BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1990
“Fools Gold” and “What the World Is Waiting For” are two songs by British rock band the Stone Roses. They were released together as a double A-side single on 13 November 1989 through Silvertone Records. “Fools Gold” would go on to appear on certain non-UK versions of their self-titled debut studio album (1989). “Fools Gold” became the band’s biggest commercial hit at the time. It was their first single to reach the top ten of the UK Singles Chart and stayed in the top-75 for fourteen weeks, peaking at number eight.
“Fools Gold” and “What the World Is Waiting For” were recorded at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall during the late summer of 1989, with additional vocal and guitar parts recorded later at London’s Battery Studios, during the autumn of 1989. The tracks had been worked on for four months, and the intention was to put “What the World Is Waiting For” as the A side; however, when Roddy Mckenna, Silvertone’s A&R man, heard “Fools Gold” he urged the band to use that as the A-side. The band were not completely convinced, and it was agreed, instead, to release the two tracks as a double A-side.
“Fools Gold” has been described as a Madchester and dance-rock song. The dance-oriented song showcased the rhythm section of Mani on bass and Reni on percussion. Ian Brown stated the song was written over “The Funky Drummer” by James Brown, which Reni had to learn the beat from. John Squire also plays guitar with various wah-wah pedal effects. Ian Brown sings the vocals in a whispered delivery. He would also perform with this technique for the track “Something’s Burning”. The bassline was inspired by “Know How” by Young MC, which is a sample from the Shaft theme song, performed by Isaac Hayes. The lyrics reference Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” and Marquis de Sade. The verses were inspired by John Huston’s 1948 film adaptation of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
The single was released in 1989 and entered the UK top ten. It was promoted with a music video, showing The Stone Roses performing outdoors and walking across the volcanic landscape of Lanzarote, Canary Islands. The cover art was a painting by John Squire, “Double Dorsal Dopplegänger”, which was later exhibited at Squire’s 2004 art exhibition.
In the United States the single reached #27 on the Billboard Dance chart and #5 on the Nodern Ruck chart.
SIDE A:
Fools Gold 9.53 9:53
SIDE B:
What The World Is Waiting For 3:51
Fools Gold 4.15 4:15
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Fools Gold | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #27 |
| 1990 | Fools Gold | U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | #5 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Silvertone Records – 1315-1-JD, BMG – 1315-1-JD, RCA – 1315-1-JD
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1990
Genre: Rock
Style: Indie Rock
CREDITS:
Bass – Mani
Drums, Backing Vocals – Reni
Guitar, Artwork – John Squire
Producer, Mixed By – John Leckie
Vocals – Ian Brown
Written-By – Brown*, Squire*
NOTES:
Manufactured and distributed by RCA Records, a label of BMG Music, New York, NY • Printed in USA.
Made in U.S.A.
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Schiit Mani
Soundcard: ESI Juli@ XTe Audio Interface
Monitiring: Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
Username: btg
Password: burningtheground
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