Oasis | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Oasis shot from obscurity to stardom in 1994, becoming one of Britains most popular and critically acclaimed bands of the decade in the process. Along with Blur and Suede, they were responsible for returning British guitar pop to the top of the charts. Led by guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher, the Manchester quintet adopted the rough, thuggish image of the Stones and the Who, crossed it with "Beatlesque" melodies and hooks, injected distinctly British lyrical themes and song structures like the Jam and the Kinks, and tied it all together with a massive guitar roar, as well as a defiant sneer that drew equally from the Sex Pistols rebelliousness and the Stone Roses cocksure arrogance. Gallaghers songs frequently reworked previous hits from T. Rex ("Cigarettes and Alcohol" borrows the riff from "Bang a Gong") to Wham! ("Fade Away" takes the melody from "Freedom"), yet the group always put the hooks in different settings, updating past hits for a new era. Originally, the group was formed by schoolmates Liam Gallagher (vocals), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan (bass), and Tony McCaroll (drums). After spending several years as the guitar technician for a Stone Roses-inspired group named the Inspiral Carpets, Noel Gallagher returned to Manchester to find that his brother had formed a band. Noel agreed to join if he could have complete control of the group, including contributing all the songs; the rest of the band agreed and adopted a new name, Oasis, before launching a year of intensive rehearsals. After playing a handful of small club gigs, the band cornered Alan McGee, the head of Creation Records, and forced him to listen to their demo. Impressed, he signed the band and helped them ready their debut album. The group released their first single, "Supersonic," in the spring of 1994; it edged its way into the charts on the back of positive reviews. With a melody adapted from "Id Like to Teach the World to Sing," "Shakermaker" became a bigger hit in the early summer. Released a month before their debut albums arrival, the soaring ballad "Live Forever" became a major hit in England and helped make Definitely Maybe the fastest-selling debut in British history. The record entered the charts at number one and eventually sold over seven million copies. Oasis mania continued throughout 1994, as the group began playing larger theaters and watched each new single outperform the last. However, tensions in the group began to build -- Liam and Noel refused to do joint interviews because they always fought -- and Noel Gallagher briefly left the band at the end of a difficult fall American tour. However, he quickly re-joined and the band headed back to England. As "Supersonic" began to climb the U.S. album rock and modern rock charts, the string-laden "Whatever" (a non-album single) hit number two over the British Christmas season. At the beginning of 1995, the group set their sights on America by promoting the single "Live Forever." The song became a major hit on MTV and modern rock radio stations, peaking at number two, and Definitely Maybe soon climbed to gold status in the U.S. Returning to England after a sold-out American tour, the group recorded a new single, "Some Might Say." Drummer Tony McCaroll parted ways with the band on the eve of the singles May release, with Alan White taking his place. "Some Might Say" entered the charts at number one, and its success led to all of Oasis previous singles reentering the indie charts. Oasis spent the rest of the summer completing their second album, (Whats the Story) Morning Glory?, which was released in October of 1995. Upon its release, the album shot to number one in England, becoming the fastest-selling album in the U.K. since Michael Jacksons Bad. The band continued to set records during the following years. Over the course of 1996, (Whats the Story) Morning Glory? became the second-biggest British album in history. On the strength of the iconic single "Wonderwall," Morning Glory also became a Top Ten success in America, where it reached quintuple platinum status; it also cracked the Top Ten throughout countries in Europe and Asia. During 1996, the Gallaghers combative relationship was frequently detailed in newspapers and gossip columns, particularly when they suddenly pulled out of their late summer U.S. tour. This followed the groups two concerts at Knebworth, which broke records for being the biggest outdoor concert in England. After Oasis abandoned their American tour, they concentrated on recording their third album. While the bands first two LPs were quickly recorded, they took several months to record the third, which finally saw completion during the spring of 1997. The resulting album, Be Here Now, was released in late August, one month after the arrival of the single "DYou Know What I Mean." Greeted with generally enthusiastic reviews and robust sales, Be Here Now shattered sales records in the U.K. and nearly topped the U.S. charts, positioning the quintet as the de facto rulers of rock. However, a backlash set in among both critics and record buyers over the albums perceived excesses, which meant that Be Here Now lacked the shelf life of its predecessors. Not long afterward, typical infighting unraveled the bands tour, and the group disappeared from the spotlight for a time -- although a collection of B-sides, Masterplan, did follow in 1998. As the band was recording their fourth album in the summer of 1999, Bonehead left Oasis, claiming that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Interviewed by NME on August 11, the day after the departure was made public, Noel Gallagher seemed unfazed, stating "Its hardly Paul McCartney leaving the Beatles." Ex-Ride guitarist Andy Bell and onetime Heavy Stereo guitarist Gem Archer signed on after the recording of 2000s Standing on the Shoulder of Giants was completed. In fall 2000, the band celebrated their monumental world tour success with the release of their