645 Hello The Stone Roses - She Bangs The Drums

Chart  entered :  29  July  1989

Chart  peak : 36  ( 34  on  reissue  in  1990 )

Number  of  hits : 14

1989  was  musically  dismal  but  it  did  brighten  up  in  the  latter  half  with  the  onset  of  Madchester . The  sense  of  relief  emanating  from  the  music  press  at  the  first  youth  cult  since  the  New  Romantics  to  achieve  genuine  traction  ( unlike  salsa, new  jazz, cowpunk  or  shambling )  was  palpable. In  a  musical  sense  it's  very  difficult  to  pin  down  its  essence  since  what  seemed  to  matter  most  was  where  you  came  from  rather  than  what  you  played; it's  hard  to  find  any  other  common  denominator  linking  James, 808  State  and  Inspiral  Carpets. Although  the  London  journalists  quickly  re-christened  the  scene  "baggy"  to  avoid  having  to  doff  their  cap  to  the  northern  rival, all  the  important  bands  came  from  the  north  west  including  this  lot.

 Ian  Brown  ( born  1963 )  and  John  Squire  ( born  1962 )  met  up  at  Altrincham  Grammar  School  for  Boys. They  formed  a  punk  band  The  Patrol  in  which  Ian  played  bass  in  1980  but  split  up  within  a  year. Ian  became  a  Northern  Soul  fan  and  legend has  it  met  Geno  Washington  who  encouraged  him  to  become  a  frontman. John  in  the  meantime  had  formed  a  new  band  The  Fireside  Chaps  recruiting  bassist  Gary  "Mani"  Mounfield  ( born  1962 ). They  soon  became  The  Waterfront  and  John  tempted  Ian  back  in  as  a  singer. This  band  too  was  short  lived. In  1983  Ian  and  John  combined  once  more  with  guitarist  Andy  Couzens  and  John  came  up  with  the  name Stone  Roses. After  six  months  rehearsing,  their  drummer, nearly-Smith  Simon  Wolstonecraft  left  to  join  The  Colourfield  and  was  replaced  after  an  audition  by  Alan  Wren  *( born  1964 )  in  May  1984. They played  their  first  gig  in  London  at  an  anti-heroin  concert  arranged  by  Pete  Townshend  who  compared  Alan  to  Keith  Moon.

After  building  a  reputation  live, the  band  went  into  the  studio  with  Martin  Hannett  to  record  their  debut  single , the  12 inch  double  A-side   "So  Young / Tell  Me"  which  was  released  on  the  Thin  Line  label  in  September  1985. Both  sides  are  tuneless  and  messy  post-punk  with  Hannett's   production  highlighting  the  fact  that  Ian  couldn't  sing. Some  of  Alan's  drum  patterns  on  "So  Young"  are  very  similar  to  The  Smiths'  Miserable  Lie. John's  guitar  work  shows  glimmers  of  potential .It's  the  only  one  of  their  pre-fame  singles  not  to  subsequently  chart  and  no  wonder. The  band  recorded  a  full  album  with  Hannett  but  were  unhappy  with  the  results  and  it  didn't  see  the  light  of  day  - as  Garage  Flower - until  after  the  band  had  split  in  1996.

In  1986,   the  band  incurred  the  wrath  of  the  local  authority  with  a  grafitti  campaign  in  Manchester. In  May  that  year  Couzens  was  pushed  out  of  the  band. John  and  Ian  started  writing  more  melodic  material.

In  May 1987, their  manager  persuaded  the  FM  Revolver  label  to  give  them  a  one  single  deal  and  they  recorded  "Sally  Cinnamon"  for  release  as  another  12inch. Ian  has  said it's  about illicitly  reading  a    lesbian  love  letter  but  it's  also  been  widely  interpreted  as  a  metaphor  for  heroin. The  breey  melody , chiming  guitars  and  offhand  vocals    betray  a  Jesus  and  Mary  Chain  influence. It's  pleasant  enough  but  lacks  a  real  hook. It  reached  number  46  on  reissue  in  1990  prompting  a  paint  attack  on  the  company's  offices  by  the  band  members. This  resulted  in  convictions  for  criminal  damage  but  added  to  the  group's  notoriety.

Shortly  afterwards  bassist  Pete  Garner  left  the  group  and  Gary  joined, cementing  the  classic  line  up. Early  in  1988  they  played  at  Dingwalls  and  attracted  the  attention  of  Rough  Trade's  Geoff  Travis  who  funded  the  recording  of  their  next  single "Elephant  Stone",  a  song  written  by  John  about  being  let  down  by  a  girlfriend, with  New  Order's  Peter  Hook  as  producer. Before  it  was  released  Rough  Trade  were  gazumped  by  Andrew  Lauder's  Silvertone  who  subsequently  bought  the  tapes  from  Rough  Trade  and  had  them  re-mixed  by  experienced  producer  John  Leckie. The  single  eventually  came  out  in  October  1988. A  polyrhythmic  rush  of  jangly  guitars , bright  melody ,funky  drumming  and  more  assured  vocals,  it  was  perhaps  a  little  too  chaotic  to  make  it  first  time  round  but  it  reached  number  8  on  reissue  in  March  1990.

It  was  followed  six  months  later  by  "Made  of  Stone" , a  complex  song  which  seems  to  be  about  wishing  a  violent  death  on  someone  but  has  also  been  interpreted  as  referencing  the  death  of  Jackson  Pollock  in  a  car  smash. For  me  it's  their  best  single  with  every  member  at  the  top  of  his  game  particularly  John, allowed  to  let  rip  with  a  solo  for  the  first  time. It's  richly  melodic  with  a  killer  chorus  ( which  owes  a  little  to  Primal  Scream's  Velocity  Girl ). Their  attempt  to  promote  it  on  BBC2's  arts  programme  The Late  Show  ended  in  disaster  with  the  much-repeated  footage  of  the  sound  cutting  out  after  a  minute. Although  Ian  can  be  heard  shouting   "Amateurs"  behind  the  host's  back  as  she  improvises  a  final  address, it  was  actually  the  band's  own  doing  as  they'd  been  warned  that  exceeding  the  prescribed  decibel  limit  would  trigger  a  shutdown  and  turned  the  amps  up  anyway. Even  so, it's  surprising  that  such  a  great  song  wasn't  a  hit  the  first  time  round  regardless. It  reached  number  20  on  reissue  in  March  1990.

Their  revered   debut  album  was  released  in  May  1989  but  without  a  hit  single  it  initially  failed  to  improve  on  its  entry  position  of  32. "She  Bangs  The  Drums"  was  sent  out  as  the second  single  to  revive  it. It's  either  a  straightforward  song  about  infatuation  or  another  paean to  heroin. Whichever  way  you  interpret  it, it's  an  infectious , sunny  guitar  pop  song  with  Mani's  melodic  bass  gradually   making  its  presence  felt   and  Alan's  backing  harmonies   a  crucial  element  in  the  chorus. It  would  be  their  next  single  that  really  sealed  their  reputation  but  this  one  lad  the  groundwork.