Album Reviews |

Oasis

Related Artists - Beady Eye, Noel Gallagher, John Lennon
Related Genres - Modern And Classic Rock

Definitely Maybe 8½ ( 1994 )
Rock 'n' Roll Star / Shakermaker / Live Forever / Up In The Sky / Columbia / Supersonic / Bring It On Down / Cigarettes & Alcohol / Digsy's Dinner / Slide Away / Married With Children

Oasis, oasis - promises of a world beating band, fame and hype, taken to extreme levels. They did 'break' America but the resulting chaos ( mostly in England ) sapped their energy as they started to believe their own hype and got washed out on drugs. There is still hope they can re-unite and provide us with another musical experience as good as this. Nobody mentioned The Beatles when Oasis first burst onto the scene with the Stone Roses/Happy Monday vibe of 'Supersonic'. A fairly simple song actually but Liam mixes his vocal influences well and becomes a born star in the process. He holds the thing together. We open with 'Rock 'n' Roll Star' some sort of statement of intent I suppose. These guys had drive! Ambition! Noel had a locker full of melodies and hooks none of them startlingly original or anything, but well. They had style! You can listen to 'Rock 'n' Roll Star' loud and it makes you glad to be alive. 'Live Forever' is the masterpiece from this record. Their first top ten hit here in England and a wonderful song. The way the opening 'Maybe.....' is sung, the beat of the drums, the simple and melodic guitar. Mostly Liam's voice although the lyrics are simple and effective. A great track in anyone's book.

More highlights remain. 'Up In The Sky' sends a shiver down the spine. 'Cigarettes & Alcohol' is grating in its obviousness perhaps but that T Rex Marc Bolan riff served him well and it serves Oasis well. The whole thing is just so ridiculously perfect for what it’s trying to achieve. It’s not trying to be the earth, its just there. It’s just a song. 'Digsy's Dinner' may in fact not be great and the closing 'Married With Children' although with a certain charm is hardly substantial. They do have something left though. Only the best thing they ever did! 'Slide Away', a song that shares names with a Verve song. Noel and Liam were both huge Verve fans. And, rightly so! But, anyway. This 'Slide Away' is the most spine-chilling of the lot. Noel comes up with an original melody in these times of recycled melodies and Liam sings with some effect. It’s hard to explain WHY it’s so good. Its just there, it just is. It’s understated by later Oasis standards. 'Slide Away' doesn't sing and dance from the rooftops. It’s just a great song. This IS a good debut album, hell it’s a good album. They burst onto the scene and before ugly battles that would later take place - really had something, energy. Don't neglect this record. Believe.

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Readers Comments Benjamin Western Westernben@btinternet.com All agreed, apart from the rating. This has to be given 10/10. No band has produced a better debut. Live Forever is my favourite track of all time, Slide Away is so good it hurts. Supersonic has the beat, the lyrics...the everything you want from a tune. Rock 'n' Roll Star can state what you like, I don't care, it's just the ultimate adrenaline song, and most fitting way to start the album. Cigarettes and Alcohol is great, Up In The Sky is pumping. The rest just fit so well, and ends with a simple acoustic track to help calm yourself after the shock of what you've just heard. My spine has never shivered so much. I heard of this new band Oasis, that they had some good tracks....but this....this is too good to be true. My favourite album of all time, and that will never change. Thank you Oasis. Rob robnicholl_acquiesce05@hotmail.co.uk First off this is the best album of the past 11 years (now) by the most important band (in my opinion) of the last 11 years. So it goes without say that i think it should be a straight 10/10.....hmm i think a track by track analysis is in order!! ROCK N Roll star - Perfect start to the album rock n roll track about Noels aspirations of becoming a rock n roller.....great track stil used in live gigs with a fantastic chorus. Shakermaker - "id like to buy the world a coke....." ok so Noel blantanly ripped off the coca cola song here and although it isnt entirely original you gotta admire his balls for doing it!! nonsense lyrics like "Mr Sifter sold me sounds when i was just sixteen//now he stops at traffic lights but only when they are green" seem to make no sense but tell the story of hw the song came about. (noel written down the lyrics whilst in a car outside Sifters!!) a fantastic melody with a sort of beatles-ey psychadelictouch to it. Live Fore! ver - This. Tune. Is. Immortal!! Up In The Sky - The chords for the verse are G with a quick shuffle of Fmaj9 and C and back to G for the main part. But the little guitar melody carries this song all the way. Also Liams vocals are spot on and the lyrics actually mean something (its about the dole and the government not doing anything to help them) great tune Columbia - Stand out track for me. 3 chords. this is punk. Snarling vocals, 3 chords....but its over 6 mins long....oh well. this monster just grooves along its 3 chords for the whole song with liam screaming "Come on come on come on" and Noel adding "YEAH YEAH YEAH". fantastic tune and phenomenal live. Supersonic - this song is just too slow. but in a good way. it sludges through the 4 mins 43 secs with such nonsense lyrics as "shes into alka seltzer" and "he lives under a waterfall" which show that Noel didnt spend much time on lyrics, (apparently they took 30 mins in a studio and it was the! n recorded), instead focusing on great hooks and melodies to t! hrow in. Bring It On Down - another punkier track. amazing drum sound at the beginning and then it just launches into a full on audio onslaught with Noel and Boneheads thunderous guitar work being ripped open by another stunning Liam Vocal. Oh and Noel throws in some tasty lead work to. Cigarettes n Alcohol - T-rex!!! Get It On!! Marc Bolan wants his riff back!! so the riff is fake, the meldoy is probably nicked from somewhere but Liams snarl is 100% real. Once again Liam makes this track. So many Oasis tracks would be nothing without Liams voice.....but with it they are stunning to the Nth degree. all together "IN THE SUNSSSSHHHHHEEEEIIIIIINNNNEEEEAAAAAEEE!!" Digsy Dinner - its about Noels mate who had lasagne for his tea. well you werent expecting Stairway to heaven where you?? The piano is the only thing that makes this song good novelty rather than crazy frog novelty!! Slide Away - Best liam vocal ever. Best song on the album. Liam is practica! lly crying his vocals are that tender and emotional on this track. The guitar work is good for Noel anyway eventhough it is only pentatonic stuff. The lyrics are also one of Noels greatest ever penned. This is the Oasis Rock n Roll love song before Wonderwall existed.....and is criminally underrated by snyone except Oasis fans. Great Ending with the Brothers gallagher harmonising "Slide Away//Slide Away" Married With Children - another stunning liam vocal. great acoustic recorded in Boneheads (?) bedroom. Great warmth added from John Squires Ibanez Acoustic (probsbly the best guitar Noel had ever played on at the time!!) and The gentle strumming is complimented by a good lead part that clapton would be proud of. well almost..... So there...... 10/10 or maybe 9 and a half out of ten if your a southerner and dont "get" Digsy Dinner. But a great album regardless. The Best Debut album from anybody anywhere. Definitely......Maybe Peter A. McAllister peter_footieadmin@hotmail.com Definitely Maybe was my first forray into the world of alleged "britpop". On first listen it seemed loud, raw and more importantly musically vibrant and lyrical genius. Rock'n'Roll Star is the best opening to an album any new band could hope for. Seering guitar and blinding lyrics by Liam start the album off brilliantly. Shakermaker harks back to the early days of The Stone Roses with a simple ditty set around their local area. Live Forever is simply one of the greatest songs ever written and is performed to perfection by all concerned and has remained their anthem for the masses. Up In The Sky is brilliant with Liam exercising his talents big time this track lends itself to a live set brilliantly which I have experienced first hand a few times!! Columbia and Supersonic are genius as is Bring It On Down which really goes down the heavy rock line in a big way. Cigarettes and Alcohol is another anthem due to the lyrical content. At the height of the music explosion in the mid ! nineties that was all 18-24 year olds really wanted out of life to have a good time and Cigarettes & Alcohol. Digsy's Dinner is a tongue in cheek happy-go-lucky tune which would never fail to lift the mood. Then we have Slide Away along with Live Forever which come into the greatest songs ever category. Married With Children closes the album out with a great sense of understatement. As if to say we ain't finished yet!! In conclusion Definitely Maybe from start to finish is a work of greatness. Would get a 10/10 in any review bar this one of course. The fact that Live Forever, Slide Away, Rock'n'Roll Star, Columbia, Supersonic and Cigarettes and Alcohol all appear on one album and a debut effort at that makes it the classic it is. David Owens davidowens78@yahoo.com I would have to give this fabulous debut album a perfect 10. Nothing will ever replicate the excitement I felt when I first purchased this little beauty back in the summer of 1995, almost a year after its release. Oasis' work deteriorated as it went on because they lost the hunger which drove them to make this record - and make it as good as it still sounds today. Columbia and Bring It On Down are as mean, moody and terrifyingly well-constructed as anything ever recorded in the history of rock and roll, and they're always overlooked in reviews of this album! As for the singles, Supersonic and Live Forever are classics. Things were never this good again for the lads, although (What's the Story) Morning Glory? and the not-as-good-as-it-could-have-been The Masterplan ran it close. siegfrid siegfrid010101@yahoo.com Oasis is one of these bands that succeded because of their mediocrity and sterotyped projected image. Their cliche-ed approach in songs - which sound all the same, the terrible voicals that tire quickly, together with their "dirty" but in reality simply despicable attitude still stand as a testimony to their mediocrity that catapulted them on the top of the charts. The "hype" around them, was voluntarily generated by music critics and fans in unison as apparently everyone was looking for the new beatles, who, jam and smiths. Oasis fited the bill as a cheap cross between all of the above - the new originally british thing that would conquer america once again through sheer power of grandeur and sales. There has been at that time plenty of other uk bands that ridicule oasis in terms of songwriting, lyrics, sound, instrument ability, innovation in sound pattern or song structures, performance, atmosphere and attitude. Unfortunately for! them none was expressing british character in a more standard, more everyone-sing-along way than Oasis, in order to fulfill the iconic requirement that is so necessary for multimillion seller success in rock. Definitely maybe stands as the only sincere testimony of the band - that is before they became bigger than the beatles. Despite the flat line that ever characterises the songwritting it has its moments and also contains all the seeds that would later grow with the bands' arrogance to produce even more boring, more stereotyped results. For anyone that is interested in rock semantics, it is of interest that arena rock sell out gods u2 have "Live Forever" quite high in their list of songs they wish they have written. Lee Foster hell yeah . don't think anyone will ever under estimate this album Ade . this is quite possible the best debut album of all time by any band. Part of me wants to avoid it an not like it cos of the way the critics seem to rant on about it like its the only thing of worth oasis ever did . Thats DEFINETLEY DEFINETLEY not true . It is however pretty hard to beat an whenever i give in an let it spin. I realise how irresistable it is. CIGGERETTES AN ALCOHOL is such a classic lyric an one of the best of all time an rings so true to many peoples lives . especially young people on the dole or in shit jobs . who live for the day they get there giro or get paid an they can get cigs an alcohol with all there spare cash .. sums up my youth an maybe my adulthood lol . This is such an awesome record an awesome fresh debut . the sound of a band who hadnt had any huge success doing what it took to get success. more hunger as the underdogs trying to be the best band in the world an making t! he whole world hear it an agree. Rather than what came after when they were the defending champions reminding everyone that they are the best band in the world BE HERE NOW ect .. but the panning made em fresh an with a point to proove as underdogs again which is perhaps why the most recent albums have that same drive an energy about em of a band really trying . This is excellent an is full of OASIS classics . i happen to really enjoy digsys dinner an marrried with children aswell . think they are essential for the album an MARRIED is proberbly one of the only ACCOUSTIC NOEL B SIDE type songs from this era that has a liam vocal an he sings it beautiful .. the only complaint about this album would be theres no NOEL GALLAGHER LEAD VOCAL SONGS . Cos part of the greatness about this awesome band is that it has two awesome vocalists with two very good voices an a noel song or 4 is an essential part of most oasis albums. But they definetley(maybe) seem to know what they are doing ! an theres OASIS songs that NOEL was born to sing .An oasis son! gs that LIAM was born to sing an they always got it right an picked the best ones . LITTLE BY LITTLE . SUNDAY MORNING CALL .an all the others wouldnt have been as good or worked well with liam singing .. an STOP CRYING . CHAMPAINGNE . ROLL. ect ect wouldnt have worked well with noel singing . an this album is full of songs that were made for liam to sing an he sings em real well . awesome album . is it here best? .. in my opinion its very close to been .. maybe is there was one noel song . like HALF THE WORLD b side from that period . it woulda just made it perfect .. even though ' true perfection has to be imperfect' according to someone i heard on the radio the other day lol. 9 out of 10 Jonny S barnetcasual@yahoo.co.uk this is a top album, i love this, theough i dont own it (yet, im on the lookout for a vinyl release) i have heard it many times and it still sends shivers down my spine when turned up very LOUD. "Rock N Roll star" is a gresat opener and i like "shakermaker" a lot too. then my best song of all time arrives with "live Forever", an absolutely timeless classic. the rwest of the album is the B*****ks as well, exept for maybe "bring it on down", but i dont mind that, "ciggarettes and alcohol", "supersonic" and "slide away" (which should have been the album closer) are also classics, bt they isnt a BAD song on the album. id give this a 9.5/10 easily. id love to see some reviews of The Jam. top band.

