The Stone Roses＜Clear Vinyl/完全生産限定盤＞

1989年発売 ザ・ストーン・ローゼズのUKロック史上に燦然と輝く名盤『ストーン・ローゼズ』のアナログ盤(クリア・ヴァイナル)

イギリス/マンチェスター出身のイアン・ブラウン、ジョン・スクワイア、レニ、マニの4人からなるザ・ストーン・ローゼス。
マンチェスター・ムーヴメントの中心であり、その象徴として、オアシス、ブラー、カサビアンなどに大きな影響を与えた。1989年に発売されたデビュー・アルバム『ストーン・ローゼズ』は、ジョン・レッキーをプロデューサーに迎え、「アイ・ウォナ・ビー・アドアード」、「アイ・アム・ザ・レザレクション」、「フールズ・ゴールド」などの名曲を収録。90年代以降のUKロックの方向性を決定付けた名盤を、アナログ盤(クリア・ヴァイナル)で発売。

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