I Swear I Saw Her Angel Wing

The Stone Roses' Second Coming was not as bad as critics painted it, but some of it isn't that good either. It's best songs -Breaking Into Heaven, Ten Storey Love Song, Love Spreads, Begging You- have tons of guitars, and huge drums and bass, but ultimately work because of Ian Brown's vocals. I've been pretty critical of Ian Brown and his solo career especially in the past, but the Zepness of Second Coming with a singer who could squeel and hit all the notes would turn it into just another rock album. Ian's limitations make the songs work, so fair play to the monkey king- especially as he's said he didn't like most of the songs and sang some of them under extreme duress. The vocal to Tears is the guide vocal. Apparently Ian said he wouldn't sing it again even with a gun to his head. This song, Tightrope, is my favourite off the album and for some reason it was playing in my head when I woke up today, all smokey campfire singalong, lazy acoustic guitars, some cracking backing vox (Reni presumably) and one of those John Squire lyrics that are a hymn to a woman. It's just about the only song on the album where they sound like a band, all in the room at the same time. I don't know if that's true, but it's how I hear it.

Tightrope.mp3