1991
January
91
ON JANUARY 13th, TSR book into Bluestone rehearsal studio in Pembrokeshire,
South Wales. their manager, Garath Evens, is
keen for the band to stay for as long as possible, to keep them away from
the public eye while the legal dispute with their record
label Silvertone continues. It soon becomes evident, however, that their
behaviour is too erratic for them to stay there long. It's in
the middle of winter and the band entertain themselves any way they can.
They use pool cues as baseball bats and fire pool balls
across the studio, eventually breaking a large double glazed window. Ian
apologises the next morning. Reni's catchphrase becomes"What day is it?"
After heavy snowfall, the four of them take large silver trays and toboggan
down a nearby hill. Their favourite
pastime
(besides shooting lit balls of paper at each other through a space heater)
is to build a bonfire outside the studio and throw
aerosol
cans into the blaze, causing lumps of red hot metal to explode outwards
like shrapnel. In tribute to Noreen, Bluestone's
owner,
John takes her #400's worth of Harrods carving knives and helped by the
others, fashions a circumcised nine foot phallic
symbol
out of snow (in the style of Henry Moore) on the doorstep. Such is its
impact that local farmers dub Noreen 'The old cock and ball', a nickname
she has yet
to
loose. The band refuse to eat anything other than chips, when they are
served baked potatoes they throw them on the fire, much to distress of
Bluestones waitress,
Pippa.
On leaving, in the dead of night at the end of February, a van comes to
pick them up. It gets stuck in the snow and a tractor has to pull them
out. As they
depart
John Squire assures Noreen that all damages will be paid for. Ian signs
the Bluestone Guestbook as 'The laziest man in show business'. Reni writes
'What time
is
it?'. Mani scrawls, 'Nothing off for good behaviour, Viva la proletariat'
and, 'PS the sheep are tight'. John Squire in tiny letters simply signs
his name.
February
91
AFTER
MONTHS of whisperings about their wish to leave Silvertone, which resulted
in an injunction preventing them from recording any new material the Roses
announce
that they will go to court in March 4 to free themselves from their contract.
Their lawyer, John Kennedy, has prepared a 40 page document explaining
why
their
deal is not legally binding. Associates of the band claim they have enough
new material to fill two new albums, and a behind-the-scenes bidding war
is in full
swing.
March
91
THE
CASE begins in earnest. Peter Prescott QC, on behalf of Silvertone, tells
the court that the Roses, "Can't now be heard to say 'Boo Hoo, I now want
to get
out
of the contract." Gary Gersh, head of A&R for Geffen, has made manager
Garrath Evans a huge offer that will cover all legal fees. Evans staying
at the plush
Russell
Hotel in North London, is noticeably buoyant dodging Journalists while
wearing a permanent grin. The band turn up in court to hear Geoffrey Howard,
the
man
who represented them when they signed the Silvertone deal, give evidence.
London begins to get in a lather about rumours that the Roses will stage
a huge
summer
comeback gig in the south-east of England.
April
91
IAN
BROWN and Mani re-appear in court, sitting with fans while the case meanders
on. It is revealed that Evans' real name is Ian Bromley, and Silvertone
allege
that
he Has a ten year deal with the band and receives 33.3% of all their earnings.
Silvertone also claim that Evans also never provided the Roses with any
detailed
information
about the finances of his company, Starscreen Management The proceedings
take a decisive turn when it is revealed that the contract with Silvertone
is
somewhat
one-sided; according to two of several bizarre clauses the label isn't
obliged to release Roses product anywhere else in the world and the band
only get
half-rate
royalties on any greatest hits package. Evans announces that the roses-
whose debut album has sold more than 250,000 copies in the USA- will play
in
New
York's Madison Sq. Garden and the LA Forum.
