The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses were largely responsible for making Manchester, England a musical mecca in the late '80s/early 90s, with a glorious debut album and no lack of career drama afterward. Grammar school friends Ian Brown (vocals) and John Squire (guitar) had played together since 1980, when they had a short-lived punk band called the Patrol. Several formative lineups later, the Stone Roses were officially christened in 1983, and they got an early break when a letter sent to Pete Townshend resulted in them opening a London benefit show for him. They spent the next three years touring the U.K. and laying down demos; their first two singles "So Young" and "Sally Cinnamon" were barely noticed. There was more of a buzz for the third single, "Elephant Stone," produced by Peter Hook of New Order. Though only a modest success, the single introduced the particular elements-shimmering guitars, pop hooks, psychedelic ambiance and modern club-friendly rhythms-that would define the "Manchester sound." That sound emerged fully-grown on the Stone Roses' debut album, produced by John Leckie (of XTC fame) and released on the Silvertone label in late 1989; the band was now Brown and Squire with Mani (Gary Mounfield) on bass and Reni (Alan John Wren) on drums. The album spawned the UK hits "She Bangs the Drums" and "Fools Gold," and its reputation would only grow in years to come. It also launched a wave of like-minded Manchester bands including Inspiral Carpets, Happy Mondays and the Charlatans UK; Oasis were also associated with the movement in their early days. The Stone Roses were now stars, and in May 1990 they drew an estimated 30,000 to their own outdoor festival on Spike Island. Problems were looming, however: After the follow-up single "One Love" they sued to get out of their Silvertone contract; the suit took two years to resolve and their first album for the Geffen label took another three years. Second Coming got a mixed reception when it appeared in 1994: Largely written by Squire with little of Brown's input, it leaned to a more conventional hard-rock sound. The comeback tour was plagued by personnel problems: Reni quit just as it started, then Squire broke his collarbone before the Glastonbury Festival, then left altogether in April 1996. Brown and Mani briefly carried on with replacements but ended the band later that year. Reunion rumors circulated for years afterward, but weren't confirmed until the band (again with the classic lineup) announced a tour in late 2011. Before it began, Brown and Squire appeared together for the first time in 16 years at a benefit show with ex-Clash guitarist Mick Jones. The tour was a success and high-profile reunion gigs continued, with a UK arena tour booked for summer 2017. Only two new songs, the digital singles "All for One" and "Beautiful Thing" appeared since the reunion, though the band teased plans for an album.