Customer Reviews

Heathen Chemistry

5 star:		(101)
4 star:		(77)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Took a brief time for the album to grow on me, so I'm glad I didn't immediately write a review because it would've been a less glowing one.

Plenty of rock 'n' roll songs on this album, but it's clear that Oasis is broadening its reach while at the same time maintaining that 'oasis' sound. Songbird (yes, Liam can write decent songs) and She is Love are quite nice and understated. Better Man rocks with an irrestible groove. But without doing a complete rundown I can just say there are plenty of standout tracks here. And the lyrics work well, too.

Boy, what can you say about this CD? Incredible! Diverse! Exciting! Every offering Oasis puts forth to us on this CD is outstanding. From the opening of 'The Hindu Times' to the closing number, which is a song by Liam, 'Better Man', this whole album takes you on a journey from great rock and roll music to the an instrumental number 'A Quick Peep' and to the slow numbers: the acoustic 'Songbird' (another offering by Liam), 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' and 'She is Love'. New guitarist Gem Archer get's my vote for having penned the best song on the CD, 'Hung in a Bad Place'. With a little help wtih great vocals from Liam, this song really rocks. Liam's third offering is 'Born on a Different Cloud' and is definately influenced by John Lennon. '(Probably) All in the Mind' is another great song, the guitar work by Gem is incredible, very controlled and smooth, as well as the vocals from Liam, they're dead on. 'Little by Litte' is an excellent song sung by Noel and has a Pink Floyd sound to it in the beginning that builds to a rockin ending. The other songs Noel sings are also excellent; 'She is Love', 'Songbird', 'Force of Nature'.

In interviews, Noel has said that he has at least 10 more albums in him. If that is true, the music world had better hold on for a long ride. With 'Heathen Chemistry', Oasis has left us wanting more..........and we will get it.

I'm sure every loyal Oasis fan was anxiously awaiting this album, their fifth studio album, after the disappointments that were BHN and SOTSOG. Well, the Gallagher brothers are back at it, and they're taking a step in the right direction. Though nowhere near as utterly transfixing as WTS(MG), or energetic like DM, it's still a fine album on its own. However, one can ask himself if Noel hasn't lost the inspiration since 1995. Gone are his raucous, raw rock anthems he used to so regularly write - Roll With It, Acquiesce, and Rock'N'Roll Star come to mind - the elder Gallagher now writes slower, moodier songs, but it's not all for the better.

Heathen Chemistry starts off well with the Hindu Times, a fine rock song, although I don't find it nearly as enganging as openings singles such as DYKWIM or Let It Out. The rest of the album is uneven, Force Of Nature just sounds like uncontrolled, irritating noise, but Stop Crying Your Heart Out is a showstopper, with orchestration that rivals Whatever. Liam actually writes some pretty good songs, Songbird, Born on a Different Cloud, and Better Man are, IMO, the better songs of the album. Little By Little is also a good song, written and sung by Noel. The difference between Liam and Noel's voice is jarring, because Liam sings better, and you can imagine how some songs would be if the turbulent younger brother would've sung them.

All in all, not a bad effort, but as an Oasis fan, I fell as though their thunder is not fully back yet. Sure, they're showing a more mature sound, but we can only hope they find that energy they had in the early 90s.

I am one of those few, few Oasis-fighters. I truly doesn't think that "Standing on the shoulders of giants" was all that bad, and when everybody's saying how "Heathen Chemistry" will be Oasis' "comeback" and that they're "back", I'm in my personal view thinking that they were never gone.

Hence, I don't think that "Heathen Chemistry" is a far better album than anything Oasis've done recently. I believe, as most other, that "Definitly Maybe" and "(What's the story) Morning Glory" are fabolous. But I also think that "Be here now" is one of the finest pop-albums ever recorded, and that "Standing...", well it wasn't Oasis' best, but it was a lot better than most of everything on the genre.

It's the same with "Heathen...". It's not the best album ever recorded, sure, but it's a lot better than a lot else. The most interesting about this album though is that it seems to be somewhat of a turning point for the band.
In the beginning Noel Gallagher was a talented guy who took all his knowledge of rock'n'roll and pop-music and made a spicy porridge out of it, making some of the hottest knock-out-songs of the 90's. It's a bit different now. The same Noel with the same talents, but in stead of taking his oh-so-beloved knowledge and making a spicy porridge, he takes them and makes delicious, elegant and (at least a bit) better crafted, fancy cakes. This makes both the production and the songs a lot more professional than ever before, and therefore Oasis is now a band with more self-confidence than ever before.