May
91
THE
ROSES win their case. They sign to Geffen for a reputed #20 million, with
an initial advance of #2.3 million. "We are looking forward to a new release
in the
Autumn"
says Mel Posner, head of Geffen's international A&R department. The
band resume rehearsals in a rented house in North Manchester, but proceedings
are
cut
short when John Squire flies to Tenerife with his girlfriend Helen. The
band travel to the Cup Winners Cup final in Rotterdam to see Manchester
United beat
Barcelona
2-1.
June/July
91
SILVERTONE
ANNOUNCE they are to appeal against the courts verdict. Proceedings are
not expected to start for nine months, triggering the Roses' conscious
retreat
from public view. Football occupies them more than anything else. Aside
from the Rotterdam expedition they occasionally have conversations with
their
publicist
Philip Hall letting him know their immediate intentions and engaging in
animated conversations about 'the beautiful game'. Reni begins playing
with a BBC
team
that also includes members of Yargo and A Certain Ratio: the team that
plays at Platt Fields - Man Citys training ground - on Tuesday nights.
Ian Brown
occasionally
shows up too.
August
91
SILVERTONE,
STILL smarting from reported roses-related losses of #1 million, release
'I wanna be adored' as a single, and re-format the album: a gatefold
package
is now available. The increasingly wayward Reni appears in court on four
charges, including threatening behaviour and
illegal
parking. He pleads not guilty. Aside from the legal Hoo-hah, he is also
the owner of three houses in Manchester including
one
maisonette in a desirable mini-estate near the G-Mex centre - and is earning
reasonable amounts of money from being a
landlord.
He and his girlfriend - a paediatric doctor at St. Mary's Hospital - are
expecting a child.
September/November
91
RENI's
GIRLFRIEND gives birth to a son, Cody. The drummer is cleared by Manchester
Magistrates on charges of disorderly
behaviour
and police obstruction , having refused to move his car which was causing
a blockage on Burton road. He admits two
offences
- parking in a no waiting zone and causing an obstruction - and is fined
#50. In court Reni states: " I have already lodged
a
complaint about the way I was physically abused by the Police" Promoted
by the increased availability of bootleg tapes and
albums
of old material in Manchester, Ian returns to Strawberry Studios with tour
manager Steve 'Adge' Atherton to buy back 16 old session tapes - produced
by
Martin
Hannett - from 1985. The Roses are confirmed as headliners for a vast summer
show in Hertfordshire in aid of Oxfam.
1992
December
91/January 92
IT
IS now reported that the Roses won't be releasing any new material until
Autumn, as the trauma of the Silvertone case has blunted the bands creative
edge "After
the
court case", says a friend , "John Squire showed the band what he had written
and the band said it wasn't good enough. Instead of going straight to the
studio, the
band
wanted to get it right. They realise they can't rely on hype." The Roses,
Garreth and Geffen have a summit meeting mid-way through a frenzied bout
of
house-hunting
on the back of the Geffen advance. Insiders say that the court case "took
a lot out of them".
February/March
92
THE
ROSES part company with Garreth Evans after months of speculation surroun-
ding their deteriorating relationship,and plan to start recording their
second
album
with producer John Leckie. Geffen schedule it for release in the early
Summer. Keen to record near Ians house, but not enamoured with nearby studios
the
roses
hire The Rolling Stones mobile studio and move into the Old Brewery in
Ewloe, North Wales, a rehearsal studio with 12 bedrooms. Sessions tend
to start at 4
or
5 PM and crawl to a close in the wee hours. The Roses bring six songs to
the sessions, and work proceeds satisfactorily although they continue to
indulge a
passion
for throwing eggs at each other. Ian continues his teetotal lifestyle and
goes ashen-faced at the mention of mixing his chips with any other food,
and is
sufficiently
consumed by keeping fit to take up boxing-style skipping exercises. John
restricts himself to a few glasses of wine. Only Mani, already calling
himself "the
rogue
rose", expresses an interest in beer. The group last six weeks at the old
Brewery, resolving to return after a break. It becomes obvious that the
Eastnor Castle
gig
for Oxfam will not be graced by the Roses' presence; The Cure are eventually
announced as headliners, but the show never takes place.
