Stone Roses - Stone Roses
by Anthony Strutt
published: 28 / 7 / 2009

intro
To promote the twentieth anniversary reissue of their seminal debut album, five of the Stone Roses early singles, that were originally released on the Silvertone label between 1988 and 1990, are also being re-released on seven inch vinyl. Anthony Strutt looks at each of them
This September sees the twentieth anniversary of the NME's favourite ever album, ‘The Stone Roses'. It will also see the release of various box sets and extended versions to mark this anniversary. Prior to this the band have had reissued as seven inch vinyl releases all five of the singles they put on the Silvertone label between 1988 and 1990. The first, ‘Elephant Stone’, comes with a box to hold the singles and a new artwork set of prints for each of the five records. None of these are especially cheap. The ‘Elephant Stone’ box set is £10 while the other four singles, ‘Made of Stone’, ‘She Bangs the Drums’, ‘Fools Gold’ and ‘One Love’, are each £5. Only ‘Fools Gold’ is being given a CDS release at a more reasonable £2. Before they signed to Silvertone , the Stone Roses put out two other singles, 1987’s ‘So Young’, which only came out on twelve inch, and 1988’s classic ‘Sally Cinnamon’, both of which are not included here. ‘Elephant Stone’ was produced by New Order's Peter Hook. Here it sounds a little too fast and quite odd. At the time the band were still finding their feet in the early days of psychedelic dance and “baggy” music. ‘Elephant Stone’ sounds like the Byrds on speed playing the Beatles’ ‘Rubber Soul’. Its B side, ‘The Hardest Thing in the World’, is a jangly Rickenbacker pop number and has a honey-soaked vocal from the young Ian Brown over its top. ‘Made of Stone’ is from its first note a muso's prayer. Another jangly Rickenbacker number, it is a perfect record and a song that makes you want to get up and move your feet too. Its B side, 'Going Down', is much softer, a joyful Sunday Morning coming down track. 'She Bangs the Drums', if it is pssoible, improves on the greatness of 'Made of Stone'. It is a song that makes you celebrate life and all that's in it. It is total guitar heaven. 'Standing Here', its B side, starts off with a wild guitar solo, which has signs of where lead guitarist John Squire would later head towards on their second album, 1994's 'The Second Coming'. The guitar sounds here are more in the vein of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. Ian Brown's vocal is slow and seductive, while the baggy grooves let you float into a world of summertime smiles and sunshine. 'Fools Gold' was a massive song, which completely outhone everything else the band had done in the past. It is dance-flavoured baggy psychedelic heaven and full of deep funky 70s grooves. 'One Love' was the Stone Roses' last single on Silvertone. It carries on from where 'Fools Gold' left off, and is very guitar heavy with big grooves, while its B side, 'Something's Burning', is a graceful lightweight chill out number.
Picture Gallery:-





interviews |
Interview (2004) |
![]() |
It has been eight years since the Stone Roses broke up. Cover band the Complete Stone Roses backstage at a gig at the London Mean Fiddler talk to Olga Sladeckova about copying their heroes |
live reviews |
Mean Fiddler, London, 9/10/2004 |
![]() |
The Complete Stone Roses are the best known abd the most successful Stone Roses cover band to date. At a show at the London Mean Fiddler Olga Sladeckova finds herself on an unique trip back in time |
favourite album |
Stone Roses (2009) |
![]() |
In our Re:View column, in which our writers look back at albums from the past, Jonjo McNeill looks at the Stone Roses' massively popular and inflential debut album, and its just released remastered twentieth anniversary edition |
most viewed articles
current edition
Peter Doherty - Blackheath Halls, Blackheath and Palace Halls, Watford, 18/3/2025 and 21/3/2025Armory Show - Interview with Richard Jobson
Liz Mitchell - Interview
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - Interview
Lauren Mayberry - Photoscapes
Max Bianco and the BlueHearts - Troubadour, London, 29/3/2025
Maarten Schiethart - Vinyl Stories
Clive Langer - Interview
Sukie Smith - Interview
Garfunkel and Garfunkel Jr. - Interview
previous editions
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EPBoomtown Rats - Ten Songs That Made Me Love....
Trudie Myerscough-Harris - Interview
Doris Brendel - Interview
Beautiful South - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Kay Russell - Interview with Kay Russell
Dwina Gibb - Interview
Pulp - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Barrie Barlow - Interview
Sound - Interview with Bi Marshall Part 1
most viewed reviews
current edition
Davey Woodward - Mumbo in the JumboNigel Stonier - Wolf Notes
Wings - Venus and Mars
Only Child - Holy Ghosts
Kate Daisy Grant and Nick Pynn - Songs For The Trees
Neil Campbell - The Turnaround
Philip Jeays - Victoria
Darkness - Dreams On Toast
Suzanne Vega - Flying With Angels
Charles Ellsworth - Cosmic Cannon Fodder
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart