The Stone Roses celebrate an indie milestone

Aug 10 2009 By Chester Chronicle

THE Manchester band who spawned a thousand others, The Stone Roses, re-release the self-titled album that made them household names 20 years ago.

The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses 20th Anniversary Edition

It's hard to accept it's 20 years old. Such is the lasting influence of the album, however, most modern guitar music still hangs in The Stone Roses' shadow.

At the time, the album brimmed with such amazing confidence, it strutted, chest out while other albums of the time were introspective or afraid to admit their ambition.

"The past was yours but the future's mine," sings Ian Brown on She Bangs The Drums, a two-fingered salute to elders, authority and their musical predecessors back in 1989.

Knowing what we now know of the band's spectacular demise, that once-powerful sentiment has become something of an ode to unfulfilled promise and wide-eyed optimism of youth.

There are three versions of the album available to mark the occasion - a single disc, double disc and, believe it or not, a six-disc set - with varying levels of extra music, demos and goodies on offer. But as any fan of the album will tell you, all you really need are the original, flawless 11 tracks.

Rating: 10/10