April/July
92
RENI's BROTHER Paul Wren appears at Manchester Crown Court on three charges
of false pretension. Over a three week
period he has taken #1400 from his brother's account, claiming to be Reni.
The Roses return to the old brewery with Leckie for a
month long stay, Workington a handful of new songs. At least ten of these
are destined for eventual release , among them 'Driving
South', 'Breaking Into Heaven', 'Love Spreads' and 'Tightrope'. They're
heavier than the first album, riding on what studio
employees describe as a "killer groove". Leckie tells them that they really
ought to go on a creative sabbatical and do some demos
on their own, as studio fees are getting exorbitant. The band ignore his
advice and make a new year booking at Square One in
Bury. No one from Geffen has visited them: an air of nonchalance continues
to surround the Roses camp.
August/December 92
THE BAND return to Manchester, where the gang wars have all but obliterated
the baggy idyll. Clubs are wracked with violence
and
corruption, and the city's glitterati move out of the spotlight. The city's
slide is epitomised by the Happy Mondays, degenerating rapidly as they
announce that
they're
playing to smaller venues to enable them to "see the whites in our audiences
eyes". A crucial European Tour is subsequently cancelled. Ian Brown is
variously
spotted
in Mancunian supermarkets, the upmarket southern suburbs, and parking a
new BMW outside a chip shop on Beech Road, Chorlton. Once inside he
continues
his one dimensional culinary adventures by ordering a bag of chips. More
curiously, he makes a habit of wandering up and down nearby Wilbraham Road
and
enthusiastically acknowledging anyone he deems to be cool. The band are
regularly spotted in two Chorlton pubs the Beech and The Horse & Jockey,
indulging
in
concerted drinking sessions during which they sample every variety of bitter
available. Mani continues to be a devout disciple of Manchester United,
flying to away
games
and regularly attending home matches at Old Trafford. The whole band celebrate
United's victory over Man City at manto's, a plush bar in the raffish
Whitworth
Street corridor. Their chronic inactivity is revealed by the fact that
the hire vans once seen making daily visits to Steve Atherton's house are
nowhere to be
seen.
1993
January/February
93
WITH
A tiny fraction of John Squire's fresh fortune, his girlfriend quits being
a stallholder on Manchester's Castlefield Market, and set's up a children's'
clothing
business.
Their daughter appears on the front of her first catalogue. The band, still
in football/holidays/Lanzarote mode, receive word that Geffen's Gary Walsh
is
planning
an excursion to Manchester to find out exactly what is going on. His visit
spurs a spate of whispers about a summer single. He tells the band he's
worried
about
not having heard a single note by them since their signing. He's also looking
for a manager for the band, to replace the long departed Gareth Evans.
March/April
93
OUT
OF the blue, John Leckie is summoned to Square One studios, to work with
equipment hired from Hilton Sound in South London. As far as Leckie is
concerned
almost a dozen songs are heading towards eventual completion, including
'Love Spreads', 'Your Star Will Shine', 'Driving South', 'Breaking Into
Heaven',
'Begging
You' and a "five minute wonder" entitled "Ten Storey Love Song". Geffen,
itching to put out some momentum behind the stone roses return begin
approaching
potential managers, the most notable of which is Elliot Rashman, manager
of Simply Red. Thinking himself unsuitable, Rashman suggests that Nathan
McGough,
freshly divorced from the Happy Mondays, applies instead. Tired of working
with bands best described as 'quixotic', he decides not to.
April/May
93
IT'S
NOW four years from the week that 'The Stone Roses' was released, and then
NME travels to Bury to find them. The band remain cautious and refuse to
be
interviewed.
"Come back in a few months and we'll do a proper interview" declares Ian
Brown. The band play pool while dodging correspondence. Leckie
increasingly
feels that he's involved in something so strange that it's making his life
unbearable. The Bands crew - apart from Steve Atherton and three other
close
associates,
who are kept on the payroll - begin to loose hope of ever working for the
Roses again. They will later be taken on by Oasis, thus forging the much
trumpeted
lineage that runs between the two bands. Mani celebrates Man Utd's first
League Championship victory in 26 years drinking with friends at Legetts
Wine
Bar
in Failsworth, north Manchester, the party is eventually broken up by Police.
