Oasis

Be Here Now

Be Here Now - Great, but not so great as the Prequels

Review Score:

(8/10)
The instant Be Here Now hit the headphones of the critics it was written off. The hype surrounding Be Here Now was incredible, and therefore people expected 'Supersonic' and 'Wonderwall' repeated, and Oasis didn't give it to them. But Be Here Now is in fact a stunning mix of light Rock and majestic, soaring epics. 'D'You Know What I Mean?' kicks off the album with distroted chords and catchy rock riffs with depth in the lyrics that is often overlooked on first listen. The album reaches the depth only achieved previously with 'Wonderwall' and 'Cast No Shadow' with 'Stand By Me' and 'Don't Go Away', both of which show Liam's softer vocal skills. 'I Hope, I Think, I Know' and 'My Big Miuth' are both fast-paced, catchy little ditties and 'Fade In/Out' catches the listener with a sudden contrast to it's first few minutes with Slide Guitar and hard vocals. 'Magic Pie', though not one of Oasis' greatest tunes, which, unfotunately, does not highlight Noel's singing ability well, does have some beautiful touches in both the lyrics and guitar. Though 'Be Here Now' and the reprisal of 'All Around the World' are both rather weak (However I don't think the Reprisal was meant to be the greatest musical piece Noel's ever written) the end of the album is truly where it shines. 'It's Gettin' Better (Man! )' is a racous yet soaring seven minutes of musical glory with an incredible minute-long guitar riff at the five minute mark and some of Liam's greatest ever singing; he mixes his trademark sneering with some tone and note changes never before seen in him. Finally, 'All Around The World'; a 9-minute epic of a tune, indescribable to mere words and possibly my favourite ever Oasis song; the 'Champagne Supernova' of Be Here Now. If you like Oasis, in fact, if you like Alterntive music at all, you must get this album.

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