Is the Stone Roses debut really as good as is claimed?

WELL DONE GEIR.

That repeated strummed intro to Bye Bye Badman slowly pans across the soundstage! Never heard it do that before.

I picked this up today, finally replacing the cassette I bought back in '89 as a callow youth. I just had a listen on some headphones while watching the football, and it does sound utterly gorgeous. It sounds amazing actually. Especially the second side (as was) which is just ice cold solid gold from end to end.

So many great memories tied up with this album, but it sounds so fresh here as well.

Twenty years. Where did all the time go?

Unfortunately we have another month wait for this here in the States, not even up on the U.S. iTunes yet. But all the good word on this thread leaves me anxious.

saw the box at work this week as an import - it's freaking HUGE but completely drool-worthy. $190 price tag will ensure i wait for the domestic, which is supposedly $130. a bit less unreasonable!

So, is the sound *that* much better?

I'd say so, yes.

It's not going to compare with the Beatles remasters when they come out, because the original CDs were horrific and the remasters will have had a lot of money spent on them, and also the Stone Roses debut wasn't, I suspect, all that well recorded in the first place. But I've enjoyed it more than I have in years.

See, I was awaiting the issue of this LP after seeing the Stone Roses on Tony Wilson's "Other side of midnight", even taping it and showing our drummer "This! This is the future" (he didn't see it himself, so once again we were six months behind as opposed to a year ahead la di dah etc)..

.. and wanted "Waterfall" to be a single. Which it was, eventually, as a remixed/retooled edition.

Which I quite liked. Maybe even preferred in isolation, to the LP version (but not in the context of the LP if you get me..)

If the whole LP was remixed/etc like those singles were, that'd be good interesting also. But that's not happened, right?

Nope; it's literally just remastering; a little bit more volume, a little bit more bass, a little bit more detail, a little bit more (obvious) use of space.

.. which is probably better, for an album.

Oh without a shadow of a doubt. Just buy it, dude; however, I'd recommend just going for the basic 1-disc version; the 3-disc adds the live at Blackpool DVD which is readily available elsewhere for pennies, and a CD of demos which are shite. The uber-box has all the b-sides and non-album singles, but it's £100; if you're desperate for the b-sides you can buy individual tracks off iTunes, and I'd hope that they'd get a 1-disc release of their at some stage too (a remastered Turns Into Stone perhaps).

Wait, so did they leave in the vinyl-scratch *glitch* on the fadeout of "Elizabeth My Dear?"

The 3 disc version is £27 in HMV, I mean, eh?

And I do wonder if the big box will turn up in Fopp in 6 months...

Wait, so did they leave in the vinyl-scratch *glitch* on the fadeout of "Elizabeth My Dear?"

That's meant to be a gunshot, though it's always sounded a bit shit. I'm guessing they didn't replace it with an Uzi or something for the remaster? Shame.

The glitch is still there, yes, and definitely is NOT a gunshot; does sound like a vinyil glitch, aye.

A silenced gunshot, indicating the work of a stealthy assassin? I'd assumed it was a flaw on the tape of my cassette, until I bought the CD.

There was a video of them live in '89 on one of the satellite music channels over the weekend, jesus they were fucking shite live weren't they?

The 40 track legacy edition can be downloaded from 7Digital for £7.99 at the moment, if that's of interest to anyone?

http://www.7digital.com/artists/the-stone-roses/the-stone-roses-20th-anniversary-legacy-edition-2

Wow - ILX opinion has turned around on this one, huh?

Oddly, the Legacy edition is £10.99

Buy two copies for £4.99 total!

how?

I actually thought the demos were great in most cases. lots of extended jams ("One Love" is a highlight), and in particular "Shoot You Down" sounded pretty spectacular. i loved 'em, ymmv.

live it seems Ian's inability to stay on pitch is the cause of their live=shite problems...

Having downloaded all the b-sides and AAs, I'm actually tempted to get the stupoid box just because I love these tunes so much; more so than the debut album. Simone and Guernica sound so good.

They make me go all Bimble. I'm sad he missed this.

bump becasue Pitchfork gave this a 10.0 today

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13449-the-stone-roses/

I like the "Best New Music" tag

Is this a remastered version of sorts or just a regular reissue?

Wait, I just read and apparently it's remastered. Anyone heard it?

Scroll up this very thread just a little.

Excellent review.

Wait, so did they leave in the vinyl-scratch *glitch* on the fadeout of "Elizabeth My Dear?"

Always thought that was meant to sound like an archer loosing an arrow. Intentional sound effect.

I thought it sounded like a silenced pistol.

I think they probably left it in because everyone expects to hear it.

I thought it sounded like a silenced pistol.

that's what it's supposed to be. it's a sound effect.

I had a tape of this when I was younger and I remember it sounded like cheesed-out 90s dance beats with guitar pop music over it. But now I tolerate cheesed-out 90s dance beats way more, so maybe I would like it. But my mom maybe threw away my tapes?

i really wanted to buy this so i ordered it through the mail, usually buy all my stuff at Amoeba Hollywood. anyways, i thought the second CD was the B-Sides CD but instead it's The Lost Demos CD. all i really wanted was the remastered B-Sides collection on CD without buying the super deluxe version. so i'm really sad tonight...

I think it's as good as most people say it is. I love the album, would call it a classic, but it certainly isn't in my top 20 albums of all time. There are some weak songs on it, but the first three, I Am the Resurrection, Made of Stone, etc. make up for them.

BeeOK, the 'big box' is available for cheap at the download shop.

It's minus the extra 'backwards' tracks, but that is all.

Or try Spotify even. (i.e. it's definitely there)

You can just buy the remastered b-sides individual from the iTunes store; that's what I did. Hopefully one day they'll see sense and release them as a CD on their own.

well ok the remaster is actually a *~~~revelation~~* to my ears

I recently heard Steve Miller's "Space Cowboy" and realized that it's 100% responsible for the Stone Roses' schtick.

― Elvis Telecom, Wednesday, May 16, 2007 7:59 AM (3 years ago)

Tried listening to this album today and had to bail out yet again. Three years later, I still stand by the above statement.

The only exception I'll make is for Mani's freakout in the extended version of "Fool's Gold"

it was 2000, and much as i hate slipknot et al, they were a fuckload more interesting than stereophonics or travis.

Then again, music isn't about being "interesting", it's about being nice. And Travis were a lot nicer than Slipknot.
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, May 16, 2007 10:54 PM (nine years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Still the greatest post of all time.

It's up there.

I'm still not convinced that Geir isn't simply an artificial intelligence program with many bugs that were never worked out.

On the contrary, I think they achieved near perfection with Geir.

I take it the first line was someone else

Yes.