The album has a terrible name, but we won't hold that against it. Yes, Oasis went supernova as 'Wonderwall' overtook the world and broke the band in America. Is it any good? Seems a silly question, but I'll persist. When this was first released, the album gained mediocre reviews at best. It was generally viewed by critics as a disappointment after the debut. As the album took hold with the public however, and went on to sell millions and millions of copies - the music press did a reversal and started proclaiming Oasis to be the new Beatles. When 'Morning Glory's' follow up 'Be Here Now' was released it gained universally great reviews even though it was actually not all that great. They were attempting to 'atone' for their past mistakes. The music critics, the press. Only, they got it right first time! Yes, there are good songs here. 'Wonderwall' remains affecting as does 'Don't Look Back In Anger'. Both quality ballad performances. 'Roll With It' is great! We can hear a bass guitar on an Oasis song! Actually hear it not buried in the mix! It’s a great track! And, 'Some Might Say' remains a superlative single. It has style, it has character. It has rock guitars and some elegance and presence.

Unfortunately...the rest of the album is somewhat disappointing. 'Champagne Supernova' sounds impressive enough but this attempted epic gets trying after a while as musically it repeats itself over and over. 'Morning Glory' the title song is somewhat desperate. We have a few brief linking tracks that seemingly serve no good purpose whatsoever. 'Cast No Shadow' is a nice song. A tribute to Verve singer Richard Ashcroft. The opener 'Hello' is just a piece of shit. Yes, it is! Okay, so its not, but it’s not a great track either. Sounds like a Slade reject. Oasis wanted to be the new Beatles? The new Slade, or the new Status Quo they could just about manage judging by at least half of this. It's not actually a bad album. Taken as a whole the album is pretty good but really, it’s no more than pretty good.

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Readers Comments Benjamin Western Westernben@btinternet.com This album is a classic, one of the greatest ever....as every music poll will tell you. If this is just good, then how comes it sits second in British album sales of all time? There can't be that many people with bad judgement! Forgetting polls, charts and the rest though. There is not one bad track on this album. Roll With It, Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger, Champagne Supernova are amazing. There are electric tunes, acoustic tunes, relaxing tunes and concert tunes. 125,000 people at Knebworth singing their hearts out to these classics prove what an album this is. After possibly the best debut album by any band in Definitely Maybe, thsi follow up made Oasis the most influential British band of the 90's, and paved way for guitar bands who had been lost for a good while. Noel Gallagher is a genius and has created two of the finest records of all time. Beatles sounding? So what, if you're going to sound like somebody, it may as well be The Beatles. They may behave badly, they may have an ego....but they have a right too, and who wants Rock 'n' Roll stars to be boring anyway? Awesome from start to finish. Simply a classic. Jonathan Roseveare jrr1@ukc.ac.uk This is a tough one. Initially I agreed with your rating and your general opinion-a missed opportunity and inferior to their debut. However I think the problem lies in the fact this plays like a compilation rather than an album. I think virtually all the tracks bar Hello and Hey Now could have been singles, but this doesn't necessarily make a good album. Many of the missing album tracks were of course classic b-sides like Rockin Chair. Tracks like these would have made a much fuller album with added depth. The tracklisting exacerbates this problem, BUT it's still a great record because the quality of the songs still shines through-I'd give it an 8. Stephen Gallagher steviejg2002@yahoo.co.uk Spot on - Oasis (after a superb debut) attempt the Beatles, end up with Slade. I think the title track (along with Some Might Say) is excellent, though gaz garyhake@hotmail.com morning glory! without doubt the greatest album by oasis, if not of all time, very shocked to say the least that you only rated it a poor 7, this album has been a benchmark in their career. every album they ever do will always be compared to this one, of course nothing the boys do will be as great as this, look at the variety of different tunes, champagne supernove, name a track in musical history that can better it? not possible is it? cast no shadow, the greatest song by oasis, also holds a meaning regarding the underworked genius of dicky ashcroft!! yeah def maybe was good, but morning glory was by far better, an album full of tracks that you will still hear in 20,30,40 years time, sadly the majority of oasis albums wont hold that same honour. Robert aro1@hotmail.co.uk No way can anyone who knows anything about music give this album a 7/10!!! It's one of the greatest albums of all time and 10/10 is appropraite!!! Its the 2nd best selling album in UK ever after all!!! 7/10 NO WAY!!!!!!!! Wonderwall the best song ever Ricardo nunez101@hotmail.com Ok, I am not the curse-out/ bad-language type, but I fucking hate this album, better yet, I fucking HATE OASIS. Definitely Maybe was a good debut; but then, all of a sudden, and out of nowhere, Oasis was the biggest shit on earth. I mean talk about hyping up a fucking band. Yes the FUCKING HYPE!!! Back then I could never understand what was so great about these fucking arrogants, not even when they released Definitely Maybe (which, I repeat, is a good record) I was able see their greatness. Again, these pieces of shit- trash talk'n assholes are the most overrated band to ever walk on two legs. OVERRATED!! is not enough to describe the way the general public and the media portrayed these fuckers. But the truth is, OASIS SUKS!! Really, as a band they just suck. and this albun REALLY FUCKING SUCKS... WONDERWALL IS ONE OF THE MOST OBNOXIOUS SONGS to ever hit the radio waves. But maybe it's just me, maybe i"m in denial. Remember when Noel said that Oasis was better than The Beatl! es? PATHETIC!!! Mimichiou tomlock@caramail.com I think it deserves a 8 or 8 1/2. The album is filled with efficient pop songs that flip into your mind for quite a long. And Champagne Supernova ain't that bad. I do like the way things are mixed on the second half of the song. Joe Aston j_j_de_Haas@hotmail.com I must applaud your argumentation here, as most critics feel inclined to play the obvious 'Beatles rip-off' card, and I smile to see you have not. To call Oasis derivative is like calling Winston Churchill fat, you're missing the point completely. All you haters need to just forget what you know about music, and just listen to the sheer uplifting greatness of these song. So what if 'Don't look back in Anger' owes songwriting credits to Lennon? So what if 'Morning Glory' is a beefed-up 'The one I love'? Oasis have taken existing stuff and made it better. A lot better. Champagne Supernova is huge, Wonderwall (again, forget how many times you've heard it) is fantastic, and my personal favorite, Cast No SHadow is beautiful. Don't ever think you're too smart for this band, Noel Gallagher is a far wiser man than, for example, ANYONE in U2. Whereas U2 invented some half decent Ringing-guitars schtick that they coasted on for all of their career and only dropped when writing a good ! song (One, Beautiful Day), Oasis tries to be great all the time, and doesn't give a Southern Shit about what people think of them. Bravo, second best album of the nineties!!! Nathan Ihilist This album is worth much more than a 7. It is rare to find an album where all the songs are of such consistenly high quality. I would argue that there is no 'filler' at all on this album. Every song is enjoyable. While 'Hello', 'Hey Now!' and 'She's Electric' are probably not quite as good, they're still good! 'She's Electric' in particular works very well as a bit of variation with its strange humour and lighter tone. However, I have to admit that 'Champagne Supernova', for me, is not that great a song. It's still good, but I don't understand why everyone rates it so highly. It's a good song, but it is nowhere near the best song on this album. 'Roll With It', 'Wonderwall', 'Don't Look Back in Anger', 'Some Might Say' and 'Cast No Shadow' are all better.