first-ever live record, Familiar to Millions. The album highlights Oasis July 2000 gig at Wembley Stadium and was released on six different formats including CD and cassette, DVD, VHS, triple vinyl, and mini-disc. Two years later, Oasis surfaced with Heathen Chemistry. Worldwide dates coincided the release of Oasis fifth studio album; however, problems loomed ahead. While touring America in late summer, Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell, and touring keyboardist Jay Darlington were injured in Indianapolis after their taxi collided with another vehicle. The band bounced back soon, returning to the road in two weeks time after canceling shows in Indianapolis, Boston, and Philadelphia. In America, however, the album wasnt faring as well as Oasis tour sales, and the leadoff single "Hindu Times" barely made a mark on MTV. More trouble arrived in December, when Liam Gallagher and several members of the Oasis entourage were involved in a street scuffle in Munich; the younger Gallagher sustained facial injuries and was later arrested while two of the bands security guards sought serious medical attention. Despite such setbacks -- which also included mixed reviews for the album -- Heathen Chemistry nevertheless sold several million copies at home and charted four U.K. singles. Additionally, Liams own composition, "Songbird," marked the first time Oasis had released a single penned by anyone other than Noel. The song fared well on U.K. charts and paved the way for a new collaborative approach to songwriting. Oasis next album suffered delays, as initial sessions with the electronica duo Death in Vegas (who had been recruited to produce the record) were scrapped. Additionally, drummer Alan White made his exit from the band in early 2004, and Ringo Starrs son Zak Starkey climbed aboard to take his place. Dont Believe the Truth eventually saw a worldwide release in May 2005. Featuring songwriting contributions from every bandmember, the record represented a new approach from the previously Noel-dominated group. "Lyla," "The Importance of Being Idle," and "Let There Be Love" all contributed to the albums success, and Dont Believe the Truth soon became the bands highest-selling effort since Be Here Now. The band quickly returned to the studio in mid-2007, halting production several months later to allow Noel to spend time with his newborn child. Sessions resumed in November and wrapped up in 2008, with Dig Out Your Soul receiving a release date later that year. In 2009, after a typically heated, backstage sibling altercation, Noel left the group for good, prompting Liam (and the rest of the band) to change the name to Beady Eye, with plans to release a debut single in 2010. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 13 Title: Definitely Maybe Released: 1994-08-30 Tracks: 44 Duration: 3:24:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock ’n’ Roll Star (05:22) 2 Shakermaker (05:08) 3 Live Forever (04:36) 4 Up in the Sky (04:28) 5 Columbia (06:17) 6 Supersonic (04:43) 7 Bring It On Down (04:17) 8 Cigarettes & Alcohol (04:49) 9 Digsy’s Dinner (02:32) 10 Slide Away (06:32) 11 Married With Children (03:12) 1 Columbia (white label demo) (05:28) 2 Cigarettes & Alcohol (demo) (04:37) 3 Sad Song (04:29) 4 I Will Believe (live) (03:48) 5 Take Me Away (04:32) 6 Alive (demo) (03:58) 7 D’Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman? (02:41) 8 Supersonic (live) (05:15) 9 Up in the Sky (acoustic) (03:34) 10 Cloudburst (05:23) 11 Fade Away (04:16) 12 Listen Up (06:42) 13 I Am the Walrus (live Glasgow Cathouse June ’94) (08:18) 14 Whatever (06:20) 15 (It’s Good) To Be Free (04:23) 16 Half the World Away (04:27) 1 Supersonic (live at Glasgow Tramshed) (05:31) 2 Rock ’n’ Roll Star (demo) (05:46) 3 Shakermaker (live Paris In-Store) (04:05) 4 Columbia (Eden Studios mix) (05:37) 5 Cloudburst (demo) (05:10) 6 Strange Thing (demo) (05:14) 7 Live Forever (live Paris In-Store) (04:42) 8 Cigarettes & Alcohol (live at Manchester Academy) (03:58) 9 D’Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman? (live at Manchester Academy) (02:46) 10 Fade Away (demo) (04:23) 11 Take Me Away (live at Manchester Academy) (04:15) 12 Sad Song (live at Manchester Academy) (04:29) 13 Half the World Away (live, Tokyo hotel room) (03:53) 14 Digsy’s Dinner (live Paris In-Store) (02:36) 15 Married With Children (demo) (03:16) 16 Up in the Sky (live Paris In-Store) (03:19) 17 Whatever (Strings) (04:53) |
| Definitely Maybe : Allmusic album Review : Definitely Maybe begins with a statement of aspiration, as Liam Gallagher sneers that "tonight, Im a rock & roll star" -- the words of a bedsit dreamer hoping hed break out of those four walls and find something greater. Maybe all he could muster is a fleeting moment of stardom as he sings in front of a fleet of amps pushing out power chords, or perhaps hed really become a rock & roll star; all that matters is he makes the leap. This dream echoes throughout Oasis debut, a record which takes the dreams of its listeners every bit as seriously as those of its creators. Both the artist and audience desire something greater than their surroundings, and that yearning gives Definitely Maybe a restlessness that resonates. Certainly, Oasis arent looking to redefine rock & roll here; theyd rather inhabit it. They scour through the remnants of the past three decades to come up with a quintessentially British rock & roll record, one that swaggers with the defiance of the Rolling Stones, roars with the sneer of the Sex Pistols, thieves from the past like the Happy Mondays, and ties it all together with a melodicism as natural as Paul McCartney, even if Definitely Maybe never quite sounds like the Beatles. All the Fab Four comparisons trumpeted by the brothers Gallagher were a feint, a way to get their group considered as part of the major leagues. Soon enough, these affirmations became a self-fulfilling prophecy -- act the way youd like to be and soon youll be the way you act, as it were -- but that bravado hardly diminishes the accomplishment of