STONE CLASSIC!
Thirty-five years on, producer JOHN LECKIE relives the Roses’ epochal debut LP, and John Squire’s pivotal part in it.
BEFORE THE ROSES, I’d produced The Woodentops, The La’s, and XTC as The Dukes Of Stratosphear… To be honest, my motivation was, The Woodentops hadn’t made it yet, nor The La’s, so it better be the Roses! [Rough Trade boss] Geoff Travis had sent me their original demos, but by the time I replied, they’d signed to Zomba. Ian Brown mentioned the Dukes’ album? One thing I didn’t realise for years is that Made Of Stone’s vocal melody is the same as the Dukes’ 25 O’Clock, I think Ian nicked it. Maybe that’s why they chose me, but I think it was because Geoff suggested me.