Review: The Stone Roses (20th Anniversary Release)

The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses (20^th Anniversary Release)

(Silvertone/Legacy)

Twenty years ago, when the Stone Roses’ eponymous debut was released, it seemed like a revelation. Combining psychedelic wah-wah, dance-y grooves, and Britrock sensibilities that stretched all the way back to the ’60s, the band pretty much was a living, breathing BBC radio station. Then they took five years to make a lame follow-up, and it turned out that the first record wasn’t so revelatory after all. This 20^th anniversary reissue includes the original album, a CD of demos, and a disc of B-sides and other leftovers (depending on which of the four different packages you buy). Many songs (“I Wanna Be Adored,” “She Bangs the Drums”) hold up, the long, trippy “Elephant Stone” should have been on the album, and there’s a sharp pop awareness to many of the bonus tracks. But there are also plenty of druggy tunes that stall in place, going nowhere. Your enjoyment of the two-plus hours of extras depends on how much you remember, or forgot, over the past 20 years. --Michael Gallucci