Definitely Maybe. It is a furious, inspiring record, a rallying cry for the downtrodden to rise above and seize their day but, most of all, its a blast of potent, incendiary rock & roll. Soon after its release, Noel Gallagher would be hailed as the finest songwriter of his generation, an odd designation for a guy drawn to moon/June rhymes, but his brilliance lies in his bold strokes. He never shied away from the obvious, and his confidence in his reappropriation of cliches lends these bromides a new power, as do his strong, sinewy melodies -- so powerful, it doesnt matter if they were snatched from elsewhere (as they were on "Shakermaker" or the B-side "Fade Away"). The other secret is of course Noels brother, Liam, the greatest rock & roll vocalist of his generation, a force of nature who never seems to consider either the past or the present but rather exists in an ever-present now. He sometimes sighs but usually sneers, shaking off any doubt and acting like the rock & roll star Noel so wanted to be. This tension would soon rip the group apart but here on Oasis debut, this chemistry is an addictive energy, so Definitely Maybe winds up a rare thing: it has the foundation of a classic album wrapped in the energy of a band who cant conceive a future beyond the sunset. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 13 Title: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Released: 1995-10-02 Tracks: 12 Duration: 50:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hello (03:21) 2 Roll With It (03:59) 3 Wonderwall (04:19) 4 Don’t Look Back in Anger (04:48) 5 Hey Now! (05:41) 6 [untitled] (00:44) 7 Some Might Say (05:28) 8 Cast No Shadow (04:51) 9 She’s Electric (03:40) 10 Morning Glory (05:03) 11 [untitled] (00:39) 12 Champagne Supernova (07:27) |
| (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? : Allmusic album Review : If Definitely Maybe was an unintentional concept album about wanting to be a rock & roll star, (Whats the Story) Morning Glory? is what happens after the dreams come true. Oasis turns in a relatively introspective second record, filled with big, gorgeous ballads instead of ripping rockers. Unlike Definitely Maybe, the production on Morning Glory is varied enough to handle the range in emotions; instead of drowning everything with amplifiers turned up to 12, there are strings, keyboards, and harmonicas. This expanded production helps give Noel Gallaghers sweeping melodies an emotional resonance that he occasionally cant convey lyrically. However, that is far from a fatal flaw; Gallaghers lyrics work best in fragments, where the images catch in your mind and grow, thanks to the music. Gallagher may be guilty of some borrowing, or even plagiarism, but he uses the familiar riffs as building blocks. This is where his genius lies: Hes a thief and doesnt have many original thoughts, but as a pop/rock melodicist hes pretty much without peer. Likewise, as musicians, Oasis are hardly innovators, yet they have a majestic grandeur in their sound that makes ballads like "Wonderwall" or rockers like "Some Might Say" positively transcendent. Alan White does add authority to the rhythm section, but the most noticeable change is in Liam Gallagher. His voice sneered throughout Definitely Maybe, but on Morning Glory his singing has become more textured and skillful. He gives the lyric in the raging title track a hint of regret, is sympathetic on "Wonderwall," defiant on "Some Might Say," and humorous on "Shes Electric," a bawdy rewrite of "Digsys Diner." It might not have the immediate impact of Definitely Maybe, but Morning Glory is just as exciting and compulsively listenable. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 13 Title: (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? Singles Released: 1996 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:31:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Interviews (18:21) 1 Some Might Say (05:26) 2 Talk Tonight (04:22) 3 Acquiesce (04:24) 4 Headshrinker (04:38) 1 Roll With It (03:59) 2 It’s Better People (03:59) 3 Rockin’ Chair (04:35) 4 Live Forever (live at Glastonbury ’95) (04:39) 1 Wonderwall (04:18) 2 Round Are Way (05:42) 3 The Swamp Song (04:19) 4 The Masterplan (05:22) 1 Don’t Look Back in Anger (04:48) 2 Step Out (03:40) 3 Underneath the Sky (03:20) 4 Cum On Feel the Noize (05:09) |
 | Album: 4 of 13 Title: Be Here Now Released: 1997-08-21 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:11:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 D’You Know What I Mean? (07:44) 2 My Big Mouth (05:04) 3 Magic Pie (07:19) 4 Stand by Me (05:58) 5 I Hope, I Think, I Know (04:22) 6 The Girl in the Dirty Shirt (05:49) 7 Fade In‐Out (06:52) 8 Don’t Go Away (04:49) 9 Be Here Now (05:13) 10 All Around the World (09:20) 11 It’s Gettin’ Better (Man!!) (07:02) 12 All Around the World (reprise) (02:08) |
| Be Here Now : Allmusic album Review : Arriving with the force of a hurricane, Oasis third album, Be Here Now, is a bright, bold, colorful tour de force that simply steamrolls over any criticism. The key to Oasis sound is its inevitability -- they are unwavering in their confidence, which means that even the hardest rockers are slow, steady, and heavy, not fast. And that self-possessed confidence, that belief in their greatness, makes Be Here Now intensely enjoyable, even though it offers no real songwriting breakthroughs. Noel Gallagher remains a remarkably talented synthesist, bringing together disparate strands -- "DYou Know What I Mean" has an N.W.A drum loop, a Zeppelin-esque wall of guitars, electronica gurgles, and lyrical allusions to the Beatles and Dylan -- to create impossibly catchy songs that sound fresh, no matter how many older songs he references. He may be working familiar territory throughout Be Here Now, but it doesnt matter because the craftsmanship is good. "The Girl in the Dirty Shirt" is irresistible pop, and epics like "Magic Pie" and "All Around the World" simply soar, while the rockers "My Big Mouth," "Its Getting Better (Man!!)," and "Be Here Now" attack with a bone-crunching force. Noel is smart enough to balance his classicist tendencies with spacious, open production, filling the album with found sounds, layers of guitars, keyboards, and strings, giving the record its humongous, immediate feel. The sprawling sound and huge melodic hooks would be enough to make Be Here Now a winner, but Liam Gallaghers vocals give the album emotional resonance. Singing better than ever, Liam injects venom into the rockers, but he also delivers the nakedly emotional lyrics of "Dont Go Away" with affecting vulnerability. That combination of violence and sensitivity gives Oasis an emotional core and makes Be Here Now a triumphant album. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 13 Title: The Masterplan Released: 1998-10-28 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:07:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Acquiesce (04:30) 2 Underneath the Sky (03:24) 3 Talk Tonight (04:26) 4 Going Nowhere (04:42) 5 Fade Away (04:19) 6 The Swamp Song (04:24) 7 I Am the Walrus (live) (06:30) 1 Listen Up (06:28) 2 Rockin’ Chair (04:38) 3 Half the World Away (04:25) 4 (It’s Good) To Be Free (04:19) 5 Stay Young (05:08) 6 Headshrinker (04:43) 7 The Masterplan (05:22) |
| The Masterplan : Allmusic album Review : For American audiences, the phenomenal worldwide success of Oasis was a little puzzling. Thats because they only had part of the picture -- unless they were hardcore fans, they didnt hear nearly three albums of material released on B-sides and non-LP singles. Critics and fans alike claimed that the best of these B-sides were as strong as the best moments on the albums, and they were right. None of the albums had a song that rocked as hard as "Fade Away" (cleverly built on a stolen melody from Wham!s "Freedom"), "Headshrinker," or "Acquiesce." There was nothing as charming as the lite psychedelic pastiche "Underneath the Sky" or the Bacharach tribute "Going Nowhere"; there was nothing as affecting as Noel Gallaghers acoustic plea "Talk Tonight" or the minor-key, McCartney-esque "Rockin Chair," nothing as epic as "The Masterplan." Most bands wouldnt throw songs of this caliber away on B-sides, but Noel Gallagher followed the example of his heroes the Jam and the Smiths, who released singles where the B-sides rivaled the A-sides. This meant many American fans missed these songs, so to remedy this situation, Oasis released the B-sides compilation The Masterplan. Oasis unfortunately chose to opt for a single disc of highlights instead of a complete double-disc set, which means a wealth of great songs -- "Take Me Away," "Whatever," "DYer Wanna Be a Spaceman?," "Round Are Way," "Its Better People," "Step Out," a raging cover of "Cum on Feel the Noize" -- are missing. But The Masterplan winds up quite enjoyable anyway. Apart from the sludgy instrumental "The Swamp Song," there isnt a weak track here, and the brilliant moments are essential not only for Oasis fans, but any casual follower of Britpop or post-grunge rock & roll. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 13 Title: Standing on the Shoulder of Giants Released: 2000-02-23 Tracks: 10 Duration: 47:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Fuckin’ in the Bushes (03:18) 2 Go Let It Out (04:38) 3 Who Feels Love? (05:44) 4 Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is (04:27) 5 Little James (04:15) 6 Gas Panic! (06:08) 7 Where Did It All Go Wrong? (04:26) 8 Sunday Morning Call (05:12) 9 I Can See a Liar (03:12) 10 Roll It Over (06:31) |
| Standing on the Shoulder of Giants : Allmusic album Review : Since Noel Gallagher plays most of the parts on the album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants isnt really the debut of the new, post-Guigsy/Bonehead lineup, but it is clearly the beginning of Oasis, Mark II. Such a grandiose statement may imply that its a clear break from Oasis past, yet thats hardly the case, since many signatures are still in place -- strummed acoustic guitars, big hooks, undeveloped lyrics, familiar rhymes, and a gigantic wall of sound. The arrangements are every bit as detailed as Be Here Now, but theyre clearer and better focused, since Oasis brains werent clouded with excess and hubris. Ironically, this is also their most overtly druggy, psychedelic release to date -- Gallagher and Mark "Spike" Stent spent endless hours adding Mellotrons, swirling guitars, and vague dancefloor ideas borrowed from the Chemical Brothers and the Charlatans, while Noels melodies invariably follow the minor-key patterns typical of 60s psychedelic pop. Yet for all of its heavy psychedelic influence, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants is really a self-consciously mature departure from the groups usual ebullience, a deliberately mellow, midtempo album spiked with hints of big beat and electronica to prove that theyre with it. This may result in the most cohesive Oasis record since Definitely Maybe, but that cohesion has come at a price. Few songs are as bracing as Noels best work from the first three albums; not even the rockers have the giddy rush or alluring sparkle of classic Oasis. Yes, this flows well, but its the work of a self-consciously older band and its hard not to miss the hard rock, pure attitude, and gigantic hooks that made the groups reputation in the first place. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 13 Title: Heathen Chemistry Released: 2002-06-26 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:16:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Hindu Times (03:46) 2 Force of Nature (04:51) 3 Hung in a Bad Place (03:28) 4 Stop Crying Your Heart Out (05:02) 5 Songbird (02:07) 6 Little by Little (04:52) 7 A Quick Peep (01:17) 8 (Probably) All in the Mind (04:02) 9 She Is Love (03:09) 10 Born on a Different Cloud (06:08) 11 Better Man / The Cage (38:02) |
