Unfinished Monkey Business [Import]

Spin
As the title Unfinished Monkey Business suggests, the results are tentative. Cheesy drum programs, sprawling space rock, awkward bass lines, cheap dubby sonics, and various guitar twangings rub up against cutie pops songs disguised as trippy jams.

Product Description
1997 solo debut by the former Stone Roses leader. Features the single 'My Star'. 12 tracks total. A Polydor release. Brown wrote all tracks & produced the album himself. Fans hoping that a third Stone Roses album would have picked up where 'The Second Coming' left off are sure to be more satisfied with Brown's endeavors here than what Stone Roses guitarist John Squire's band The Seahorses have concocted sofar.

Unfinished Monkey Business,Ian Brown,Polygram Int'l,Alternative Pop/Rock,Britpop,Dance Music,Indie Pop,Pop,Popular Music,Rock/Pop

Average customer rating: Ian Brown is not God, but he is very close! an extremely erratic, scattershot debut solo album from the former Stone Roses vocalist Appropriate title The Ressurection Continues.... Not worth it

Unfinished Monkey Business Ian Brown Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Britpop | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Solarized Golden Greats Music of the Spheres Deluxe The Greatest Golden Greats ASIN: B000007WJX Release Date: 1998-02-09

Tracks:

1. Intro Under The Paving Stones: The Beach
2. My Star
3. Can't See Me
4. Ice Cold Cube
5. Sunshine
6. Lions
7. Corpses In Their Mouths
8. What Happened To Ya, Part 1
9. What Happened To Ya, Part 2
10. Nah Nah
11. Deep Pile Dreams
12. Unfinished Monkey Business

Album Description

1997 solo debut by the former Stone Roses leader. Features the single 'My Star'. 12 tracks total. A Polydor release. Brown wrote all tracks & produced the album himself. Fans hoping that a third Stone Roses album would have picked up where 'The Second Coming' left off are sure to be more satisfied with Brown's endeavors here than what Stone Roses guitarist John Squire's band The Seahorses have concocted sofar.

Album Details

Debut Solo CD from Ex-Stone Roses Vocalist. Tracks Include: My Star, Lions, Nah Nah, Sunshine, Ice Cold Cube, Deep Pile Dreams and More.

Customer Reviews:

Ian Brown is not God, but he is very close!.......2005-07-31

I think it helps alot if you already like indie/brit rock, you will enjoy this album, it became one of my favourites very fast! my favourite tracks are corpses, deep pile dreams, cant see me, nah nah, what happened to you part 2 and my star. fookin cool, catchy, unique sounds...I recommend it.

an extremely erratic, scattershot debut solo album from the former Stone Roses vocalist.......2005-07-23

1997's "Unfinished Monkey Business" is the debut solo album from the former Stone Roses lead vocalist Ian Brown, and man, this is a damn weird album. Others have poked fun at the album title saying it's very appropriate--however, although "unfinished" isn't a bad word to describe this album overall, and even better word is "aimless".

Many of the tracks here are Brown solo 'compositions' that feature him on all instruments, and none of them fail to get you thinking, "What the hell is this?"--his instrumental skills seem rudimentary at best, his keyboard/ programmed drumming is at times hilarious, and you're left wondering what the hell he's trying to get at. The album opening "Intro Under The Paving Stones: The Beach" is a baffling sound collage. "Sunshine" is a sloppy, dull lo-fi acoustic ballad with a brief tacked-on keyboard 'coda'. "Lions" features an annoyingly, endlessly repeated chorus line and overblown "soulful" vocals from Denise Johnson, and it wasn't exactly a great idea to mix her to the far left channel while Brown's vocals are to the far right; thankfully, much of the track is instrumental, and it does have some entertainment value despite all the annoyances. "Deep Pile Dreams" is half-baked and thinly performed. The baffling instrumental title track features hilariously amateurish keyboard playing over programmed drums. My CD copy also contains a 'bonus' track called "Come Again" which is basically 7 more minutes of Brown horsing around and it makes annoying use of sampling.

