I’m taking a week off from the daily posts for my spring break. See you in a week!
Month: March 2024
7. “Ten Storey Love Song” – The Stone Roses: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music
7. “Ten Storey Love Song” – The Stone Roses
(From the album Second Coming)
1994
While The Stone Roses Second Coming did not completely eschew the dance/rock textures of the Madchester scene that the band had helped make famous (third single “Begging You” leans into these in fact) the band did pull back from them for much of the album. Lead single “Love Spreads” was more a psychedelic rock song and the follow up single “Ten Storey Love Song” was one of the most classicist songs that the band would ever record. A midtempo love song that made sense playing alongside bands like Oasis and Blur on the radio, “Ten Storey Love Song” was a solid hit in the UK, peaking at #11. However, behind the scenes The Stone Roses were beginning to fall apart. Neither singer Ian Brown or drummer Reni showed up for the first day of filming for the “Ten Storey Love Song” video. Brown would eventually turn up to film the video but Reni never did (a man wearing a mask of Reni’s face pops up in the video a few times though) and Reni would announce his exit from the band a short time later, just two weeks before the band was to go on tour in support of Second Coming. Replacement drummer Robbie Maddux was brought in just in time to have a series of UK concert dates cancelled. The band also had to cancel their planned “comeback” appearance at the famous Glastonbury Festival in June when guitarist John Squire broke his collarbone in a mountain biking accident a few weeks before the show. The Stone Roses finally were able to kick off their tour in support of Second Coming in November of 1995, almost a year after the album was released. In spite of the delay the tour sold out all of its scheduled dates in a day. However, the band continued to fray when guitarist and main songwriter John Squire announced his departure in April 1996. The remaining members recruited new guitarist Aziz Ibrahim and kept the band going for another six months before Brown and Mani agreed to end the band. The Stone Roses would not play together again until 2012 when the band played a one-off show that was only announced an hour before showtime. However, 2013 saw the band play several large festivals including the Isle of Wight, Coachella, and the Glasgow Green. 2016 finally saw The Stone Roses release their first new material since the B-side of the “Ten Storey Love Song” single had come out in 1995 when the band released the stand alone singles “All For One” and “Beautiful Thing”. The band played their last show in 2017.
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6. “Love Spreads” – The Stone Roses: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music
6. “Love Spreads” – The Stone Roses
(From the album Second Coming)
1994
Following the release of the “One Love” single The Stone Roses and their record label went into a protracted legal battle that kept the band from releasing new material for four years. Ultimately, Stone Roses would win and sign with Geffen Records but the heyday of Madchester had long passed by then and the alternative music scene had shifted significantly. Guitarist John Squire had also become a new father and his desire to be home with his family also slowed worked on the new album, as did a dispute between the band and producer John Leckie, who ultimately decided to leave the project. In spite of all of these setbacks and delays the buzz and buildup for the release of The Stone Roses second album was still hotly anticipated. Indeed, it built up to a point that almost no release could have lived up to the hype. The Stone Roses themselves didn’t help their own cause by cheekily naming the album Second Coming. Second Coming was finally released in December of 1994 with “Love Spreads” as the lead single. The album found The Stone Roses pulling back from the dance textures and “Madchester” sound of their previous work to some degree, in favor of the more straightforward rock and roll that the band had pursued in their early days. This was likely a wise decision as the classicist sound of Britpop had replaced Madchester in the years since Stone Roses had last been on the scene. This shift in sound can be heard on the bluesy riffs and 60’s psychedelia of lead single “Love Spreads”, a strong song that hit #2 in the UK and #2 on the American alternative rock charts. In spite of this success though “Love Spreads” didn’t impact the public consciousness the way many of the singles from The Stone Roses had and it was soon apparent that The Stone Roses weren’t the center of the British music scene anymore and that Second Coming could not live up to the massive expectations. Still, “Love Spreads” is an excellent rock song with vague flourishes of both dance/rock and psychedelia, and another deserved hit for the band.
