ring-a-ding-ding-ding...

so, here we are then. the band of a generation. what some people call the most influential band of the 90s. the baggiest band and the kings of the wittily named "madchester scene" (in which any band who wore jeans and baggy t-shirts, and sported basin haircuts were conveniently categorised - even blur, who hail from, um, essex!)

formed in the late 80s, the band were initially nothing like the stone roses that indie kids everywhere came to adore. example; ian brown wore leather trousers and gelled his hair. also, the band's sound was more gothic, just listen to "so young" (no, not that poxy corrs song) and "tell me" - songs that are best forgotten really! but, slowly and surely, than band came round to the "true way" and took to riding scooters - having stones thrown at them as they rode through the, ahem, lovely west midlands town of stourbridge!

anyway, the stone roses boasted some top-class musicians: john squire, moody paintbrush wielding guitarist who could, i'm sure, do all those diddly bits quite contentedly all day: gary "mani" mounfield, the fabulous bassist (just check out "fools gold" for your proof!) then there was drummer and hat guru alan "reni" wren, noted to be an influence upon ocean colour scene's oscar - must be a hat thing then! just how he managed to play drums that well and sing at the same time remains a mystery. then, of course, was ian brown - the frontman who taught some bloke called liam gallagher a thing or two! by the way, if your wondering who that bloke is who used to dance at the side of the stage like a parrot on speed, well, that was cressa, the band's very own, um, dancer type person!

their first album, "the stone roses" was a triumph which showed the excellent songwriting partnership of brown and squire in songs such as "she bangs the drums," "made of stone" and "waterfall." then came the problems... the less than amicable split with label silvertone (which saw the band throwing paint over the executive's office - no doubt squire was creating one of his jackson pollock album covers - and the executive's mercedes mysteriously getting its windows smashed, resulted in a mammoth court case for the band.

the ensuing 5 year break brought disastrous implications. it's widely stated that squire turned to cocaine, and the songwriting partnership fizzled. squire began to write alone, giving the roses an altogether differnet sound - with darker songs and narcissistic guitar solos that lasted about 3 years. the result was the second album, "the second coming."

then, gasp! reni left the band and was replaced by robbie maddix. soon after, squire departed, leaving aziz ibrahim to fill his boots. the band just weren't the same anymore. perhaps the end was inevitable, though it's a pity it was made so public. at the reading festival came their most disastrous performance - most of the audience cried or left... or both and, immmediately after, the band announced that that, folks, was indeed, it.

so what now? well, reni's around in various funk bands whilst mani went and joined primal scream. squire's next band, the seahorses - an anagram of "he hates roses" - ended up as the stone roses had - spot the running theme? and ian brown is experimenting as a solo artist. none of them, however, will ever match the roses.

send me home like an elephant stone