As for the remaining tracks, a majority of them find Brown co-writing with Aziz Ibrahim who also handles a large chuck of the instrumental work. The Indian-flavored "My Star" has a neat little guitar solo although it's extremely brief, and the song just kinda drags along in a frustratingly aimless and repetitive fashion. The main song portion of the sludgy, hard-rocking "Ice Cold Cube" is strong with ear-catching guitarwork, but it proceeds to beat you over the head with the never-ending instrumental stuff going on, and when it finally does end, it does so in 'sudden death' fashion and annoyingly segues abruptly into "Sunshine". "What Happened To Ya Part 1" is a nice, catchy ditty with acoustic rhythm and acoustic slide guitars; it's followed by "What Happened To Ya Part 2" which is basically a lengthy instrumental jam with some voiceovers, and although it's not unlistenable and does have nice guitarwork, it reeks of filler. "Nah Nah", a Nigel Ippinson solo composition, is an acoustic guitar-based tune with a singalong chorus--it's pleasantly catchy, though it's rather slight.

With all of that out of the way, we are left with a pair of hands-down gems. "Can't See Me" finds Brown reunited with his old Stone Roses mates Mani and Reni for an infectiously funky looping groove tune--slamming beats, great Brown vocals, uncannily note-perfect lead guitar from Brown, and great lead bass guitar licks; it's a clear attempt at creating another gem along the lines of the Stone Roses' "Fools Gold", and it works big time. Then there's the mellow-yet-creepy "Corpses In Their Mouths", written by Brown and Ibrahim, with terrific moody lead guitar work and hushed Brown vocals; it does have some rather out-of-place harmonica work from Brown, but it's a minor quibble.

If you're a diehard Stone Roses fan, "Unfinished Monkey Business" is worth checking out--there are lots of intriguing ideas floating around on here, but it sure is wildly erratic and very tough to listen to all the way through.

Appropriate title.......2004-05-11

Ian Brown is by far the most creative mind out of the Stone Roses, and Unfinished Monkey Business proves it. Compared to the drab debut from John Squire's Seahorses, Monkey Business feels like a towering masterpiece continuing in the tradition of superior Manchester pop. But out of context, it just can't sit still long enough to get on your good side.

This is a shame too because if Brown wouldn't have gone crazy with the production and arrangements, it might have ended up being one of my favorite CDs. He is definetly on the right track with Corpses In Their Mouths, My Star, and What Happened To Ya? But Lions doesn't know when to end, or if it even wants to end as the artificial sounding drums just drag on making the song a uninviting tizzy as he and a female voice sing "there are no lions in England" over and over and over and over again.

The biggest achievement of this album is also the biggest folly: since Corpses In Their Mouths stands head and shoulders over so much of the material here that it makes you realize what Unfinished Monkey Business COULD'VE been like. The way that the vocal melody line of the chorus weaves in and out of the lead guitar creatives a divine sound that makes one believe that everyone ought to hear this song. Superb.

If anything, Monkey Business shows us that Ian Brown is off to a good start. He just needs to trim a few things here, develop a few sounds there, and he could be unstoppable. I haven't heard his later releases. Hopefully, that is where he went.

The Ressurection Continues...........2004-02-05

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah. This is the album that Second Coming should have been. This is the Album the Roses should have ended their career with. But fortuanely Ian Brown saved the best for himself. You hear this album compared to Second Coming or The Seahorses (Albums that John Squire contributed very heavily on) and you realize who was the talent in the band. This Album is one of the greatest solo efforts ever by an artist. It takes you on a wild ride full drum beats, electronic beats, guitars and most importantly, Ian Brown's lyrics. Lyrically this album is remaniscent of the Roses first album which is a strong relief. This is a must have in anyones collection. Pure Genius!

Not worth it.......2002-01-09

I was exploring the Paris Virgin Megastore and stumbled upon this. I thought to myself, "Well, Silmarils was good, I wonder if this is good too?" I listened and for some reason liked it. When I brought it home to California, I took another listen to it. I was confused: was this horrible thing what I listened to in the France? Well, it was and now I'm stuck with it. Maybe somebody will buy it off me. But it's got sloppy drums, sloppy vocals, the lyrics are nonsense ("There are no lions in England/No no no!") and it just frustrates me to listen to it. But if you're a fan of Ian Brown's, I suppose you may like it. I sure didn't.

