Customer Reviews

Standing on the Shoulder of Giants

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(99)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Here's a perfect example of how attitude changes an entire listening experience. Easily the most bashed work in the Manchester great's back catalogue, called worst album of 2000 on several occasions, slated as a worthless Pink Floyd rip-off with no standout tracks, Standing on the Shoulder represents a career low point for Oasis--this was the first true testament that the band was not immortal, not the Beatles of the new age, but in fact slipping from the title of Brit-Rockers-in-chief. Sigh. It's the album that die-hard Radiohead and Coldplay fans always refer to when discussing Oasis' inferiority, blasting Noel Gallagher for "never progressing as a song writer." Sigh again. I've never really figured out the thunderous disapproval of the album, and I ultimately enjoyed most of the songs. Does SOTSOG contain some garbage? Without a doubt, but not nearly enough to ruin the entire experience, or throw Oasis off their high horse as most critics claim. Here're some facts all listeners need to be aware of: 1) `F****n' in the Bushes,' `Go Let It Out,' and Gas Panic!' are three of the best songs of Oasis' career. Wasn't `Go Let It Out' #1 hit in the UK, going right alongside `Yellow' and even surpassing `Optimistic'? 2) The biggest problem with SOTSOG occurs in the format, unusual for a psychedelic album such as this. If there's any real unending quandary here, it's that the worst two songs on the album, `Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is' and `Little James' fall in at numbers 4 and 5 respectively. These should have been either left out or positioned differently, perhaps further down in the line up while moving high qualities, perhaps `Roll It Over,' up in the track listing. 3) The album is without a doubt a step up from Be Here Now, which contains about five fillers/B-sides whereas SOTSOG has no more than two. 4) Giants is Easy Listening. Oasis flirts with the Easy Listening genre on several junctures, most notably with `Wonderwall' and `Cast No Shadow', but usually sticks to anthemic Indie and at sometimes Hard Rock. I believe that this album has been rejected as quality Oasis by many fans due to the lack of guitars and the overwhelming presence of synthesizers. It doesn't always work--` Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is' for example--but it's definitely different. Not only should it be respected and appreciated by fans, but it should be praised for its boldness. 5) Although inaccessible at times, SOTSOG flows unlike any other Oasis album. In this way, it tops both Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory?--a daring yet factual assessment.

If nothing else, the album's worth it for `F****n' in the Bushes,' `Go Let It Out,' and Gas Panic!'. But underneath the surface, it's much more than just a singles album like the predecessor Be Here Now; it's a flowing, intelligent collection of songs that have been tarnished by the attitude of dismissive fans.

I guess Im still from the old school camp who thought that Be Here Now wasnt really THAT bad. I agree with Noel who has been quoted in interviews saying that it (BHN) really didnt deserve all the credit that it got when it first came out but, by the same token, didnt deserve all of the slagging it got after everyone realized that they had given it 8 out of 10. But isnt that what is so great about Oasis anyways? That they can release albums which meet a public both feverish and fed-up with them. They have always been, for me, the perfect antidote to the Pavements and more "literate" rock of the 90's...or the spotlight-fearing likes of Eddie Vedder and Co. Deceptively simple and straight ahead...the songs and the band seem much more obvious than they really are. It's more in the feeling and emotion that those who still hold Definitely Maybe so dear still know and feel. Producer Mark "Spike" Stent has given that sound a more dense, hypnotic sense...and the album, overall, a less-polished feel. If you don't like Oasis chances are you still aren't going to like them after this record. I've gotten in way too many arguments trying to make converts out of some of my friends :) Go sit and listen to SOTSOG...take it for what it is...NOT Definitely Maybe, NOT Be Here Now, Not WTSMG, NOT The Masterplan...but, rather, another step and more great pop/rock music.

"I dont believe in magic cause life is automatic...." ----Noel

So Oasis can no longer possibly be as big as they were in the heady summer of 1996 at Knebworth. So their last album, Be Here Now, tanked commercially and critically. So two original founding members of the band packed it in. So what, seems to be the response of the brothers Gallagher with this triumphant step forward, both lyrically and musically.

It doesn't rock like Definitely Maybe, it doesn't move you in the way that Morning Glory did back in 95-96, and it (happily) lacks the bombast (hubris?) of Be Here Now. But this album sets itself apart from its predecessors by being perhaps the most interesting in the Oasis catalogue for it seems to be the first personal album -- where lyricist Noel Gallagher had only flirted with expressions of actual feeling on Be Here Now ("Damn my education/I couldn't find the words to say"), SOTSOG reads more autobiographically, most successfully on "Gas Panic" (Noel's tale of being in the throes of cocaine addiction). Also interesting is Liam Gallagher's first attempt at songwriting on "Little James", which while in many ways simplistic, is catchy as all get-out. No song on this album is less than good, with the possible exception of "I Can See A Liar", which while quite rocking, has a pedestrian throwaway lyric that isn't worthy of the Noel Gallagher brand name.

