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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What's The Masterplan?, March 1, 2005
This review is from: Masterplan (Audio CD)
Everybody's wondering why songs like "Underneath The Sky" and (especially) "Acquiesce" weren't on an actual Oasis album. Everybody's thinking it's a coincidence of some sort that so many great songs can be disregarded and doomed to merely be: b-sides. Stop and think about the title of this collection though... it's called 'The Masterplan', which could mean a predetermined 'plan' that is meant to be 'masterful'. Is it not conceivable to think that Noel and the gang had this deviant scheme to hide away a bunch of choice tracks on singles (nobody buys singles in the USA) in order to later release the greatest b-side collection ever? Even now, over six years since The Masterplan came out, it still has to be one of, if not thee most talked-about b-side compilation on the planet. So, yeah, I think The Masterplan was a set-up. But that's enough of that; take what you will from my speculations and opinions. What's really important here is the music.
Yes, "Acquiesce" is an astonishing song--my personal favorite Oasis track, as I'm sure it is many other's. The other track here I was equally taken aback by was "Headshrinker", which boasts smidgens of a punk-rock feeling and an almost irritated sound in Noel's voice that can't be ignored when he's shouting 'I hope you don't regret today/for the rest of your lives'. But the sleeper track here has to be "Half The World Away", which is as relaxed as I recall Oasis ever being in a song. It's beautiful, it's smart ('my body feels young but my mind is very old') and possesses the single greatest handclapping performance in the history of music. I clap along every time I hear it; and I get the chills every time I hear it. "Underneath The Sky" seems to be another favorite. That makes sense considering it's short, sweet and has that infamous part about the suitcase. That makes me chuckle every time. "Rockin' Chair" takes a lot of the same ideas and tones as "Half The World Away", which is why it's not as impressive (though still great).
It's said in the booklet that The Beatles never performed "Walrus" live; so it makes perfect sense that Oasis would cover it--and they do a superb job. Goo goo g'joob, indeed. "Talk Tonight" draws more comparisons to "Half The World Away". It's very, very good but again falls just short of the top slow track. "Stay Young" and "Listen Up" sound most like they came from actual albums, and the fact they didn't make the cut seems unapparent. "(It's Good) To Be Free", sadly, is one I tend to skip. We all know it's good to be free, anyway. I'm never a huge fan of instrumental tracks unless they blow me away. And "The Swamp Song" didn't blow me anywhere. "Going Nowhere" is genius, pure genius. The way Noel rolls the word 'Jaguar' off his tongue is most notable. "Fade Away" is my least favorite track on The Masterplan. It comes off as a second-rate "Headshrinker" with comparable lyrics but poor sound quality. Finally, "The Masterplan"... seems to be in a league of its own. Either you love it or you don't. It's dazzling--the perfect closer for such an album. Oh, I mean... for such a 'compilation'. Whatever. If this were an album, it would easily be Oasis' best album. But I guess we instead have to call it, simply, their best CD.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fantastic collection of Oasis B-sides., June 28, 2006
This review is from: Masterplan (Audio CD)
First, let me point out that Oasis is my favorite band. There isn't an Oasis song I don't like. So I'm going to guide you throughout the entire album and give you my overall opinion of the album.
The Masterplan is a collection of Oasis B-sides from singles covering their first three albums (Definitely Maybe, (What's The Story) Morning Glory, and Be Here Now). The featured tracks and the track listing were decided from an online poll of Oasis fans in 1998.
First up: "Acquiesce" This is probably the most famous Oasis b-side out there and often played live. This song is fantastic, the combined vocal solos of both Liam and Noel Gallagher make this song magnificent. Noel's solo seems to sound better than Liam's, but nevertheless a beautiful song.
Track Two: "Underneath The Sky" Liam Gallagher sings. It sounds good, not as strong as "Acquiesce" but an upbeat and nice tune.
Track Three: "Talk Tonight" Noel with a beautiful guitar based song. This is something you would hear a street performer sing, the lyrics are sad, but the tune is relaxing. Great song.
Track Four: "Going Nowhere" Noel sings once again, and the song is another sad one, but there is a mix of brass and string to lighten it up. A nice soft listen.
Track Five: "Fade Away" After the first few chords you know this is from the Definitely Maybe era. Hard, pure rock from Oasis with a good amount of "Shoegazer" influence. Never fails to slam a good dose of energy into me.
Track Six: "The Swamp Song" If you liked the untitled filler tracks on Morning Glory and wanted the whole song, that's exactly what "The Swamp Song" is. It was originally a warm up song for recording sessions, and you can tell why. Nice hard guitar with even a mix of harmonica in it all. Fantastic little tune.