Average customer rating:

Unfinished Monkey Business Ian Brown Manufacturer: Koch Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Britpop | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Music of the Spheres Deluxe Golden Greats Solarized ASIN: B0009VBTD2 Release Date: 2005-07-26

Tracks:

1. Intro Under The Paving Stones: The Beach
2. My Star
3. Can't See Me
4. Ice Cold Cube
5. Sunshine
6. Lions
7. Corpses In Their Mouths
8. What Happened To Ya Part 1
9. What Happened To Ya Part 2
10. Nah Nah
11. Deep Pile Dreams
12. Unfinished Monkey Business
13. Can't See Me (Bacon And Quarmby Mix)
14. Can't See Me (Harveys Invisible Mix)

Average customer rating: an extremely erratic, scattershot debut solo album from the former Stone Roses vocalist

Unfinished Monkey Business Ian Brown ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B000009GAJ

Customer Reviews:

an extremely erratic, scattershot debut solo album from the former Stone Roses vocalist.......2005-07-23

1997's "Unfinished Monkey Business" is the debut solo album from the former Stone Roses lead vocalist Ian Brown, and man, this is a damn weird album. Others have poked fun at the album title saying it's very appropriate--however, although "unfinished" isn't a bad word to describe this album overall, and even better word is "aimless".

Many of the tracks here are Brown solo 'compositions' that feature him on all instruments, and none of them fail to get you thinking, "What the hell is this?"--his instrumental skills seem rudimentary at best, his keyboard/ programmed drumming is at times hilarious, and you're left wondering what the hell he's trying to get at. The album opening "Intro Under The Paving Stones: The Beach" is a baffling sound collage. "Sunshine" is a sloppy, dull lo-fi acoustic ballad with a brief tacked-on keyboard 'coda'. "Lions" features an annoyingly, endlessly repeated chorus line and overblown "soulful" vocals from Denise Johnson, and it wasn't exactly a great idea to mix her to the far left channel while Brown's vocals are to the far right; thankfully, much of the track is instrumental, and it does have some entertainment value despite all the annoyances. "Deep Pile Dreams" is half-baked and thinly performed. The baffling instrumental title track features hilariously amateurish keyboard playing over programmed drums. My CD copy also contains a 'bonus' track called "Come Again" which is basically 7 more minutes of Brown horsing around and it makes annoying use of sampling.

As for the remaining tracks, a majority of them find Brown co-writing with Aziz Ibrahim who also handles a large chuck of the instrumental work. The Indian-flavored "My Star" has a neat little guitar solo although it's extremely brief, and the song just kinda drags along in a frustratingly aimless and repetitive fashion. The main song portion of the sludgy, hard-rocking "Ice Cold Cube" is strong with ear-catching guitarwork, but it proceeds to beat you over the head with the never-ending instrumental stuff going on, and when it finally does end, it does so in 'sudden death' fashion and annoyingly segues abruptly into "Sunshine". "What Happened To Ya Part 1" is a nice, catchy ditty with acoustic rhythm and acoustic slide guitars; it's followed by "What Happened To Ya Part 2" which is basically a lengthy instrumental jam with some voiceovers, and although it's not unlistenable and does have nice guitarwork, it reeks of filler. "Nah Nah", a Nigel Ippinson solo composition, is an acoustic guitar-based tune with a singalong chorus--it's pleasantly catchy, though it's rather slight.

With all of that out of the way, we are left with a pair of hands-down gems. "Can't See Me" finds Brown reunited with his old Stone Roses mates Mani and Reni for an infectiously funky looping groove tune--slamming beats, great Brown vocals, uncannily note-perfect lead guitar from Brown, and great lead bass guitar licks; it's a clear attempt at creating another gem along the lines of the Stone Roses' "Fools Gold", and it works big time. Then there's the mellow-yet-creepy "Corpses In Their Mouths", written by Brown and Ibrahim, with terrific moody lead guitar work and hushed Brown vocals; it does have some rather out-of-place harmonica work from Brown, but it's a minor quibble.

If you're a diehard Stone Roses fan, "Unfinished Monkey Business" is worth checking out--there are lots of intriguing ideas floating around on here, but it sure is wildly erratic and very tough to listen to all the way through.