A lot has been made, in reviews elsewhere, that this isn't the quantum leap forward musically that had been promised (with dance grooves, bass 'n' drum, etc.) -- I beg to differ. My first listen to this album was done on headphones, and sonically it was, erm, supersonic. The huge drums of the lead-off track ("F[arg]in in the Bushes"), the jaunty pace and percussion of "Who Feels Love", heck, even that way-cool record-scratching in the opening salvo of "Go Let It Out".

Is this the album that will take Oasis back to American superstardom? Probably not. Given the current climate of the American pop charts, perhaps this is a good thing, though.

Derivative? Of course. That's the charm. To nick a line from a previous Oasis chart-topper: "I'm sure you've heard it all before, but you never really had a doubt."

In short, a definite step forward from the excess of "Be Here Now", and with new, better musicians to back up the brothers Gallagher and Alan White, proof positive that Oasis are moving in the right direction. The plot has been found again.

First of all, I own every other Oasis recording, know every note of every song ever committed to disc by them, and as such am obviously in agreement with the obvious: Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory ARE CLASSICS of 5-Star quality. Be Here Now is unnapreciated for sounding cliche-ridden and sounding like the other two, but it is UNDERRATED, seeing that it contains some classic Oasis songs... Standing on the Shoulder is the work of a more mature Noel Gallagher, who no longer seems to swagger a la "Rock and Roll Star", ditto for Liam, who should stick to singing and banging the tambourine... "Little James" is only redeemed by Noel's melody. Do they sound like the Beatles? Yeah... And like Big Star, T-Rex, Slade, The Stones, The Stone Roses, and The Jam, too. SO WHAT? WHO CARES? Did the Beatles invent tape-looping, overdubbing, tablas, and sitars? Did they rip off Brian Wilson, Phil Spector and Ravi Shankar? This is much mellower than "Definitely Maybe" and "Be Here Now", more like "Morning Glory", though Noel seems to be seeing Cornershop as his main artistic rivals now, now that Blur and The Verve are no longer challenges. Thus, the "Tomorrow Never Knows" feel to Liam's voice and the studio trickery. There are only two singles here: "Go Let It Out" and "Where Did It All Go Wrong", but "Roll It Over" is haunting and challenging. This is NOT tired and mediocre, merely more challenging and textured: the work of a more subdued band. The loss of Guigsy and Bonehead SHOULD be felt, however... That's the main challenge for this band, not the general MTV-based public's opinion. Who cares about fair-weathered John and Jane Q.Publics who now own Ricky Martin and Backstreet Boys records and who once owned Morning Glory? Real fans' opinions count only. And being real fans give us the right and obligation to TRY to be objective. Which is why I give it 3-Stars.

'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' is an amazing album from start to finish. I have liked Oasis from the start and along with the Verve and Matchbox Twenty are the best band of this generation. I have all of the bands singles and albums and it is obvious to see how much effort Oasis put into their music. Most bands b-sides consist of live tracks or acoustic versions of previous songs. Not Oasis. They come up with something new each time a single is released. Every Oasis record scores at least 8 out of 10. And this is no exception.

'Fuckin' In The Bushes' is a high tempo, pure rock and roll intro to the album. It is a superb track and you feel the adrenaline rush towards the end. 10/10.

'Go Let It Out' is one of the best on the album. It deservedly got to number one in the UK singles chart. Pure Oasis. A top tune. 9/10.

'Who Feels Love?' is a very effective and phsychedelic track and deserved to be a number one hit. The track is very relaxing and the video for it is simply stunning (check it out on the single). 9/10.

'Put Yer Money Where Your Mouth Is' is an aggressive track with attitude. Listen to it if you're in a mood. It is another top rock and roll track though a few more lyrics would have been nice. 8/10.

'Little James' showsthat Oasis has two amazing songwriters. The lyrics in the first and third verses are stunning. Sounds a litte like 'Who Feels Love?' (thankyou for the sun... / Thankyou for your smile...?) 9/10.

'Gas Panic' is unbelievably outstanding. This is proper music. Oasis at their very best. The best one, musically, on the album. 10/10.

