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< Ian Brown
The Greatest
words by Ben Cannon

A lot of things can happen in a decade: A supposedly ‘nice’ Prime Minister can mutate into a war loving, Bush hugging poodle; England can consistently prove that we are shit at sport (apart from the odd blip in Rugby and Cricket) and Bono, once a run of the mill rock star can begin to think he is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.

Ian Brown is a man who has been using this time wisely. Following the acrimonious split of ‘Madchester’ legends, Stone Roses, the king monkey has spent his time holed up in various studio’s experimenting with a variety of sounds, instruments and genres, quietly carving out a niche as one of our most diverse and talented performers.

10 years on and the result of a mish mash approach to musicality is the aptly named ‘Greatest’ LP.

From early favourites such as ‘Corpses’ and ‘My Star,’ via the UNKLE collaborations (‘Reigns’/‘Be There’), to the recent epics (‘F.E.A.R’/‘Keep What ya Got’) Brown displays his full range of influences from Dance and Dub through to Bhangra and Rock.

Despite this global approach this Mancunian has remained close to his roots, his vocal style is synonymous with the city and ‘Longsight M13’ is a firm nod to the place where it all began.

The release of this CD is a treat for all music lovers. Those who have been in from the beginning will be thrilled to have all the classics on one album whereas newcomers are bound to uncover something that tunes them in.

A lot of things can happen in a decade, Prime Ministers come and go, Ian Brown, a destined elder statesmen of the musical establishment is here to stay.

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