Search - Stone Roses :: Turns Into Stone

This is best suited to sitting alongside the bands debut....

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 05/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Stone Roses burst onto the U.K. indie scene during 1989, with their landmark debut "The Stone Roses", and their blend of dreamy & confident indie Rock, and summertime 60's styled jangle-pop pushed it to top of alot of critics end of year lists. And although the second album "Second Coming" failed to scale the heady heights of the first album, it had it's moments....which begs the question, "Why do you need this??". Well, it's a brilliantly compiled 'Best of', with various excellent B-side track added for inclusion, as well as Singles, that made up the bands brief output. What is fantastic about this album, is that unlike other compilations such as "The Complete Stone Roses", this release doesn't attempt to cram in as much material as possible by 'Editing' down tracks, such as "Fools Gold" which had virtually half its 9:55 running time loobed off. "Elephant Stone" only gets a minor cut, missing around 2 mins in the edited version. "Listen Now" manages to have 4 mins missing on the lesser compilation, and "Something Burning" also manages to lose just over 4 minutes of its 7:51 running time.



Although seemingly a moot point to those that only have a passing interest in the bands music, and will mention that the lesser compilations actually contain more tracks....this is only really of concern for those that truly embraced / enjoy the bands music, and the fact that alot of this revolved around "John Squires" beautiful, melodic gutiar hooks, you'll largely miss the exceptional extented playing on the edited versions, which was a substain part of their 60's Jangle-pop appeal, and not forgetting that full versions were how the band intented them to be (not cut down versions, with huge chunks of instrumental sections missing). And its only when you compare the two versions, you realise just how much your missing.



But not forgetting that this best of, also comprimises of B-Sides / Singles, which have listened to these tracks several times, easily confirms that their debut album wasn't a fluke. Tracks such as "Where Angels Play", "One Love", "What the world is waiting for", "Mersey Paradise", "Going Down", "The Hardest thing in the World", or the backwards spinning fun of "Simone", all brim with that exbuerantly confident swagger that coupled with their catchy neo-psychedelia, was a defing trait of the band. And although the B-Sides themselves probably won't take pride and place over your orginal favourites, there is a great deal to enjoy here, and digest if (like me) you only know the band through their debut album.



Somewhat bizzarely (or not, depending on your stance) their appears to be nothing from their second album ("Second Coming") contained here....but arguably most consider that album to be the band least focused and confused work, and which probably explains their exclusion. Something I am very happy about, is the sound levels on this record sound noticably louder than the debut album, which I found, I had to crank the volume up, to clearly hear, what was going on...(or is it just me??). But before you all start trading in your Stone Roses albums for this compliation, it's important to bear in mind that ultimitely, this release isn't supposed to replace your debut album, it's supposed to sit alongside it (and seeing as it purely focuses on B-Sides, and U.K. Singles....you'll miss most of the best known tracks), instead it's complements the debut perfectly and will please fans no end with its superb compiling and sequencing. This is Probably not suited to those that just want one disk of the bands work, on one tidy disk (for that refer to "The Very Best of the Stone Roses"), but the more committed fan, will absolutely want to add this alongside their other Stone Roses albums."

Turning into stone

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 10/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps no British rock band was as deservedly beloved as the Stone Roses, a band whose complex brand of rock shot them to meteoric fame (which ultimately wrecked the band). "Turns into Stone" is something fans will adore -- various B-sides and unedited tracks, some of which never were released before in the US.



The albums opens with a panoramic mix of "Elephant Stone," laced with warm riffs and a thunderous percussion finale. "Fools Gold" gets the full treatment in a ten-minute cut of funky guitar rock, while "Where Angels Play" is an enchantingly soft-edged pop song. The remainder is mostly the gritty, mildly psychedelic rockers, before ending with the eerie experimental "Something Burning."



In truth, "Turns into Stone" is one of THE most underrated albums it has been my pleasure to hear. Even their B-sides are rich, enticing and beautifully performed -- In a nutshell, this patchwork of B-sides is better than the majority of rock albums out there.



Quite a few of the songs wouldn't seem out of place in the debut album -- and that is saying something. It drags a little in the middle, with songs like the ponderous "What the World Is Waiting For." It's too ordinary an indie-rock track for the Stone Roses. However, it's outweighed by the dancy "Fools Gold" and shimmering "Simone," and several others. "Turns into Stone" is dancier in places than their debut, while retaining their driven guitar-rock sound.



Ian Brown's perpetually downbeat vocals are in excellent form here. "You can't see the wolf in the trees," he murmurs ominously in the last song. John Squire's guitar riffs range from the soft undercurrents of "Something Burning" to the bright riffs of "The Hardest Thing in the World," and drummer Reni outdid himself with stuff like "Elephant Stone's" grand finale.



It lacks the cohesion of their debut album -- how COULD a collection of B-sides have cohesion anyway? -- but "Turns into Stone" is a must-have, whether for fans or newcomers. Powerful, magical and magnificent."

Wise Man`s Gold !

P. D. Laffey | Hitchin | 06/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To own all the essential Stone Roses material you need to purchase two cd`s , their classic debut ( which speaks for itself ) and this great compilation which rounds up all the best unedited versions of their sublime Silvertone singles and b sides that didn`t appear on their debut . There are plenty of highlights including a blistering ten minute funk workout of " Fools Gold ", a bizarre instrumental of feedback and loops " Simone " which wouldn`t have sounded out of place on the Apocalypse Now soundtrack , the melodic majesty of " Going Down " or the eight minute smouldering finale of " Somethings Burning " , all uncompromising tunes that turned British youth culture on its head in the late eighties - early nineties . ESSENTIAL !"