This here is the band members sections and features brief biographies and pics of the Classic Stone Roses
Ian Brown, the first and the last of the 'Roses', wouldn't let go of the dream even if it meant performing at Reading 1996 with an almost urecognisable line-up.
It wasn't a bad performance, it was quite good in places, it just wasn't THE STONE ROSES, well not as we know them. Aziz played the guitar parts quite well but he was merely playing the parts, not all the Squire magic inbetween, a true fan notices.
Anyway, after the performance, THE STONE ROSES had well and truly died in the eyes of the critics and even some of the fans had written and it was Ian and Mani trying to keep the original spirit alive, but eventually Brown let the Roses lie and disappeared for a year or so, supposedly to get back to nature and become a gardening or something whilst John Squire toured the country with his then current project THE SEAHORSES.
18/10/1997 and the NME accounce that Brown is to make a comeback with his debut solo single 'My Star', released on 12th January 1998. It featured Aziz Ibrahim on guitar, that had tried so hard to replace Squire for the short time that he was with the Roses, a man who had once been a session musician for Simply Red (AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). The single, like the Seahorses' debut ('Love Is The Law') got plenty of airplay prior to release and entered the charts at No. 5.
My Star was quite a suitable single For Brownie to debut, it shuffled along with military style drumming, perfect for Ian to dance along to (if not a slightly bizarre video to go with it) and it somehow gave a message that Brown was back and it wouldn't be long before he had the respect he deserved from the whole country.
Brown then made his debut public appearance since going solo, DJ-ing at the Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street, later signing records... I personally got my limited edition g/fold with booklet (copy of UMB) signed and also my Ltd. G/fold 7" of My Star. He is a true star, just as impressive in the flesh, a real niceguy.
The album titled 'Unfinished Monkey Business' was then released and welcomed with a mixed response by the critics. It was essentially a voyage of self-discovery for Brown, with him playing the majority of the instruments on the album that he had learned since leaving THE STONE ROSES.
Not matter how average the spread of reviews were, the fans could see the magic was still in Brownie and the venues he played soon filled. Adopting along the way the Jimi Hendrix track - Little Wing, which Aziz played excellently.
He then appeared at festivals and such but then hit a bad point when he reviewed the week's singles (04/04/1998) for the Melody Maker and said some things that 'upset' the gay community, although Brownie still proclaims thta he was misquoted, which is probably the case, as it is, to say the very least, a strange topic to get into when reviewing singles. Oh well.....
After that it went a bit quiet for Brown, he releases Can't See Me and gigs the country but then disaster as Brown's face is splashed across the tabloids as he is arrested for allegedly threatening a trolley dolly on a flight from Paris. Alas for poor Brownie, he was made an example of and sent down for four months, all gigs were cancelled and a follow-up album delayed, the only good news is that whilst inside, Brownie wrote three of the tracks for his second album Golden Greats and he was also inspired to write a book about the whole experience, which he is currently working on.
After leaving the Roses in 1996 due to musical differences (of course) and after Reni left the previous year, Squire went into hiding for a bit making a few appearences at Oasis gigs such as Knebworth Park, 11/08/1996.
One such performance, namely Champagne Supernova live at Knebworth appears on the extra CD with the Oasis video '...There and then', a great track to listen to, John Squire outplays Noel effortlessly. Brilliant.
It was the 27th November 1996 that John Squire first 'trotted' out with his new project THE SEAHORSES at Buckley Tivoli, a secret gig, The Seahorses themselves comprising of Squire and three unknown misfits. Chris Helme, the singer who up to the moment that Squire signed him up had been busking outside 'Woolies' in York, Stuart Fletcher, the bassist who actually did not turn out to be a bad bass player and Andy Watts, the drummer and backing vocalist (Squire possibly looking for another 'Reni' ?) who was allegedly dropped after the filming of Love Me & Leave Me for not fitting in with the band's image.
