The Stone Roses: Ranked

(More or less) every song - my thoughts

An article I started thinking about a few months ago, I paused following the sad and untimely death of bass player Mani back in November. Manchester came together a week ago to pay tribute to this marvellous musician.

Ian Brown and Bobby Gillespie pay their respects to Mani. Manchester, December 2025.

I thought it would be great to start the year pulling apart the songs of one of my favourite bands, a group that produced b-sides better than most bands’ best songs, a band that seemed to burst into life and disappear, only to do it again two more times. Manchester’s finest.

The songs - a countdown

Before we start: Three backward tracks: Full Fathom Five / Guernica / Simone

One interesting innovation the band tried was playing songs backwards, and adding lyrics that were inspired by the backward sounds. Reni often re-recorded the drums but most of the track was simply a different one in reverse. It’s interesting, but only really worked well once. These three, Full Fathom Five (Elephant Stone backwards), Guernica (Made of Stone backwards) and Simone (Where Angels Play backwards) are a touch ephemeral. They’re worth mentioning, but I am not including them in my ranking.

42: One Love

The band’s first single after a six month break following Fool’s Gold, this promised so much and was so poor. It centres around a funky bass line and wild wah-wah guitar from Squire, but doesn’t go anywhere. The lyrics are dumb and the song never gets out of second gear.

41: Something’s Burning

The b-side of One Love was equally disappointing, and it led into a four year hiatus which gave the band a chance to refresh things. There’s a shuffling dance drum beat, and it slinks and weaves around, but compared to songs that came both before and after, it feels like they were just painting by numbers. A band that had led the way sounded like they were repeating other bands’ ideas.

There aren’t any other tracks I don’t like on this list now we’ve got past this 1990 single.

40: Begging You

The band’s second album, Second Coming, from 1994, still splits critics and fans. I love it, but I know some people don’t.

The Stone Roses - Second Coming

Taking huge inspiration from the dance sounds of the acid drenched clubs of the 90s, the band inspired and were inspired by sounds from Primal Scream and The Chemical Brothers. Begging You is a grinding dance beat, with stabbing electric guitar lines bursting all around. They also released this as a half speed version, Moses, which makes the track sound grungier and much more psychedelic.

39: Where Angels Play

The b-side to I Wanna Be Adored from 1987, this is a straightforward indie pop track, touches of jangle and solid bass playing driving it on. It’s a catchy little number, especially on the chorus, and was the kind of song lots of indie bands seemed to be emulating in their work.

38: How Do You Sleep

How Do You Sleep is a great piece of indie pop, it shimmers and shines with delight, a wonderful sing-along chorus - Brown sounded in much better voice than he did in 1990, and he makes this song shine, reminding the recent pretenders how to do effervescent indie pop music.

37: Straight to the Man

Full of muffled lyrics and rolling percussion, this is a shuffling Ian Brown track. It’s a simple bluesy production, that breaks and bounces beautifully, made by some fabulous piano lines that joust against Squire’s blues guitar.

36: Your Star Will Shine

One thing I love about the 1994 incarnation of the band is their versatility. Your Star Will Shine is a sweet pastoral folk track, deeply psychedelic and drenched in the sounds of late 60s folk. Lovely little backward guitar lines add to the feel, but most importantly, it’s a melodic track powered by gentle but chunky guitar chords and a lovely, warm chorus.

35: Beautiful Thing

After a reunion tour in 2011 the band put out two new singles in 2016. “Solid, rather than earth shattering” was how one critic described it. I like it. It continues the solid funky drumming of Second Coming and whilst being a little slight, it snakes around coolly, the band sounding in great form.

34: Groove Harder

A blistering electric guitar jam, the b-side to Love Spreads, this is hypnotic in its circular riff, constantly spinning around your ears as Squire solos over the top. Wonderfully indulgent, and wonderfully brilliant.

33: Ride On

The b-side of Ten Storey Love Song, this is a grunge sludge of a track - and that is a positive! It’s a dirty rock track, full of metallic brilliance. It stomps and parades, preening and cocksure.

32: Bye Bye Badman

As wonderful as the debut album is, it has to have a “worst” track. For me, that’s Bye Bye Badman. It starts with chunking, phased guitar chords, building slowly into a quasi-country bob when it hops into double-time. John Squire’s guitar playing is fantastic on it, and it’s cleverly catchy and wonderfully jaunty.

31: Tears

This is a lovely fingerpicked track, bluesy and laid back, influenced by the sounds of Led Zeppelin III with how Squire adds snappy little licks to his playing. It kicks up a notch when Reni and Mani jump in, turning into a song with a strong groove, Brown yelling at the top of his register and just about keeping in tune. I think it has the kind of anthemic soar that Oasis hoped for, and a marvellous guitar solo.