Track Seven: "Listen Up" My personal favorite song of the album. It plays hard but feels soft. Bittersweet and beautiful. Noel's voice shines and the lyrics flow magnificently. This song should have been a single instead of a b-side. A hidden gem.
Track Eight: "I Am The Walrus (Live)" First of all, this song was not played live. It was recorded during a soundcheck with the audience noises later added in. Nevertheless an entertaining song, and a faster paced and harder rocking song than the original. Seems to get repetitive at the end though, but that might have been why Oasis sometimes played this song last at concerts in their early days.
Track Nine: "Rockin' Chair" Supposedly written by Noel Gallagher back in 1990, this song makes an interesting b-side. Nice acoustic guitar solos and the organ mixes in well. A very well written song for it being one of Noel's firsts.
Track Ten: "Half The World Away" A great song and another bittersweet one. Noel sings very well, while the electic guitar and organ mix in softly and nicely.
Track Eleven: "(It's Good) To Be Free" Another hard rocker that sounds like "Shoegazer" rock as opposed to Britpop. The lyrics could use a bit of support, but I nevertheless enjoy it. There is a bit of nice organ that sounds like an electric guitar.
Track Twelve: "Stay Young" Another famous b-side, featured in the film "The Faculty". The lyrics sound like a teen revolution, "Stay young and invincible", but the melody is upbeat and happy. Nice song.
Track Thirteen: "Headshrinker" My second favorite song of the album. Sounds like rock overcooked to a crisp. This is as hard and pure as Oasis gets. Fantastic song.
Track Fourteen: "The Masterplan" The track that the album was named after makes a nice finish for the album. Strings and brass mixed in well in a bittersweet and smooth song. Don't miss the guitar solo (a reversed recording of a solo). Leaves you with a great aftertaste for the entire album.
Now, the songs that should have been here but didn't make the cut. Sadly, my favorite Oasis b-side (and quite a popular one as well), "Sad Song", is missing. In fact, they should have added all of the Definitely Maybe-era b-sides, because they were by far the best. "Alive", "Take Me Away", "D'yer Wanna Be a Spaceman", and "Cloudburst" are some of the best Oasis b-sides but sadly arent on The Masterplan. Instead there was more focus on Morning Glory-era b-sides. "Angel Child" was another b-side from the Be Here Now-era that I very much enjoy but just wasn't there.
Overall, this is a great album. I highly reccomend it to anybody who just loves music. The album is one of my favorites because it encompasses the sound of Oasis through three different albums and most songs are beautifully bittersweet. I also enjoyed hearing Noel's voice often, which is nice considering Liam sings most of the singles. At time of writing there are supposedly plans for a sequel to "The Masterplan" covering Oasis b-sides from their next three albums, and it will be interesting to see what makes that grade.
This is indeed a fantastic collection of Oasis b-sides.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great but missing a few noteworthy songs, January 11, 2005
This review is from: Masterplan (Audio CD)
I figureed it was finally time to write a review for this album, as I picked it up from the shelf the other day and played it a few times. I think it's amazing that these songs were only ever "b-sides" - most of them are better than what many bands put out as singles!!!
To me, at least, the highlights are: Acquiesce (a b-side to Some Might Say, check out the "Morning Glory" allusions), Headshrinker (sheer early-style Oasis rock), Fade Away, Listen Up, Rockin' Chair, Going Nowhere and of course Talk Tonight.
I remember reading once that Oasis fans got to vote on which b-sides would be on this album, but there are really great Oasis tracks missing on this compliation.
First and foremost, one of the greatest songs Oasis ever recorded was only ever released as a single: "WHATEVER" since this CD was released in the US, and Whatever was only ever available as an import, it would have been nice to put it on this CD - I think it would have gotten quite a bit of airplay and helped Oasis in the US even more.
The version of Listen Up on here is a shorter version that the one that appears as a b-side on the Ciggarettes and Alcohol single. IT's too bad, because a nice guitar solo is missing.
How on earth did these other b-side tracks not make it??? They are some of their best!!! ...
Cloudburst (Live Forever b-side)
Step Out (Don't Look Back in Anger b-side)
(I Got) The Fever (Stand By Me b-side)
It's Better People (Roll With It b-side)
Alive 8 track demo (Shakermaker b-side)
Sad Song (Don't Go Away b-side and also on Definitely Maybe vinyl or Japenese Import)
Cum on Feel The Noize (Don't Look Back in Anger b-side)
Fame (All Around The World b-side)
Heroes (D'ya Know What I Mean? b-side) - the BEST cover of this song!
Other Oasis b-sides (some released later) definitely worth checking out:
My Sister Lover (Stand By Me b-side) - very anti-religious, nice
Carry Us All (Sunday Morning Call b-side) - more anti-religion
Full On (Sunday Morning Call b-side) - absolute rocker!!
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