Gary Gersh is appointed President of Capitol records in America. Responsibility
for
the Roses is handed over to Tom Zutaut, also in charge of Guns N' Roses.
June/July
93
THE
BAND check into the rockfield studios near Mounmouth, run by Kingsley Ward,
erstwhile manager of T'Pau. On July 26, Leckie arrives for discussions
about
the
state of play. Despite the fact that the album is pencilled in for October
release, he's so ground down by their erratic schedules that he decides
to quit, eloping to
work
with (The) Verve and Radiohead.
August
93
PAUL
SCHROEDER, producer of Fool's Gold and Don't Stop, takes over from Leckie
The Band decide to start afresh, using what they've already recorded as
demos.
Local Engineer Simon Dawson becomes Schroeder's right-hand man, gradually
assuming a larger role. Ian's obsession with keep fit spreads to the rest
of the
band
and they all hire mountain bikes. John Squire is the keenest, also leading
the band into the chilled out world of kite-flying. Novocaine, a local
neo-punk band
are
booked into the next-door studio at rockfield when the Roses arrive. Ian
strikes up a friendship with the band, particularly with the singer Steve,
which eventually
culminated
with him providing a lyric for Novocaine's song 'Brain'. Sessions often
last through the night, ending at 6 or 7am, recording everything in as
few takes as
possible
to get them sounding 'live'. Ian and Mani seem particularly lain back,
hanging out with local musicians who come up to the studio, sitting around
smoking and
laughing
at the adverts on HTV. Ian is willing to talk on any subject, favourite
topics being Greek mythology and John Lennon. Encouraged by the calm surroundings,
the
band start drinking at local pubs The Nags Head and The Bull. John Squire,
as expected , is the most aloof of the four, keeping his distance from
the bands new
friends
and often disappearing off to paint. Gareth Evans recruits Bernard Sumner
to produce a single by Man Utd's Winger, Lee Sharpe, Evans has formed his
own
label,
Volcanic, and declares, "I persuaded Bernard to work with Lee just as I
persuaded Hooky to produce the Roses' 'Elephant Stone'. It's going to be
a brilliant
record".
September/November
93
MANI,
ALREADY installed at a new house in Manmouth, ceases to be the Rogue Rose
by starting a relationship with a local girl. The other three's visits
to Rock-
field
become more intermittent as they spasmodically return to football/holidays
/Lanzarote mode and the Charlatans move into their freshly-vacated part
of the
studio.
The roses return to Rockfield in the first week of November. Also in residence
are Lush. Mani and Paul Schroder have become a double act, hanging around
with
the Lush party. Mani celebrates his 29th birthday at The Bull with John,
Paul, Lush and their producer Mike Hedges, and the circle of Monmouth kids
who
become
the Roses new entourage. The survivors end up drinking tequila and champagne
slammers with Ronnie Rodgers, ex-guitarist with T'Pau. A horrified Mani
finishes
the evening holding open the door of the taxi as Lush's Emma Anderson is
violently sick. There's also the annual Rockfield bonfire party, attended
by Mani
and
John Squire, who still tends to spend a worrying amount of time riding
round nearby lanes on a mountain bike. Ian Brown meanwhile , makes a habit
of
wandering
around the studios in the wee hours, cadging fag-ends from the Lush party
in order to build Joints.. "Have you got any dimps?" becomes his catchphrase.
The
Roses begin formulating a plan for their return. Mani says that the band
think the Spike Isl. and Ally Pally shows were fiascos, and they want to
play gigs in big
tops,
a' la their last show at Glasgow Green. He also says he's written his first
song for the album "and it's much better than all the others" The relaxed,
jovial vibe
surrounding
the Roses' camp is amply demonstrated by a weird incident towards the end
of the month. The phone rings in Lush's living quarters midway through
the
day.