One of the fastest selling albums in UK history, remember. Remember that? Do you remember how disappointed you felt when getting it home? The hype had been legendary! Everyone, Oasis fan or not, seemingly the whole entire world wanted this record to be brilliant. Sadly, it’s merely quite good in places. 'Do You Know What I Mean' is a fine song, a poor single and far too long - in that order. 'My Big Mouth' seemingly tries to recreate the raw energy and playful nature of 'Definitely Maybe'. That it doesn't quite manage it is largely down to the production being quite so loud, quite so epic. The sound of the instrumentation, especially the guitars is very 'mushy'. You can't pick out individual parts too well. The third song 'Magic Pie' is the second to top seven minutes in length. Some of the guitar work on this song is not too bad, actually. 'Stand By Me' is a little obvious in its melody perhaps but it does work as a fine Oasis single. 'I Hope, I Think, I Know' seems simplistic but there is melody and ROCK GUITAR!! to savour here. 'The Girl In The Dirty Shirt' sounds half finished, very clumsily executed and hardly played well either. Astonishing really, considering how long they spent recording the album!

An absolute standout arrives with 'Fade In-Out'. One of Oasis finest moments for my money. The track builds up with western sounding cowboy movie guitars. A little strumming and atmospherics announce Liam's arrival. The track continues to build up. There is development and thought. And....sheer excitement when the whole thing explodes half way through. Noel does a fine job with the guitars too as well. And, oh look! 'Don't Go Away' follows 'Fade In-Out' and manages to be almost as good a ballad as anything from the 'Morning Glory'. Hmmm. So, not all is lost then? No. An average first half to the record with just a couple of enjoyable standouts. And? What about the rest then? 'All Around The World' would be a fine three and a half minute pop song. Unfortunately its over nine minutes long. The title song is fine, a good melodic rock song. 'Its Getting Better ( Man! )' is seven minutes long. Like much else of what's on this record, it contains too many redundant solos in addition to a dragged out ending. Overall this album is far too inconsistent; especially considering this is/was a major rock group we're talking about here.

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Readers Comments siddharta@gmx.de I bought this album the day it came out and I was very disappointed. I think "Be Here Now" is the worst Oasis album. There are some good songs, like "I Hope, I Think, I Now", "Be Here Now" and "All Around The World". But the most songs are too long and lack good, catchy melodies. The record sounds overproduced, probably because Oasis wanted to much. They wanted to be the biggest band in the world and they wanted this album to be one of the best of all times. But I think Oasis are best when they keep it simple, that's why their first album is their best. Lin JIA biscult@hotmail.com On first listen I was surprised to say the least. It wasn't what I was expecting, particularly after listening to their two previous releases constantly from the moment they were released. I wasn't disappoined and neither did I think it was a bad album. Agreed it is maybe a little too long by 10 minutes, knocking three minutes off All Around The World, and a couple off D'Ya Know What I Mean? However, a number of years on, this album has got a lot better with dozens more listens. There isn't much bass to it, if any, but Oasis aren't ever going to use bass to a great extent. This album got lost in its own hype and gained bad credit it didn't deserve. It still has some great tracks, that could only really be Oasis. Stand By Me and Don't Go Away really are wonderful songs, and it's a wonder why they only released Don't Go Away in Japan, as it had 'Sad Song' my favourite Oasis B-side and a great version of Fade Away as well. Fade-In-Out is another highlight and it is amazing when sung live, one of those songs that was made for Liam to sing. All Around The World, albeit too long is another highlight. There's definitely a more punk, Sex Pistols, feel to it with songs like It's Gettin Better Man. It's not their best album, Noel hates it, Liam loves it but whats new! When this was released Oasis were the biggest band in the world, and rightfully so. They got slated for this I feel, because it wasn't what people wanted. But for Oasis fans, it more than satisfied. A good album, they'll have better, but I still love it,I loved 'Stand By Me' with 70,000 at Wembley...and that's what it's all about!. Benjamin Western benwestern66@hotmail.com Remember the working class heroes, the saviour of British music, the best since The Beatles, the arrogance, the mancunian swagger, THE ROCK 'n' ROLL STARS we should expect and crave from the greatest music industry in the world...FACT! Ok so this album took a battering, but it was only because it got lost in its own hype. It was meant to be the big bold statement and it was a 'let down.' But to who? Britain has a tradition of producing the best bands...The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, The Jam, Stone Roses bla bla bla. But it also has a tradition of having a press who sit there waiting to slate and put down 'our heroes.' Be Here Now is the quickest selling album of all time in Britain, and sold over 7 million, which must make the Gallaghers laugh all the way to the bank when people slag it off. It wasn't what people wished for, but following the best debut of all time and the biggest album since Sgt Peppers...would anything have ever of been good enough? It is loud, it is a bit messy, it is certainly long and they were off there heads, but that's what makes it great. There are actually 5 class songs on here. Stand By Me is a wonderful ballad and Don't Go Away is probably 1 of there most underestimated songs (a favourite of all my 'non-oasis fan' friends!) All Around The World takes the piss being over 9 minutes and the reprise takes the piss even more, but it's such a great song. I don't agree with the opinion of D'ya Know What I Mean as although it probably won't even be on a greatest hits, it is a GOOD song. The highlight of the album is without doubt Fade In Out, which is witness to Liam's best lyrics he has ever sung. The cowboy style intro is awesome, the mix of slide guitar (played by a certain Johnny Depp...the drugs must have been good!) work fantastically and it builds to an explosion and a celebration of Rock 'n' Roll. The rest of the album is a bit crazy and we'll probably never hear anything like! it from the Gallaghers again, but I love it. As Noel puts it "The greatest Rock 'n' Roll swindle". Think what you like, people will talk about this album forever just because in whatever sense...it caused a stir. If you truly beleive is shite...grab a hold of the live version of Fade In Out...proof that it weren't all so bad afterall. Sam m5_666@hotmail.com So what if All Around the World is too long? Just press the skip button when you get bored! It's a great song from a great, vastly under rated album. It should be a 8/10 at least.

The Masterplan? Part of Noels 'master-plan' was that Oasis would be perceived as a great singles act in addition to a generally great albums band. All the groups he admired ( The Jam, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The Beatles ) had wonderful b-sides. Noel forgot one thing though. Even though all the aforementioned acts DID have great b-sides, these b-sides were very rarely better than either the a-sides or songs picked to go onto the albums. Noel tossed away so many songs as b-sides to prove how great his Oasis band was. Too many good songs ended up as b-sides to the general detriment of the regular albums. Fortunately for us, they decided to release this b-sides compilation! 'Acquiesce' is a sheer thing of splendorous wonder. Menace, rocking guitars, a great lead from Liam and effective counterpoint vocals from Noel in the chorus. Brilliant. 'Going Nowhere' appeared on the b-side of 'Stand By Me' from 'Be Here Now'. Its rather lovely.....far better than at least half of what appeared on that album. Its quiet, un-ambitious, full of melody, tender effective vocals....

All of the ballads here are top-notch, affecting songs. We have 'Talk Tonight' which is Noel plus guitar and a few handclaps. That's all. It’s refreshing to hear Oasis this way. For me, they sound so much more effective when they aren't trying to bludgeon you round the head! 'Half The World Away' will be familiar to fans of English TV show 'The Royle Family’. Brush-stroked drums and again, a stripped back and sympathetic production. 'Rockin Chair' appeared on the b-side to 'Roll With It' - lovely lilting melodies, an astutely judged vocal performance from Liam. An absolute highlight on this set of alternative Oasis. 'Listen Up', 'Stay Young' but especially the very raw 'Fade Away' work as the highlights of the rockier songs. 'Fade Away' in particular has an addictive melody and impassioned but not over the top vocal performance. Some of the other songs here are merely OK, but none fail to offer at least a little to the listener. I could have done without 'I Am The Walrus' but there you go. With their love of The Beatles, it was inevitable really.

Been put off Oasis in the past? My advice? Buy this. Every reason why they made it as a band is contained here. That it works better than many of their regular albums is just one of those things. <

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Jonathan Roseveare jrr1@ukc.ac.uk Your totally right. In fact all the all important things that you said (including the fact that on EVERY single release there is a better song than the single). I remember my mate had this compilation of b-sides: a double album, it looked like Oasis' White Album looking at the tracklisting. And I remember listening to it thinking this is fantastic. And then I heard the REALLY good tracks, notably Acquiesce. I remember listening to it the first time and being blown away and then thinking what happened? Why wasn't it on the album? I always disagree with people saying Morning Glory is their best album or a perfect album. If it is then what does one say of Acquiesce, Round Our Way or The Masterplan?? Even recently Noel's got it wrong: the b-side of Go Let It Out, Let's All Make Believe was not only better than the single, it was significantly better than anything on the whole album! Sure a lot of their b-sides deserve to be b-sides (Listen Up, Better Peopleetc) but even then their still decent songs. garry garry.fay@tiscali.co.uk Noel can be a great songwriter and in my opinion is a better singer vthan his brither. however he is restircted by the Oasis sound. He has to write songs for Liam's snarl and second rate rhythm guitarists. This collection of b-sides shows what he can do when he isn't writing for team oasis. the best Oasis album by a mile Danny danny@leftoffthedial.com Oasis' B-side arsenal is completely responsible for making them one of the best bands in history. It is impossible to overstate how exciting Oasis were prior to the official release of Wonderwall as a single. I think Definitely Maybe is flawless, a shoegazing record for the masses! So was every single off that LP. The "Alive (demo)" off shakermaker isn't even on "The Masterplan", and that song breaks my heart with its fragile intensity. Since almost nobody else has a clue how good such buried treasures as these are, I will feel proud to wear an Oasis shirt till I die. Cigarettes & alcohol had "I am The Walrus" live, which made my Dinosaur Jr. records sound more like Aerosmith. Supersonic, had "Cloudburst" which is still a favorite. Then you get "Whatever"! Nothing like definitely maybe at all. A fuck all masterpiece of an anthem to sing with pride. B-sides like "It's Good to Be Free" blew away the modern rock competition. I remember Bush's "Little Things" was huge on US ! radio then..."the little things that kill". Oasis had a fierce rocker here, but said "The little things that make you so happy". They were the complete antithesis of American grunge; ferocious and inspiring, and full of the positive energy for life. Then you had Some Might Say with freaking Acquiesce, Headshrinker and the gorgeous Talk Tonight as B-Sides! No band in history was ever this good at such an early point in their career, not even the Stone Roses. "Roll With It" was a minor disappointment, but at least it hid "Rocking Chair" as a B-Side, better than any song coldplay ever wrote. Then I bought "What's the story..." the day it came out. Some songs are kind of silly on it, but that day, I was one of the first people in the world to hear songs like Morning Glory, Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova, and Don't Look Back in Anger. After their previous sweep of genius--this was too much! Hardly anyone in the US even knew them then too! It's sad that the Masterplan altho! ugh collecting lots of good songs is completely a failure at c! atching the enthusiasm Oasis created in the hearts of their early fans. The track selection is far from ideal, and it can't capture the feeling an original fan got when Definitely Maybe was all heavy rock, and the band's heartwrenching ballads were ALL tucked away on B-Sides. After wonderwall got big, the public's embrace of acoustic Oasis signified the end to the most exciting streek in Indie rock history. kier smith amusedtodeath@hotmail.co.uk just reading your note about the hype that surrounded this, i can remember bracing myself and thinkling - oh god, this is gonna blow my head off, i was still relatively young in buying albums back then, i was hooked on the beatles and hadnt discovered that much else, but i like this album it holds some of oasis best songs. 'fade in out', 'dont go away', 'my big mouth' - its rock n roll. its better than both morning glory and definately maybe in my opinion......oasis arent the best band in the world though, and wonderwall is most certainly not the best song in the world and morning glory is definately not a 10! ha, ha........ buy something by Dylan, Floyd, or The Beatles........ then hang your head in shame. Lee Auty Bolton I agree with your review entirely. The album has an whole is definately an 8 ! Some of oasis best moments get stuck on b sides while they put B side material out albums. One particular is "Lets all make believe". An outstanding track that never made it onto an album. Get a grip Noel !

