Next month will see the 20th anniversary of the release of the iconic eponymous debut album by The Stone Roses, one of the greatest ever albums and arguably the best ever debut album by a British band (along with offerings from Tricky, Massive Attack & Oasis to name but a few). I was planning to host a night to celebrate the fact (though I should probably be mourning the fact that I first really got into music 2 decades ago) but will now be in Dublin. Because of that I think that I will try to pretty much dedicate the blog to the Roses and other great stuff from, or inspired by 1989 (a great year for music by the way).

And to kick it all off, what better than this, the version of the Roses’ best song from what many claim was their best ever gig: I Am The Resurrection performed at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool. Whilst the recording highlights the fact that Ian Brown always sounds better in studio recordings than he does live, something I can vouch for having seen The Roses twice (though without Reni) and and his solo act once, it also shows exactly why they made a generation think that these were their Beatles.

Whether it’s Brown shouting fortune-cookie style soundbites (Who is & who isn’t? Who is & who isn’t?), Reni’s impossibly funky drumming or John Squire’s Hendrix-esque solo, this was a band at the top of their game. Of course, like all the best bands, eventually The Stone Roses blew it. But maybe if they hadn’t this wouldn’t feel so special now. Whatever, it’s bloody amazing. Enjoy.

Big hat-tip to Paul Delaney for sending me an MP3 of this version of Resurrection.

Stone roses image by GorupKa on flickr