Average customer rating: an extremely erratic, scattershot debut solo album from the former Stone Roses vocalist AS GOOD AS IT GETS An Excellent Album A poor effort from greatness. Ian Brown continues the Roses legend in a new direction.

Unfinished Monkey Business Ian Brown Manufacturer: Universal Japan ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Britpop | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B000007WQU Release Date: 1998-02-10

Tracks:

1. Intro Under the Paving Stones: The Beach
2. My Star
3. Can't See Me
4. Ice Cold Cube
5. Sunshine
6. Lions
7. Corpses in Their Mouths
8. What Happened to Ya, Pt. 1
9. What Happened to Ya, Pt. 2
10. Nah Nah
11. Deep Pile Dreams
12. Unfinished Monkey Business
13. Come Again

Album Description

Japanese edition of the Stone Roses vocalist's solo debut with 'Come Again' added as a hidden bonus track. 13 tracks total, also featuring the single 'My Star'. 'Come Again' is exclusive to this Japanese release, as it's not on the import single for 'My Star' or the U.K. edition of the album! 1997 Polydor release.

Album Details

Japanese Release featuring a Bonus Track: Come Again.

Customer Reviews:

an extremely erratic, scattershot debut solo album from the former Stone Roses vocalist.......2005-07-23

1997's "Unfinished Monkey Business" is the debut solo album from the former Stone Roses lead vocalist Ian Brown, and man, this is a damn weird album. Others have poked fun at the album title saying it's very appropriate--however, although "unfinished" isn't a bad word to describe this album overall, and even better word is "aimless".

Many of the tracks here are Brown solo 'compositions' that feature him on all instruments, and none of them fail to get you thinking, "What the hell is this?"--his instrumental skills seem rudimentary at best, his keyboard/ programmed drumming is at times hilarious, and you're left wondering what the hell he's trying to get at. The album opening "Intro Under The Paving Stones: The Beach" is a baffling sound collage. "Sunshine" is a sloppy, dull lo-fi acoustic ballad with a brief tacked-on keyboard 'coda'. "Lions" features an annoyingly, endlessly repeated chorus line and overblown "soulful" vocals from Denise Johnson, and it wasn't exactly a great idea to mix her to the far left channel while Brown's vocals are to the far right; thankfully, much of the track is instrumental, and it does have some entertainment value despite all the annoyances. "Deep Pile Dreams" is half-baked and thinly performed. The baffling instrumental title track features hilariously amateurish keyboard playing over programmed drums. My CD copy also contains a 'bonus' track called "Come Again" which is basically 7 more minutes of Brown horsing around and it makes annoying use of sampling.

As for the remaining tracks, a majority of them find Brown co-writing with Aziz Ibrahim who also handles a large chuck of the instrumental work. The Indian-flavored "My Star" has a neat little guitar solo although it's extremely brief, and the song just kinda drags along in a frustratingly aimless and repetitive fashion. The main song portion of the sludgy, hard-rocking "Ice Cold Cube" is strong with ear-catching guitarwork, but it proceeds to beat you over the head with the never-ending instrumental stuff going on, and when it finally does end, it does so in 'sudden death' fashion and annoyingly segues abruptly into "Sunshine". "What Happened To Ya Part 1" is a nice, catchy ditty with acoustic rhythm and acoustic slide guitars; it's followed by "What Happened To Ya Part 2" which is basically a lengthy instrumental jam with some voiceovers, and although it's not unlistenable and does have nice guitarwork, it reeks of filler. "Nah Nah", a Nigel Ippinson solo composition, is an acoustic guitar-based tune with a singalong chorus--it's pleasantly catchy, though it's rather slight.

With all of that out of the way, we are left with a pair of hands-down gems. "Can't See Me" finds Brown reunited with his old Stone Roses mates Mani and Reni for an infectiously funky looping groove tune--slamming beats, great Brown vocals, uncannily note-perfect lead guitar from Brown, and great lead bass guitar licks; it's a clear attempt at creating another gem along the lines of the Stone Roses' "Fools Gold", and it works big time. Then there's the mellow-yet-creepy "Corpses In Their Mouths", written by Brown and Ibrahim, with terrific moody lead guitar work and hushed Brown vocals; it does have some rather out-of-place harmonica work from Brown, but it's a minor quibble.