After the sessions leading to this release, the bass player as well as the second guitar player both left the group. This leaves only Noel and Liam as remaining members who appeared on their 'Definitely Maybe' debut. Anyways, i'm getting ahead of myself. 'Fuckin' In The Bushes' is a brave attempt at updating the Oasis sound. It has a groove, it has a little dance/rock type of beat. It’s ok. 'Go Let It Out' was the lead single. It’s pretty groovy but not something you can listen to over and over. About half a dozen times and the repetitive nature of the lyrical content especially, starts to grate. Liam's voice sounds very rough here, and not in a good way either. From what I can tell, he wasn't especially committed to the sessions. His vocals were put down a while after the musical tracks were all but completed. 'Who Feels Love?' has a fine sixties vibe and makes for a pleasant listen despite its lack of anything remotely resembling originality. We have 'Little James'. Liam's first writing effort to gain an Oasis release! It was written about his newborn son! A noble thing, I'm sure. We hear piano! We hear a little nice guitar part. We hear somebody trying to rip off John Lennon and we hear cringe inducing lyrics that are remarkable only for their completely unremarkable nature. No, it’s not a highlight.

The nearest the album gets to anything resembling classic Oasis is the ballad 'Sunday Morning Call'. 'Gas Panic' works well in addition to this. And, in truth, much of the first half of the record is fine. Yeah, its fine - but its no more than that. Judged by the standards they'd set themselves on the first two records, this is a hugely disappointing release. Still, they've recruited half a new band line-up now, so perhaps that will re-energise them.

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Readers Comments Michael Cornett mcornett@ekcep.org I don't quite view this album as much an aberration on the Oasis landscape as you. I happen to think there are several exceptional points to this disc, and personally find 'Little James' and 'Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is' as the only throwaways of the bunch. And I do mean throwaways! Both are shite that ain't worth listening to. That said, I probably characterize much of the album - as Noel himself does in May's Q Mag interview - as a "false start" rather than a gross mistake like Be Here Now. But 'Where Did It All Go Wrong' still manages to send chills down my spine, especially the chorus. And I do like 'Go Let it Out,' 'Gas Panic,' and 'Sunday Morning Call' quite alot as well. I fancied the updated sound with the drum loops and all, but not enough for them to keep embracing it on future releases. Thank goodness they've gone back to the Oasis of old with Heathen Chemistry, quite possibly the "second best album" of their career (next to Definitely Maybe, as Noel also said). But as far as SOTSOG goes, there are a few more nice juxtapositions I noticed, not the least of which is the contrast between the cocaine psychosis of 'Gas Panic' when compared to the way-hay coke, booze and smokes pub thumping 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' from DM. Kind of shows you where the toot took Noel from then to now, doesn't it? And also, portions of 'Roll it Over' on SOTSOG sounds to me like a WAY underdeveloped cousin to 'Little By Little' on Heathen Chemistry. I know the new song is MUCH better, but it also shows just how much better Oasis can be when Noel goes into an album firing on all cylinders rather than half-cocked. Still, SOTSOG isn't a bad album at all, it's just not the Oasis of old. But it still led the way to Heathen Chemistry, so it can't be that bad, can it? Neal Grosvenor neagr@xchg.medisys.ca A pretty mediocre album, although what I found funny is Noel's latest musical rip-off. The opening drum bit for "Go Let it Out" is identical to U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky". Nick Irving nmadesign@optushome.com.au Just reading the review of OASIS' "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants" album on your website..... Funny thing is, for a fourth album (incl. Masterplan), this is the album that made me a fan of Oasis. Sure, prior to buying "SOTSOG" I had the CD singles "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger", but a lot of people did! And believe me when I tell you, I'm a big fan of rock; but it wasn't untill I heard this album that I became a fully-fledged Oasis fan. I agree with some of your comments that perhaps the songs lack originality. But what impresses me is that in this day and age, there's still a Rock band which is experimenting with a lot of sounds (funky 60's sounds etc). Ok of course lots of bands are doing that these days, but, I believe, not many are in the league of Oasis, and certainly none with the flair Oasis can't help but flaunt in true rock-star style. Oasis. They're different. Here are 5 guys from a tough, working class area in England, playing REAL Rock 'n' Roll. They've got the bad attitude, sure, but it's part of the territory. They may be a bit too familiar with the Beatles' catalogue, but better the Beatles than a lot of other bands. James oasisite199@hotmail.com Although sotsof is nowhere near as good as Definitly maybe and the masterplan it isnt actually that bad an album. Go let it out, who feels love and gas panic are all classic oasis tunes. Some songs let the album down but i wouldnt give it less than 7. Benjamin Western benwestern66@hotmail.com Where do I start? I admit that for the first time ever in my following of Oasis I was unsure. It got mixed views and I can see why. You can tell it's Oasis, but it's different from anything they've done before, simply because there isn't really the big ballads, the Supersonics, the Acquiesce's of the collection. I still wouldn't have rated it below a 6, but it didn't move me all that much however. But time is a teaching and I have since come to adore this album. Fuckin' in the Bushes makes me want to be alive and then Go Let It Out is a typically Oasis sounding song. Who Feel Loves has that Stone Roses grove, even an element of dance and will remind the Gallaghers of that evening where they went to see Ian Brown and co. and inspired them to be in a band. Liam's contribution isn't a masterpiece, neither is it worthy of a single, but I like it and it's effective for what it is. What wins it for me is Gas Panic! and Where Did It All Go Wrong? These 2 songs are 2 of th! e best they've ever f***ing made...incredible. Gas Panic just builds and then explodes, with Liam's lyrics rasping, simply amazing. WDIAGW? I believe to be a masterpiece and the only shame is, that they didn't leave it as an acoustic. Noel performed this version on Jools Holland and it nearly brought a tear to my eye, it was that good and touching. A class tune. Sunday Mornign Call is a great number and again not a particular classic but so what. The rest, particularly Put Yer Money Where Your Mouth Is and I Can See A Liar grab a bit of that Definitely Maybe sound. It doesn't have the same impact, of course it doesn't, they're not new or making a bold statement anymore, but they do rock! So all in all, it took me a while to get here, but I think this is a great album and I give it an 8 1/2. Johnpaul jpinmyroom@yahoo.co.uk This is a record like most oasis albums that needs more than one listen before making your mind up about it. fucking in the bushes shows glimpses of brilliance along with a smashing guitar riff in the chorus little james i can see a liar and sunday morning call should never have been recorded for being so bad. That leaves the ggod tracks namely who feels love a stunning harmony led song showing liams great vocal ability and noels great use of one chord for the majority of the song. go let it out is typical oasis featuring a fuzz bass sound new to their sound and roll it over is fascinating in its chords structure for the verses but unfortunately becomes familier for the remainder of the song. where did it all go wrong is hideously over produced and worked a lot better when sung acoustically on recent tv shows still a good song though and gas panic shows oasis in experimental mood with its strange drum intro and sound effects but the fact that in an oasis gig liam had! to ask the audience to clap this tune shows how flat this tune fell on the public. that leaves put you money where your mouth is whic in my opinion is the worst oasis song that has ever or will ever exist pure and utter garbage. overall 6/10 Lee Foster an album with a sound all of its own thats for sure. a good sound? . yeah i think it has . Is it as satisfying as most OASIS albums? .nO ,, it lacks some warmth an charm which is present on the others .It does however see NOEL creating that SUNDAY MORNING CALL sound which was present on B SIDES like ASLONG AS THEY GOT CIGGERETES an JUST OLDER . it is a great indie more sensitive an prettier sound than standard oasis an see that song as the breakthru an new style that was added to the oasis tank that sometimes makes a welcome return ..an GO LET IT OUT . is just awesome an one of my favourite OASIS singles . by far the best track on here an one of there best tracks ever. GAS PANIC . I CAN SEE A LIAR an WHO FEELS LOVE. FUCKIN IN THE BUSHES also have me nodding my head in approval . LITTLE JAMES however basically manages to kill the album . 1st liam galagher composition on an oasis album an by far his worst an kinda made me worried when i heard he was having 3 on the next album ! . however thankfully he really improved an is now quite good at it . LITTLE JAMES the actual music an melody is pretty ok .. but the lyrics are crap .. worst oasis song an lyric thus far .. i thought TAKE ME AWAY had some bad lines in the chorus . but this takes the full pack of buiscuits lol .. but nevermind trail an error . thank god liam got a chance to redeem himself as a writer cos he gone on to write some of the finest oasis tracks on the last two albums.