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5. “One Love” – The Stone Roses: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music
5. “One Love” – The Stone Roses
(From the single “One Love”)
1990
The success of The Stone Roses album was a slow build and a slow burn and many of the singles were released and rereleased multiple times as the band’s fame slowly rose. However, as the album cycle for The Stone Roses drew near to its end the band decided to release one more non-album single to capitlaize on their success and serve as a capstone for this era. So the band returned to the studio and recorded “One Love” which would be released in the summer of ‘90. “One Love” was released with the intent to be the summer anthem of 1990 and the song did prove to be another commercial success, going to #4 in the UK, while finding a happy midpoint between the band’s more straightforward rock songs and the trancy dance/rock of “Fools Gold”. In spite of being a commercial success and seeming to find a happy middle ground between The Stone Roses various styles, Stone Roses singer Ian Brown didn’t particularly like the song and said that “The chorus wasn’t strong enough. We tried for an anthem. We wanted to cover all bases and ended up covering none.” While it is true “One Love” didn’t become the universal anthem that the band intended it to be many people, including myself, still find it to be among their better songs and a success.
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4. “I Wanna Be Adored” – The Stone Roses: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music
4. “I Wanna Be Adored” – The Stone Roses
(From the album The Stone Roses)
1989
The Stone Roses followed up the success of “Fools Gold” by releasing “I Wanna Be Adored” in the US first and then later in the UK (at least I think so, the release dates surrounding this song are quite confusing and different sources show different dates). “I Wanna Be Adored” was actually a relatively old song for the band and had originally been recorded with Martin Hannett for the aborted Garage Flower album that was intended to be the group’s original debut. While this earlier version is very similar to the version of the song that would be recorded for The Stone Roses, the older version is a little more rock-oriented and punchy whereas the later Stone Roses version feels slightly more spaced out and rhythmic. While not as big a hit as “Fools Gold” (or the re-release of “Elephant Stone”) “I Wanna Be Adored” has become one of the band’s most critically lauded songs and a hallmark of the Madchester scene.
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3. “Fools Gold” – The Stone Roses: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music
3. “Fools Gold” – The Stone Roses
(From the album The Stone Roses)
1989
The Stone Roses had released their debut album and seen some success with “She Bangs The Drums” but they had not yet had a true signature song or hit. That was about to change. For the next single the band intended to release a new non-album song they had recorded called “What The World Is Waiting For” and back it up with “Fools Gold”, a new dance/rock hybrid track recorded in the same session as the singles B-side. However, when one of their label’s A&R men heard “Fools Gold” he strongly encouraged The Stone Roses to release “Fools Gold” as the single instead. Unsure if that was a wise choice the band and their label compromised, releasing “What The World Is Waiting For/Fools Gold” as a double A-side. However, it would be “Fools Gold” that would become not only a hit but The Stone Roses signature song. The danceable beat and hazy, psychedelic tone of the song hit the zeitgeist of the moment perfectly as Manchester, the hometown of The Stone Roses, was becoming the center of a dance and drug fueled musical and cultural scene that became known as Madchester. Built from the bottom up with the funky rhythm section provided by Reni and Mani, “Fools Gold” was a club anthem. John Squire’s wah-pedal effects make the guitar part feel hypnotic and spacy, while Ian Brown sings a laid back, almost lazy feeling vocal that drifts into the mix and adds to the pulsing, hypnotic feel. “Fools Gold” became one of the anthems of the scene and the moment and made The Stone Roses big stars. The ascendency of both the Madchester sound and The Stone Roses as one of its leaders was then sealed when both they and the Happy Mondays played on the same episode of Top Of The Pops. The Stone Roses performed “Fools Gold” and the song became a UK pop hit, going to #8, while also hitting #5 on the US alternative charts. Following the success of “Fools Gold” on the charts (and more importantly on the scene) meant that “Sally Cinnamon”, “Elephant Stone”, “Made Of Stone” and “She Bangs The Drums” were all eventually re-released and most did better on the charts than the first time they came out. The success of “Fools Gold” also really launched the success of their eponymous debut album and with more attention put on it its critical reputation grew until ultimately it won a slew of awards that year and has become revered as one of the best British albums of all time. Ultimately, “Fools Gold”, which originally had been a non-album single, was added to most editions of The Stone Roses released outside of the UK or as a CD and so the song is now generally considered as part of the album.
