Many people today are familiar with the Smiths, one of the most acclaimed and unique bands of their time. They foreshadowed the Britpop bands of the 90s like Blur, Oasis, Pulp, and Suede, just to name a few. What many today are unaware of is the Madchester movement that happened between these two events. The largest band from this movement was the Stone Roses whose self-titled album is a masterwork of the genre.

The Stone Roses is a psychedelic, rocking, yet danceable piece of music. There are trippy effects and fast tempos in this album. My favorite songs from the band’s debut album are easily “I Wanna Be Adored” and “She Bangs the Drums”.

“I Wanna Be Adored” starts off with a trippy sound collage which leads into Mani’s bass part. The song itself is very simple with the lyrics just being “I don’t need to sell my soul/He’s already in me/I wanna be adored” repeated throughout the song. “She Bangs the Drum” starts off with a danceable drum and bass part which serves its purpose well. The guitar and vocals are incredible too with Ian Brown’s fusion of Morrisey and Robert Smith’s vocal styles.

I put off listening to this album for quite some time but I’m glad I was able to listen to it. It has to be one of the best (and most influential) albums of the 80s. I give it a 9.25/10 with my only complaint being that the intros and outros can be a tad bit too long. Give it a go; it will surprise you!