Bad omens out of the way first of all. Liam writes three of the songs! New guitarist Gem writes a song! New bass player ( the worst lyricist, ever! - formerly of pretty good actually Indie group Ride ) Andy Bell, writes, waits for this, an instrumental! Ha!! A lot of people reading this won't be too familiar with Ride, but their lyrics were legendarily simple. Oasis lyrics are hardly T.S.Eliot, but still they wouldn't 'let him' write a set of lyrics, or a 'proper' song! I find that hilarious!! Ok, so just humour me, ok? Right, onto this little beauty of an Oasis record. An interesting phrase has been springing from the lips of Oasis fans. That phrase has been "their best since 'definitely maybe' ". But, wait! Wasn't 'Morning Glory' meant to be their masterpiece? Like bollocks it was. 'Definitely Maybe' was the only Oasis album proper where good parts of it were not overly self-indulgent, or sleep-walking. The b-sides compilation 'The Masterplan' is proof enough of bad decisions made in the selection of tracks for 'Morning Glory' and 'Be Here Now' both of which could easily have been improved if only the group had lost a little of their giant ego. But, time has passed since then. At one point, following the recording of 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants', Oasis didn't even exist any more. Noel was tired of the whole enterprise, two of the other group members left, or were sacked, depending on who you believe. The critical mauling of 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' and it's relatively ( for them ) lukewarm commercial reception must have been a blow to their pride. It would have been a pretty bad way to bow out, let's put it that way. Large parts of 'Heathen Chemistry' sound like a band eager to reclaim lost pride.

The first thing you notice upon listening to opening song and lead single 'The Hindu Times' is just how great it actually sounds. This album is entirely self-produced by the band, and the arrival of not one, but two extra 'singer-songwriters' must have helped in terms of recording and adding creative ideas. But, that's not important, really. Why? Because 'The Hindu Times' isn't an obvious song like many Oasis singles ( it doesn't at all mention the songs title anywhere, for example ) and just encapsulates the spirit of Rock 'n' Roll! It does!! Noel's little harmony parts are a joy, for possibly the first time ever you can actually really dig a bass part on an Oasis song, and it becomes an impossibly triumphant return against all odds. Noel wrote 'The Hindu Times' and he also writes second song here, 'The Force Of Nature'. On the surface, this is a far more obvious sounding Oasis song, but it's firmly tongue in cheek lyrically, a lot of fun, actually. This particular song is easy to dismiss as being a little simplistic upon initial listening, but the chorus eventually reveals itself to be strong. 'Hung In A Bad Place' marks the Oasis writing debut of new guitarist Gem. Liam sings, and this just sounds like a magnificent return to the sound of their debut set. It's raw, exciting, Liam sings well. It's damn good! Now, something important. It was quite possible in the aftermath of 'Be Here Now' that Noel actually wanted to quit the band, but hung around essentially to help out his brother Liam. On previous Oasis albums Noel would write the entire thing of course, in addition to numerous b-sides. Here, he only writes six of the eleven songs, but the thing is..... they are nearly all inspired. Amongst his best ever work, in fact! 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' to a weary, tired and pissed off former Oasis fan may just sound like a typically dreary 'Be Here Now' or 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' Oasis era ballad. Being from the UK ( or elsewhere ) and overly familiar with Oasis, it actually takes time to ditch a few prejudices. Once you have, you'll find that 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' is genuinely emotional, a fantastic song with great vocals and absolutely wonderful violin parts. A semi-revelation arrives next, a Liam song! And, the importance of the communal production effort cannot be over-emphasised when judging this little song. I can imagine the demo, Liam strumming tunelessly ( he's not really a guitar player ) and singing very simple, John Lennon inspired lyrics. As it sounds on this finished record, 'Songbird' is absolutely fantastic. There is a haunting pump organ sound running all the way through it, in addition to some nice Piano parts. The arrangement and production of this song has clearly been thought through. It's no great song from a writing point of view, and it doesn't actually go anywhere, but it's a good sign for Liam's own future development.

Now, my favourite Oasis song has always been 'Slide Away'. But, it may just now have a little rival in the form of Noel's 'Little By Little'. This is simply magnificent. It's such a good song, it transcends any Beatles comparisons, or any other comparisons with many artists Oasis have borrowed from. Well, for all I know, Noel may have borrowed something for this, but it sounds just like Oasis. That may seem a stupid to say, but, after nearly ten years, they've finally 'arrived'. They arrive here, with 'Little By Little'. I may be getting overly excited. In fact, I'm sure I am! But, fuck that. This is simply wonderful. Noel sings better than he has in his entire life, the rising, life affirming chorus and the lyric 'but my god woke up on the wrong side of his bed'. Everything is perfect, it sends chills right through my spine, and his vocal really is fantastic!! The guitar is pretty good too; especially through the instrumental break which Noel announces with a shouted 'Hey!' and suddenly Oasis sound better than they've ever done before. Following such a perfect song ( it is! it really is!! ) was always going to be difficult, but Oasis manage it fairly well with Andy Bell's unassuming, completely daft instrumental. It's only like, a minute and a half long, but it sounds longer. And, I don't exactly mean that in a good way, either. But, it's fun, ultimately. Some pounding organ work in particular. 'All In The Mind' features none other than former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr on additional guitar. He plays the guitar solo. It's another wonderful song, Liam sings this well.

On reaching the closing sequence of the album, even though this is a relatively short album, may just leave you tired. What's gone before has been, well, emotional. Exhausting. So, what better way to relax than Noel leading a little semi-acoustic sing-a-long, in fine song-writing form? 'She Is Love' IS simple, but then, it was meant to be. It's very 'Glastonbury', very camp-fire. It's very good. Rightly or wrongly, Liam gets the final two songs here. The first is rather disappointingly titled 'Born On A Different Cloud' but it's a perfectly acceptable song, featuring a good Liam vocal even if at six minutes in length, it's slightly trying and not reaching the standard of the songs gone before. But having said that - the songs that have gone before were short, concise, and perfectly structured songs. This slightly messy sprawling semi-epic actually offers a little light relief, and it's wonderfully relaxing to listen to. The closing 'Better Man' announces itself with a blast of guitars, a little piece of funk, an actually fairly decent Liam lyric, possibly his best to date. Lot's of blasting, wonderful guitars arrive later in the song, and then it drifts out. Just stops. Liam hasn't yet quite got the hang of this song-writing lark, but it's obvious he's learning, and all three of his contributions here have a certain charm, if not actual accomplishment about them. So, no world beating effort? No perfect masterpiece? The thing is they didn't even try. Forget the comparisons; treat this as a debut by a hot new band. With a new bass player and guitarist, they almost are a new band!

