Let's face it, I can drone on for 450 words about 'Made of Stone''s glorious, soaring melodies, or the spellbinding (but justified) arrogance of 'I Wanna be Adored' or 'I Am the Resurrection'. I can talk about how this collection of songs changed my life. But you already know that, as the chances are that only one person reading this doesn't know every second of this record off by heart (Hi great auntie Janet, thank you for your support, and I promise I'll try not to swear, or say anything offensive - I know you always preferred the Mondays anyway). No, there are two things, and two things only that you want to know about this twentieth anniversary reissue: Firstly, the remastering, and second, what 'Pearl Bastard', the unreleased track is like..

Well, it's clear from the moment that the drums crash in on 'I Wanna Be Adored' that things are altogether clearer. The treble is more defined, John Squire's intricate motifs that bit crisper. Over the course of the album, there are moments of it seeming a little too crisp, false even. Though it's well worth pointing out that I have probably listened to The Stone Roses at least once a week for the last fifteen years, so it was always going to be a slightly disconcerting experience hearing these songs in a different light. What can't be argued is that those two most unsung of unsung heroes, Mani and Reni, are altogether more audible, with 'Waterfall' in particular more rhythm section-centred than ever before. Oh, and the album can now be played loudly without distorting, so all in all it earns a cautious thumbs up. Though I do deduct brownie points for the inclusion of 'Fool's Gold', the greatest STANDALONE single of all time.

Onto the demos, of which 'Pearl Bastard' is one. The problem with Stone Roses demos is that, shorn of any studio wizadry, Ian Brown's voice usually sounds so paper thin that it's nigh on impossible to prefer any of the less refined versions to the polished forms which made the album. 'Shoot You Down' is excellent, with Reni's drums at its core, more freeform than the album version. If you can make it to the end of the 'song' part of 'I Am the Resurrection' without collapsing in a heap at the sheer horror that is Brown's voice as he tries to hit the high note, the version of the infamous 'jam' is excellent; Mani's bass played at breakneck speed, and Reni's drumming simply glorious. Overall, the hollow, echoey sound recalls Joy Division and indeed The Smiths far more than the finished records.

The demos of non-album tracks are probably of more interest. 'Where Angels Play' is markedly different, with a campfire sound not unlike The Second Coming's 'Tightrope'. By the time of 'Something's Burning' and 'One Love', it's obvious that the band are far more accustomed to being in a studio, as the tracks, albeit lacking a few bells and whistles, sound far more like the finished versions. Though many would say that that was more to do with the fact that the single was rushed, and sounded like a demo, than the other way round. Actually, in fairness, the drum loop on the 'One Love' demo is arguably more effective (though admittedly slightly harsh) than the one they used on the single, adding a claustrophobic menace that was lacking in the released version. It still wouldn't have been enough to make it a worthy follow up to 'Fool's Gold', but it's an interesting historical snapshot nonetheless.

'Pearl Bastard' is the demo CD's closing track (apart from a bizarre alternative version of 'Something's Burning', which features a superb bassline and some bizarre snippets of sampled speech). It is very obviously a demo. Indeed, the first thirty seconds sound like the band are playing far too slowly. Once it hits its stride though, it's a melodic, likeable if throwaway tune in a similar vein to 'Going Down' or their other lost track, 'The Sun Still Shines', which can be found on many a Roses bootleg.

Finally, we have the Blackpool Empress Ballroom DVD. I'm reviewing the Legacy edition, so I'm afraid I can't tell you what delights the lemon shaped USB stick has on it. In short, the band were magical, Ian Brown was out of tune. And I wish I'd been there.

Assuming you already own The Stone Roses, I'm not certain that purchasing the new version is essential. The remastered tracks sound nice enough, the demos are interesting, but there's nothing that can't be done without. Ah, who am I trying to kid, of course you should buy this album. It comes in a lovely new box, and it's The Stone Roses. I remember Liam Gallagher claiming in a very early Oasis interview that he owned four copies of The Stone Roses, just because "he thought he should". Though judging by the songs he has written himself, I imagine Liam's record collection to have progressed to now consisting of 461 copies of The Stone Roses and 9,380 copies of Revolver, in this instance he was right.