I've started the History of the Stone Roses in 1984 as before this time they were merely a few guys with big ideas. The Stone Roses name was not coined until the end of 1983 so technically this is their beginnings...At the start of this year the band lineup was:

Ian Brown : Vocals
John Squire : Lead Guitar
Andy Couzens : Rhythm Guitar
Pete Garner : Bass
Si Wolstencroft: Drums


Roses rehearse songs. Written in this jamming session are the future single release tracks 'So Young' and 'Tell Me'.


Drummer Si Wolstencroft leaves the band and is replaced by Reni (Hurrah!)


The Roses record a demo tape at Spirit Studios in Manchester. The tape consisted of the songs 'Tragic Roundabout', 'So Young', 'Mission Impossible' and 'Nowhere Fast'.


After sending the demo to a promoter for a benefit gig the Roses play their first-ever set in a club in London.


First headline gig played. The gig is wrapped up with the first performance of 'Getting Plenty'.


The Roses record the to be single 'So Young' backed by the track 'Tell me'.


The Roses debut 'I Wanna Be Adored' at a disaster filled gig.


The Roses record their first albums worth of material. The songs are 'Getting Plenty', 'Here It Comes', 'I Wanna Be Adored', 'Fall', 'All I Want', 'Trust A Fox', 'Mission Impossible', 'Just A Little Bit' ('Nowhere Fast' renamed), 'This Is The One' and 'Heart Of Staves'. It was touted to various record producers but was never released till 1996.


'So Young' is finally released 8 months after being recorded.


'Boy On A Pedestal' is played at a gig in Manchester. A song that never made it...But I would LOVE to hear!


Gareth Evans becomes the Stone Roses manager.


The song 'Sun Still Shines' is debuted at a gig. Another song that never made the cut.


The band have a bust up over money and Andy Couzens leaves.


'Sugar Spun Sister' and 'Sally Cinnamon' get their gig debut. 'Elephant Stone', 'The Hardest Thing In The World', 'Sun Still Shines' and 'Going Down' are recorded as a demo.


'Sally Cinnamon' backed with 'Here It Comes' and 'All Across The Sands' is released on the FM Revolver label.


'Where Angels Play', 'She Bangs The Drums', 'Sun Still Shines', 'Mersey Paradise' and 'Your Time Will Come' make their gig debut.


Pete Garner leaves the band and is replaced by Gary Mournfield (Mani). The band now have the lineout that is about to set the nation alight!


The band record the future single 'Elephant Stone'.


The Roses sign a deal with Silvertone, and begin recording their debut album. It was a poor deal that was later to end with the sacking of Manager Gareth Evans.


'Elephant Stone' backed with 'Full Fathom Five' (the title track played in reverse) and 'The Hardest Thing in the World' is released on the Silvertone Label.


They play the Hacienda and the gig is recorded for the BBC television program 'Snub'. It was the first time they play 'Made Of Stone'. (Note by site Author...Terry! When I am going to get back my bootleg CD for this gig!? Its awesome! You've had it for over a year and a half!)


'Made Of Stone' (My all time favourite Roses song!) B-Sided with 'Guernica' is released. This was their big break. It hit number 4 in the British Indie charts and entered the top 100 of the national charts.


The Album 'The Stone Roses' is released. The Album contains the songs 'I Wanna Be Adored', 'She Bangs The Drums', 'Waterfall', 'Don't Stop', 'Bye Bye Badman', 'Elizabeth My Dear', '(Song For My)Sugar Spun Sister', 'Made Of Stone', 'Shoot You Down', 'This Is The One', 'I Am The Resurrection'.


A re-recorded version of 'She Bangs The Drums' is released as a single with 'Standing Here', 'Mersey Paradise' and 'Simone' as the backing tracks. It hits number 36 in the national charts.


The epic single 'Fools Gold' is released with 'What The World Is Waiting For' as the backing track. A big departure for the Roses this song showed their interest in the growing Dance culture that had grew from the Acid house scene. It reached number 8 in the national charts. This was followed by television appearences on 'The Late Show' on BBC2 which didn't go too well! (About 30 seconds into their opening song 'Made Of Stone' there was a power cut to their instuments!, prompting Ian Brown to swagger around chanting insults in the background as the presenter trys to get the show running smoothly again!). They also appeared on 'Top Of The Pops' to perform 'Fools Gold'. Incidently the Happy Mondays the other Manchester phenomonon play the same night.


Unhappy with the re-release of 'Sally Cinamon' by FM revolver without the band consent, they proceeded to splatter paint over the Managing Director's Mercedes, smash the rear window and gave it a Reni-esque respray...This resulted in a court appearence in March where the band were fined £3000 each.


Silvertone re-release 'Elephant Stone' and 'Made Of Stone' which both make the national top 20.


The Roses play to 30,000 at the 'Spike Island' gig.


The Roses play Glasgow Green in Scotland. It turns out to be their last gig in the UK for 5 years...


