The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses' affection for '60s-style hooks and House-inspired beats ignited the "baggy" movement that took over England in the late '80s. Songs such as "Elephant Stone," "I Am the Resurrection" and "She Bangs the Drums" are just three reasons why this record is a classic.

These Britindie pheenoms are overhyped for sure, so there's a temptation to blow them off. What do they do that the Byrds and the Buffalo Springfield weren't doing better in 1967? And that a hundred Amerindie bands don't do just as well now? But they aren't all press clips--they're postmodern English, filtering folk-rock romanticism through Joy Division and Jesus and Mary Chain hyperromanticism. Though they have their moments as songwriters--"Bye Bye Badman" always stops me, and "I Want To Be Adored" sums them up--their music is about sound, fingers lingering over the strings and so forth. And in the end they're surprisingly "eclectic." Not all that good at it, but eclectic. (Grade - B-)