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Readers Comments Michael Cornett Michael Cornett Nice review on the new Oasis platter. I agree COMPLETELY! I got goosebumps the first time I listened to 'Little by Little," which I now think, as you do, is possibly their best song other than 'Slide Away' or 'Supersonic.' The only one I'm willing to skip over is 'Born on a Different Cloud.' Too much Be Here Now sluggishness and mid-tempo muck. 'Better Man,' in my opinion, shuffles in as one of the closest latter-day Stone Roses-like Oasis tunes ever. Great groove, simple lyrics, and good production. There's just enough bombast via 'The Hindu Times,' and 'Hung in a Bad Place' to satisfy the Definitely Maybe zealots (like myself), but also plenty of modern-day Oasis stuff ('She is Love,' 'Songbird,' 'All in my Mind') to keep everyone else on board. After wondering for a sneeze around the Wembley gigs if they were going to pack it in, this new disc really reaffirms their power and relevance to music we haven't really seen since the first and second albums and their b-sides. The lads did us right on this one, and we should all be thankful things went the way they did as far as the lineup changes. If Bonehead and Guigsy had stuck with the Bros. Gallagher, I think Oasis would have been history after the bloated Be Here Now tour. Gem and Andy - their songwriting itself aside - seem to have added a new dynamic to the band that had long since been missing. You can even see some of that on the Wembley footage. But it's fully realized here, and it's about time. With this new offering at their feet, Oasis will be around for a LONG time in rok and rol. James oasisite199@hotmail.com Although definitly maybe is the best oasis album and fastest selling british debut EVER, I feel that Heathen Chemistry was probably 2nd , judging what they had come up with before. Benjamin Western Westernben@btinternet.com I great review of this fantastic album. I'm as big an Oasis fan as it gets and although it never really bothered me that they got a bit battered by certain critics, as all I really care for is that I like the records, but I was pleased to shove it up a lot of peoples backsides who had doubted them. It is easy to forget just how massive and significant Oasis were in the mid '90s, when they were the biggest phenominum since The Beateles. But like Noel has said, they've been a phenominum once they don't want to be that again. The new line up has brought fresh ideas and has been great for the band. Now Liam is writing and what songs he has produced. Songbird is the most simple of songs, but it is my favourite on the album. This shows he has the ability to be a fantastic song writer and his other two songs are great. Born On A Different Cloud has fantastic lyrics and Better Man has an awesome feel to it, very rock 'n' roll. Agreed the contribution by Andy Bell ! is a filler and maybe shouldn't have gone on, but it's not to say it's bad or anything, just a little odd! I absolutely love Gem Archer's Hung In a Bad Place. It firstly gets the most out of Liam's voice, his best lyrics since Fade-In-Out from be Here Now and it just makes you realise why it is we love rock in the first place. On to Noel's songs. I have always big expectations from Gallagher Number 1 and rightly so. I don't think he has ever faltered and has undeservedly taken a lot of flack in the past. From the moment I heard the exclusive of Hindu Times I knew that the form was good. Proper old school Oasis, great guitars, dig the bass and even a classic Rock n Roll video to go with it. When I heard Stop Crying Your Heart Out I endured a lot of spine tingling! An incredible ballad, beatifully crafted, the two brother's vocals complementing each other perfectly, just a wondrful, wonderful song. Had this been on Morning Glory it would have been a Wonderwall and it'! s only that they're not the biggest anymore that it wasn't. Little By Little is a masterpiece, and probably the best lyrics Noel has ever sung, not an easy song to sing either. I really like Force of Nature, bit of a Digsy Dinner but great all the same. There is even still room for a sweet acoustic in She is Love (unlike Noel to get lovey like that) and the more pyscadelic All in the Mind which admitedly took a while to get used to, but is a good song and certainly not there to fill any gaps. So overall I love this album, it's not the best they've done, but it's 1 that sends them back to producing music for everyone. I wouldn't expect anything less from Oasis and if they did ever 'lose it' they've certainly got it back with avengence. Long Live Oasis. brian badger@gregory1972.fsnet.co.uk I don't mind Oasis, they made some good stuff but I have to disagree with your review of this album and especially, Little By Little. The verses are truly great but then the chorus arrives-it is cringingly bad, so bad that I have to turn the song off when it arrives. Overall this is a very average album and not worth more than a 5 Andy Hanrahan, hanrahan_us@yahoo.com Great review on all of the oasis albums. It would of been so easy to knock the shit out of a lot of their albums. What I can't understand is people liking 'little by little'. Its miserable, boring and the chorus is so cheesy. I bought all of the oasis albums as they were released and felt disappointed as the years went by and my tastes changed but once I heard the single 'little by little' I knew it was time to forget about them and. RIP Mark Traill, mwtraill@yahoo.co.uk I think Giggsy and Bonehead leaving ripped out an undervalued nucleus of the band, (DM, WTSMG, and MP were all good in their own right, it goes downhill fast starting with BHN, which was overblown). They all had a common goal, came from working class families, so had a point to prove to a stuck-up establishment. Alas, that youthful energy has to go, you can't sustain being an angry young man when your 30+. It takes a truly special bunch of rock musicians to transcend from being angry to being thoughtful; such luminaries like Pink Floyd, The Who, Van Morrison, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, U2 et al managed it through thoughtful music (Van Morrison), outstanding technical ability (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Radiohead) or truly breathtaking live performances (all of the above, but mainly The Who U2 and the Rolling Stones). Though Noel has written a good many thoughtful songs (Masterplan and Wonderwall come to mind immediately), he's now a rich man, obviousl! y resting on his laurels and letting his inkwell dry up, so all we get now is a sanitised rock n roll which is formulaic and errr, a bit rock-light really. The fact that he's the only decent song writer in the band must be exhausting for him also. Barring Van the Man, the above acts that I highlighted all chip in with song writing credits (Jagger/Richards, Edge/Bono/Clayton, Page/Plant/Paul-Jones etc). Oasis were never a technical band, and they never professed such pretensions, though they did catch the mood of the mid 90's; they have a hardcore fanbase that remember them fondly through nostalgia, and it's the only reason they exist today. As for live performances, and granted I have never seen them truly live, I could think of at least 50 bands I'd rather go and see. Watching Liam swig a bottle every now and then whilst simply standing like a clothes stand is lazy and boring to watch. That attitude worked at the time, but it's a bit lame now. I don't think he's a! great frontman at all, his voice, though distinctive, has no ! range an d he has absolutely no command of the stage or reportoire with an audience (apart from the odd "we're fuckin' great" slurs). Noel just strums, and the rest (whoever they are this week) just get lost amidst two huge ego's. So where now for Oasis? I think they'll end up as sad old men playing cigarettes and alcohol in working mens clubs supporting Slade and the Grumbleweeds. andrew drummond andrewdrummond1@aol.com I can not believe the 8 1/2 marks you gave this album. Apart from Hindu times, which is a classic oasis rocker and songbird, which has a nice melody, there are hardly any other songs on here worth listening to. By the way Stop crying your heart out just nicks it's chorus from the first 2 lines of Slide away Brad Journeaux brad@rochdaleonline.biz At first I thought Heathen Chemistry was the great album which brought Oasis back up from the depths they'd reached with SOTSOG. A few weeks past, and the realisation came. Everyone bought into the hype of Oasis originally, leading to many dissapointed listners of 'Be Here Now' (Though I consider that album to be very underated now as a result, how the hell do you follow up two of the greatest albums of all time?). But then people wrongly bought into the fact that SOTSOG was crap. It wasn't, it just couldn't live up to their previous albums, and theres no disgrace in that now. Heathen Chemistry was good, but it wasn't as good as the media made it out. I still like it, but the proof for me is there that I play that album much less than any other. Astonished you give it the same rating as 'Definately Maybe', the two aren't in the same league! Good reviews bar that though, contentious points occasionally but its all down to personal taste I guess. John D pinup_nights@yahoo.co.uk I think Oasis are more or less biurnt out; I can't even think what The Hindu Times sounds like, and when I heard "Little by Little" I fekt sorry for them that they had releasedsuch a dirge. I agree however that Songbird sounded...sweet ha ha. Lee Foster xcellent review an comments This is proberbly my favourite OASIS album an basically is the album that restored my faith in OASIS an there ability to make stunning albums. LITTLE BY LITTLE is a song only OASIS could do . both liam an noel are vocally fantastic on this album . what can i say it has all the magic that is oasis right here on this album . BE HERE NOW . STANDING ON THE SHOULDER ..has it aswell but some of the songs seem to be too long an too big for there own good on them albums . here is where oasis seemed to learn how to make things simple an effective again an not too over indulgent an lost in big noize .. even though i love the big noize . this album has a more beautiful simplicity about it an a clear vision an sound .. When i bourght it i wasnt sure what to expect . but i ended up been so happy an pleased that the working class heroes which are oasis had managed to create magic again an shown all the less working class kids how its done. id give a full 9! out of 10 an its album that has aged well an just talking about it now has made me dig it out an give it a spin . star songs are SONGBIRD . LITTLE BY LITTLE . THE HINDU TIMES .BETTER MAN .an STOP CRYING YOU HEART OUT

Well, it's been a few years now since the last Oasis platter introduced their new line-up and introduced the concept that people other than Noel Gallagher could write songs for the band. Of the eleven songs here, only five are penned by Noel, the others shared between his brother Liam, guitar player Gem and bass player Andy Bell. Reportedly, the band had 100 songs to choose from and abandoned the original album sessions which were produced by dance bods Death In Vegas, because of doubts about the artistic direction and problems with the studio. So, Oasis end up producing merely another Oasis album. Noises made that this is the groups best work since their debut may be overstating things a little, though. True, the music here has improved from the often stodgy sound the group end up producing. The new line-up has now truly bedded in and brings extra distinction to the group’s instrumental work. Oh, talking of the instrumental work, none other than Zak Starkey, real beatles blood, performs all the drum work on this record. Well, knowing Oasis love for The Beatles, they had to take it that far, didn't they? Still, other than The Beatles we do see Noel in particular picking up a few other sixties artists to take inspiration from. 'Part Of The Queue' and 'The Importance Of Being Idle' are clearly influenced by Noel having been listening to The Kinks rather a lot, lately. Both these songs are highlights of the album, proper songs with interesting vocals, lyrics and instrumentation. Other Noel Gallagher album highlights include the glam stomping first single, 'Lyla', included on the album only after the record company complained the album lacked a strong first single. 'Lyla' sounds distressingly similar to the Stereophonics in places, but it's still a catchy number that's hard not to sing-a-long with.

'Mucky Fingers' takes its cue quite clearly from The Velvet Undergrounds 'I'm Waiting For The Man'. Oasis never were terribly original, but it's cool hearing Oasis make something approaching a genuine wall of noise in an artistic way, rather than in a pub-rocking Status Quo way. Having mentioned nearly all the Noel Gallagher tunes as highlights then, what are we left with? Well, brother Liam's songs are decent enough, if not exactly weighty enough to classify as genuinely great songs. 'Guess God Thinks I'm Abel' for example would be a lot more interesting than it is had Liam not already admitted that it doesn't mean anything and is just a play on words. 'Let There Be Love' sees Liam try to be Beatle-John, right down to the echoey sounding piano and simply strummed acoustic guitar chords. The opening track 'Turn Up The Sun' has some good instrumental moments. The album as a whole is good, almost very good. But, there is a weak point that at times is difficult to ignore and that's Liam's vocals. Liam's voice sounds very thin and pinched, his vocal chords certainly having lost quite a bit of power since the days of 'Supersonic' or 'Roll With It'. Perhaps this is a temporary something rather than a permanent decline in the quality of his voice. Only time will tell. As for now, Oasis has produced an album that will delight long-term fans, perhaps even win over a few new converts. No masterpiece, no life-changing even, not even an album to hold dear and cherish. Just a good album. It's enough for now and enough to keep them going.

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Readers Comments Ben Benno3001@hotmail.com tut tut downloading the album before its out?? oh dear! good review, however i really like it! i would have given it an 8 1/2 or 9, really good except for "keep the dream alive"!? what where they thinking?? cheers!! Martyn Cooper wiley442@hotmail.com This is, infact, an excellent album. Definitely no masterpiece, but great. Turn Up The Sun is an average song, but certainly not the album opener. Mucky Fingers, Keep The Dream Alive and Part of the Queue are the highlights for me though, all would have made for a better single than Lyla. Let There Be Love doesn't do anything, it's shit. fmilia2millions@hotmail.com I think you gave an honest an fair review of the album, which I admire. However I think you may ahve overlooked it slightly. As an Oasis fan, I have to admit that I much prefere the days since heathen chemistry as to anything prior, as I think their last album was more rock n roll than anything they'd done before. As for the new album, this is by far the LEAST pop sounding record they've ever done (even more so than definitely maybe) and the new line up is proving that the band truly are the greatest bristish (maybe international) rock band of the past decade. There simply isnt a single band by todays standards that could even contend with Oasis, its their own past that are their only real contenders (which is what the critics will tell you) Dont believe the truth, however, is an album I was originally dissapointed with upon FIRST hearing. I found some of the melodics of heathen.. missing here. However, what Oasis have spent three years doing is something very genius and uni! que. Rather than a series of excellent songs that grow tireseome, each one gets better and better with each hearing. None of the songs are too long, or have a melody that gets annoying. This is certianly Oasis on form as a serious rock band, making real music that outshines anything they've done before. badger badger@gregory1972.fsnet.co.uk This jokes gone too far now, I wish they would just split up. I'm sick of Noel going on about how great a songwriter he is when all he ever does is listen to an old 60's classic, copy it and then slightly change it into a dumbed down Slade/pub rock version of the original.......and his lyrics are just awful. There is NO PROGRESSION in their albums or singles and Lyla is the worst single they've ever released-copying ''Street fighting man'' and adding a terrible throw away chorus does not make a classic song. They made 1 and a half good albums but that was 10 years ago! stop now please. Ben Arico barico@csf.edu "Don't Believe the Truth" is way better than you said. I would give it at least a 9. Liam's voice is different than the "Definitley Maybe" days, but I think it has more personality. It's more weathered and real, and it makes me care about the emotional content of the song, which is a new step for Oasis. Noel's vocal performance in "The Importance of Being Idle" is magnificent. The songwriting is tighter and more focused, and the production is so good it makes the album sound like a historical artifact. Each song has it own unique flavor, with it's eccentricities fully flushed out. And for the first time ever, every song is a keeper on this disc. "Don't Believe the Truth" gels together very well, and reaches a wide array of emotions with smooth transitions. It stands alone as a musical masterpiece, outshining all the media gossip. This one will age very well. Pete peter@cherishedmarks.net If you end up instantly humming at least three tracks after first listening to a new Oasis album, then I generally think that it is OK. This one is OK. I personally think that "A Bell will ring" is my current favourite track and it is not even a Gallagher track. "Keep the dream alive" is a strong track, and that is by Andy Bell. However, "Mucky fingers" and "Lyla" prove that the Gallaghers have not lost it. A worthy 7.5 out of ten, me thinks. Barry Ward wastedyuthe@yahoo.co.uk I disagree with your review of the latest album- in my opinion it is in some ways their best yet. For one thing it is the most varied, when you have a song like Importance of Being Idle followed by The Meaning Of Soul, moods are changing constantly which keeps you on your toes and never bores the listener. This coupled with the fact that most songs for me are superb, makes it a more complete album experience. I am not saying Definately Maybe is poor- it may be their finest work- but the one criticism I do have is that the same basic instruments are used through the entire album, so it all sounds fairly similar throughout. Don't Believe The Truth and Heathen Chemistry at least try and make each song sound different from the last. I love all the songs except The Importance Of Being Idle, of which I think is just okay. My favourite has to be without a doubt Love Like A Bomb, which runs along side my all time favourites like Slide Away. A sign of a good album is when you ! can't stop listening to it- I have the original at home in my player, I have a copy in my car, and the mp3's on my phone- what does that tell you? 9/10 Lee Foster great reviews . yeah liams voice has been an issue an concern of many after BE HERE NOW . it has changed an got progressively ''DIFFERENT'' on each album an tour since . However one thing that will make liams voice always great to hear is still very pressent an thats passion . on passion alone he has an always will have one of the best voices of all time. I love this album an I Know judging from THE BRITS 2007 gig that an the recent oasis beatles cover that his voice has changed even more since this. LYLA . THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING IDLE .. THE MEANING OF SOUL .are the highlights for me an when i 1st heard LYLA i was sexcited an pleased to hear that sound an that voice back an was pleased with the album .. LET THERE BE LOVE is the worst an has liam trying to sing like he did in 95 but sounding like he is in pain trying to do it an some of the b sides of this period had him trying to sound high an smooth again by using nasal vocals. id say stick to your natural voice ! an sing natural cos even though your voice has changed it still sounds awesome an as good as it did in 95 . just slightly different an more weathered . kinda more rock n roll in a way . chained to a mirror an a razor blade? . i think u swallowed one lol .. but sounds great so keep it up an sing natural . this albums only bad point is that on LET THERE BE LOVE an parts of KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE .. he trys to sound clear an fresh by singing thru his nose . but the result is he sounds like a guy singing thru his nose or in pain trying to get the old vocal style back when it aint there . as a singer myself . i know that voices change . KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE an LET THERE BE LOVE . suffer cos of the above ..but woulda sounded better if he just didnt try to sound like 95 an sang natural an normal with is 2005 voice .. do the best you can with what you got