'Where Did It All Go Wrong?' is my personal favourite on the album. Noels voice suits it well. Should be a single. 10/10.

'Sunday Morning Call' is my second favourite. A slow, beautiful, tender ballad. Very relaxing and the lyrics are out of this world. 10/10.

'I Can See A Liar' is Liams vocals at the limit. His voice is great on this song. Superb, although lyrics falter a little. 9/10.

'Roll It Over' is an epic end to the album but it isn't the best track in my view. 8/10.

Overall a super album. Everyone knows that Oasis are the best, they just don't want to admit it.

It seems that nowadays when entities in the public eye get really big, those who are not astute supporters thereof jump on the wagon of condemnation. Oasis is a really big band- and no exception to the abovementioned rule.

This is a good rock 'n roll album: good melodies, good instrumentation, brilliant vocals. Gas Panic is awesome (listen out for the tempo change at the beginning of verse 2); F**king in the Bushes is their most original piece of music in years; Who Feels Love? is lush, brilliantly sung and does NOT sound anything like ANY of George Harrison's music; Sunday Morning Call is easily my favourite Noel Gallagher-led tune; and Roll It Over is as enduring as anything else released of late.

The unmentioned trax are all solid in their own right- it's no disgrace for a song on an Oasis album not to get a mention.

All in all this is a fine effort from a fine band- don't let the bad reviews discourage you, and don't draw anything from the Realplayer samples- the REAL thing sounds a LOT better...

.....and this is NOT their worst day. All right, I'm an Anglophile, I admit it, but the short list of great rock acts in America is the same as the long list: Pearl Jam, Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, and Lenny Kravitz. That's all folks. The media age in this country has devastated the music industry by way of stifling artistic develpoment, and choking off any opportunity for great bands to have their day. In the UK, they just seem much better at tilling the rock and roll soil so that there is a constant flow of great and talented bands: The Stone Roses, Travis, Verve, Radiohead, and yes, Oasis. Most of these bands and more put out a great deal of music in the late 90's. SOTSOG definitely sees Oasis moving into a new phase, by getting rid of the all-too-catchy pub anthems and putting together a great ALBUM, which is their most textured and well-produced to date. "Gas Panic" is maybe the best song Noel Gallagher has written since "Cast No Shadow," and songs like "Where Did it All Go Wrong" and "Sunday Morning Call" add to an often intimate album, and certainly the most personal one the band has released. Cheers to Spike Stent for producing a really visionary sound, and expanding this great and important bands' sonic pallet. I look for the NEXT Oasis album, and the one following that to be fantastic.

Just fron the album cover and their new logo, you'll know Oasis has a few new things in store for their fans. While I do like Be Here Now, it did suffer from overkill and runs a little too long. SOTSOG is a excellent change of pace and while they've added some new elements to their music, it is very much vintage Oasis. Most of the songs are shorter but are still filled with the terrific sense of melody that Noel has captured since day one.

The opening track is rowdy and archaic built on samples from the legendary 1970 Isle Of Wight concert film. Go Let It Out is a fun and straight out rocker. Who Feels Love, Gas Panic, Where Did It All Go Wrong, Sunday Morning Call and Roll It Over are the other standouts. Little James isn't nearly as bad as it's been made out to be. The overall production is a little grittier than before and the use of keyboards and organ gives many of the songs a classic psychedelic feel to them. The performances are all first rate. Along with Liam, Noel's vocals are feature on several tracks and sounds great. The backing female vocals is a nice touch and adds something different to those songs as well.

On first listen, it may not sink in but give it a chance. Unfortunately it seems that today's young music listeners have the attention span of a canned ham which pretty much explains the current state of popular music. For me, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants is a keeper and a worthy return for Oasis.

Frankly, I wasn't sure what to expect. After the Be Here Now fiasco (despite how many copies it sold, it still left almost no impression at all), I was curious as to what Noel Gallagher and company would sound like if he ever got around to writing music again, not paging through his back catalogs of shite that wasn't good enough for WTSMG. The answer is pretty good. SOTSOG is an odd album, but in a good way. As somebody who absolutely loves Oasis, and most of what they've done, SOTSOG almost feels like two EP's put togather. The first half is composed of upbeat, fast paced standard Oasis, quality songs. The standout being Who Feels Love, destined to be my personal summer anthem. I don't think I've heard another song as beautiful as this one in a long time. Sure, while it's chock full o' hippie sentiment, can you really argue with the lyric of "There's nothing more to be if you can be the remedy who heals love?" The second half however is where things get interesting. Decidedly more complex than anything we've heard from them before. The overwhelming paranoia that comes through in Gas Panic is supurbly conveyed and the bewildered anger that characterizes Where Did It All Go Wrong is simply awesome. Almost a kind of Anti-Don't Look Back In Anger. Roll It Over almost makes it as a great song, but the chorus sounds out of place. Overall, this is one that deserves multiple listens and over time I have not doubt that it marks the "new direction" that Noel has been endlessly talking about. It's not that different, but different enough to make us fans perk our ears up again and start wondering what's going to happen next. There is no debating it...the band is changing and the sound is changing. This marks the tentative first baby steps of Noel branching out into some new territory, and if this is any indication on where he's taking us, I'm all for it. Not a four, but it's damn close. Three Stars.

