Second Coming (The Stone Roses album)

Background

The second album by the Manchester four-piece, it suffered greatly at the time from the sheer weight of expectation generated by both the 5½ year gap between it and the band's eponymous debut, and the band's withdrawal from the live arena for 4½ of those years. There had been speculation in the British press that the high expectations from their debut record had left the band "paralyzed with self-doubt" according to the Los Angeles Times. In addition, The Stone Roses made their return in a changed musical environment, with the UK newly ensconced in Britpop with the "big four" of Suede, Blur, Oasis and Pulp as the premier rock bands of the day. The album reached number 4 in the UK Album Chart.

Second Coming features tribal rhythms, 1970s-style extended guitar riffs, funky rock/blues numbers with jazz elements and campfire style songs such as "Your Star Will Shine" and "Tightrope" that hint at the band's rural surroundings at the time (the band moved to Wales to make the album). Three singles ("Love Spreads", "Ten Storey Love Song", and "Begging You") from the album were released in the UK.

Critical reception

Second Coming was released to generally mixed reviews in the UK and US. Rolling Stone awarded the record two out of five stars, calling its songs "tuneless retropsychedelic grooves bloated to six-plus minutes in length." The Los Angeles Times were more positive, however, praising John Squire's "inspired guitar work" and concluding that "while the album's impact is undercut by some tunes that seem little more than fragments, the standouts offer a soulful earnestness as they speak of the search for salvation and comfort amid the tension and uncertainty of contemporary life."

Select ranked the album at number twelve in its end-of-year list of the 50 best albums of 1995.

CD

All tracks written by John Squire, except where noted.

Charts

Personnel