30: Don’t Stop

Easily the best of the band’s backward experiments, this was clearly deemed good enough to merit inclusion on the debut album. Taking Waterfall and playing it backward, adding new drums and lyrics that mirrored the sounds that were created, Don’t Stop is brilliant, and strangely unsettling. It’s unmistakably Waterfall, the riff still recognizable when playing backwards, but it also becomes its own song. It drags you in, creating a shuffling groove that swirls around your head. Their are parts that sound incredibly melodic, including the cute little chorus.

29: So Young

Their debut single is clearly a band trying to find a sound, and almost succeeding. The track, produced by Martin Hammett at Strawberry Studios in Stockport (just round the corner from my mum’s house) has an echoing, gothic feel, and Brown’s vocals feel closer to something by Morrissey than the way he would later sing.

28: Tell Me

The debut b-side rocks hard for a young band finding their way. Brown sounds quite innocent here, but he also sounds full of that amazing confidence he has: “You can’t tell me anything!”. Again, it’s clearly influenced by The Smiths, but filtered through much heavier guitars, and full of raw punk energy.

27: All for One

The comeback single from 2016 is a gloriously catchy track, an incessant riff powering over typically stupid lyrics. Ignore those banal words and you get a grooving indie rock track, a great return for the band, and a piece of addictive pop music.

26: The Hardest Thing in the World

A b-side to early single Elephant Stone, this is late-80s indie pop at its finest. The guitar buzzes and rings, and the drums snap and pop. This was one of the first tracks to feature Mani on bass, and he takes control in some sections, the guitar stepping back and letting him shine. Ian Brown: “When Mani joined it almost changed overnight. It became a totally different groove.”

A paint-splattered Stone Roses

25: Driving South

Even though we knew that John Squire was a bit of a guitar hero, I don’t think anyone expected the Jimmy Page like sounds he pulled out on the second track on 1994’s Second Coming. This was Squire as guitar god, and he was brilliant at it. However, it alienated some fans, still stuck in their past, hoping for more jangle and less crunch. It’s a superb riff that drills into your head and stays there.

24: This Is The One

A track that’s become a bit of an anthem, really, and a track that is made by the way the bass and the drums lock together on the jangling opening. It’s the sound of a band transforming, from the small clubs to the huge stadiums of the world, but it still has that delightfully indie jangle to it. The chorus grows over the course of the song and it explodes after about 2 minutes, the band kicking in and driving things home.

23: Daybreak

This is a complete contrast. 1994’s Daybreak is a snake hipped blues, completely catchy and ready to make you dance. I’ve written before about the (deliberately?) hilarious lyrical moment:

New York City
To Addis Abababababa…

…but it’s not a moment that spoils the song, it’s fun and seems to make sense. A great funk track.

22: Elizabeth My Dear

Stealing the melody to the traditional folk track Scarborough Fair, Elizabeth My Dear is a 53-second attack on the royal family, complete with “gunshot” after 37 seconds. A staunchly anti-monarchy message, it was the kind of thing that endeared the band further to me and my friends.

21: Good Times

On Good Times we find the band in a swaggering, cocky mood, the song opening slowly, full of dramatic emotion, before kicking up the tempo and shifting into a great rock track, full of blistering energy, crunching chords and spiralling grooves. It explodes, a searing attempt at hard rock that succeeds.

20: Here It Comes

The band’s second single, Sally Cinnamon, featured this slice of indie pop on the b-side. It’s got their unmistakable sound, but it’s clearly early in the band’s growth. It’s still at the intersection of their early sound and where they were heading, the jangle of indie hidden by the crunch of the guitars, but dripping with melody throughout.

19: Tightrope

A strange song, but an utter joy. It opens with a voice accompanied by simple percussion. It feels unplanned and improvised, a group sat around a campfire, a single guitar and strange, almost drunken backing vocals. It builds and soars, simple but fresh, arms around each other as we get to the clapping chorus: I’m on a tightrope, baby, nine miles high.

18: What The World Is Waiting For

It felt like the band were on top of the world when they released the double a-side Fool’s Gold/What the World Is Waiting For near the end of 1989. What the World Is Waiting For was going to be the lead song, but Fool’s Gold was the track that took off. This is quite delightful, driven by some 60s Byrds-like chords but countered by Brown’s deadpan vocals. The song builds beautifully throughout, with a gently nagging melody that gets under your skin. The song doesn’t really have a chorus, but it has plenty of hooks that keep coming back and dragging you in. Pop perfection.