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2. “She Bangs The Drums” – The Stone Roses: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music
2. “She Bangs The Drums” – The Stone Roses
(From the album The Stone Roses)
1989
The Stone Roses would undergo some final lineup changes in the year prior to recording their self-titled debut album. Rhythm guitarist Andy Couzens would be forced out of the band and bassist Pete Garner would choose to leave the group, replaced by Mani, who had played with an early version of the band called Waterfront. This lineup of Ian Brown, John Squire, Reni, and Mani, would be the classic lineup of the band and would be the foursome to write and record their seminal debut album. In the run-up prior to the release of The Stone Roses the band would release the non-album single “Elephant Stone”. “Elephant Stone” would not be a hit but it did serve as a transitional song between the group’s earlier more British Invasion indie rock style and their more psychedelic and danceable music that would soon make them famous. Indeed, like many of their early singles, “Elephant Stone” would be re-released after The Stone Roses became more successful and the re-release of the song would hit #8 in the UK. Their debut album The Stone Roses was released in April of 1989 and the first single from the record “Made Of Stone” was a minor success, peaking at #90 (although it too would later be re-released and go to #20). However, the first Stone Roses song to earn much real traction and mainstream airplay was the second single from their debut album, “She Bangs The Drums”. “She Bangs The Drums” draws on elements of sunny psychedelia, noise rock like The Jesus & Mary Chain, while still also maintaining some of the echoes of British Invasion era pop that the band’s earlier work drew more heavily on. “She Bangs The Drums” doesn’t lean as heavily into the dance culture that would soon define Manchester as “Madchester” but it does have a rhythmic pulse unlike their past work that new bassist Mani adds to the band. “She Bangs The Drums” was the first Stone Roses song to crack the UK Top 40 at #36 (and would hit #34 when it was re-released eight months later). “She Bangs The Drums” didn’t make The Stone Roses superstars but it did announce they were to be a presence on the scene right as that scene was about the exploder into the mainstream.
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1. “Sally Cinnamon” – The Stone Roses: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music
1. “Sally Cinnamon” – The Stone Roses
(From the single “Sally Cinnamon”)
1987
The roots of The Stone Roses reach back as far as 1983 when Ian Brown and John Squire first were part of a short-lived band called The Patrol. Over the next several years the various members of what would eventually become The Stone Roses worked together and apart in a variety of projects and with a variety of other musicians until by late 1984 the Stone Roses were formed with Ian Brown on vocals, John Squire on guitars, Andy Couzens on rhythm guitar, Pete Garner of bass, and Reni on drums. This line-up would play gigs around the UK and record a debut single, “So Young/Tell Me”, with famed producer Martin Hannett. Hannett would also go on to record an album with The Stone Roses in 1985 but the band disliked the production sound of the record and had already begun to evolve their sound in the more rhythmic direction that would become known as Madchester, and so the album was scrapped. That record would finally be released in 1996, after the band broke up, as Garage Flower. With the band still not making much headway on making a name for themselves Ian Brown and Reni tried to drum up some attention by spray painting the band’s name all over their hometown of Manchester. While most of the attention achieved by this vandalism proved to be negative, it did raise the profile of the band to some degree and soon The Stone Roses would record and release their second single, “Sally Cinnamon”. “Sally Cinnamon” did not make it onto the UK pop charts but it did eventually peak at #3 on the UK indie chart and earn The Stone Roses more attention, ultimately leading to a record deal with Silvertone Records that the band would come to resent and have to resort to a legal battle to get out of. “Sally Cinnamon”, while recorded in 1986, was not actually released as a single until 1987 and by then The Stone Roses sound had evolved even further. After The Stone Roses became more famous, and while in the middle of a legal battle to get out of their original contract, their former label would re-release “Sally Cinnamon” as a single, where it would peak at #46 on the UK charts. However, the band refused to make a video to help promote the single and so a video was made for the song without them. To protest this action The Stone Roses broke into their former label’s offices and trashed them, damaged several cars, and threw paint all over the office, including on an employee. “Sally Cinnamon” is a catchy indie pop song that draws on British Invasion influences and is a forerunner to the Britpop genre that would rise a few years later; a brief insight into a path not taken by The Stone Roses who would instead help to pioneer the more dance-oriented and psychedelic Madchester scene.