Nine of the eighteen songs are either from 'What's The Story?' or it's associated b-sides. Great b-sides, mind you. Still, it distorts the history somewhat. Especially when you add in another five songs from 'Definitely Maybe', leaving a mere four songs from the other four studio Oasis albums, released during a period spanning some eight years. So, only one song from 'Heathen Chemistry', the album that contrary to lazy critics following the flock of consumerism, was the album that actually revitalised Oasis. Two from last years 'Don't Believe The Truth', one song from 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' and a massive NONE from 'Be Here Now'. Naturally, compilations don't necessarily have to be representative and also naturally, every fan will disagree to some extent over the songs that have been chosen. I'll review this thing in groups of six songs then, taking the first six from 'Rock n Roll Star' to 'Slide Away' first of all. 'Wonderwall' is 'Wonderwall', an undeniably decent tune, but i'll say no more of it. 'Some Might Say' remains to this day one of the groups’ finer singles, the two songs from last years 'Don't Believe The Truth' range from the mediocre ( 'Lyla' ) to the marvellous Kinks rip-off that is 'The Importance Of Being Idle'. 'Talk Tonight' was a b-side and the kind of b-side that should have been slotted onto 'What's The Story Morning Glory' to make that album sound more human than it does. Which leaves? Well, 'Rock N Roll Star' has always irritated me slightly. That Oasis sound more of less the same as they did back then, some twelve years ago at the time of writing, is just one of those things. We don't expect them to change the world now. Some of the fans did, and were wrong. They were labelled the biggest/greatest ( delete as appropriate ) band since The Beatles, and they aren't. They aren't even the best band since The Stone Roses.

So, what next? 'Slide Away' has always sounded magnificent and for my money, remains one of the groups’ very greatest achievements. The other songs in this next batch of six include 'The Masterplan' and 'Acquiesce', 'Morning Glory' era b-sides that are better than pretty much anything from the 'Morning Glory' LP. Noel had this idea you see, that Oasis needed to be a good singles band and include great b-sides, aka The Jam or The Smiths. He forgot something, though. Those bands still stuck their best songs on 'A' sides or albums. The b-sides weren't great by design as such, it just happened that the b-sides were pretty ace as well. Oasis b-sides circa 94/95 bettered a lot of the groups’ album material. 'Morning Glory' is such a frustrating listen for me, because of this. It could have been so much better. Anyway, the other songs of the six? Well, 'Supersonic' is good.

Half The World Away / Go Let It Out / Songbird / Morning Glory / Champagne Supernova / Don’t Look Back In Anger ??

Well, I forgive this band anything for 'Half A World Away'. It proves they could be subtle, moving and genuinely emotional when they chose to be. Noel, get moving with that solo album now, 'Half A World Away' is more or less solo Noel, anyway. The other five songs? 'Songbird' is brilliant, wonderful. Liam writing in the style Noel had forgotten how to, don't worry about meaning or influences, just write what pops into your head. As Paul McCartney once said, 'words that go together well'. Cool. 'Don't Look Back In Anger'? One of their better singles. If this review seems to lack a conclusion, it's because Oasis lack a conclusion. They were huge during britpop, they're now seen as elder statesmen of the British music scene, survivors if you will. They retain a sizeable audience in the US, but never really slew the US scene, never really became massive over there for long enough. We can thank 'Be Here Now' for that one. What does the future hold? Same as before I should think. Noel and Liam will fall out with each other, they'll re-unite with each other. Blood-ties will ensure Oasis never truly die, even if the gaps between albums are likely to continue to grow. Why only an '8' by the way for 'Stop The Clocks'? Well, why not? It hardly seems to matter as far as Oasis is concerned.

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Readers Comments paul spectorsound@aol.com the most overrated band of the last 40 years. the beatles/oasis thing to me, was always a total misnomer. the fact that most of the tracks on this compilation come mainly from 2 albums says it all really. plodding uninspired meat and potatoes indie rock, played by a bunch of plumbers and a one trick pony singer. as adrian asserts, the stone roses were a far superior band...in as much as they were(like the beatles), great intiutive musicians, had charisma and a genuine chemistry. Brian brian@bgregory40.wanadoo.co.uk I agree with the first poster-Oasis made one and a half good albums and then...........nothing. They sound more like Slade than The Beatles (not in the same league) Oasis' clock stopped in 1995 Stephen stephendfall@yahoo.co.uk A cynical way to repackage the early material and to gloss over the later stuff. A Status Quo hits album would be far more enjoyable. It's hard to believe this band has got so far with so very little. Their only real strength is a singer (Liam), whose Johnny Rotten-styled vocal affectations sounded interesting for about two minutes in 1994. But they don't even use him on every track - presumably because Noel wants his moment in the sun-shee-ine, too, and no one has told him that he sings like a senile donkey. Musically, few things sound more tired or turgid than this band, but Oasis are masters of hype and can somehow convince people that their laughably plodding tripe is 'rock' with 'attitude'. It's not. It is formulaic, dated dross. Do not be taken in by their 'band of the people' nonsense. This is music made by bored millionaires with nothing to say and seemingly nothing better to do. They have shown no capacity to reinvent themselves and have contributed nothing whatsoev! er to popular music. Lyrically, they are especially embarrassing. Other than Ocean Colour Scene (colour: grey), I cannot think of a worse band of the last two decades. benjamin western Yawn at the above 2 comments? Are their newer exciting bands? Yes. Does the constant comparison to Beatles, Kinks, bla bla bla really matter? No, cos every band sounds like another band from the past. Stop boring me. Are all these songs shit? No. Does it matter albums 3-6 are not as good as 1-2? No. See what bothers me is like people who write comments as above will argue that everything has to be perfect. The Beatles, are the greats for me. But they had awful songs....some shockers. But who cares? End of the day, few bands can write a song that gets the entire V festival going like Lyla...in fact....no band does. The importance of being idle was the best song released in 2005. Or take Go Let It Out, another well produced, catchy tune. Oasis are Oasis. They won't top the first album. SO what. If you think they're overrated, go and cry into your cornflakes, because it will just annoy you that they always have and always will be Britain's favourite! (or one of) bands. Boo hoo for you. Great album....and if you do ever doubt their ability...listen to how good those b-sides are. Good review by the way Adrian Brian Gregory brian.gregory@virgin.net Bejamin,you can't get bored that easily if you still listen to Oasis! Beatles comparisons are annoying purely because they are nothing like The Beatles! Slade are their nearest soundalikes-writing dross like Lyla,which has one melody line nicked off of The Stones 'Street Fightinfg Man' and then a braindead pub sing song chorus nicked bizzarely off of Craig Maclachlan (Henry from Neighbours!)awful 80's hit 'Mona' and having shi-i-ine or know-o-oes in everysong is bloody boring and uninspiring. Liam sings exactly the same style on every single song-with no emotion or compassion to the song or lyrics. Their main problem is that they have zero imagination-I mean,listen to their recent cover of 'within you without you'-they merely copied George Martin's mix off of the love album-ie put the tomorrow never knows drum pattern on it and Liam sang the lyrics with absoulutely no sympathy to their meaning or feel for the track,just the usual without you--ah nonsense-it's embarrising. Th! e Beatles had very few duff tracks and at least 5 top top albums that still inspire and sell 40 years on Lee Foster So many great classics an popular songs missing on this best of an it kinda seems to disregard so much hard work an focus on the 1st two albums .. lets be honest NOEL seems to do it himself aswell . he got a habbit of saying his new album is best ever an then doing gigs with songs from 1st two albums an odd one or two from new album an usually none from inbetween an he slates the inbetween phase asmuch as his critics do .. one thing is evident its fashionable to diss oasis . but they are a very passionate band an seriously been trying hard an comming up with magic on every album all be it amongst some not so great songs aswell . last two albums have been as good as the 1st two ..an in parts so have be here now an standing on the shoulder ... heres the songs that can be on volume two .. an im sure there new album will feature atleast one or two songs that will be up there with these .. which is the only fault i think new oasis are great .. but tend to have just about 3 or 4 b! est of worthy songs on each new album an the 1st two albums were full of em an so were the b sides .. volume two.. anyone? LORD DON'T SLOW ME DOWN THE MEANING OF SOUL THE HINDOU TIMES STAND BY ME WHATEVER LITTLE BY LITTLE SUNDAY MORNING CALL SHES ELECTRIC GAS PANIC ROCKIN CHAIR CARRY US ALL DON'T GO AWAY WHO FEELS LOVE LETS ALL MAKE BELIEVE D'YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN STOP CRYING YOUR HEART OUT one of the covers either CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE or MY GENERATION . Steve Philly Despite the obvious commercialism of re-releasing some great songs, I am strangely really glad they have still not "got to" Whatever. I selfishly feel so good about having this best oasis song on a the original christmas single release from ~15 years ago. It hardly ever gets played or discussed, except by me. Ha. Paul Wishart Scotland Bitch about Oasis all you want but I find myself still going back to their stuff over 10 years after they came out. They are still better quality then the pop/rock that's happening nowadays. The Killers? Kaiser Chiefs? Glasvegas? I'll take my Oasis over them and hope that in another 10 years people will still be praising/complaining about Oasis and have forgotten about the other bands I just mentioned. Oasis, even if they aren't your particular cup of tea, at least deserve such debate based on the quality of music they produced. Sadly this 'Best Of' does not represent the ACTUAL best of. No 'Little By Little'!?! No 'Stand By Me'?? No 'Roll With It'!?! Debate being what it is I still feel Best Ofs need to recognise the most popular songs and it's a crime these songs are not included...