| Heathen Chemistry : Allmusic album Review : The official party line goes a little like this: sure, Be Here Now was bloated, but the boys were indulging in their phenomenal success at the time and, yeah, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants was a little uneven, but that was essentially due to overcompensation on the corrective steering, plus the defection of two founding members, so 2002s Heathen Chemistry -- the bands fifth album -- is where Oasis returns to form and starts acting like a band again (hell, not only does Liam contribute three songs, but so does bassist Gem Archer, while Andy Bell throws in a minute-long instrumental). If only it were that simple. First of all, this, like Giants, is produced by Oasis and mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent, so it should come as no surprise that it sounds like that album, only without the slight electronica flourishes, since the band is determined to make this their rock & roll comeback. But that Stent-mixed, Noel-helmed production keeps Heathen Chemistry from really rocking -- its big and diffuse, sounding enormous and vaguely psychedelic, without much grit or kick. When its matched with the right song -- such as the swirling, majestically nonsensical opener "The Hindu Times" -- it can be an addictive sound, but often its mismatched with the songs; the sound expands the songs too much and they lose focus and dynamic, whether its the muted "Digsys Dinner" stomp of "Force of Nature" (a solo Noel tune unearthed from a 2000 soundtrack for a British-only Jude Law film), epic ballads ("Little by Little"), stabs at sweeping psychedelia ("Born on a Different Cloud"), or rockers (including the Stone Roses-meets-the Stones closer "Better Man"). These are songs that desperately need some kind of definition from their production, since theyre Noel-by-numbers (even when theyre tunes written by Liam): pleasant, moderately tuneful, but not too hooky, or memorable (especially in this setting), and their deficiencies are brought into relief by the times that he really connects -- the guitar-heavy drone of "(Probably) All in the Mind," a pretty good power ballad in "Stop Crying Your Heart Out," the delightfully unassuming "She Is Love" (sounding as refreshing here as "Rocking Chair" and "Talk Tonight" used to sound as B-sides), and "The Hindu Times," holding up the trend of the last three albums of having Oasis leading with their best song as the first single -- plus Liams "Songbird," a wonderful, sweet country-rock tune thats easily the second best here. Thats not a great average, especially since the flat production doesnt make any of these songs shine as brilliant individual moments, the way "Its Getting Better (Man)" did on Be Here Now (well, apart from "Songbird," which is the only spare production here), but its not bad, either, and good Oasis songs are still a joy. Nevertheless, for those who rightfully believed that Oasis was a great band in the mid-90s -- when Noel had so many great songs, they spilled over to three B-sides per single -- its hard not to find this album kind of disappointing, a confirmation that no matter what they do, Oasis Mach II will never have the sheer abandon or thrill as Definitely Maybe through Morning Glory. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 13 Title: Don’t Believe the Truth Released: 2005-05-25 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:04:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Wanna Live in a Dream (In My Record Machine) (demo) (04:30) 2 Eyeball Tickler (demo) (02:55) 3 Meaning of Soul (demo) (01:45) 4 A Bell Will Ring (demo) (03:15) 5 Love Is Like a Bomb (demo) (03:13) 6 Stop the Clocks (version 1) (05:05) 7 Stop the Clocks (version 2) (05:05) 8 They Got Nothing on Me, They Got Nothing on You (02:11) 9 Lord Don’t Slow Me Down (03:22) 10 Turn Up the Sun (demo) (04:24) 11 Turn Up the Sun (04:02) 12 Mucky Fingers (03:55) 13 Lyla (05:11) 14 Love Like a Bomb (02:55) 15 The Importance of Being Idle (03:42) 16 The Meaning of Soul (01:45) 17 Guess God Thinks I’m Able (03:27) 18 Part of the Queue (03:49) |
| Don’t Believe the Truth : Allmusic album Review : Since Oasis has an instantly identifiable, seemingly simple signature sound -- gigantic, lumbering, melodic, and inevitable, as if their songs have always existed and always will -- it can be hard to pinpoint what separates a great Oasis song from a merely mediocre tune. It could be anything from overblown production to a diminished swagger, or it could be a self-satisfied laziness in the songwriting, or a panicky attempt to update their defiantly classicist pop with an electronic shine. All of these problems plagued the groups records since their blockbuster 1995 blockbuster second album, (Whats the Story) Morning Glory?, and while none of the three albums that followed were outright bad, by 2002s Heathen Chemistry it seemed that even Noel and Liam Gallagher had lost sight of what made Oasis great. While that record had its moments, it often seemed generic, suggesting that the group had painted itself into a corner, not knowing where to go next. Surely, all the reports from the recording of their long-gestating sixth album suggested a faint air of desperation. First, the electronica duo Death in Vegas was brought in as producers, bringing to mind the bands awkward attempts at electronica fusion on Be Here Now and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, but those recordings were scrapped, and then their second drummer, Alan White, left only to be replaced by Zak Starkey, the son of Ringo Starr, suggesting that the Gallaghers were coming perilously close to being swallowed by their perennial Beatles fixation. All of which makes the resulting album, Dont Believe the Truth, a real shock. Its confident, muscular, uncluttered, tight, and tuneful in a way Oasis havent been since Morning Glory. It doesnt feel labored nor does it sound as if theyre deliberately trying to recreate past glories. Instead, it sounds like theyve remembered what they love about rock & roll and why they make music. They sound reinvigorated, which is perhaps appropriate, because Dont Believe the Truth finds Oasis to be quite a different band than it was a decade ago. Surely, Noel is still