Second Coming by The Stone Roses

Second Coming, the Stone Roses' second and last album, finally landed on Geffen on 5 December 1994, more than five years after the debut that made them Madchester royalty. The wait had its reasons: a long legal war to escape Silvertone before they could sign with Geffen in 1991, then sessions that dragged from 1992 to 1994 at Forge Studios in Oswestry and Rockfield near Monmouth.

What came out is a different beast. John Squire's guitar turns heavy and bluesy, all thick, swaggering riffs, with Mani's bass and Reni's drums swinging hard beneath Ian Brown's cool murmur. "Love Spreads" is the snaking, riff-driven standout, "Ten Storey Love Song" the sweet, jangling throwback. Reviews were mixed, but it went platinum in the UK. Philip Hall, their publicist, had died in 1993, and the record carries his name as its dedication; within two years of its release the group had come apart.

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