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Return to Book Page. The Stone Roses shows a band sizzling with skill, consumed with drive and aspiration and possessing an almost preternatural mastery of the pop paradigm. This book explores the political and cultural zeitgeist of England in and attempts to apprehend the magic ingredients that made The Stone Roses such a special and influential album. Paperback , pages. Published February 27th by Bloomsbury Academic first published January 1st To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
The Stone Roses
To ask other readers questions about The Stone Roses , please sign up. Lists with This Book. Nov 08, Heather rated it really liked it. I am in love with a pocket-sized novella. We don't know yet where we'll live but we are sure that we will be very happy together. For those uninitiated into this fantastic little series, it is essentially the zenith of musical dorkitude: I had not yet found spare time to crack open Green's mini-tome on the messiahs from Manchester, but f I am in love with a pocket-sized novella. I had not yet found spare time to crack open Green's mini-tome on the messiahs from Manchester, but finally when I settled into my seat on the airplane to go to San Francisco very close to a large neighbor in 12E who was seat-dancing to Arabic music, complete with hand motions I pulled it out of my bag and settled in.
By the third paragraph, I was hooked -- already laughing out loud at the flawless way that Green captures the everyday and crystallizes it into something fabulous. His ardor and undying passion for The Stone Roses and their self-titled debut album is evident in each chapter, on every page. This is an absolute must-read even if you have no idea who The Stone Roses were or why they were important. Mar 24, Petty Lisbon rated it really liked it Shelves: I only mildly know this album but I enjoyed learning about the 80's British counterculture scene.
Maybe I'm rating the album more than the book but it was a pretty good length for learning about the music without getting too personal about it. Mar 19, Shant rated it really liked it Shelves: I'm surprised I liked the book as much as I did. I seem to be the only person without a polarized opinion on the Stone Roses. I liked how he talked about the political context of the songs and the cultural context is that the right phrase?
Sep 28, Patrick McCoy rated it really liked it Shelves: I think a lot of it has to do with his style which is personal, passionate, engaging, witty, as well as informative. He loves music and knows a lot about it and demonstrates that music can carry very deep personal associations as well. But occasionally it can transcend emotional associations and predictability and become a sort of personal classic-this album is one of those for him. I think this album has stood the test of time very well, but I'm not sure I can say the same. It is by far the best thing from the late 80s Manchester scene in my opinion, though.
So it is befitting that these personal links be explored as well. I think he does a particularly good job of providing the context from which this record was made as well as the context of what it was in relation to other driving forces of music-particularly independent alternative or what was then known as college music. I know and understand these references, because Green is the same age as me we and, generally, listen to the same music.
However, he was much more passionate and willing to shell-out the cash for the music he needed. For example, he mentions how The Stone roses bridged the gap between indie rock and the rave dance culture. As he states, there was an absence of dance music among what he calls the Westgergians a truly fitting title for the indie rock guys like me-I didn't really "get" dance music until I came to Japan in 97', but I still profess to be mainly a Westbergian. This was demonstrated by one of my old room mates, who worked at the college radio station DJing and reviewing records for them, put on what I imagine to be either "Elephant Stone" or "I Want To Be Adored" when his roommate burst into the room shimming to the record.
He basically does all this by writing, in essence, a separate essay with a different theme for each song along with a prologue and epilogue. Furthermore, he provides the history of the Manchester scene and the rise of rave culture which begat and influenced this record.
The Stone Roses' The Stone Roses (33 1/3) Alex Green: Continuum
He also gets a variety of musicians to make observations about the band and the record from obscure bands that I used to listen to like The Woodentops, The Mighty Lemons, and Posies. A very enjoyable and nostalgic read-highly recommended. Jun 03, Elliot Chalom rated it it was amazing Shelves: Many aim to canonize the album by showing it as a metaphor or statement of a broader thesis. Some get really deep into the music in a way that only a professional musician could. Some kind of veer away from the album and tell more of a story about the band generally or a time period or, well, anything else.