The single 'One Love' backed by 'Something's Burning' is released. A more funky sound it was closer to 'Fools Gold' than 'She Bangs The Drums'. It reaches number 4 in the national charts.
It was after this that everything went silent...


Unhappy with the record deal with Silvertone the Stone Roses manager Gareth Evans anounces that the band will go to court to free themselves from the contract. Thus no new material was to be recorded until the problem was rectified. (It would be easy to blame Silvertone for the years of silence from the Roses but they were willing to re-negotiate the contract. When they had signed the Roses, they were the ONLY record company that was willing to do so. They along with every other record company at the time beleived that they were a band that would go nowhere. As a result the Roses had been lucky to get a record deal, even if it was a poor one.)


The Roses win their case against Silvertone and the contract ends. The world waits for some new material.


'I Wanna Be Adored' backed by 'Where Angels Play' is released by Silvertone in an attempt to refuel their bank accounts after loosing their case to the Roses.


Reni appears in court and is charged with disorderly behaviour, parking in a no-waiting zone and causing an obstruction for refusing to move his car. The resulting charge is of £50.


The two year old 'Blackpool Live' gig is released on video.


The Roses sack Gareth Evans feeling it was his fault for all the problems with Silvertone and the Band sign with Geffen Records.


Silvertone release the Album 'Turns into Stone' which is a collection of tracks which were previously backing tracks for singles, with the exception of a remix of 'Elephant Stone'. From now until November 1994 all is quiet. Rumours and more rumours are all that is heard. The band recording their album in starts and stops. They just get plain lazy. Around them things change. Oasis rise and with them the 'Britpop' wave. Yet the Roses are still quiet. But then something solid and decisive happens...


After countless delays the new Stone Roses single 'Love Spreads' is delivered to Radio One and it gets it debut airing on Monday 7th of November. On its release later that month with the backing tracks 'You Star Will Shine', and 'Breakout'. It hits the national charts at number 2. The Roses had returned!


The Album 'Second Coming' is released reaching number 4 in the national album charts. The Album contains the songs 'Breaking Into Heaven', 'Driving South', 'Ten Storey Love Song', 'Daybreak', 'Your Star Will Shine', 'Straight To The Man', 'Begging You', 'Tightrope', 'Good Times', 'Tears', 'How Do You Sleep' and 'Love Spreads' (As well as an unmarked track hidden at the end of the Album.) It receives medocre reviews by the press. Everyone had been waiting so long for this record and expectations far outpassed what they should have expected. It was a new sound and no one knew just how to take it. But time has told a different story on this record...


The Roses do the rounds in State-Side Radio stations after their album makes number 47 in the US charts. As usual they cause controversy by calling on the US army to 'Stop killing babies'. Also back in the UK 'Ten Storey Love Song' is released backed by 'Moses' and 'Ride On'. It reaches number 14 in the national charts.


Reni leaves the band...There are a number of rumours as to why he left...As such I won't go into details. It was a stunning shock. He was the best drummer of a generation. Things would never be the same...


April - After being replaced with Robbie Maddix on drum the Roses did their first gig in almost 5 years in Oslo, Norway. Then then do a brief tour in Europe.


They follow up the European date with several gigs in the US. Also the Album 'The Complete Stone Roses' is released this month. It brings together all of their pre-'Second Coming' singles.


John Squire breaks his collarbone and shoulderblade after an accident on his mountain bike. It was a disaster as the Roses had to cancel their big UK comback gig as well as a tour of Japan.


The first UK gig in over 5 years is played by the Roses and it goes down a storm!


The Roses gig in Japan playing to a crowd of 12,000.


The Roses play four gigs in Australia as the crowds back home get ready for the UK tour. Also to co-incide with the upcoming tour 'Begging You' is released, with five different mixes of the track to back it.


The Stone Roses finally tour the UK.


The Final Fling: Ian Brown, Aziz Ibrahim, Mani, Robbie Maddix, Nigel Ippinson

This was when it all came tubbling down. John Squire left the band and in a blind hope of surviving the split, the remaining band members along with two new recruits headline the Reading '96 festival...

They never stood a chance. They got slated. The press had already written off a post Squire Stone Roses before they had even took to the stage. The gig itself (I have now seen it for myself) was spoiled by a number of factors. Worst of all was Ian's singing. Its not great at the best of times but this was his worst performance. The 'dancing girl' that jumped about on stage was tacky to the point of tears and Maddix's yells to the crowd did nothing to help the journalists reviews. The real star of this show was Aziz Ibrahim. In a matter of weeks he had learned to play John Squire's guitar riffs and he was superb. Aziz had taken alot of stick because he had once played for Simply Red, but his performance that night proved he was up there with the best. But the lone success of Aziz could not save the Roses now and the gig went down in history as the worst they ever did. A few weeks later the band split up. The only good thing that happened this year was the release of 'Garage Flower' the album that was shelved back in 1985.