Just glancing over the track listing included at the end of this review is enough to hint at both the quantity and quality of Browns 9 year solo career. Defining moments that capture Browns full ability are commonplace, as are moments that pay homage to the agility that can be found throughout ... Read review
My Star Corpses In Their Mouths Can't See Me (Bacon & Quarmby Remix) Be There (Ian ... more
Brown) (Unkle) Love Like A Fountain (Single Version) Dolphins Were Monkeys (Single Version) Golden Gaze (Single Version) F.E.A.R. Whispers Forever And A Day ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
01 My Star 02 Corpses In Their Mouths 03 Can't See Me 04 Be There (UNKLE) 05 Love Like A ... more
Fountain 06 Dolphins Were Monkeys 07 Golden Gaze 08 F.E.A.R. 09 F.E.A.R. (UNKLE Remix)10 Whispers11 Keep What Ya Got12 Time Is My Everything13 REIGN (UNKLE)14 All Ablaze15 F.E.A.R. (Live performance on This Is Dom Jolly)16 Time Is My Everything (Live performance on Later With Jools Holland)17 Longsight M13 (Live performance on Later With Jools Holland)18 Love Like A Fountain (Live performance on Top Of The Pops)19 Be There (UNKLE) (Live performance on Top Of The Pops)20 Dolphins Were Monkeys (Live performance on Top Of The Pops)
Advantages: EVERYTHING YOU COULD ASK FOR FROM HIS SOLO CAREER Disadvantages: NO ROSES, NOT EVEN ANY CHOCOLATES!
Just glancing over the track listing included at the end of this review is enough to hint at both the quantity and quality of Browns 9 year solo career. Defining moments that capture Browns full ability are commonplace, as are moments that pay homage to the agility that can be found throughout his eclectic back catalogue. From his 1998 single ‘My Star’ to his latest 2005 offering ‘All Ablaze’.
Collaborations with the likes of U.N.K.L.E ... ...diversity that lies within almost every track. A mesmerising mixture of swaggersome guitar tunes, hard edged percussion driven tunes, psychedelic ‘what the hells going on’ tunes and refined string based tunes. They’re all here with Brown delivering clever vocal after biting vocal after tongue in cheek vocal. ‘The Greatest’ offers the long serving faithful Brown fans, the semi interested Stone Roses fans and any newcomers pretty much the same thing. ... more
Just glancing over the track listing included at the end of this review is enough to hint at both the quantity and quality of Browns 9 year solo career. Defining moments that capture Browns full ability are commonplace, as are moments that pay homage to the agility that can be found throughout his eclectic back catalogue. From his 1998 single ‘My Star’ to his latest 2005 offering ‘All Ablaze’.
Collaborations with the likes of U.N.K.L.E and Noel Gallagher serve as strong reminders of the typical diversity that lies within almost every track. A mesmerising mixture of swaggersome guitar tunes, hard edged percussion driven tunes, psychedelic ‘what the hells going on’ tunes and refined string based tunes. They’re all here with Brown delivering clever vocal after biting vocal after tongue in cheek vocal. ‘The Greatest’ offers the long serving faithful Brown fans, the semi interested Stone Roses fans and any newcomers pretty much the same thing. Welcome one and all to a consistently good CD that disproves any disbelievers out there. And if, somehow, the CD fails to appease the all demanding music god in you, well, there’s always the DVD. Available separately for around £15 instead of included as a double disc set for maybe an extra £5, is it worth the expense? Well there is a good reason why Brown hasn’t gone for that option. Available also as a limited edition 2 disc set, ‘The Greatest’ offers up a whole extra disc of content. And yes, it is still around £5 dearer. Although it does include Browns covers of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and ‘Billie Jean’.
Please keep in mind that this isn’t the good old value for money Oasis who often released 3 superb B- sides with each single. Nor is it the Ian Brown of yesteryear, with his Stone Roses counterparts fighting for the fan and his ever challenged wallet. No, this is a new era Ian Brown with units to shift. The question is, will he with the DVD? Sure, the die hard fans will rush out to get their hands on it like it was a free pint on a Saturday night. In all honesty though, it is an awesome line up of tracks. With the 6 live performances added to ensure anybody who already had all the videos rushed out to but the DVD, I’m pretty sure that yes, it will sell. Admittedly, most of the videos offer up nothing new and contain nothing more than predictable but nevertheless enjoyable promos. I can’t help but wonder why Brown couldn’t have taken a heads up from U.N.K.L.E. who often produce outstanding videos for their material. Hey! Whatcha gonna do?!
Being a fan of Ian Brown, my suggestion would be to go out and buy ‘The Greatest’ on all formats. If you can’t afford to…SAVE! Given that there is an amazing amount of content on all releases, I’m going to have to award Mr Brown 10/10 for effort, technique, resilience and above all, his out performance of all his old Stone Roses colleagues solo careers combined.
