REVIEW: Stone Roses, "Love Spreads" single (Import)
- Tim Kennedy
"Love Spreads" starts with an utterly evil delta blues guitar which develops into a groove, despite being pretty much based on 12 bar blues. The writing credit is John Squire on his own and the lyrics are, as you'd expect, a bit obscure. The only standout line is something about the messiah being his sister. It's first class, however. I have been listening to tons of blues in the intervening period since the Stone Roses dropped out of sight and it seems the boys share my tastes. The Physical Graffiti / Led Zeppelin rumour is given definite substance.
"Your Star Will Shine", the B-side, is a semi-acoustic track, with psychedelic keyboard sounds in the background giving an early Free feel to the track. This partly takes its inspiration from Led Zeppelin in their mellow acoustic moments, such as "That's The Way". This is not to belittle this fine song - it is a slow measured bliss-out with folky romantic lyrics and tape loops in a way which recalls the later Beatles druggier material. The bridge is absolute sublime with Brian Wilson-esque harmonies and is as good as anything the Roses have written.
Track three of the CD, "Breakout" is a group-composed instrumental which is fairly laid back. This time, the guitar stays somewhat in the background. This is the kind of thing Primal Scream were attempting on Give Out, But Don't Give Up with "Funky Jam". Someone in the background is hammering out a nice jazzy piano part. It is pleasant and in particular the Hendrixoid guitar noodlings stand out for me. Reni holds it all together with some truly accomplished drumming.
In conclusion: like Primal Scream, the Roses have rewritten their dance manifesto to a much heavier remit (not metal). However, the Roses are about ten light years ahead of their indie guitar contemporaries in terms of lyrics, composition and the art of combining unlikely influences. It will be difficult for any band to emulate them this time round, given the excellence of musicianship on display here. They seem to be keeping one eye on the dance floor with "Breakout", but it is nearer jazz than techno. Can't wait for the album.
