REVIEW: Ian Brown, Golden Greats (Interscope)
- Tim Kennedy
Ian Brown, former vocalist with the late and widely lamented UK baggy guitar gods The Stone Roses returned to the fray at the end of 1999 with this his second solo album, having spent some time previously in prison after a controversial 'air rage' conviction.
Golden Greats is a hybrid of rock guitar and techno with the former taking the driving seat, and never more so than in the first track, "Gettin' High". The intro of glistening chinese music is thrust aside by bombastic riffing whilst Ian's voice is at least as strong as it was back in 1989. The guitar riffing is subverted by a slightly trippy feel on "Gettin' High".
By contrast, "Love Like A Fountain" is very much in the vein of Primal Scream's glorious Screamadelica album from the early 90s, with techno flourishes and a quick, loping beat which is in striking contrast to its predecessor. The sexual metaphor of the lyric is a little obvious but musically this is a triumphant highpoint of the album.
"Free My Way" harkens back to the intro of "We Love You" by the Stones with a flourish of keys and other prison sounds, "Jingle jangle/goes the jailer/heaven is a place right here on earth" Ian's lyrics show acceptance of fate, and a philosophical bent not evident in his previous works. Sombre strings provide the riffs in "Free My Way", whilst moody keyboards add to the sombre atmospherics. This is one of the most memorable songs he has ever written, comparable to his gloriously moody single of early 1999 "Be There".
"Set My Baby Free" continues in the same lyrical prison theme, though this time Ian uses a retro late sixties keyboard riff, the sort of pattern that The Nice might have used. The hypnotic Hammond organ is a particular highlight of the album.
"So Many Soldiers" lyrically gives away little, and is based around a lovely acoustic guitar loop, which is then wonderfully embellished by keyboard playing borrowed straight from French popsters Air. Ian's vocal lopes cheerfully along leaping disconnectedly between for example waking up feeling good, babies crying at night and being 'so selective with the company I keep.'
"Golden Gaze" starts with a gorgeous guitar intro which recalls the heights of Love's 1967 classic psychedelic guitar album Forever Changes Then unexpectedly it launches into heavy metal guitar a la Zeppelin's "Kashmir". This rather incongruous switch is eased by ambient synths in the background. The song doesn't ultimately live up to the promise of its wonderful intro as it is too urgent and grating for these ears.
"Dolphins Were Monkeys" starts with a moody synth sound reminiscent of Bowie and Eno's landmark late 70s album Low and the second side of Heroes. The song advances a somewhat dodgy palaeontological theory that dolphins descended from monkeys that preferred swimming to tree climbing. However the song is a swaggering heavy metal keyboards and guitar masterpiece reminiscent at times of "Trampled Underfoot" by Led Zeppelin. The Zep influences on the last Stone Roses album were said to stem from guitarist Squire's fascination with the seminal foursome but clearly Ian was strongly influenced too, and certainly by their double masterpiece Physical Graffitti.
"Neptune" withdraws into inner space, with ambient keyboards as Ian conducts us on a tour of the solar system, a relaxing trip after the rock histrionics of the previous two tracks.
"First World" airs the hope that 'the light of the first world' doesn't damage the chances of the third world. A pretty vain hope that. The tune is based around a slick elastic bassline, but doesn't really get off the ground. Lyrically and melodically it actually bears a strong resemblance to the 1990 Stone Roses single "One Love" although it is nowhere near as inspiring as the original.
"Babasonicos" is performed with Argentinian musicians from the band of the same name and is another low key number, with a draggy reggae bass and drums and a creepy 50s film noir melody. Ian intones rather detachedly about a 'lady who got no soul'. This kind of Led Zep influence we could do without, but otherwise this is another example of the impressive breadth of scope of Ian's vision. He has recently expressed the desire to perform in Spanish language and tour South America - his partner is an American of latin extraction.
Whilst as a vocalist he has taken some criticism, Ian acquits himself well here within the limits of his range. He sings best on the less metallic of the songs here, expressing the emotions behind his lyrics perfectly, especially on "Free My Way".
This is an eclectic album and yet more evidence of the talent and great musical imagination of Ian Brown. While plenty of artists are using synths and samples, and mixing styles to achieve new sounds - Ian displays a great feel for the music and there is a sincere message of love from beyond the bars that confined him so unjustly.
