4 Deep Grooves by The Stone Roses That Made Bassist Gary “Mani” Mounfield a Legend

Gary “Mani” Mounfield, the acclaimed bassist for The Stone Roses and Primal Scream, was one of the most important figures in British rock history. Tributes following the announcement of his death on November 20, 2025, arrived from Liam Gallagher of Oasis, Tim Burgess of The Charlatans, The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, and New Order.

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Mani was central to the Madchester “baggy” scene and, with The Stone Roses, forever transformed the sound of British rock music. So to highlight Mani’s timeless contributions, here are four deep grooves by The Stone Roses that made him a legend.

“Love Spreads”

The Stone Roses’ self-titled debut created a monumental shift in British rock. One example, which happened at a Manchester gig in 1989, convinced a teen in the audience that he wanted to be in a band. That teen was Liam Gallagher. But the Madchester groove perfected by The Stone Roses can be heard not only in Oasis, but also in The Verve and early Blur, among others. Though it took more than five years before the second album arrived, “Love Spreads” revealed the Roses’ bluesy reinvention, with Mani’s bass at the heart of its groove.

“I Am The Resurrection”

If you needed only one song to introduce someone to Madchester, start with “I Am The Resurrection”. First, you get a Messiah metaphor. And if you’ve noticed the onstage persona of Ian Brown and descendants like Gallagher and Richard Ashcroft, then you’ll know swagger is key. But this track began when Mani played The Beatles’ “Taxman” riff backwards. From there, it bloomed into an eight-plus-minute epic, with the final portion of the song a psychedelic instrumental masterpiece ignited by his bass break.

“Fools Gold”

Manchester’s acid house and rave culture evolved from Chicago’s underground house DJs and a reimagining of Haight-Ashbury’s 1967 Summer of Love. The Chicago DJs had distilled disco to its most essential elements. And the hypnotic results mixed with drug culture gave The Stone Roses its musical and cultural DNA. Mani’s bass playing, in lockstep with the funky rhythms of drummer Alan “Reni” Wren, reaches a perfect state of bliss on “Fools Gold”.

“I Wanna Be Adored”

Mani’s playing was the (Northern) soul of the band. The low-end repetition also reinforced the dance origins of the Madchester movement. From Joy Division’s post-punk to New Order’s electronica to The Stone Roses and its collage of 60s psychedelic rock, jangle pop, and dance music. Rock music was evolving inside Manchester clubs. Moreover, the hype around “I Wanna Be Adored” reinvigorated indie guitar music in the U.K. and helped launch Britpop. It’s hard to imagine it happening without Mani.

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