JSU Single Review




Ian Brown
The Greatest
Release Date: 12th September 2005 on Ficton







So this is it, the best of Ian Brown's solo project to date and when it came to a name, there was only one possibility for the ex-Stone Roses frontman… "The Greatest".

All his past and present masterpieces are all here - the military-beat 'My Star' that launched his career, the intelligent 'Corpses', 'Can't See Me' that infamous lost Roses groove, 'Love Like A Fountain', which for me was the song that really set his solo career ablaze, the educational 'Dolphins Were Monkeys', the 'trigger happy' 'Golden Gaze, the lyrically genius 'F.E.A.R.', the hushed 'Whispers', Oasis-aided 2004 comeback single 'Keep What Ya Got', triumphant 'Time Is My Everything' and new dark 'All Ablaze' (click here to read the JSU review of the single) but there's more!..

Also included are his two UNKLE collaborations 'Be There' and the sublime 'R.E.I.G.N.', a couple of new versions, but a remake of Love Bug seems near pointless though when you realise the song is less than a year old! I can only assume that Ian Brown wasn't happy with how it was recorded originally as it's near identical, save a few new lyrics. The other brand new track 'Return Of The Fisherman' is strictly a reworking of the 1999 b-side 'The Fisherman' but with inspirational new lyrics, some stolen from his political statement song (written earlier this year but most likely unrecorded) 'Caught Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea'.

The deluxe 2CD version offers yet more, promised to be in a book format, packed with pictures spanning Ian's career, it comes with a further 13 tracks, including the 2000 Michael Jackson covers ('Billie Jean' and 'Thriller'), My Star 2002, the best remixes and Ian's own take on Gus Gus' 'Desire', a couple of rarer lost B-sides and an undeniably cool session version of Sex Pistol's 'Submission' with Steve Jones, with all the laid back banter throughout the track left in.

This collection of songs is only part of the reason why Ian Brown is held in such acclaim by so many but it plays great tribute to his solo career to date and rather than a man at the end of his career, chucking out the obligatory 'Best Of'; with single after single of pop perfection and several sucessful festival and forest gigs this year, it feels more like he is at the height of his career, roll on the 5th LP, Mr Brown.

No doubt this package will also introduce Brown's early material to the next generation and latter day Brownie fans… and rightly so. He wanted to be adored. Mission Accomplished.





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