Turns Into Stone by The Stone Roses
Turns Into Stone is a compilation album by The Stone Roses released in 1992. It consists of early singles and B-sides that did not feature on their self-titled debut album. The compilation reached number 32 on the UK album chart. The album's release was surrounded by controversy, as the Roses were in the middle of a legal battle with their then-record label, Silvertone. An injunction prevented the band from releasing any new material for several years afterward, during which Silvertone re-released many singles, including two separate versions of "Fools Gold", and releasing stand-alone singles from the first album that were not intended to be singles (such as the edited version of "I Am the Resurrection" featuring a drum machine instead of Reni's distinctive drumming). Despite this, the album is seen in a positive light by Roses fans because it collects the extended versions of many of their best-known non-album songs onto one CD, before a best-of compilation was even available. The title of the album is taken from the final lines of One Love: "What goes up must come down/Turns into dust or turns into stone".
Singles and B-sides blessed with the majesty of the Roses’ remarkable debut album. For a band who struggled so long to make their second LP, The Stone Roses squandered plenty of pop magic as B-sides during their imperial period. “Standing Here”, “Going Down” and “Mersey Paradise” could all have made that debut without compromising its greatness. The latter encapsulates the Mancunians at their best: infectious, adventurous and–with its easily misheard refrain “River cools where I belong”–provocative. However, 1989 single “Fools Gold” remains their finest nine minutes, a scintillating fusion of acid-house escape and mesmeric funk.
