Second Coming is the second studio album by The Stone Roses, released through Geffen Records on 5 December 1994[1] in the UK and in early 1995 in the US.[2] It was recorded at Forge Studios in Oswestry, Shropshire and Rockfield Studios near Monmouth in Wales between 1992 and 1994. It went platinum in the UK and sold over 1 million copies worldwide and was dedicated to Philip Hall, the band's publicist, who died of cancer in 1993. On cassette tape and vinyl record record format, it was released as a double album. Second Coming would be the Stone Roses' last studio album to date.
The second album by the Manchester four-piece, it suffered greatly at the time from the sheer weight of expectation generated by both the 5½ year gap between it and the band's eponymous debut, and the band's withdrawal from the live arena for 4½ of those years. In addition, The Stone Roses made their return in a changed musical environment, with the UK newly ensconced in Britpop with Blur and Oasis as the premier rock bands of the day. The album reached number 4 in the UK Album Chart.
Second Coming features tribal rhythms, 1970s-style extended guitar riffs, funky rock/blues numbers with jazz elements and campfire style songs such as "Your Star Will Shine" and "Tightrope" that hint at the band's rural surroundings at the time (the band moved to Wales to make the album). As the line-up began to crumble, three singles ("Love Spreads", "Ten Storey Love Song", and "Begging You") from the album were released in the UK.
After "Love Spreads" are 77 silent tracks, each lasting 4 seconds. These are followed by an untitled and hidden track, generally referred to as "The Foz".[3] This is, in turn, followed by a further 9 silent tracks bringing the total number of tracks to 99.