The Seahorses debut single Love Is The Law, released on 28th April 1997, which had got plenty of airplay prior to release entered at number 3 in the charts, an outstanding result for both John and the band. This was followed up by the terrific single Blinded By The Sun, originally written by Helme and guitar well adopted by Squire. The video for this was definitely their best and was filmed in a kind of Apollo 13 style with the band floating around in space. This, unfortuantly, failed to make the top 10, as did their third single Love Me & Leave Me which was written by Squire and contributed to by a certain Liam Gallagher, you may recognise the Oasis style melody in the verses.
It was the festival season with the Seahorses appearing at Glastonbury and T in the Park, then came a series of gigs and almost a different drummer at each as they tried to find a suitable for Andy Watts. Whoever the drummer was, the band were just as soon good and were equally exciting to watch with Squire rocking back on his heels and running his fingers up and down the fret board faster than you can see him do it.
Another tour followed this and then a quiet spell, they disappear for a few months apparently working on a follow up album to their 1997 debut Do It Yourself, John appearing later in Select to confirm this and at gigs they debut new material, such as the tracks: City In The Sky, Tombraid and Moth (which eventually evolved into Anamorphosis)....If you've not heard these tracks they are available on some late bootlegs.
The Seahorses then announce, surprisingly, that they are disbanding in the NME and other magazines on the 27th February 1999. This was probably due to Chris Helme getting a bit too big for his boots and thinking he could make it on his own but after five minutes of gigging, he was told otherwise.
After approximately nine years with the Roses, Mani accompanied by Ian Brown and the rest of the Roses MKII, namely Aziz Ibrahim (Guitar), Robbie Maddix (Drummer) and Nigel Ipinison (Keyboards and backing vocals), stood at a desk for their press conference at Reading Festival 1996, as ever with a cheeky grin on his face but things were different, this wasn't a Roses conference, they were talking freely to the press, no trademark mystique that so often surrounded them prior to any event of this sort. Previously it had been rumoured that Mani may well indeed leave the Roses to join Primal Scream but Mani made his stand at Reading in protest.
The gig was a memorable on but for all the wrong reasons, the critics slammed the performance saying that Ian sung like a donkey. Mani and Ian must of had a long chat after that because a few weeks later Ian appeared in the press again, quoting the end of the Roses and indeed the era of one of the finest bands in recent history. The dream had died and a whole generation morned the lost of a band whose debut album is still unrivaled.
A short period after Mani appeared in the NME annoucing his recruitment to Primal Scream and joined the band during the recording of their fifth album Vanishing Point, making his debut appearance in the video for 'Kowalski' the first single released.
Reni always did seem to be the quiet one, the most unquoted of the Roses band members. The same goes for his public appearances since his departure in March 1995 when he left the Roses during the filming of the video for 'Ten Storey Love Song' and missed the shoot, which is why he isn't seen in the video and why there's a strange man wearing a Reni face mask.
After leaving the Roses, he vowed never to play the drums again but this needn't be as upsetting as it sounds as he also plays guitar almost as well as he plays the drums and let's not forget his singing talents.
Months of nothing later and it's rumoured that Reni is demoing material for a record company but no record deal, that was all we heard apart from a possible band name - Hunkpapa and that the people that have heard any songs/material (including Brown) say they sound good, but the general public waited on.
It's also rumoured that he's set to contribute to a track on the Aziz debut album (fronted by brief ex-Stone Rose Aziz Ibrahim).
Brown also admitted that Reni did not appear on the backing track for his single 'Can't See Me' but paid him the royalities for it anyway, nice guy.
The lastest on Reni is.... Reni's new band is called The Rub, and they are indeed alive and gigging, not signed to a record deal yet but it is looking promising. I managed to get my hands on a bootleg of a gig they did in March 2001 and it's sounding very good, a lot more "Punky" than the Roses but closer to the first album's sound than Second Coming.
