John Squire - The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses

In the early 1980s Squire and Brown founded The Patrol that eventually became The Stone Roses, with Squire as lead guitarist from 1984 to 1996. The partnership between Squire and Brown formed the heart of the band's lyrical and musical output. Squire is once again playing guitar in the reformed Stone Roses from 2011.

The Stone Roses became one of the most influential acts of its era. Their 1989 eponymous debut album quickly achieved the status of a classic in the UK, and topped NME's list of the Greatest British Albums of All Time. Squire co-wrote all of the tracks with Brown. The cover art was painted by Squire, it is a Jackson Pollock influenced piece containing references to the May 1968 riots in Paris.

By the mid-1990s the Roses were being hailed as pioneers of the Britpop movement. Squire displayed a vocal dislike of most of the bands, dismissing them as "Kensington art-wankers". The most notable exception was Oasis. Squire even made an appearance at their Knebworth concert, playing guitar on "Champagne Supernova" and a cover of "I Am the Walrus".

The band's second album, Second Coming (released in 1994), was mainly written by Squire. He has credits on all but one of the tracks, most of which credit him alone. The album's featured a heavier blues-rock sound, similar to Led Zeppelin and The Allman Brothers Band. The album was met with mixed reaction from fans, and shortly after band infighting and rumoured cocaine abuse led to his departure from the band on 1 April 1996.