17: Going Down

On the b-side of Made of Stone we got this wonderful piece of swirling indie folk. Squire plays ringing guitar lines that bleed and blend into each other. The sweet harmonies on the short chorus are beautiful, and there’s a fantastic middle eight that propels the song further.

16: Shoot You Down

A fascinating track, opening with a rumbling drum beat and echoing jazzy guitar lines. It’s really laid back in comparison to some of their harder rock sounds. The band are absolutely on top form here: Squire’s guitar is just fabulous, Mani leaps around his bass, and the song is made by Reni’s stunning drumming. The whole band lock in on a wonderful bridge, melodic and harmonic and the whole thing propels the track way beyond where you would expect.

15: Breaking Into Heaven

The long wait for new music ended in 1994, with the release of Second Coming. Typically full of confidence, that album opened with this: four and a half minutes of chugging guitars, rolling tom-toms, strange echoing sounds and slow, building energy that is suddenly punctured by Reni’s thundering drums, bursting into a shuffling, funky groove, John Squire slashing out slinky little licks throughout. It was an incredible way to open the comeback album, setting the stall out for what was to come.

14: Mersey Paradise

This track sums out what many people think of as the jangly indie sound of the time. It’s clearly full of influence from early 60s Byrds, but it becomes its own sound with the battering drums. It was a b-side that was head and shoulder above most of the indie pop of the time, and Ian Brown’s vocals are fantastic throughout.

13: Ten Storey Love Song

The second single from the 1994 album, sneaking out in 1995, this song showed that whilst they had pushed into a guitar heavy world, they could still produce anthemic, psychedelic indie pop with ease. This is a soaring anthem, a ringing melody building to a superb chorus that you want to join in with. The song just missed out on the top ten in the UK.

12: Elephant Stone

I always prefer the original mix, that opened with sinister backward cymbals and then some thundering drums that were joined by guitar lines that chimed and rang. The drums set us up for a hard rock track but suddenly we got a slice of sunshine indie pop. Produced by Peter Hook, it’s the best piece of music he was ever involved with. The bass line dances up and down, and the song is one of the first tracks the band released that touches upon an acid dance sound. It’s the sound of sweaty nightclubs in Manchester for me, arms around friends and a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 in the other hand.

My friend Mike lent me the CD single so I could tape it - remember those days?

11: Standing Here

This quite wonderful track was a b-side to She Bangs The Drums. It feels like three tracks in one. It opens with a slice of soaring guitar histrionics, the first real glimpse of the guitar heroic of Squire, and the quickly turns into a beautifully melodic piece of indie pop, with a fantastic chorus, delightful little guitar licks and bouncing drums. It is superb, playing with time occasionally, full of confidence and cool. Then, after about 3 minutes it changes into a gentle ballad, brushed drums under arpeggio guitar lines. It really felt like something perfect at the time.

10: All Across the Sands

The 12” of Sally Cinnamon featured this stunning track on the flip side. It is one of their most beautiful songs, gently melodic, Brown’s vocals quaintly flat but still perfect for the track. The chorus is warm and beautiful, and the songs featured some amazing but understated guitar playing from Squire. The song ends with such a touching, soaring coda as Brown sings “After her call” over and over. Perfection.

9: (Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister

A song that really made it feel like we’d got our own successors to the majesty of 60s pop. This is such a delightful, beautiful song. It works perfectly, the harmonies some of the best the band had ever produced. The guitar is incredible, never showy or glamorous, but jangling through simple chords. There’s a sweet innocence in some of the lyrics

She wakes up with the sun
She asked me, “What is all the fuss?”
As she gave me more than she thought she should
She wakes up with the sun
I think, “What have I done?”
As I gave her more than I thought I would

And the song is made by the swaggering end, as the guitar spits out little lines and the track drives to its conclusion.

8: She Bangs The Drums

That recognisable bass line that joins the hissing cymbal creates a memorable opening and then we are deep into jangling, Big Star pop music. The song is relentless, captivating, swirling. Listening to it transports me back to my youth, dancing badly in clubs up and down Manchester. The chorus is designed for you to join in, singing joyously along. Mani’s bass leads the show. At times it’s hard to believe that they bettered this… but I’m going to argue that they did.

