses until this slim volume. As I read and listened, it became more appealing with each listen. Greene’s epilogue and take on what happens to our favorite music over time is brilliant.

[Larry Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! Never heard the band but I've read all of Alex's other books and this was great. Now I love The Stone Roses!!

[Brian Kovesci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book in the series. Green wrote about the band, where they came from, their struggles and how they were perceived both at home in Manchester and in the US.

[Germaine De · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the roses, loved hearing their story

[Kevin Linsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This man is passionate about the Stone Roses. I learned a lot. Great book, glad I purchased it.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, this author LOVES The Stone Roses. While there is some very good history and audio analysis, Green spends a little too much time discussing his own teen obsession with them.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels like a pretty standard approximation of the album. It just made me want to listen to the music, which is no bad thing I suppose.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some chapters’ focus is a little strange, namely focusing on John Leckie’s production in a chapter devoted to a song not produced by Leckie. Some seem purposeful, like a chapter devoted to dancing and lead singers dancing when it is later noted that their lead singer didn’t dance; that seems to show how the Stone Roses were sometimes outside the norm of their contemporaries. As the book went on, I got used to the chapter focus having very little to do with the song each chapter initially claimed to be focusing on; I just chalked it up to the author wanting to give each song a focus, but choosing to build poor segues rather than making the other bits separate. The worst offense is when a chapter focuses on Margaret Thatcher and tries to twist the lyrics of one song to be about Thatcherism in a completely unconvincing way.

The book showcases tons of quotes from members of different bands. The inclusion of some quotes seem more relevant than others. (I’ll gladly read about Operation Ivy’s Jesse Michaels’ views on Ronald Reagan, but it seemed a pretty big "get" just to explain Thatcherism's similarities to Reaganism.) When the quotes were from the Stone Roses’ contemporaries, it usually made sense. When they were from groups influenced by the Stone Roses it made sense. Other times, they seemed like unnecessary voices in the room when the author’s voice would have been enough.

Pros were all the context given to the time period: explaining the similarities between Thatcherism and Reaganism, explanations of Madchester, the ecstasy scene. It also was great getting some back history on the band, whether their bravado or the long stretches they had between recording and having a product, or between albums.

The author’s humor wouldn’t fly today since it all seems to be “from one man to another” comments on women.


Notes:
“Bye Bye Badman” is all about the 1968 student riots in France. The lemons mentioned were an antidote to teargas, immortalized in the lyrics and album cover.

“Scarborough Fair” is a ballad from the 16th century, one the Stone Roses try to take back from Simon and Garfunkel in the menacing “Elizabeth, My Dear.”

“The band’s apotheosis, however, had as much to do with singular events as chart successes. Over the course of their / career they provided celebrated live results, with sold-out shows everywhere from the Hacienda in Manchester to Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom to Spike Island in Cheshire, where they played fro over 30,000 fans. They burned their bridges in public, splashing paint all over the offices of one former record label, while engaging in a protracted legal battle with another. They signed a multimillion dollar deal with Geffen then vanished for several years before even putting out a record. They appeared on “Top of the Pops” in a performance punctuated by singer Ian Brown’s conspicuously mocking refusal to lip synch. They thumbed their noses at history, making claims they were going to be bigger than the Beatles, and that living legends Mick Jagger and David Bowie were insincere.” (5-6)

“Although the Stone Roses recorded an album that was never released in 1985, in the nearly five years it took to finally put out their debut, they did manage to amass some pretty impressive highlights.” (9)

“To sum up the story of the Stone Roses is really this simple: they released a brilliant album, had a protracted legal wrangle with their record company, signed a big deal with a major label, disappeared for a few years, released a stunningly mediocre sophomore effort (Second Coming); members quit, new ones joined, they played some great shows (Liverpool’s Royal Court in 1995) and some pretty bad shows (a lifeless performance at Reading, 1996) and in 1996, clearly sputtering to the end, called it a day.” (126)

“I suppose in retrospect the Roses’ greatest strength was knowing what they wanted, and their greatest weakness was not realizing what they had.” (130)

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the kind of 33 1/3 book I tend to gravitate towards - a nice mix of music analysis, cultural context and personal reflections. Green does a nice job covering all three paths into the record, while still keeping it a tight read.

[Matt Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well for such a radical and funky album this book is disappointingly direct and name-droppy.

I just didn't quite get some of the assumptions about the album and the songs made by Alex Green, this record was embraced by so many of my friends and I felt that the book didn't teach me much about the record, my responses to it, or its place in modern music.

It's nice to find out the odd fact about the band personnel and some production things, like that waterfall played backwards with some vocals to match the backwards sounds turned into Don't Stop and they got another track, hey presto!

But there is a sense of mystery and funk to the record which this reviewer played down I think, it was a very "white" take on the record whereas had it been taken on by a reviewer with more grounding in Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, there may have been more insight into this remarkably out of time record.

I Am The Resurrection still gives me chills!

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the 33 1/3 series, this is specifically about the album, The Stone Roses, not just the Stone Roses. In many ways this book is great for someone like me because the author is from Concord, CA and he loves British music. His references are ones I relate to. He mentions Pyromania in the first paragraph of the prologue and Angel Heart in first paragraph of the epilogue. He talks of Steve Masters, Santa Monica, and manages to fit in Jesse Michaels' views on Reagan. He interviews musicians that I like - members of Ride, the Wedding Present, Adorable, Ballboy, Lush, etc. as well as Mr. Alan McGee. But I don't know how interesting this book would be for someone from the UK. Also, he spends way too much time over-analyzing song meaning and talking about his own life.