"Is Moiré there?" says a hushed, deep voice, looking for Rockfield's
head caterer. " It's John" "No," replies Emma Lush. "It's just that we
don't have any eggs,"
says
john. "They confiscated them all after we had this massive food fight.
I s'posse we'll have to have cornflakes."
December
93
ROSES
PUBLICIST, Philip Hall, travels to Rockfield. Rough mixes are played to
him, and over the course of an enthusiastic four-hour meeting, he is asked
to
manage
the band. He accepts, but in a tragic turn of events, he loses his battle
against cancer weeks later. The band attend his funeral in London. Back
at Rockfield,
they
play a bizarre driving game involving racing round back lanes with their
headlights off. Eventually, Simon Dawson crashes his car into a ditch but
escapes
unscathed.
Recording continues at a furious pace. Band members will disappear for
a day or two but always return to continue sessions as a band. Listening
matter
at
this point includes early Neil Young and obscure lo-fi American blues in
a quest for a depth and bluesiness missing in modern records. Ian cultivates
an obsession
with
obscure hardcore rap, while Reni becomes fixated with early Led Zeppelin,
zeroing in on the songs' component parts in an effort to discover how they
managed
to
sound so powerful. Ian shaves his head. A week later, Reni does the same.
The group are given a final deadline by Geffen for the completion of their
new album.
Artwork
for 'The Second Coming' is completed and, although the band have yet to
finish at Rockfield, there is speculation that 'Love Spreads' will be released
as a
single
on Valentines Day, 94. A spokesman announces, "If the album comes out in
March then there will probably be a single in mid-February, although we
don't
know
what it is yet or when it will come out". Ian shows up at TJ's in Newport
just before Christmas. When approached by a journalist from the Western
Mail, the
Journo
is told: "Fuck off! I'm not talking to no tape recorder. Take me as I am
or don't bother". He is later seen buying vast amounts of junk food from
a nearby
service
station at 3:30am. The band head north for Christmas, attempting to wind
down.
1994
January
94
HAVING
RETURNED to Rockfield immediately after Christmas, Ian hears Oasis on Radio
1's Evening Session and is impressed. The next day Liam and Noel
Gallagher,
who are recording 'Definitely Maybe' at nearby Mono Valley, chance upon
Ian coming out of WH Smiths. He's shadow boxing like Muhammad Ali and
upon
seeing them declares, "Youse are them guys out of fucking Oasis, aren't
you? I fucking heard you on the Evening Session Last night.. 'Cigarettes
And Alcohol'
...
fucking 'ell man, it's about time." Inevitably they start hanging around
together and taking moonlight tractor rides through the fields of Monmouth.
The Roses travel
to
NY to begin the first of several discussions with Peter Leake (manager
of Natalie Merchant, The Cowboy Junkies and The Waterboys) who they desperately
want
to look after them.
February
94
PAUL
SCHRODER leaves Rockfield for the final time and returns to London, remaining
tight lipped about Roses related events. Simon Dawson becomes
producer.
Ian Brown turns up at TJ's in Newport again to see Novocaine support Dub
War. He and Reni are mixing ' Driving South' at the time, which involves
guitar
loops played over and over again, building into a trance. The band are
listening to Aerosmith and old blues compilations. Ian is by now in the
habit of wearing a
ski-hat.
Squire has a soft-topped convertible Mercedes parked in the driveway. 'The
Second Coming' is now due in "late April".
March/May
94
GARRETH
EVANS issues a multi-million pound writ against the band, who are now rapidly
approaching the fifth anniversary of their debut album release. They
arrive
for another spell at Rockfield but leave soon for two weeks holiday: John
Squire further indulges his passion for cycling by taking his bike on vacation
to
France.