In his book about The Stone Roses' incredible self-titled debut album, Alex Green takes the approach that I probably would if I got my chance to write about one of my favorite albums of all time. There's an introduction, an epilogue, and in between 12 'chapters' each covering a song on the album.
Green is a HUGE fan of the record and he's not ashamed to say it over and over again. That's not to say that he doesn't put in some hard work. He conducted interviews with musicians and journalists from the era, did his research, and analyzed every song down to the most minute detail. But at the end of the day Green is a gushing fan. And that made me love the album so much more. Highly recommended for any fan of the album.
May 20, Wade rated it it was amazing Shelves: Fortunately, the author on this book Alex Green… a guy I had never previously heard of is really great. He takes you back to the time and place when the album was being made as well as the time and place in his own life when this album invaded his life and he walks you through the story.
I think this album really is one of the most special albums from the past three decades and Green proves a worthy storyteller for this timeless work of art.
Nov 10, Geoff rated it liked it. Saw the movie - Made of Stone recently, so I finally dove into this book about the Stone Roses first album. It's a fun little read about the band, the state of British music at the time, the frailties of the music industry, the marvels of a well-crafted album that still hangs together, and a little bit of nostalgia for how it used to by mixed with some grudging empathy for what could have been. Oct 17, Brad rated it liked it Shelves: As the book went on, I got used to the chapter focus having very little to do with the song each chapter initially claimed to be focusing on; I just chalked it up to the author wanting to give each song a focus, but choosing to build poor segues rather than making the other bits separate.
The worst offense is when a chapter focuses on Margaret Thatcher and tries to twist the lyrics of one song to be about Thatcherism in a completely unconvincing way. The book showcases tons of quotes from members of different bands. The inclusion of some quotes seem more relevant than others.
When they were from groups influenced by the Stone Roses it made sense. Pros were all the context given to the time period: It also was great getting some back history on the band, whether their bravado or the long stretches they had between recording and having a product, or between albums.
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The lemons mentioned were an antidote to teargas, immortalized in the lyrics and album cover. They burned their bridges in public, splashing paint all over the offices of one former record label, while engaging in a protracted legal battle with another.
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They signed a multimillion dollar deal with Geffen then vanished for several years before even putting out a record. They thumbed their noses at history, making claims they were going to be bigger than the Beatles, and that living legends Mick Jagger and David Bowie were insincere. Dec 21, Jon rated it really liked it. Green does a nice job covering all three paths into the record, while still keeping it a tight read. It was this sheer fearless braggadocio combined with perfect songs that made their music addictive.
Brown had a look that was an amalgamation of one half intellectual, and one half boxer. The songs are in perfect order and take you on an aural journey that can hardly be summed up in words. I have an unwieldy music collection, but still manage to pull the record out every couple of years. It really deserves more attention from me, but as typical of me, I often ignore my lovers. It is an album that does what music is supposed to do.
It takes me away from the wear and tear of life, gives me hope and for a time empowers me. They changed the face of British pop, leaving an indelible mark, and with all the potential in the world, some would say threw it all away. They created the blueprint for what many refer to as Britpop, and in true anti-hero fashion became the de facto refusers to carry its torch, by virtue of their laziness, bad decisions, cocaine, and protracted legal battles. It has often been written that the band blew their talent, but I ask, can we really say that in good faith?
I mean for a time, they came together to become more than the sum of their four parts and create a record that illustrates pure genius. Most bands are very lucky to make one decent album that will be worth its salt on a later day. The Stone Roses only created a masterpiece that will be listened to for ages to come, and that is no small feat. That puts them with very elite company and in a place where all music lovers should respect.
In a world where we unapologetically worship image over substance, The Stone Roses had both, and Alex Green reminded me of this fact with his book. No, the music never stopped. You just let yourself get old.