HE IS A PHILOSOPHER WHO HAS COME TO TERMS WITH HIS FAULTS,
FOIBLES AND LIMITATIONS
He has been a solo artist for as long as he was in the Stone Roses, on the eve of his greatest hits tour Mark Robertson assesses IAN BROWN’S place rock lore.
or the longest time I thought Ian Brown was a
dick. I spent much of the last decade and a half
reckoning that the Stone Roses were the most overrated band on the planet. But as times change. tempers calm and ears become more astute. the realisation came that it wasn‘t actually Brown or the Roses that bugged me but the notion that people were partying like it was I991 when it was actually 2001.
That slavish devotion to the bygone baggy era is like that of this generation‘s punks who just won‘t die or hippies who keep (‘ream reunions afloat. reliving moments which so many didn‘t even see first time round. How many people actually attended Spike Island‘.’ About three million. if everyone is to be believed. Stone Roses fans. so starved for attention after the band's relative lack of activity during their erratic life and eventual unsatisfying split. have resorted to recreating those flashing moments of glory for a movement that they technically weren‘t even part of. The irony is that the Stone Roses were actually a bunch of goths in their formative days. ostracised from the Manchester music scene for the majority of their exrstence.
When the most successful covers bands in the country ape the Beatles. l’ink l‘loyd and the Stone Roses. they are fulfilling a need for something that is either a fleeting rarity —4 l‘loyd‘s sporadic engagements with the contemporary world -~ or something that never really was —- the Beatles and the Stone Roses playing live at the peak of their powers. The only reason ()asis covers bands don‘t fare quite as well is that they still have their own covers band packing out stadiums. reliving
glory days. fronted by Noel and Liam Gallagher.
And it‘s not that the idea that living in the past is inherently bad: it isn‘t. it just feels like a cop out. One person who knows this better than any is Ian Brown. He could never be accused of living in the past. When the Roses disintegrated in l996 he struck out on his own and has carved himself a distinctive niche. not just as ‘the bloke who was in the Stone Roses' but as a solo artist of depth. soul and surprising spirituality.
These forward looking claims may seem hollow when you learn that Brown is setting out on the road to punt a greatest hits package this month but he‘s keen to reinforce the contractual nature of such releases. The modestly chosen title The (invites! is a tribute in part to his idols Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee. and the album gathers together songs from the past decade. Moments like ‘liliAR‘. ‘Be There‘ or ‘Keep What Ya (iot‘ remind you ofjust how good his solo work is.
He stands alongside just a handful of contemporary artists who have transcended their genre and can be appreciated from all angles by all kinds of music fans. Radiohead and the White Stripes are two of the most obvious other examples. He is a philosopher who has come to terms with not only his faults and past foibles but his limitations. Whether he's designing sneakers for Adidas. sponsoring local football teams or refining his swaggering pop nous - he was always the groover to John Squire's rocker — he’s still moving forward. A Roses reunion would be the worst thing that could ever happen to Brown. It would be an admission of defeat.
Carling Academy, Glasgow, Fri 18 & Sat 19 Nov.
One In Four Festival This week-long series of gigs from quality Scottish musicians is designed to help raise awareness and address the stigma of mental health issues. King Biscuit Time. Arab Strap, Mogwai and the Fence Collective are among the cast list. Various venues, Edinburgh, Wed 23—Wed 30 Nov. (Rock & Pop)
:2.” Tom Bancroft Six Pack The imaginative Edinburgh-based drummer and composer unveils a new six-piece band in this double bill shared with the Doug Whates Trio and Konrad Wiszniewski. The Lot, Edinburgh, Thu 24 Nov. (Jaz) 754 Rama Lama with Sen: and Daughters Rounding off a pretty special year with their own special shindig, subtitled ‘Rama-Lama'. they've laid on DJs and a raft of suppon acts to make this homecoming a suitably raucous affair. ABC, Glasgow, Thu 24 Nov. (Flock & Pop)
L”: Black Mountain, Dead Meadow and Wolf Parade A monster triple bill of alt.rock skills. From the headliners down there's the dirty and downright nasty, the preposterous and trippy and the quirky, more upbeat geeks (Wolf Parade, pictured), all from the US of A. Something for everyone, we hope you’ll agree. ABC, Glasgow, Fri 25 Nov. (Rock 8 Pop)
Antony and the Johnson: The New York art scene loves him but will the discerning crowds of Glasgow warm to Mr Hegarty’s very individual take on the torch song? We think so. See feature. page 20. Carling Academy, Glasgow, Wed 30 Nov.
(Rock 8 Pop)
Scott Hamilton American saxophonist Hamilton’s swing- based improvisation has made him a leading light in jazz circles for three decades now. The Lot, Edinburgh, Wed 30 Nov. (Jazz)
17 Novv-l DOC 2005 THE LIST 63