8+

"I Am The Resurrection" by The Stone Roses which clocks in at 8:13

Last week, as a tiny little music nerd contest, I mentioned the following:

"Speaking of drinks, I'm playing DJ guy tonight at the EF Presents... show. I'm going to be playing ONE 8+ song at some point in the night (and this song will get posted and written about in next week's 8+) and I've got a little contest for you guys. Here's the deal: whenever the 8+ song is played, the first person who comes up to me and tells me the name of the song, and that it is in fact THE 8+, that person will get a free drink of their choice. Maybe even two if you're really impressive about it. Yes, nerds are impressed by other nerds."

Well, here's a post about the song that I played a week ago. Nobody recognized "I Am The Resurrection" as the 8+ when I played it, (or if they did they didn't tell me) but there were a few people who were asking for free beers anyway. Instead of free beers, I give you free song goodness. Greatness. Godliness.

The Stone Roses were the first band (that I'm aware of) to be crowned as 'the next Smiths'. What a load of rubbish. Sure, like The Smiths they had an excellent guitarist and lead vocalist (as well as a rhythm section sure to move legs on the dance floor) but this band was much more than some group of guys from Manchester ready to fill the void left when The Smiths disbanded. For one completely perfect album, The Stone Roses were the answer to everything and on their debut album they gave us not one but two amazing 8+ songs well worthy of being written about. "Fools Gold" may be the more well-known of these two songs but it is "I Am The Resurrection" that truly moves me and makes me feel alive.

The song starts out with a bit of a "Pretty Woman" drum beat before the bass line comes in sounding like a slight nod to "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" by The Animals. Whether intentional or not, you're right away made aware of where The Stone Roses are coming from - '60s inspiration and influence mixed with a solid grasp of '80s indie-rock. In no time, Ian Brown's laissez-faire vocals catapult you into the clouds. At 3:40, The Stone Roses break it down and begin an almost five minute long jam. Within this section of the song you'll find out all you need to know about the band. About their smart choices, brilliant guitar playing, and the groove they carry throughout that more or less created an entire subculture. When the song is over, listen again. Listen so that you know just how perfectly The Stone Roses convey their heavenly yet slightly tortured version of danceable paranoia/beauty incarnate. Listen again so that when Brown sings the words "I am the resurrection" you know he's not lying. At least, for one perfect debut album, this was a band made up of gods.

Buy The Stone Roses HERE on Amazon.

EAR FARM's 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. In the recent past these songs were featured on EF's 8+:
British Sea Power - "Lately"
Islands - "Swans"
Isolée - "Pillowtalk"
Animal Collective - "Banshee Beat"
Wilderness - "Post Plethoric Rhetoric"
The Wedding Present - "Interstate 5"
Sleater-Kinney - "Let's Call It Love"
My Morning Jacket - "Dondante"
Wilco - "Spiders (Kidsmoke)"
Isis - "From Sinking"
Lemon Jelly - "A Tune For Jack"
Herbie Hancock - "Sly"
New Order - "Temptation"
Polvo - "El Rocio"
Pulp - "Countdown"
Morrissey - "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils"
Dungen - "Du är för fin för mig"
Loose Fur - "Wreckroom"
The Who - "A Quick One, While He's Away"
Destroyer - "Rubies"
Neu! - "Fuer Immer (forever)"
Iggy Pop - "Mass Production"
The Cure - "Fascination Street" (Extended Mix)
Yo La Tengo - "Let's Be Still"
George Michael - "I Want Your Sex, Pts. 1 &2"
Digital Underground - "Doowutchyalike"
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - "1% Of One"
Big Brother & the Holding Company - "Ball And Chain"