On the other hand Noel has only written six of the eleven songs. This is perhaps the only problem I have with the album. Liam's, Gem's and Andy's aren't bad; Liam's "Songbird" is a fantastic ditty, "Born on a different cloud" quite talented and "Better man" "decent +", Gem's "Hung in a bad place" sounds Noel and Andy Bell's meaningless little one-minute-peep is swinging, but nothing more (doesn't have to be either). But I still think that Oasis works a lot better when Noel rules, it seems to be more uneven now.

That is one of the reasons why I start to wonder just how better "Heathen Chemistry" really is, compared to "Standing..." that is. Because, in my opinion, "Standing on the shoulders of giants" is a more solid production. It had some not-so-great songs, something that this album doesn't have, but on the other hand "Standing" had some songs that only the amazing single "Stop crying your heart out" can match. It's a hard comparison, and more or less impossible if you see it out of this point of the view: "Standing on the shoulders of giants" was the good-bye of Oasis' happy childhood, and "Heathen Chemistry" is the first step for a new Oasis.

So is this any better than "Standing..."?
Well, I guess so... but more of a different album.
My advice?
Noel, take back the control over the band and keep making fancy cakes, because, believe it or not, Oasis is a band that is needed.

I never thought Oasis could top 'Definitely Maybe' but after hearing this new album, they've completely outdone themselves. The Hindu Times is brilliant especially its outrageous Hindu-inspired guitar riffs. Force of Nature displays Noel's full capability of taking the lead from Liam when he wants to. Stop Crying Your Heart Out gave me goosebumps and teary eyes after hearing it for the first time. Little by Little took a few listens before it eventually stole me heart. Born on a Different Cloud I could have sworn was a Lennon/McCartney song but its still a brilliant [remake]of the great ones. Better Man is a massive rock tune that makes you want to drink Lager and become a soccer hooligan. In summation, HEATHEN CHEMISTRY is BRILLIANT. I'm absolutely mad for it. I've seen them live on every promotional gig they've done for each new album and I have never enjoyed them as much as this tour. Go buy Heathen Chemistry now!

This is Oasis' best recording since What's the Story (Morning Glory). The album is a great mixture of rock songs and ballads. What's better is the fact that Liam, Gem Archer, and Andy Bell also wrote songs for the album. Noel however writes the best songs which include "Hindu Times" "Force of Nature" and "Stop Crying Your Heart Out."
Now many critics have accused the band of constantly ripping off The Beatles and being nothing more than a tribute band. It's true that they are one of Oasis' biggest influences, but this belief is ridiculous now. First of all, bands can't help but sound a little like their influences. Secondly, Oasis could not of written five original albums that have sold well by copying another band. My suggestion is to take the album for what it is, great music and heartfelt lyrics.

All I can say is thank God there is one band out there whose soul purpose is simple: Put together the best rock and roll album we possibly can. In an era where American Pop-Culture is dominated by hip-hop and teenybopper pop music, Oasis restores my faith in rock and roll. Seven years and three albums after "Wonderwall", the boys from Manchester are back better than ever. At the peak of their form, Oasis combines the best elements of their previous four albums in the making of Heathen Chemistry. The raw rock sound of their debut album, Definitely Maybe, is present in such tunes as "The Hindu Times" and "Hung in a Bad Place." The great, slow sing-along anthems on What's the Story Morning Glory (Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova) are now rivaled by such instant classics as "Little by Little" and "Stop Crying Your Heart Out." The trippy, psychedelic sound of Be Here Now is evident in "Born on a Different Cloud." And the maturity of Standing on the Shoulder of Giants is represented by light love tunes like "Song Bird" and "She is Love." It's no secret the Oasis' popularity has fizzled out a bit in America, but this album, coupled by their upcoming North American tour, should put Oasis back at the top of the American Music Scene - which is right where they belong. In its simplest form, Heathen Chemistry is a great rock and roll album that will make a great addition to any music fan's collection.

After the somewhat disappointing 2000 LP "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants", Oasis return in 2002 with a fantastic new album. "Heathen Chemistry" sees the songwriting of Oasis spread out even more, 3 songs from Liam Gallagher, 1 each from Gem Archer and Andy Bell, while the rest come from lead songwriter Noel Gallagher. "The Hindu Times" starts off the new album in a rocky, pyschadelic fashion with a great chorus and guitar riff. "Force of Nature" has grown on me over repeated listenings, a great tune with Noel on vocals. The Archer-penned "Hung in a Bad Place" is one of the more rockier songs on the album, offering a nice opening guitar intro. Without a doubt, "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" is the best track on the entire disc, in my opinion. A classic Oasis ballad, it's destined to be sung by many fans during the band's worldwide summer tour. It has a memorable chorus and a great middle eight section. "Songbird" is Liam's finest work to date, sounding very Beatles-esque with basically just acoustic guitars. "Little By Little" is another Noel-sung tune, which could turn out to be the 3rd single off the LP and another classic anthem. "Probably All in the Mind" will most likely be an underrated Oasis song, similar to "Sunday Morning Call", "Columbia", or "She's Electric". "She Is Love" sees Noel with his last vocal performance on the CD, a soft acoustic-driven song. The LP closes out with a great song "Born On A Different Cloud" (Liam written), and "Better Man" which I haven't warmed up to yet. This is a great return to the sound that worked on 1995's "What's the Story Morning Glory?", which has sold over 15 million worldwide. Oasis has always made excellent pop/rock music and this CD continues that trend. Oasis popularity (especially in the U.S.) might not ever get back to the days of 1995-1997, but if enough people get their hands on this album, you could see a surge of Oasismania!!!