I can only start this review by saying that this is the first Oasis album which I find myself skipping over several of the tracks. Even the harshly criticized "Be Here Now" had songs which were instantly listenable, the tracks on this CD have to grow on you and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.It starts with the instrumental "Fuckin' In The Bushes" which features lots of sampling, drum loops, etc. Noel apparently was going for a dance-feel which no doubt is inspired from his club hopping days as a youth. However this is a let down. Considering his fantastic work with the Chemical Brothers I was expecting something much more interesting but this track turns out to be a repetitive bore. It doesn't even come close to their earlier rock instrumental "The Swamp Song"."Go Let It Out" was the first single and rightly so. A very upbeat tune with noticable basslines (bass was not something that was easily picked up on in previous Oasis songs.) The lyrics harken back to their previous efforts with happy-go-lucky, positive vibes.The creaky and overly psychedelic "Who Feels Love?" shows it's face and the words that Liam sings sound like some hippie chant. A bad 60's sound-a-like.Oasis finally shake it up with the rock track "Put Yer Money Where Your Mouth Is" though it is strictly a by the numbers Oasis tune though it is well paced and the keyboards are a nice touch but Noel, sometimes *less* distortion is better.By far the most laughable aspect of the album is Liam's inept lyric writing which takes the form of "Little James", an ode to his step son. Calling it "simplistic" would be too kind. Lyric sample; "You live for your toys, even though they make noise." Please Noel, keep Liam away from pen & paper.Lyrically, "Gas Panic!" might be one of Noel's best ever, dealing with his past drug abuse sounding more like a poet than I've ever heard..."My pulse pumps out a beat to the Ghost Dancer. My eyes are dead and my throat's like a black hole..and if there's a God would he give another chancer an hour to sing for his soul?" Noel sings lead on "Where Did It All Go Wrong?" on one of the 2 true gems from the album. Is Noel letting his age get to him? He seems to question his whole life on this album.."Do you keep the receipts for the friends that you buy? And ain't it bittersweet, you were only just getting by." Noel has a gift for stressing the words at the absolutely perfect moment in *just* the right way. You *feel* what he's singing about and is the mark of a wonderful singer."Sunday Morning Call" is the other gem I was speaking of and once again features Noel on lead vocals. I do think this is the best of the album. Beautifully arranged and Noel sounds so angelic, it has "single" written all over it as it's possibly the most radio friendly of the bunch with one of the best crescendo's I've ever heard. Again Noel finds himself questioning his past songwriting as "Live Forever" once proclaimed he would do just that but now..."your thoughts and words won't last forever more.." Sad to be sure."I Can See A Liar" and "Roll It Over" round out the album on a somewhat dulled note. These last 2 tracks are almost entirely uninspired and probably commit the worst crime a song can do.....you can't remember how they go when they're finished playing.Lyrically this CD contains Noel's most mature work but other than a few of the stand outs I've mentioned, the music is far from catchy though I applaud him for straying from the tried and true "Oasis sound" and doing something different combining 60's sounds with 2000 technology.This is the last album to feature "Bonehead" and "Guigsy" (their original bass & rhythm guitarists) which is ok by me. They were decent enough but the new members, Gem Archer and Andy Bell are BIG mark ups + they're songwriters who will contribute to their next album in a few years finally giving Noel a rest and making Oasis a true "band". Now that I'm looking forward to.Note; The U.S. release contains a bonus CD featuring "Go Let It Out" (again!?!) and the wonderful "Let's All Make Believe" which was a B-side to "GLIO" in England. The B-side *should* have been on the album and it's inclusion alone would have made me give the album **** instead of ***, it's that good a song. Lyrically simple yet somehow powerful as it brings out strong emotion in me...."Let's all make believe that we're still friends and we like each other.." that's a good line to end on I think.