8. The Stone Roses // The Stone Roses, 1989
Since its release, The Stone Roses has cemented the band’s place in rock history, debuting amongst the glories of the Madchester phenomenon and the Second Summer of Love, promoted in part by one concert at the Haçienda night club.
The characteristic and rhythmic talent of John Squire, whose fluidity and psychedelic twists evoke Jimi Hendrix, drives the album forward. Ian Brown’s unique voice combines the specific angst of the era with a bouncy, melodic twist, predating the sound of Britpop.
There is so much to appreciate from the album, with its raw, unapologetic clash of sounds to the harsh lyrics. “Don’t waste your words I don’t need anything from you / I don’t care where you’ve been or what you plan to do,” sings Brown in ‘I Am the Resurrection’. So much was this album praised that in 2006, NME named it their best British album of all time.
The Stone Roses would spend five years trying to recapture the magic of their debut, eventually disbanding during the promotional tour of their lacklustre second album, Second Coming. Placing the album eighth on this list credits it with a deserved place in the echelons of rock, but while the Stone Roses unrefined nature was part of their charm, it also left room for improvement.