Please note : this is a 'new phase' adriandenning.co.uk review.

Sometime in the middle of May 2009, my personal time-clock starts ticking ever faster towards me entering the naughty forties. Yes, I will start to become closer to being 40 years old than I will be to 30 years old. This is quite important in a review of this new Oasis platter. It places me, more or less, in the right demographic to have been the target audience of 'Definitely Maybe' and 'What's The Story?'. What was I then, a sprightly nineteen years old or so, just about ready to drop out of University and, saddled with debt, become unemployed for around nine months? Well, this was before 'New Labour' and before we invaded Iraq for a second time, and we were optimistic about life because the Conservatives were clearly, finally, on their last legs. We could only imagine what 'New' Labour was about to do, but that minimum wage rule sounded nice, didn't it? As a country, England was optimistic and happy and we had good music. Indie-bands suddenly stopped sulking around in dark corners of Corridors. Indie-bands suddenly wanted to appear on 'Richard & Judy' because it was so un-cool, it was actually cool.

Oasis in 2008 are a very different beast and so is England. We are crippled with debt, falling stock-markets - bankers suddenly rushing around their luxury mansions wondering where they put the Flash detergent, because their toilet needs cleaning and they've had to sack three of their four servants. Well, the 'credit-crunch' has affected probably everybody apart from Oasis, because they have so much money by now, they don't even wipe their bottoms with it to appear 'Rock n Roll' in newspapers anymore. They do it because it's the nearest thing they have to hand. So, it's quite welcome that 'Dig Out Your Soul' sounds so lively, so forceful. This isn't the post 'Be Here Now' fall-out that was the lamentable 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants'. This isn't even the cautious return to form that was 'Heathen Chemistry'. No, this is the most 'alive' sounding Oasis album since, dare I say it, 'Definitely Maybe'.

Zak Starkey again steps in on drums, but interestingly, so does Noel Gallagher. I can't tell you which songs, allmusic.com doesn't stretch that far, but as far as interesting things go, this is about as interesting as knowing Liam spent ages on his ballad, years and years, and still he can't manage to write a ballad as good as John Lennon did whilst having a dump, reading the newspaper and jotting a few notes down on the sporting section as ideas for a new ballad. Still, the first four songs here are all magnificent, easily the best first four songs on any Oasis album, in fact. We've got lyrics that mention 'magical mysteries' and 'revolutions in the head'. We've got a rock-solid rhythm section, which, thanks to Andy Bell actually, now have some punch about them that the 'classic' line-up of Oasis clearly lacked. God, even Liam's vocals sound good, he's recovered both his voice and attitude. Noel's magnificent vocal on stand-out cut, 'Waiting For The Rapture' is possibly, nay, easily, the best vocal Noel has ever done.

Come song five, things start to go slightly wrong. 'Here's a song' announces Liam. Thanks for that, Liam. His vocals have clearly been heavily 'produced', the producer flicking the 'we want to sound like John Lennon' switch, all modern studios obviously have. The best I can say for 'I'm Outta Time' is that it follows the first four rock n roll behemoths, thus nicely attempts to provide variety. We are entering the 'hit or miss' stage of the album, though. 'High Horse Lady'? Miss. 'Falling Down'? Big hit, those 'Tomorrow Never Knows' drums never previously employed so effectively on any Oasis tune that wasn't a Noel Gallagher guest spot on a Chemical Brothers album. 'To Be Where There's Life' opens with Indian-stylings, somewhat pointlessly reaffirming all critics dislike of Oasis so obvious plundering of The Beatles catalogue. Why don't Oasis do a Beach Boys tribute? You know, get Gem, Andy, Noel and Liam singing in four-part harmony? It's not really going to happen, is it? For one thing, only two of the four can sing and 'Harmony' is something Liam and Noel only believe happens in 'Songs Of Praise'. 'Aint Got Nothing' opens with squealing guitar before descending into a messy Woolworths English breakfast costing £2.99 and containing about as much nutrition as a James Blunt album.

The production on 'Dig Out Your Soul' is uniformly excellent throughout. Oasis have never sounded better, in fact. Yet, despite some obvious positives and it's always easy to get overly excited by a new Oasis album, nearly everything here not written by Noel, is, dare I say it, actually pretty ordinary. Still, Oasis have indeed returned with a decent album. It's better than the last one and this time, that statement is actually true, not hype. It's better than 'What's The Story?', but then, that album was always overrated anyway by people who are now in their mid-thirties driving vans, or wasting their time as mortgage advisors for people that no longer have any money to buy a house.

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Readers Comments James England First two albums I played to death, and can't listen to them now without being bored. I resent Noel for proclaiming himself, Liam, Tony Blair and Alan McGee as the saviours of Great Britain at the Brit Awards (McGee revealed he was on ecstasy at the time). I always felt they were the Coronation Street of Rock N Roll, prolific, popular, but not having any real substance to back it up. They're only ever going to appeal to the loyal fans that stuck with them, but I must admit Shock of the Lightning was pretty good. My favourite rock n roll band - The Living End - their former drummer Trav Demsey once said, "I don't judge Oasis songs on their ability, I judge them on how well I can sing their songs when I'm pissed". Sums up Oasis to me really. Carl Wakefield I was looking forward to the new oasis album but I have to say it was a big dissapointment considering it has been three years in the making. I keep playing it in the hope that it will grow on me but I get as far as I'm Outta Time and I have to turn it off JamesEngland Nice Review, although I think you've been a bit generous here. While I think Don't Believe The Truth was a great return to form, this album is slightly less consistent. The first 5 tracks are as you say some of the best work they've done. But the weaker songs emerge later in the album. Soldier on for me is monotamous and predictable. However unlike Heathen Chemistry it just about manages to hold it together.7/10

The release of this singles collection firmly draws a line under Oasis. Tellingly, Noel Gallagher revealed he turned down a chronological approach 'because all the iconic stuff' would be at the front. He's true in the obvious respect that the well-known tunes would cluster towards the front end but speaking personally, the well-trodden tale that Oasis were rubbish after 'Morning Glory' doesn't hold together. Of Oasis more recent work, 'Heathen Chemistry' has received a bit of a bashing despite it being a real return to form in places. 'Little By Little' recaptured all that early confidence and remains one of Noel's better writing moments. Back in 1995, Noel was too busy chucking away great tracks as b-sides to bother eliminating the filler from 'Morning Glory'. Let's not forget, the music press were very ho-hum about 'Morning Glory' when it was first released. 'Be Here Now' meanwhile got nearly uniformly great reviews - but that's the music press for you. With the release of 'Time Flies' some critics are judging material spanning 15 years by the standards of now, by how they 'believe' Oasis are now perceived. This is no different an approach than they took with 'Be Here Now' which was badly misjudged upon initial release. We can forgive said critics for getting tied up in the immense hype of the day but we shall never forget. Revisionist history tore through Oasis other recent compilation, 'Stop The Clocks' with Noel trying to get us to forget the past ten years ever existed. Songwriters rarely know themselves what their best material is and certainly Noel seemingly doesn't, hence all the great b-sides released circa 1995.

Discussion of the material itself is fairly irrelevant. Please see reviews above. Still, listening to 15 odd years of Oasis reveals they 'progressed' less artistically than either Slade or Status Quo. It's as if The Beatles progressed from 'Please Please Me' to 'Beatles For Sale' over a fifteen year period, then gave up. It's also surprising in retrospect how little difference the change in personnel affected the Oasis sound. Should Gem and Andy Bell really have been given more license than they were? Was this Liam or Noel being stubborn? Who knows. It seems Liam wanted to release an Oasis album every single year, come what may. The post-oasis careers of both will probably reveal more in such respects than this compilation is able to. Yeah, it's written in stone that the first two Oasis albums were the best and then they were crap, bar the odd single here and there. Thing is, I disagree with things written in stone almost out of principal. Yeah, Oasis are finished and history to consign them to the Britpop era and for spawning the likes of Twisted Wheel and for briefly making Embrace popular. Yeah, Oasis were largely a one-trick pony but Noel could pen a tune and they deserve more of a legacy than people seemingly are willing to give them at present.

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Readers Comments Joe joeswithenby@hotmail.co.uk Great review, I've always thought that Oasis were so much more than many revisionist critics painted them out to be. In my opinion their b sides prove that, and even when they weren't at their best they still produced some real gems. I think the bashing they've received since Be Here Now (which I enjoy) has been extremely unfair, but predictable.And am I only the one who rates Standing On Shoulder Of Giants? if it wasn't for the god awful 'little james' (which should have been replaced with the b side 'let's all make believe') it would be a very good album.