Best known as the post-
Stone Roses project of guitarist
John Squire,
the Seahorses picked up where the last
Stone Roses record left off, leaning toward traditional rock rather than the dance-influenced Brit-pop of
the Stone Roses' heyday. In 1996, less than a year after
the Stone Roses called it quits,
Squire formed
the Seahorses (which, when the letters are reformed, spells "he hates roses") along with vocalist/guitarist
Chris Helme, bassist
Stuart Fletcher, and drummer Andy Watts. Produced by the legendary
Tony Visconti,
Do It Yourself was released in June 1997 and received mixed reviews. After a world tour, including several dates with
Oasis, the band hit the studio to record their second album, only to see
Watts leave the group. He was quickly replaced, but after only one album, the group disbanded in February 1999 due to creative differences between
Squire and
Helme. An album's worth of material had been recorded, but never surfaced.
Helme continued to record as a solo artist, while
Squire has remained quiet since.
–
Kenyon Hopkin, Rovi