Brits love arguing about petty bollocks, no more so than regarding their own music scene. The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? Peter Gabriel or Phil Collins? Blur or Oasis? And, of course, The Stone Roses’ eponymous debut or their long-gestated and grand critical flop of a follow-up, Second Coming?
Perhaps it’s been answered by now, but there were many rumours flying around after Second Coming’s 1994 release as to why it took so long to produce. From prolonged record label negotiations to drug problems to the band being kidnapped by a aliens, the fact that they split up soon after signals, to me at least, the classic “creative differences” reason. Meaning a fight over power and money. The ultimate destroyers!
All the most renowned guitarists to be found across the British Isles are massive-fucking-nerds. Jimmy Page. Brian May. The Edge. Johnny Greenwood. Who knows why. I guess we just flourish in weather that does not encourage practicing on a beach and macho posing. Give us a quiet studio and a mountain of peripheral tech to play with and we’re happy. Just don’t pay too much attention to us, please. John Squire is no exception to this rule, even coming across as shy and sullen in every interview I’ve seen him in. Back in the late-80s and 90s, he looked like the adorable boy-next-door that your sister had a crush on. It took one jangly Stone Roses album for him to finally come out as a hard-riffing rock god.
And the people were not impressed.
Fuck ‘em. I love this album. I agree their eponymous debut had stronger songwriting on it, but I’ve listened to this one the most. It was the soundtrack to my Saturday and Sunday mornings for many years. It’s not just because I’m a contrarian prick, which I most certainly am, but because it’s an album for guitarists. Damn, does it rock like a motherfucker!
But it is flawed. The first problem being that it feels about two tracks longer than most pop albums and, funnily enough, it has a couple of blah tunes on it. Hmm, I wonder how one could solve these two completely unrelated issues?! Good grief. So, yeah, I built my own version of the album, which I will go through with as much brevity as I can muster.
You can find Jim’s Second Coming here.
Firstly, I left “Breaking into Heaven” and “Driving South” right where they were. No need to fix what ain’t broke, am I right? Although, some might say the 3-hour intro to “Breaking into Heaven” is a sign that something is broken. For me, it’s a handy track to start your morning off with, as you can press play then go sort your coffee or tea or joint out. You’ll still be able to hear its primordial groove in the background, but the album doesn’t require your full attention quite yet.
Right, now we deserve a rest! So I brought acoustic ramble ”Your Star Will Shine” forward a couple of tracks, with stale single-bait “Ten Storey Love Song” having to wait just a few extra minutes. I love the opening guitar notes of the latter though, with it featuring “dream tone” stuff. It’s just a shame it feels, like Coldplay’s “Speed of Sound”, like a record label-ordered soundalike of a song from their previous album. Perhaps this isn’t the truth, but it’s certainly one of the weaker tunes on Second Coming.
And so we come to my two rejected tracks, one too wishy-washy and one not wishy-washy enough. “Straight to the Man” isn’t terrible, but it just sounds like a remixed version of “Daybreak”, which we only just heard. Out you go! Then we have “Begging You”. Ah house music, the shame of the 90s. Certainly not a sound that sensitive indie rock lovers will appreciate. And it does indeed make my ears bleed, whilst outstaying its welcome at nearly 5 minutes.
And there you have it! Just a handful of simple changes and I find myself, and hopefully you, getting a much more satisfying experience. And not feel travel sick. And unsettled by jarring shifts in tone. Now it’s a mere 1 hour 4 minute slog, rather than a 1 hour 12 minute arse-ache.
Erm…
While every artist across every creative field should always have final say on their work, sometimes a gentle whisper of advice in the ear wouldn’t go amiss here and there. No more so than here. And pretty much every album Muse has ever released.
Let me know what you think! Unless you’re really pissed-off, in which case please save your energy for a Blur vs. Oasis debate in the pub later.
If you’re totally new to The Stone Roses, my longer selection of their oeuvre can be found here.
Do stay in touch, darlings.
Toodles!
