REVIEW: Stone Roses, Second Coming (Import; Geffen U.K.)
- Tim Kennedy
The Stone Roses second album, appropriately titled Second Coming, has finally been issued in the United Kingdom and in Canada, with a January 17 release date officially confirmed in the United States. With a 1995 tour planned (but refusing to grant any interviews), the band which refuses to be an opening act for *any* band continue to thumb their collective noses at the music industry. Great bands don't have to play by the rules - they make up their own rules as they go. Wait - you say you haven't heard of them? Read on - about the British band which lives up to all the hype and released their second album, a mere five years and several courtroom battles after their magnificent debut, The Stone Roses.
At first glance, the cover of Second Coming is similar to that of their earlier single, "One Love", with odd items merging into the patchwork. The inlay features the boys when they were toddlers - aaaahhhh (!) No clues on why - so in a track by track fashion, here's what the music sounds like!
"Breaking Into Heaven" - Weird strings and scratchy guitars combine with water sounds, lead into a tribal beat with some jungle animal noises and all of a sudden a Hendrix-like guitar bursts in from nowhere, followed by all manner of guitar noise. This unusual opening sound continues for some minutes until finally the song begins - a "Purple Haze"-paced groove takes over and Ian Brown weaves his odd lyrics for us. This is very much in the vein of "One Love", although with a more jazzy feel. John Squire's guitar soloing gives the song a triumphant climax.
"Driving South" - The guitar riff is a bit like Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song". A pure sinister rock beast; the lyrics are a bit cliche as is some of the other material on this album - when you can make out what he's singing. Delightful.
"Ten Storey Love Song" - A gorgeous, pure pop, "vintage" Stone Roses song which wouldn't look out of place on the first album - unlike much of the material here. The superior guitar playing makes it all the more impressive.
"Daybreak" - Funky number with some pretty clever drumming. This is the kind of song you'd find on Hendrix' Electric Ladyland. The 'groove' ending is long, as in "How Many More Times" on Led Zeppelin. A nice bit of Hammond organ is also on the track.
"Your Star Will Shine" - A rather superior song which reminds me of Led Zeppelin's "That's The Way".
"Straight To The Man" - A lovely, glittering, funky keyboard riff of the kind you'd find on some great early seventies soul song is they backbone to this song. This is the only Ian Brown composition and will remind listeners of Sheryl Crow's recent excellent "All I Wanna Do".
"Begging You" - Weird intro, weird fast synth-guitar riff, distorted vocals - it sounds almost like a techno song. Structurally, it owes something to "Tomorrow Never Comes" from The Beatles' Revolver album. Very different and indicative of a forward-looking tendency amongst the historical references. Watch out for the possible future dance mixes.
"Tightrope" - This starts with acapella singing apparently all at sixes and sevens, which is initially dismaying, but the song develops into a fine acoustic Beggars Banquet-ish number. Ian Brown definitely has problems staying in tune though, as all the fans at the Spike Island concert by the Roses five years ago might have noticed).
"Good Times" - Starts slowly with somewhat hackneyed rawk lyric about scorned women and whatnot. Another song resplendent with Zeppelin guitar trademarks once it gets going. Highly enjoyable.
"Tears" - A gorgeous melodic rock song, again with excellent guitar. A touch of the old "Stairway To Heaven" in the eventual riff and in the way it goes from acoustic to electric, although this doesn't detract from the song in any way.
"How Do You Sleep" - The melody is happy and jangly but the sadistic lyric is a stark comparison. John Squire's playing evokes shades of both Paul Kossof and Johnny Marr.
"Love Spreads" - The combination of the juggernaut delta blues riff and a slick groove proves that all the best in rock has at its core a combination of seemingly opposite influences.
There is a final 'hidden' track on the CD in which a broken violin, piano and godawful banjo shamble along in a nightmarish cacophony - the product of a wild night in the Welsh countryside imbibing various illegal substances? I can't really recommend this one - it seems like the band's inside joke. Mind you, it is about on a par with any song off Neil Young's appalling Sleeps With Angels.
In conclusion, this is such a diverse album, it seems to point to a whole body of work that has yet to be released. That rumored double LP, perhaps? Will it be too rich for those who loved the first album? Who cares about that - it's been a long, but worthwhile, trip. All talk is of whether they can make it big worldwide, but this is irrelevant except if you are an accountant at Geffen. The quality is what counts and Second Coming has it in spades.
