The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses - 1989

We are up to episode 17 and it's a pivotal LP both culturally and musically - The Stone Roses much revered eponymously titled debut album from May 1989. Unbelievably, the record was released on exactly the same day as an album we have already covered - our top rated LP to date - Disintegration by The Cure. A very different sound, but will we both rate it as highly as that album?

The record buying public and critics certainly liked it with the NME fan readers poll for 1989 voting The Stone Roses the Best Band, Best New Band, Best album and Best Single (Fools Gold). In the year 2000, the NME awarded the record the title of 'Best Album Ever', with the 2009 remaster release receiving a 10/10 rating from 'Pitchfork'.

We cover the genesis of the band, including an important chance meeting for Ian Brown with legendary R&B singer Geno Washington, as well as the numerous line-up changes before the 4 lads that recorded the album - singer Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, drummer Alan 'Reni' Wren, Gary 'Mani' Mounfield' - came together to create such an improtant musical body of work. Along with the impressive songs, their swift ascension during 1989 was fuelled by their unwavering self belief and nose for publicity. The album gets the usual track by track analysis and Rick explains why for quite a while he thought the A-side was the B-side and vice versa.

There's a look at what happened to the band after the release of the album including their infamous Spike Island gig, the court case that lead to the 5 year delay in the band releasing a follow-up album and their unlikely 2011 re-union after the bands demise in 1996.

On our continued coverage of Rolling Stones top 500 songs of all time, we review tracks 25-21 inclusive. You can watch the YouTube videos for each song by clicking or copying and pasting the links below:

Runaway by Kanye West featuring Pusha T from 2010: https://youtu.be/Bm5iA4Zupek

A Day In The Life by The Beatles from 1967: https://youtu.be/usNsCeOV4GM

Heroes by David Bowie from 1977: https://youtu.be/lXgkuM2NhYI

Be My Baby by The Ronnettes from 1963: https://youtu.be/jSPpbOGnFgk

Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday from 1939: https://youtu.be/Web007rzSOI

New music from 2021 liked by Rick:

18 cigarettes by Ducks Ltd: https://youtu.be/qsZb9U0_T9U

Country by Good Mornin: https://youtu.be/agNRqAbTxtg

If you haven't had enough of Christmas yet, here's Rick's single of the week - Christmas wrapping by The Waitresses: https://youtu.be/nud2TQNahaU

favourite cover versions of the song - Christmas Wrapping performed by Belle and Sebastian: https://youtu.be/EHQP3LN9QoQ and a slower version by the wonderful Summercamp: https://youtu.be/nqb_QqkS6Dg

Kate's single of the week - Only The Moment by Marc Almond: https://youtu.be/ibusVXUyZJI

And the sublime cover version by Katarina Kovak: https://youtu.be/Jg_1gw07p60

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We'll be back early-mid Jan covering the album 'San Fransisco' by 'The American Music Club' from 1994.