Twenty years later and the world is still waiting for the promise that The Stone Roses showed to materialise. That's not to say that Ian Brown and John Squire have spent the last two decades in artistic purgatory, but they're unlikely to produce anything as era-defining as the Roses' debut in their solo careers.
So why then is The Stone Roses not only a high water mark for Brown and Squire, but also for the British music industry? The short answer is that the album defied all the odds to become one of, if not the, best debut album of the last 25 years. Released just seven months before the demise of the 1980s, it began a move away from the plastic manufactured pop of the decade and captured the imagination of a generation.
The Smiths may have come before them, but The Stone Roses laid the groundwork for many aspects of '90s youth culture. It's true to suggest that this album may have been put on a pedestal because of the band's subsequent failure with Second Coming, but this celebration of its 20th anniversary highlights their enduring appeal.
From the opening strains of 'I Wanna Be Adored', through to the jangling guitars of 'Bye Bye Badman', the venom of 'Elizabeth My Dear', to the magnificence of 'I Am The Resurrection', this album screams 'listen to me!' It doesn't matter how familiar you are with the material, it still grabs your attention.
The bonus discs here present a comprehensive companion for the album, with non album A and B-sides, a documentary, and a live gig from Blackpool. The most interesting disc is The Lost Demos, which provides a satisfyingly scratchy and raw take on many of the songs. It's almost worth the admission price alone, and presents the only unheard song in the collection 'Pearl Bastard', which is hardly a revelation, but an interesting curiosity nonetheless.
Having established the album's importance, the incredibly lavish presentation of this reissue (three cds, three vinyl, one DVD, a book, art cards and even a lemon-shaped USB stick if you splash out) could be seen as a cash in. But however you want to view this lovingly crafted set, and whichever version you buy, The Stone Roses is still worth revisiting.
Rating: 5/5