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7. “Take Me To Church” – Sinead O’Connor: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music
7. “Take Me To Church” – Sinéad O’Connor
(From the album I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss)
2014
2000’s Faith & Courage seemed to be an album designed to appeal to Sinéad O’Connor’s alternative rock and pop audience and was seen in many quarters as a return to form for her. However, rather than using Faith & Courage to relaunch her career Sinéad retreated from the mainstream again and released a series of albums that explored various genres outside the pop and rock idiom. In 2002 she released the album Sean-Nós Nua, an album of traditional Irish songs done in an updated style (the title literally means “new old style”). The album earned solid reviews but, of course, due to its style of music and the fact that many of the songs were sung in Irish, it was designed or destined for mainstream success. A year later O’Connor released She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty, a double album compilation that had one disc of rarities, B-sides, and outtakes, and a second disc of live material. Another compilation titled Collaborations was released in 2005 and rounded up many of the songs Sinéad O’Connor had done with other artists over the years. The album has collaborations with Massive Attack, Bomb The Bass, U2, Peter Gabriel, The The, Moby, and others, however none of the material was newly recorded so that album was definitely designed as a way to round up Sinéad O’Connor’s work with other artists and was mostly intended for her devoted fans to have easier access to this material. Later in 2005 Sinéad released her first album of new material (albeit all covers) since 2002 when her reggae album Throw Down Your Arms was released. 2007 saw O’Connor release the religiously themed Theology. While not a gospel or full-blown religious album Theology did offer many songs, both original and covers, based around themes of religion. The album also had two discs of the same songs: The “Dublin Sessions” which presented the songs in an acoustic, folk format, and the “London Sessions” where O’Connor is supported by a full band. Somewhat surprisingly, Theology still entered the US Top 200 albums chart, peaking at #168. 2012 saw O’Connor release her first album of pop/rock material since 2000’s Faith & Courage when How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? came out. How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? earned solid reviews but weak sales. In spite of this O’Connor soon went back into the studio and 2014 saw the release of her album I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss, which earned her best reviews in years and was seen as something of a comeback album for her. Loosely in the same pattern as her most commercially successful albums, I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss finds O’Connor mixing genres in a similar way to her early career albums and the lead single “Take Me To Church” finds a successful midpoint between alt rock, pop, soul, and gospel. I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss was a minor success but the years after its release saw O’Connor again largely retreat from music, spend time writing a memoir, and then tragically deal with the suicide of her seventeen-year-old son. O’Connor herself died a little more than year later.
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6. “No Man’s Woman” – Sinead O’Connor: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music
6. “No Man’s Woman” – Sinéad O’Connor
(From the album Faith & Courage)
2000
Sinéad O’Connor has released the excellent Gospel Oak EP in 1997 but that had largely been overlooked by anyone that wasn’t already a devoted fan and so for many 2000’s Faith & Courage felt like Sinéad’s first release of new material since 1994’s Univeral Mother, an album that many had been disappointed by and certainly didn’t have the stylistic diversity or emotional fire of her first two records. However, Faith & Courage seems to be O’Connor’s attempt to start over and reboot her career with the new millennium. Indeed, the album seems very much like a conscious effort to recreate the eclectic musical style of her debut album The Lion & The Cobra. If Faith & Courage doesn’t quite reach the heights of that record it may have more to do with there simply being too many songs and so it loses steam a little over the back half, but the core of the album feels and sounds like classic Sinéad O’Connor. The lead single from Faith & Courage is “No Man’s Woman”, a rocker that is reminiscent of O’Connor’s early career hit “Mandinka” and that similarly features her roaring vocals over big drums and rock guitar riffs. On first listen “No Man’s Woman” comes across as a song about Sinéad’s independence from needing to rely on a man (and maybe by extension the independence of all women from needing to rely on men) and certainly the song can be interpreted that way. However, a closer listen to “No Man’s Woman” reveals that it is actually a song about faith; that Sinéad doesn’t need a man because she has God. Either way, it is a pulsing, fiery pop/rock song that feels like Sinéad is back and the album supports that feeling with more excellent songs like “Jealous”, “Til I Whisper You Something”, “Daddy I’m Fine”, “Dancing Lessons”, and “If U Ever”, which use a variety of styles and moods to form the core of a great album.
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Alternative Reality: An Alternative Music Blog 