The Stone Roses

Fully revised and updated, with brand-new chapters and exclusive details on their reformation; this is the definitive, most revered account of the band, from a journalist and musician who was there from the beginning

The band, the lifestyle, the revolution—this classic biography charts the phenomenal rise of the Stone Roses to the icons they are today, using interviews, rehearsal tapes, and the archives of author John Robb. Robb's exclusive inside knowledge of the Stone Roses creates a compelling and intimate insight into how the band single-handedly set the blueprint for the resurgence of UK rock 'n' roll in the 1990s: Ian Brown's new lazy-style vocals; Reni's fluid, funk-tinged, groundbreaking drumming; and the guitar genius of John Squire. From the band members' early years to the inception of the Roses, through the tours and success, their influences and style, to the demise of the original lineup and their solo careers; every high and low is documented in minute detail.

John Robb is the founder of the 1970s punk rock band the Membranes, a current member of the group Goldblade, and the author of Death to Trad Rock, The North Will Rise Again: Manchester Music City 1976–1996, and Punk Rock: An Oral History. He first met an embryonic Stone Roses in the postpunk fallout of the early 1980s when his band used to rehearse next door to theirs. He was the first journalist to document their remarkable rise to the top in a series of articles for the music press and attended show after classic show that saw them change the face of British music.