the first among equals, writing the majority of the songs here and providing the musical direction that the rest follow, but his brother Liam, bassist Andy Bell, and guitarist Gem Archer are now full and equal partners, and the band is the better for it. Where Noel struggled to fill the post-Morning Glory albums with passable album tracks (having squandered his backlog of great songs on B-sides), hes now happy to have Bell and Archer write Noel soundalikes that are sturdier than the filler hes created over the last five years. These likeable tunes are given soul and fire by Liam, who not only reclaims his crown as the best singer in rock on this album, but comes into his own as a songwriter. He had written good songs before, but here he holds his own with his brother, writing lively, hooky, memorable songs with "Love Like a Bomb," "The Meaning of Soul," and "Guess God Thinks Im Abel," which are as good as anything Noel has written for the album. Which is not an aspersion on Noel, who has a set of five songs that cut for cut are his strongest and liveliest in years. Whether its the insistent stomp of "Mucky Fingers" or the Kinks-styled romp of "The Importance of Being Idle," these songs are so good it makes sense that Noel has kept them for himself, singing four of the five tunes himself (including the soaring closing duet "Let There Be Love," the brothers best joint vocal since "Acquiesce"). But the key to this new incarnation of Oasis is that this move by Noel doesnt seem like hes hoarding his best numbers, or a way to instigate sibling rivalry with Liam. Instead, it emphasizes that Oasis is now a genuine band, a group of personalities that form together to form one gang of charming rogues. Apart from the tremendous, rambling "Lyla" that channels the spirit of the Faces and the occasional ramshackle echo of Beggars Banquet, theres not much musically different here than other Oasis albums -- its still a blend of British Invasion, the Jam, and the Smiths, all turned to 11 -- but their stubborn fondness of classic British guitar pop is one of the things that makes Oasis great and lovable. And, of course, its also what makes it hard to discern exactly what separates good from great Oasis, but all the little details here, from the consistent songwriting to the loose, comfortable arrangements and the return of their trademark bravado makes Dont Believe the Truth the closest Oasis has been to great since the summer of Britpop, when they were the biggest and best band in the world. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 13 Title: Stop the Clocks Released: 2006-11-15 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:27:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock ’n’ Roll Star (05:22) 2 Some Might Say (05:28) 3 Talk Tonight (04:21) 4 Lyla (05:11) 5 The Importance of Being Idle (03:39) 6 Wonderwall (04:19) 7 Slide Away (06:32) 8 Cigarettes & Alcohol (04:49) 9 The Masterplan (05:22) 1 Live Forever (04:36) 2 Acquiesce (04:24) 3 Supersonic (04:43) 4 Half the World Away (04:20) 5 Go Let It Out (04:38) 6 Songbird (02:07) 7 Morning Glory (05:03) 8 Champagne Supernova (07:27) 9 Don’t Look Back in Anger (04:48) |
| Stop the Clocks : Allmusic album Review : A young Noel Gallagher at the height of Oasis popularity in the mid-90s declared that the band would not release a compilation CD until the end of their career, since such compilations implied that a bands career was indeed over. A decade later, an older, presumably wiser Gallagher realized that if youre about to leave your longtime label and that label will release a compilation whether you participate or not, its better to write your own draft of your bands history than having the label do it for you. And so Gallagher designed the first Oasis hits compilation, 2006s double-disc, 18-track Stop the Clocks. As he so often has done in his career, he looked to the Beatles for guidance, choosing their two 1973 hits comps 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 -- better known as The Red Album and The Blue Album -- as a template for Stop the Clocks. Those records mixed up hits with album tracks and B-sides to offer an overview of the bands identity, and so it is with Oasis double-disc set, as it overlooks big hits -- "Roll with It," "DYou Know What I Mean," "Stand by Me" -- in favor of things that were tucked away on albums or singles. Where the Beatles albums sampled more or less equally from each phase of their career, Gallagher is a bit more ruthless in rewriting his own history, thoroughly excising 1997s Be Here Now from the bands past -- an overreaction thats nevertheless perfectly in line with everything regarding their overblown third album. Such fits of pique are typical for Gallagher and Oasis -- which at the time of the release of Stop the Clocks had only his brother Liam as the other remaining original member -- and another is the exclusion of the non-LP Christmas 1994 single "Whatever," omitted presumably because if it were here the band would have to shell out royalties to Neil Innes. But even if "Whatever" is missed along with such other great singles both early ("Shakermaker") and late ("The Hindu Times"), Stop the Clocks works at its most basic level: it offers an excellent primer to Oasis at their best. Of course, this means that it draws very heavily on the glory days of 1994-1996, offering five tracks each from Definitely Maybe and (Whats the Story) Morning Glory, plus various B-sides from this era. All in all, a whopping 15 of the 19 tracks here date from this time, and the four songs that do come from the 21st century -- "Lyla," "The Importance of Being Idle," "Go Let It Out," "Songbird" -- more than hold their own since they rely on what has always been their strengths: sturdy classicist songwriting and spirited performances. And thats why Oasis best music has dated very well: anything with such aspirations to be classic lives and dies by the strength of their material, and this manages to capture its time and transcend it, since its attitude remains potent, and the songs sound as good hundreds of times after their fist spin. No, even at two discs Stop the Clocks doesnt contain all of the best of Oasis, but it does contain Oasis at their best and enough of it that it can indeed be passed along to future generations as an introduction to one of the best bands of their time, just like how the Red and Blue albums converted many young listeners to the Beatles. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 13 Title: Complete Single Collection ’94–’05 Released: 2006-11-15 Tracks: 89 Duration: 6:59:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Supersonic (04:43) 2 Take Me Away (04:30) 3 I Will Believe (live) (03:46) 4 Columbia (white label demo) (05:26) 1 Shakermaker (05:11) 2 D’Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman? (02:41) 3 Alive (8 track demo) (03:57) 4 Bring It On Down (live) (04:17) 1 Live Forever (04:36) 2 Up in the Sky (acoustic) (03:32) 3 Cloudburst (05:21) 4 Supersonic (live) (05:13) 1 Cigarettes and Alcohol (04:50) 2 I Am the Walrus (live Glasgow Cathouse June ’94) (08:15) 3 Listen Up (06:40) 4 Fade Away (04:11) 1 Whatever (06:20) 2 (It’s Good) To Be Free (04:19) 3 Half the World Away (04:23) 4 Slide Away (06:32) 1 Some Might Say (05:28) 2 Talk Tonight (04:21) 3 Acquiesce (04:24) 4 Headshrinker (04:39) 1 Roll With It (03:59) 2 It’s Better People (03:59) 3 Rockin’ Chair (04:38) 4 Live Forever (live: Glastonbury ’95) (04:40) 1 Morning Glory (05:03) 2 It’s Better People (03:59) 3 Rockin’ Chair (04:38) 4 Live Forever (live: Glastonbury ’95) (04:40) 1 Wonderwall (04:19) 2 Round Are Way (05:42) 3 The Swamp Song (04:20) 4 The Masterplan (05:22) 1 Don’t Look Back in Anger (04:48) 2 Step Out (03:40) 3 Underneath the Sky (03:21) 4 Cum on Feel the Noize (05:11) 1 Champagne Supernova (radio edit) (05:08) 2 Champagne Supernova (07:27) 3 Slide Away (06:32) 1 D’You Know What I Mean? (07:22) 2 Stay Young (05:08) 3 Angel Child (demo) (04:28) 4 Heroes (04:11) 1 Stand by Me (05:58) 2 (I Got) The Fever (05:15) 3 My Sister Lover (05:59) 4 Going Nowhere (04:42) 1 All Around the World (09:41) 2 The Fame (04:35) 3 Flashbax (05:08) 4 Street Fighting Man (03:53) 1 Don’t Go Away (04:43) 2 Cigarettes and Alcohol (live) (04:59) 3 Sad Song (04:16) 4 Fade Away (Warchild version) (04:09) 1 Go Let It Out (04:38) 2 Let’s All Make Believe (03:53) 3 (As Long as They’ve Got) Cigarettes in Hell (04:21) 1 Who Feels Love? (05:44) 2 One Way Road (04:03) 3 Helter Skelter (05:52) 1 Sunday Morning Call (05:12) 2 Carry Us All (04:00) 3 Full On (04:16) 1 The Hindu Times (03:53) 2 Just Getting Older (03:17) 3 Idler’s Dream (02:57) 1 Stop Crying Your Heart Out (05:02) 2 Thank You for the Good Times (04:32) 3 Shout It Out Loud (04:20) 1 Little by Little (04:57) 2 She Is Love (03:11) 3 My Generation (04:04) 1 Songbird (02:07) 2 (You’ve Got) The Heart of a Star (05:22) 3 Columbia (live) (04:47) 1 Lyla (05:11) 2 Eyeball Tickler (02:47) 3 Won’t Let You Down (02:48) 1 The Importance of Being Idle (03:39) 2 Pass Me Down the Wine (03:51) 3 The Quiet Ones (02:00) 1 Let There Be Love (05:30) 2 Sittin’ Here in Silence (On My Own) (01:59) 3 Rock ’n’ Roll Star (live at City of Manchester Stadium) (07:47) |
 | Album: 11 of 13 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 2008 Tracks: 32 Duration: 2:39:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Rock n Roll Star (05:17) 2 Shakermaker (05:09) 3 Live Forever (04:36) 4 Supersonic (04:38) 5 Cigarettes & Alcohol (04:50) 6 Whatever (06:17) 7 Roll With It (03:59) 8 Wonderwall (04:19) 9 Dont Look Back in Anger (04:48) 10 Some Might Say (05:20) 11 Morning Glory (04:59) 12 Champagne Supernova (07:27) 13 DYou Know What I Mean (07:38) 14 Stand by Me (05:56) 15 Dont Go Away (04:44) 1 All Around the World (09:20) 2 Acquiesce (04:25) 3 Rockin Chair (04:25) 4 Go Let It Out! (04:33) 5 Who Feels Love (05:35) 6 Sunday Morning Call (05:11) 7 The Hindu Times (03:45) 8 Stop Crying Your Heart Out (04:54) 9 Songbird (02:06) 10 Little by Little (04:45) 11 Lyla (05:11) 12 The Importance of Being Idle (03:40) 13 Let There Be Love (05:25) 14 Lord Dont Slow Me Down (03:15) 15 The Shock of the Lightning (04:51) 16 Falling Down (04:20) 17 Im Outta Time (04:07) |
 | Album: 12 of 13 Title: Dig Out Your Soul Released: 2008-10-01 Tracks: 13 Duration: 53:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bag It Up (04:40) 2 The Turning (05:04) 3 Waiting for the Rapture (03:02) 4 The Shock of the Lightning (04:59) 5 I’m Outta Time (04:10) 6 (Get Off Your) High Horse Lady (04:06) 7 Falling Down (04:20) 8 To Be Where There’s Life (04:35) 9 Ain’t Got Nothin’ (02:14) 10 The Nature of Reality (03:47) 11 Soldier On (04:50) 12 I Believe in All (02:42) 13 The Turning (Alt. version #4) (05:08) |
| Dig Out Your Soul : Allmusic album Review : Maturity always seemed an alien concept to Oasis. The brothers Gallagher may have worshiped music made before their birth but there was no respect to their love: they stormed the rock & roll kingdom with no regard for anyone outside themselves, a narcissism that made perfect sense when they were young punks, as youth wears rebellion well, but the groups trump card was how their snottiness was leveled by their foundation in classic pop. This delicate balance was thrown out of whack after the phenomenal success of 1995s (Whats the Story) Morning Glory?, when the group sunk into a pit of excess that they couldnt completely escape for almost a full decade. When Oasis did begin to re-emerge on 2005s Dont Believe the Truth they sounded like journeymen, purveyors of no-frills rock & roll. All this makes the wallop of 2008s Dig Out Your Soul all the more bracing. Colorful and dense where Dont Believe the Truth was straightforward, Dig Out Your Soul finds Oasis reconnecting to the churning psychedelic undercurrents in their music, sounds that derive equally from mid-period Beatles and early Verve. This is heavy, murky music, as dense, brutal, and loud as Oasis has ever been, building upon the swagger of Dont Believe and containing not a hint of the hazy drift of their late-90s records: its what Be Here Now