Advantages: Perfect collection of contemporary music Disadvantages: Could be seen as repetitive because of the large number of tracks
Never a person to dissapoint, this album offers a brilliant insight into the lyrical and musical talent that is Ian Brown, presenting some of his most renound tracks such as "F.E.A.R" and "My Star" in a well produced collection. The clear and obvious upside to this CD is the fact that it not only summarises Ian Brown's uncommon genre of music and taste, but it also provides a contemporary twist on what could be considered tracks worthy of his former ... ...CD is most definately creative, with a wide variety of instruments and mechanically engineered sounds implemented into many of the tracks. This could be considered a bad point by many people but in this instants it is a passable act because of the way the tracks have been recorded and layered in the studio. A slightly negative attribute of Ian Brown's Greatest Hits is the large track number. This is theoretically good because it offers more music ...
SamJohnson 19.01.2006 (23.01.2006)
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After such a long wait for this album, would it be able to match up to all the expectations that had been placed on it. Well yeah I think this is a great album, showed a real progression in the music of the Stone Roses. We all know IanBrown was never the greatest vocalist, but I still loved what he did (and for the record think his recent solo stuff has been superb). This album is basically a John Squire show off album though. He obviously spent the 5 years just learning to play his guitar properly and shows off with continuous riffs on this album. But there are some great songs on this album.
I did feel slightly disappointed when I first bought it, but now regard it as an absolute classic. ...
Advantages: Some of the best tracks, ever! Disadvantages: Short version of I Am The Resurrection
This is one of the best compilation albums anyone could wish to buy. 21 tracks of pure musical heaven. The original Manc Monkey IanBrown, John Squire, Reni and Mani, are one of the greatest bands of all time in my opinion, and it's a shame that they finished in the way that they did, especially with Squire falling out with Brown.
The first 2 tracks, So Young and Tell Me, are the Roses early stuff. Not their best, but by no means bad songs. Sally Cinnamon comes next, starting off with the strum of a guitar, before Brown's quietened vocals kick in.
Next up are Here It Comes and All Across The Sands, again good tracks but not their best. Track number 6 is arguably one of the Stone Roses best numbers, the superb Elephant Stone. Reni on the drums is absolutely excellent, with the beat being carried through the track. The next track ...
Advantages: Squire can sing better than Brown Disadvantages: He isn't as famous as Brown
Well, John Squire, a legend when in the Stone Roses but since their capitulation he has just sunk away out of the limelight. Released in 2002 this album really is a gem for all you indie maniacs out there.
Another track by track here:
1. Joe Louis - perhaps his most famous song and the most generally liked by those who have heard T.C.E. The lyrics hint to Stone Roses, they hint to Bob Dylan but it does seem rather original. His voice isn't the greatest but it is still a lot truer than IanBrown's. It doesn't resemble the catchiness that hit songs like She Bangs The Drums and Elephant Stone possessed but is still a very nice album opener. 7/10
2. I Miss You - Is this an open letter to soulmate IanBrown? John basically wrenches his heart out in a sombre melody that makes you think about the good times of the Roses as well as ...
Product Information for "Greatest, The - Ian Brown" »
Product details
Title
Greatest, The
Performer
Ian Brown
Genre
Rock & Pop
Sub Genre
Alternative
Release Date
19/09/2005
Recomended Retail Price
12.99 GBP
Recomended Retail Price
16.99 GBP
Label / Distributor
Fiction / Universal Music
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Format
Performer
EAN
602498728741
Catalogue Number
9872874
Additional notes
Album Notes
Erstwhile Stone Roses vocalist culls the best of the four solo albums he has put out since that band imploded in 1997. From the embittered lo-fi rock of 'Unfinished Monkey Business' to the baggy, danceable psychedelia of his latest effort 'Solarized', this collection demonstrates Brown's talent and his dedication to trying out eclectic new ideas. Also includes remix tracks from the 'Remixes Of The Spheres' album and the new single 'All Ablaze'.
Titles on disc 1
1.
My Star
2.
Corpses In Their Mouths
3.
Can't See Me (Bacon & Quarmby remix)
4.
Be There - UNKLE & Ian Brown
5.
Love Like A Fountain (single version)
6.
Dolphins Were Monkeys (single version)
7.
Golden Gaze (single version)
8.
FEAR
9.
Whispers
10.
Forever And A Day (The Greatest version)
11.
Keep What Ya Got
12.
Time Is My Everything
13.
Longsight M13
14.
Reign - UNKLE & Ian Brown
15.
Lovebug (The Greatest version)
16.
All Ablaze
17.
Return Of The Fisherman
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