To me, Oasis' zenith was (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, an album that contains quite a few of my all-time favorite Oasis songs. (The title track being one.)

Standing On the Shoulder of Giants wasn't all that bad, but it certainly was no Morning Glory.

Heathen Chemistry is a cross between Morning Glory and Giants. It contains an abundance of signature Oasis riffs and lots of melodic passages. It's immediately accesible from the opening track ("The Hindu Times"). And it even features a beautiful ballad in the form of "She is Love" -- one of the prettiest, most non-cynical songs I've heard from the Gallaghers in a long time.

Sure, Oasis sounds reminiscent of the Beatles -- but not lyrically, nor in the chord progressions of their songs. (I think the Beatles actually used more chords.) If anything, they sounds like the Beatles in their Britishness and attitude. Frankly, there's not a song on Heathen Chemistry I could put my finger on and say, "Yeah, that's the Beatles." So, let's lay off the Beatles comparisons, for Pete's sake!

Speaking of the chord progressions, they're big, big big on Heathen Chemistry. That trademark wall of sound that I liked so much on Morning Glory is all over Heathen Chemistry. (Check out "Hung in a Bad Place," track three.)

Liam is in fine vocal form. Noel is as deft as ever with his guitar work.

"Songbird" is another pretty track. Acoustic guitars, tamborine, piano, and other non-typical Oasis instruments make this another stand-out track for me. Great song.

"A Quick Peep" is a driving tune with lots of heavy bass, organ, acoustic guitar and a groove I'm going to enjoy watching in concert (if they play this track!).

"Better Man," the last track, is a guitar-heavy rocker of the old school that's a great way to close the album. It, too, has a cool groove that keeps pushing the song forward to the final feedback-laden fade-out at about 4:18...and then falls silent for about another 30 minutes...returning with something entirely different at 33:13 after someone says, "...two, three, four." I wonder how many people have sat through the Gallagher's 30 minutes of silence to discover this "hidden" musical interlude buried way, way deep on the disc? (It's kind of a haunting "song," though, about four minutes in length. Worth hearing, even given the interminable wait.)

Let's put this in perspective. Track 11 is nearly 40 minutes in length, with only about seven minutes of actual music, separated by about 33 minutes of silence. In other words, Heathen Chemistry clocks in at 76 minutes, but there's only about 40 minutes worth of music on it. Clever? Or exasperating? You be the judge.

Heathen Chemistry is trademark Oasis. If you like a British attitude, clever chord progressions, a lead singer with a terminally nasal, raspy voice, and songs with lyrics that usually twist the knife in a cynical, albeit clever way, you can't go wrong with the latest CD from Oasis.

But if you *really* want to be blown away, pick up a copy of (What's the Story) Morning Glory? That's a classic.

Yeah yeah yeah....I know.... 5 Stars?!?!?! I must be crazy! Well, that's true but, that is NOT why I rated this album SO highly. The truth is, this is a GREAT album! The problem is that, for those who are not fans of the Gallagher Brothers and their schtick, these guys have hyped themselves beyond reality and, therefore, the measuring stick is a mile long and a centimeter wide. Certainly not enough room for mere mortals and certainly not enough room for the supposed "Greatest Band In England" to put out anything less than songs that make the angels weep and the choir sing.

But even at their most mediocre, the Gallagher Boys are still 'Head and Shoulders' better than MOST of the rest. Look...how many of the more recent albums of the Rolling Stones do you recall? Every great band eventually comes back down to earth, even if only for a short period of time. Now, that is NOT to say that this album should be discounted as just a blip in an otherwise stellar career. Nope...the music on this album, for the most part, is engaging, classic, rock and roll. Is it groundbreaking? No. Is it seminal? No. But neither were the Rolling Stones after Exile on Mainstreet and, neither were the Beatles after Sgt. Pepper's. Does that mean it isn't great? Absolutely NOT! So then, what we have is a great band taking their sound to it's pinnacle, to its absolute.

Someone once said that before you can evolve, you must first exhaust all other avenues available, and that is exactly what the Boys from Madchester are doing.