The Stone Roses - The Most Fascinating Facts Anywhere

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1. Ian Brown and John Squire were school friends

The pair met as teenagers in Greater Manchester and played in several early bands. The Stone Roses took shape in 1983 and had a gothic look in their first years.

2. Mani joined in 1987

Bassist Gary Mounfield came from another Manchester band and completed the best-known line-up with Reni on drums. His bass lines became central to the group's sound.

3. Martin Hannett produced So Young

The 1985 single was produced by the Factory Records producer known for Joy Division. The band later felt it was not representative of their sound.

4. The debut album cover is a protest in lemons

John Squire's painting for the 1989 debut album includes lemons, a reference to protesters who used them against tear gas in Paris in 1968. Squire painted the artwork himself.

5. John Leckie produced the debut

The 1989 album was produced by John Leckie, who had previously worked with Pink Floyd and others. It is widely ranked among the greatest British debuts.

6. Fool's Gold stretched past nine minutes

The 1989 single came out as a double A-side with What the World Is Waiting For. It reached number eight in the UK and fused indie guitar with a dance groove.

7. Their 1989 TV appearance went wrong

During a BBC Late Show performance, the sound cut out in the middle of a song. Ian Brown reportedly told the producers they were amateurs.

8. Spike Island drew roughly 27,000 fans

The May 1990 concert on a former industrial site in Widnes became a legendary event, although many complained about the sound. It is often seen as a defining moment of the era.

9. Second Coming took five years

The follow-up appeared in 1994 after legal battles and long studio sessions. It was heavily guitar-led, with Squire's blues-rock playing in the foreground.

10. Reni left in 1995

The drummer departed during the touring cycle for Second Coming. Squire left in 1996 and the band split soon afterwards.

11. Squire formed The Seahorses

After leaving, he formed the band and released Do It Yourself in 1997. Brown went solo.

12. Heaton Park drew three sold-out nights

The reunited group played three nights in Manchester in June 2012 for a combined crowd of roughly 75,000. They released two new songs in 2016.

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