7: Love Spreads

I know some people will think I have this too high in the charts, but I love it. I was blown away when I heard it cutting a hole through what I thought was the derivative and uninspiring sound of Oasis - a sound that everyone else seemed to love. No one expected the band to come back with this cocksure rock sound, but they got it just right. It’s snarls with menace but keeps pushing a superb melody, and it features a great chorus

Let me put you in the picture
Let me show you what I mean
The messiah is my sister
Ain’t no king, man, she’s my queen

I love how it comes back after the guitar solo, piano and bass in the background, growing and building, breathing heavily as it breaks out of the chains of the song.

6: Fool’s Gold

For many of us, this sounded like nothing we’d ever heard before. Of course, I didn’t know at the time that it was borrowing heavily from Know How by Young MC and Bra by Cymande. The slinky wah-wah guitar lines meld perfectly with the dancing bass line and incredible metronomic percussion. It was powered by Mani and it becomes a real testament to his skills as a bass player. It’s mesmeric with the way it repeats and returns, with the hypnotic beat and stunning guitar flashes. I suppose the one negative is that it set the template for the next couple of singles, which tried, and failed, to recreate this incredible groove.

5: Waterfall

Built around a precise, ringing guitar riff, and harmonic bass notes, Waterfall is an amazing piece of art. A slowly building track, voices blending with beauty, drums carefully driving the song on, with crashing cymbals and snapping snare. The band (mainly Brown and Reni) sing together, a touching and simple melody as the riff circles over and over in the background. There’s a touch of fairground to the short instrumental section and then we move into the remarkable 90 second coda, as Squire snaps out guitar licks, improving over a jamming rhythm section. By the end the track has burst into double time, notes ringing, drums rumbling, fading gloriously.

4: Sally Cinnamon

I think it goes without saying that this 1987 single is one of their most beautiful slices of indie pop. The whole thing just works. The guitar riff rings and dances, the chords stop and start at the right time, and the words lock the track together with precision. Brown uses bubblegum and cherryade imagery to create sweet and clever pictures. I don’t know how you could listen to the closing lines without singing along

Then I put the letter back
In the place where it was found
In the pocket of a jacket
On a train in town

3: I Wanna Be Adored

This track slowly emerges out of the mist, opening their debut album perfectly. The initial sounds are otherworldly, strange and distant, before Mani’s bassline begins to chug and ring in. Squire plays snippets of guitar lines, cleverly echoing in the background, before Reni’s snaps two beats on the snare and we jump into the song’s riff. Brown is at his imperious best here: you really believe him when he sings “I wanna be adored…”. The incessant train chug of the song is remarkable, but made all the better when it suddenly breaks up, a fantastic guitar solo built around ringing guitar chords, all coming to a stop before the song continues as it had been doing. There are a lot of songs that would battle for the position of greatest opening track, but I wouldn’t be ashamed in putting this on that list.

2: I Am The Resurrection

Closing the album with over 8 minutes of brilliance, we get another song that shows off the band’s talents. It opens with some wonderful drums and a clever descending bass line from Mani. Squire’s guitar leaps and dances around Brown’s vocals, stepping up a notch before each bridge. The track teases and plays with us, seemingly ready to accelerate but then easing back to another verse. Then suddenly we are confronted with the stunning chorus, Brown’s voice dripping with just the right amount of reverb, the whole thing coming back after a neat little guitar solo. Then, after about three and a half minutes the song turns into an incredible jam, Mani laying down a stunning bass line before Squire just goes to town. His guitar playing on this is incredible. I spent hours trying to play along, trying to leap around the fretboard like he did. We get the birth of the Fool’s Gold sound here, as the band pull out an incredible instrumental jam for a good four minutes, totally in control, never over the top, every note, every moment chosen to showcase the band. No one else could come close. Just listen to that ringing ending, chords crashing, riff cycling around, drums bouncing and leading the charge.

1: Made of Stone

The band’s fourth single is their greatest track. It is built around a descending guitar line, that is mirrored by a deep, metallic bass line. The song is dark and visceral, built around images of danger and tension

Your knuckles whiten on the wheel
The last thing that your hands will feel
Your final flight can’t be delayed

That tension builds to the amazing chorus, both brightly melodic and darkly sinister at the same time. We are trapped in the insane images of a madman at times:

Sometimes I fantasize
When the streets are cold and lonely
And the cars, they burn below me

The music swoops and swirls around, feeling like we’re trapped in a blizzard, caught up and inescapable, the guitars ringing and rolling as the song drives on.

I can’t help but mention the time I saw this on The Late Show. I’d waited up to catch the band playing on the show, only to see this famous moment:

It obviously made the band even cooler in many of our eyes. This was a single that really felt like nothing else at the time. The guitars chimed darkly, the bass ringing with beauty and the drums hard and incessant.

What a band.

Now tell me where I am wrong in the comments.

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