While hip-hop had a definitive breakthrough in the Netherlands thanks to De La Soul, 1989 was the year of The Stone Roses in Great Britain. With their unnamed debut album, this grumpy street bastard looking foursome from Manchester provided the soundtrack and chill-out music for the British youth obsessed with mass, illegal raves and ecstasy in those days. A nebulous sounding record on which sixties
… pop is combined with a house feeling. Frontman Ian Brown masks his light and unsteady voice with a lot of attitude in songs like I Wanna Be Adored and I Am The Resurrection. Not only were the young Gallagher brothers of Oasis taking notes, The Stone Roses sparked a new wave of Britpop from the early 1990s. Twenty years later it is still easy to hear why; this slightly more pointy and drier remastered reissue doesn't look anything like outdated music but still sounds exciting. Worthy of the conclusion with the single (and only bonus track) Fools Gold on which the group perfects the mix of rave and psychedelic rock. A surprisingly timeless album from a typical British hype band. (MR)more