There’s almost no precedent for the Stone Roses. Inspired as much by the 1968 student riots in Paris (the album cover has the French flag turned on its side) as their own collective ego (sample hits: “I Am the Resurrection,” “I Wanna Be Adored”) their debut was a fully formed gem that gave birth to an entire genre—Brit-pop. Singer and lyricist Ian Brown infused “Made of Stone” and “Waterfall” with lyrics that flicked at epic romance (“See the steeple pine/ The hills as old as time/ Soon to be put to the test/ To be whipped by the winds of the west”) without veering into sentimentality, while guitarist John Squire lingered over chords like the Byrds’ Roger McGuin. A label dispute sidelined them for four years and the Stone Roses never got back on track, but their one great album gave birth to dozens of other bands.