If you're a diehard Stone Roses fan, "Unfinished Monkey Business" is worth checking out--there are lots of intriguing ideas floating around on here, but it sure is wildly erratic and very tough to listen to all the way through.

AS GOOD AS IT GETS.......2000-01-03

IAN BROWN RETURNS TO BEING KING OF BOTH MONKEYS AND COOL PEOPLE WITH THIS STUNNING SOLO DEBUT. CANT SEE ME IS THE BEST SONG OF 1998, WITH MY STAR AND CORPSES BEING THEIR OR THEIR ABOUTS. DEEP PILE DREAMS CONTAINS MORE INSANE RAMBLINGS AS DOES THE FANTASTIC NAH NAH. THIS IS HOW GOOD ALBUMS ARE GONNA BE (EXCLUDING GOMEZ AND SUPER FURRY ANIMALS) IT IS ENJOYABLE AND COOL AND BREATH TAKING. SET TO BECOME ANOTHER STONE ROSES CONNECTED CLASSIC

An Excellent Album.......1999-11-05

This album is a truely impressive debut from Ian Brown, quite possibly the coolest man on the planet. That it came from nothing is even more impressive. After the collapse of the Stone Roses in 1996, Ian had to learn everything from scratch; guitar, bass, drums, programming, producing. This album displays the different levels Ian achieved - there's lo-fi experiments, acoustic demos, and full-blown productions.

The 3 stand out tracks on this album are "My Star", "Can't See Me", and "Corpses In Their Mouths". The first of these is an excellent take on the "Dear Prudence" riff, with military drumming and neo-asian guitar riffs. Ian voice is on top form, gruff but melodic. His lyrics, too, display a keen intelligence. "Can't See Me" is a loose limbed, monkeyed up jam in the vein of "Fools Gold" from almost 10 years previously. Ian scats a great lyric and joins 2 of his ex band mates for this highlight. "Corpses" is probably the best, one of the most menacing sounding songs for a long time. Ian's lyric is a veiled threat against someone (I wouldn't want to be that someone!), while the music flows around him with Spanish guitar motifs and an extended harmonica solo.

These highlights are well spaced apart on the album, giving room for more experiments. "Sunshine" sounds like an acoustic demo, and although is very basic, shows a man learning his craft and getting there. "Deep Pile Dreams" is a stoned, meandering electronic track, a soundtrack for late-night philosophising. The 2 parts of "What Happened To Ya" are acoustic/electric jams, with long guitar workouts. "Nah Nah" is another albeit minor highlight, if only to hear Ian sing the word "gosh".

All in all, "Unfinished Monkey Business" has a great lo-fi, stoned appeal that reveals more levels on repeated listenings. Ian's voice is on top form, the `pop' songs are great, the experiments are so way out yet so appealing, and he looks great on the cover. Definitely worth investigating. King Monkey Rules OK.

A poor effort from greatness........1999-10-18

Ian Brown was the frontman of the Stone Roses before heading solo. This album confirms that he made a poor decision. The album only has three decent tracks. My Star, Can't See Me, and Corpses In Her Mouth. A less than stellar effort from someone who is potentially excellent. The album in itself implies a lack of effort. Unfinished Monkey Business. Unfinished it is, I wonder how it would have sounded if it was finished?

Ian Brown continues the Roses legend in a new direction........1999-05-10

Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown has continued the legend of the roses with a superb new album "Unfinished Monkey Business" Ian wrote and recorded the album in his bedroom before remixing it and producing it in studios at a later date. Ian has also learnt how to play many new instuments and has therefore made a serious contribution to the album making it a truly solo effort. The standout track of the album is "can't see me". This has essentially been written by all of the roses (except Squire). It features a strong catchy bassline not dissimilar to the fools gold one. Reni style drums and the familiar Brown hushed lyrics all combine to create another stunning track. The good thing about this album is the way no two songs sound alike. It is also fair to say that there is so much happening in the album that it really does get better with every listen. All in all a superb debut solo from one of the most influencial men in British music history.

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