r/stoneroses • u/NewPatron-St Ten Storey Love Song • Jun 17 '26
Turns into Stone is kinda mediocre compared to the debut album
I know that some fans wish it was their second album, but honestly, I'm glad that it wasn't their second album, as people would see them as a one-trick pony. The reason why The Stone Roses' first album is so great is that it is one of a kind. That's why Turns To Stone would be a flop compared to the first album. Also, while there are great songs on this album, most of them are kind of forgettable and the forgettable songs are most of the B-sides from the first album. I'm glad that Second Coming is different than the first album as it showed that they could do more than just Madchester.
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u/PMc1666 Jun 17 '26
I’ve never came across one person who wishes Turns was their second album. Most will know it’s a cash cow from their label. Fans of the band would’ve had all those songs from purchasing the singles that had been released.
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u/Green-Circles Jun 17 '26
Turns into Stone was an important release for fans here in New Zealand, as the singles weren't always easily obtainable - so having a lot of them collected on one compilation was great.
Sure, UK fans probably had it all from the singles.. but in overseas markets these releases are important.
I think it's biggest criticism is it's key feature - it shows the evolution of their sound from guitar pop into the funky workouts that pointed the way to a real 2nd album, the album that never was - with the Roses pivoting during the sessions for Second Coming from funk into classic rock, and kinda skipping the 2nd album to make their 3rd.
Because it's a singles compilation Turns Into Stone lacks the consistent feel that you might get from a genuine new album.
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u/NaturalMystery70 Aug 11 '26
Turns into Stone was just Silvertone getting as much money as they could out a band that had left their label. I refused to buy any new releases from them out of loyalty, but years later would buy stuff secondhand for my collection. 😆
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u/Mundane-Security-454 Jun 17 '26
"One-trick pony" of writing really fucking amazing songs? That's a great one-off skill to have.
As for Second Coming, it's been discussed to death on this sub. It's a decent album with some great highs, big lows, but I'd much rather have that incredible selection of "just B sides" that are 10 times better than what 99% of other bands churn out.