Last Thursday, my evening consisted of ordering pizza, watching TV and procrastinating taking out the garbage. It was also one of the best days of my life.
Oh wait, I left something out there. The much-anticipated lineup for April’s even-more-anticipated Coachella music festival was finally revealed to the masses that night, inspiring music fans across the nation to either curse organizers of the three-day celebration for not booking a Kurt Cobain hologram to front the surviving members of Nirvana or deify them for landing The Stone Roses’ first U.S. appearance in two decades.
As for me, I immediately began counting the days until I embark on my Coachella Weekend 2 road trip. It was kind of awkward when my fiance walked in the room to find me caressing my giant Stone Roses 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition box set, but I have no regrets. Besides, she’s going to have to get used to moments like that.
The legendary four-piece’s self-titled 1989 debut is often cited as one of the greatest British albums ever made, so it only makes sense that the album should be made available as a 20-pound set that includes three CDs (the original record plus two discs of b-sides and demos), three LPs (containing most of the CD material), live DVD, lemon-shaped (in honor of the album cover) USB card, 48-page book of extended liner notes and six art prints by guitarist John Squire.
This isn’t listed on its Amazon page, but it also makes for a great cuddle buddy at night. Just my two cents.
My box set (no. 3,437 out of 3,500) is among the best $150 I’ve ever spent, but I understand that most people don’t want to hear half the album backwards (that’s what the USB is for). While The Stone Roses is a must for any rock fan’s collection, its super-mega-let’s-get-a-cart-wheel-this-out-of-the-record-store deluxe edition is really only for the biggest of Roses devotees.
That said, if you’re a bloody Madchester raver and need something to tide you over until The Stone Roses’ rumored 2013 U.S. tour, this elephant stone-sized box set is the one.
