Around the mid nineties the notion that The Simian One would within ten years deliver unto us 4 studio albums and a Greatest Hits package would no doubt have provoked much mirth amongst cynics who had been tapping their watches and shaking their heads in bemusement during the first half of the 1990s in endless anticipation of The Stone Roses' follow-up to their 1989 debut.
As it turned out it was Brown who had the ear for a tune and something approaching a work ethic. Whilst his solo albums have hardly set the world alight he has steadfastly managed to keep his hand in with some decent singles and an unflinching blank-faced cocksure arrogance that by comparison makes Liam Gallagher look like a CBeebies presenter on adrenaline boosters. All this creative activity and studied nonchalance whilst still being pursued by the perennial question concerning the intended date of the umpteenth rumoured reformation of The Stone Roses: for the record, can we all just put that one to bed now?
In truth the last Brown record I bought was the UNKLE hook-up 'Be There' - which was also his come-back single after his stint in prison for air-rage - and before that 'Second Coming', so it would be fair to say that I've followed his career from the sidelines. The highpoint to date is probably 'F.E.A.R' a fine song that for once makes Brown's normally dour nonsensical lyrics gain some kind of enigmatic quality and his flat vocals deliver something approaching drama and emotion. It also resonates because it sounds like a song that The Roses would never have made whereas tracks like 'Love Like A Fountain', 'Dolphins Were Monkeys' and even latest single 'All Ablaze' still retain some residue - normally in the drum patterns - from his pioneering days in one of the most important bands of the post-punk era.
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'F.E.A.R' sits mid-way through this chronological collection and it's hard not to feel more disappointed by what follows than by what preceded it. Brown appears to have eased himself into a comfort zone musically whereas earlier tracks like 'My Star' suggested that experimentation would form part of the solo equation. Much of the swaggering funkiness that bolstered his image has been lost from the later Brown canon, which unfortunately serves to only highlight the flaws of his voice and lyrical preoccupations (either senseless babble or loved-up cliché).
The UNKLE rematch 'Reign' also pales in comparison to 'Be There' with its outro sounding far too much like homage to the outro of 'I Am The Resurrection'; hardly surprising given UNKLE'S previous production duties with Roses' aficionados SOUTH. 'Lovebug' is unequivocally the low-point with its "Doctor please give me something for this love I'm feeling" lyrics just plain embarrassing. Mind you, the introduction of horns on this and 'Return Of The Fisherman' are a pleasant musical excursion to mask the despairingly trite content of Brown's words.
Ultimately it's difficult not to feel that Brown's solo work lacks the grace and the grandeur of his Roses' days. He knows how to write a good pop song but he's far less interesting a proposition without the dynamic forged with his former band-mates. Where he once wanted to be adored Ian Brown now seems content to just be.
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