Reni is convalescing from a debilitating illness. They all return on May
14 to see to overdubs and vocals on the new tracks, and take delivery of
a fleet of
Ford
Fiestas which they delight in racing around the back lanes, once again
with the lights off. This time there are no catastrophic accidents. MCA,
Geffen's parent
company,
inform interested parties that "People who've been talking about the band
listening to loads of Led Zep aren't a million miles from the point". John
Kennedy,
the bands lawyer, says "The Second Coming" will be everything its title
implies."
June/July
94
FINAL
MIXING of the album is due to start, with the release date now pencilled
in for September. Mani shows up backstage at the Glastonbury festival where
he
witnesses
the Oasis circus in full effect. Tom Zutaut's visits to Wales are becoming
more and more frequent as his paymasters become increasingly anxious. The
band,
still without a manager, decide not to continue talks with Peter Leake.
August/September
94
FINALLY,
TOM Zutaut's anxiety is allayed when he flies over to hear the comple-
ted recordings, which still need final mixing. He is "very pleased with
it". Beer
Davies,
the Roses' radio pluggers, are also invited to Rockfield. Company boss
Garreth Davies and his colleague James Chappell-Gill drive to Wales. Whilst
they
are
on route, a separate bizarre incident occurs outside the studio. Two itinerant
building workers from Manchester are camping down the road while trying
to find
work.
Driving by Rockfield, they ask the guy at the end of the drive (all but
hidden by the darkness) if this is the studio where the Roses are recording.
"Yeah," he
tells
them. "The album's sound too." It becomes apparent that the man is Ian
Brown, and he invites the two builders into the studio. Once Garreth and
James have
arrived,
Ian and Reni play the album to the four of them. James keeps rocking back
on his chair, gasping for words and saying, "Fucking hell...". The record
has an
experimental
edge with one of the tracks featuring screeching violins. It sounds, James
and Garreth agree, as if the Roses have leap-frogged their second album
and
made
a fantastically ambitious third. Mani, on a drive through Monmouth, plays
Steve from Novocaine the finished album. He's blasé' about it by
now, just looking
out
for individual bass parts, but to someone who's hearing it for the first
time the record sounds "amazing". Ian and Mani both confide that they're
itching to play live
again.
They've waited so long because they were determined to get the record right
and now they have they want the world to hear it. To celebrate their leaving
the
studios
they have a sumptuous formal dinner cooked by Anne the studio chef. Inevitably,
it includes chips.
October
94
THE
BAND move to Metropolis studios in Chiswick with ex-Clash associate Bill
Price, where they work on the albums final mix. Having finished the Roses
and
Steve
Atherton fly to LA to play Geffen the tapes. They return to meet with Hall
Or Nothing, their British publicists, to discuss the campaign for 'Love
Spreads' but
fail
to turn up for their first meeting. At later discussions the band insist
the single is released on November 21st. The British arm of Geffen has
no involvement with
the
release - so to placate their increasingly frustrated staff, promotions
company Beer Davies are taken off the account and in-house pluggers take
over. It is
decided
to couch the release of ' Love Spreads' in almost theatrical secrecy, culminating
in a securior van ferrying a cassette of the single to Radio 1.
November
94
STEVE
ATHERTON goes to Rockfield studios to collect the last of the substantial
archive amassed since the summer of 93. Feverishly screening his calls,
he leaves
a
message on his answering machine which features a small child shouting
"You'll never take me alive, copper!". John Squire's artwork for 'Love
Spreads' - featuring
a
gothic cherub atop a heraldic shield, a detail from the Newport-Monmouth
road bridge, appears in the Japanese magazine
Rockin'
On, along with a full LP track listing, proving that a great deal of the
album's songs are at least two years old. It is thought
that
a track called "How Do You Sleep" might be a cover of the John Lennon song.
It isn't. The Roses' associates are drilled into
near
silence. The single is debuted on Radio 1's evening Session on Monday,
November 7th and the band go to ground in
preparation
for a predictable media onslaught that they will have nothing to do with.
This after 46 months of half truths, false starts
and
dashed hopes, is the resurrection.....
Thanks to Mike Quinn for the original
|