Oasis

Be Here Now

Overbloated Masterpiece

Review Score:

(8/10)
Be Here Now is widely considered the weak link of Oasis' musical catalogue, and it's easy to understand why people might think that way. After the massive success of What's the Story (Morning Glory)?, Oasis' follow-up LP is over-produced, overdubbed and, naturally, overlong (71 minutes!). It pretty much begs for the conclusion that the Gallagher boys took Morning Glory's success and used it to satisfy every creative urge they've ever had.

That conclusion is true, and the end result is maybe the most overly ambitious album in history. Of course, this being Oasis, almost all of it pays off. Be Here Now positively assaults you with every melody and ambiguous lyric that Oasis can find. Simple rock songs are morphed into seven and eight minute epics of self-awareness. "D'you Know What I Mean?" has a slow crunch that seems to last even longer than the song's gargantuan length. "My Big Mouth" would be Oasis' fastest driving rock song if it weren't for "I Hope I Think I Know." And both "Magic Pie" and "All Around the World" string out their chorus' into codas so long the songs practically beg for mercy by the end.

But all of it shimmers with that patented Gallagher touch. The melodies are spot on, and Liam Gallagher's vocals are as arrogant and effective as ever. Certainly, by the reprise (reprise!) of "All Around the World," the album has run out of steam. But part of Be Here Now's charms is its unending determined ambition to big the biggest album you've ever heard. And, if you can get past the collective bloat of the whole affair, you're left with another powerful LP in the Oasis catalogue.

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