would have sounded like without the blizzard of cocaine and electronica paranoia. Dig Out Your Soul doesnt have much arrogance, either, as Oasis strut has mellowed into an off-hand confidence, just like how Noel Gallaghers hero worship has turned into a distinct signature of his own, as his Beatlesque songs sound like nobody elses, not even the Beatles. His only real rival at this thick, surging pop is his brother Liam, who has proven a sturdy, if not especially flashy songwriter with a knack for candied Lennonesque ballads like "Im Outta Time." To appreciate what Liam does, turn to Gem Archers "To Be Where Theres Life" and Andy Bells "The Nature of Reality," which are enjoyable enough Oasis-by-numbers, but Liams numbers resonate, getting stronger with repeated plays, as the best Oasis songs always do. But, as it always does, Oasis belongs to Noel Gallagher, who pens six of the 11 songs on Dig Out Your Soul, almost every one of them possessing the same sense of inevitability that marked his best early work. Best among these are the titanic stomp of "Waiting for the Rapture" and the quicksilver kaleidoscope of "The Shock of the Lightning," a pair of songs that rank among his best, but the grinding blues-psych of "Bag It Up" and gently cascading "The Turning" arent far behind, either. These have the large, enveloping melodies so characteristic of this work and what impresses is that he can still make music that sounds not written, but unearthed. These six tunes are Noels strongest since Morning Glory -- so strong its hard not to wish he wrote the whole LP himself -- but whats striking about Dig Out Your Soul is how its relentless onslaught of sound proves as enduring as the tunes. This is the sound of a mature yet restless rock band: all the brawn comes from the guitars, all the snarl comes from Liam Gallaghers vocals, who no longer sounds like a young punk but an aged, battered brawler who wears his scars proudly, which is a sentiment that can apply to the band itself. Theyre now survivors, filling out the vintage threads theyve always worn with muscle and unapologetic style. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 13 Title: Time Flies… 1994–2009 Released: 2010-06-09 Tracks: 43 Duration: 3:36:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Supersonic (04:43) 2 Roll With It (03:59) 3 Live Forever (04:36) 4 Wonderwall (04:19) 5 Stop Crying Your Heart Out (05:02) 6 Cigarettes & Alcohol (04:49) 7 Songbird (02:07) 8 Don’t Look Back in Anger (04:48) 9 The Hindu Times (03:53) 10 Stand by Me (05:58) 11 Lord Don’t Slow Me Down (03:19) 12 Shakermaker (05:08) 13 All Around the World (09:41) 1 Some Might Say (05:28) 2 The Importance of Being Idle (03:39) 3 D’You Know What I Mean? (07:44) 4 Lyla (05:11) 5 Let There Be Love (05:30) 6 Go Let It Out (04:38) 7 Who Feels Love? (05:44) 8 Little by Little (04:52) 9 The Shock of the Lightning (05:04) 10 She Is Love (03:13) 11 Whatever (06:20) 12 I’m Outta Time (04:10) 13 Falling Down (04:27) 14 Don’t Go Away (12:03) 1 Rock ’n’ Roll Star (05:26) 2 Lyla (04:56) 3 The Shock of the Lightning (05:00) 4 Cigarettes & Alcohol (04:12) 5 Roll With It (03:47) 6 The Masterplan (04:52) 7 Songbird (02:12) 8 Slide Away (06:02) 9 Morning Glory (04:46) 10 Half the World Away (04:00) 11 I’m Outta Time (04:20) 12 Wonderwall (04:09) 13 Supersonic (05:00) 14 Live Forever (05:16) 15 Don’t Look Back in Anger (05:04) 16 Champagne Supernova (07:19) |
| Time Flies… 1994–2009 : Allmusic album Review : Wasting no time in the wake of the Gallagher brothers sudden 2009 implosion, Sony released the deluxe Time Flies 1994-2009 retrospective in the summer of 2010, just in time for the 15th anniversary of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? The driving idea behind Time Flies is to collect all 27 of Oasis’ British A-sides, a simple idea that would seem to fit one of the great singles band, but sticking to the singles winds up leaving many great songs behind, including their manifesto “Rock & Roll Star,” “Champagne Supernova,” the lovely “Talk Tonight,” and Noel and Liam’s duet “Acquiesce,” among many tremendous B-sides, “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory” and “Champagne Supernova,” to name a few. The latter is added to the U.S. version, since it was an actual hit in America (the U.S. version does not contain “Sunday Morning Call”), but it doesn’t change the fact that Time Flies winds up missing more staples than it should…enough to make it miss the definitive designation it should carry. Nevertheless, Time Flies is a better overview than 2006’s Stop the Clocks, of which it shares ten tracks (11 in the U.S. incarnation) and not just because it’s more generous by a measure of almost ten tracks. Time Flies does a better job of rounding up the highlights from their patchy turn-of-the-millennium albums -- actually, it emphasizes Heathen Chemistry almost a bit too much, with its five tracks outweighing the number of selections from Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory -- and has space for selections from their smashing final album Dig Out Your Soul, including sneaking on “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down,” which makes its album debut here along with the 1994 Christmas single “Whatever.” All that’s enough to make this the Oasis comp of choice until the definitive collection comes around. [Time Flies is improved considerably in its deluxe edition which is the U.K. double-disc expanded by a third disc containing a concert from The Roundhouse in London on July 21, 2009 and a DVD containing all of the band’s music videos with commentary. The live show was recorded just weeks before Noel and Liam’s final blow-out and proves that the band was far from tuckered out; they still packed a wallop. But the DVD is the real news: of all the Brit-pop titans of the ‘90s, Oasis was the only one without a home video collection of their videos, and this has them all, including clips made for the U.S., and that’s enough of a treat even without the tantalizing bonus of Noel and Liam commentary.] | ||