I must be getting old when the great bands of my youth are getting the re-packaged Greatest Hits treatment in time for Santa’s stocking. The Roses have been compiled numerous times before against the band’s wishes, hence the fact that Ian Brown and John Squire buried their grievances and hand-picked these fifteen stone cold classics for the one disc is an event in itself.

The inner sleeve photo sums it all really. Four stoned Manc Messiahs drenched in paint staring at the camera, preening and pouting for Manchester and the millions worldwide who experienced their seismic pop revolution running concurrent to the Berlin Wall being ripped down. Their lineage came from The Beatles, Joy Division, The Smiths and the true definers of great British music in the 20th century.

Unlike the flipping amazing Nirvana album, The Very Best of The Stone Roses contains no unheard surprises or alternate recordings. Having said that, it’s smashing melee of their two studio albums and the stunning one off singles ‘Sally Cinnamon’, ‘Elephant Stone’, ‘Fool’s Gold’ and ‘One Love’. Album tracks like ‘Breaking into Heaven’ and ‘This is the One’ get the richly deserved pride of place they demand and the onslaught of the true masterpieces, ‘Waterfall’, ‘Made of Stone’ and ‘I Am the Resurrection’, sound as life-affirmingly vital as ever.

What’s more, you can finally find out the lyrics to some of Ian Brown’s more indecipherable lines, as a full lyric sheet accompanies a superb booklet with liner notes from John MacCready and excerpts from a wonderful Mojo interview. Even a laminate from their unforgettable Irish show in Parc Ui Chaoimh gets printed for posterity.

Put it on your Chrimbo list and play very loudly at your New Year’s Eve bash. 1989 never sounded so good.