Oasis

Be Here Now

An album I would love to hate..but just can't

Review Score:

(6/10)
Much like the band, BE HERE NOW is an album you really want to hate. I was about 14 when Oasis made a splash over here in the colonies, and since then, I have fought an intense internal battle to avoid these guys altogether. The Gallagher brothers are complete jerks and their music (at first glance) often seems like no more than a complete rip-off of The Beatles. But I finally succumbed, and bought a few Oasis CDs just recently. Completely ashamed, I searched to justify my new title as "Oasis fan." As hard as I tried not to like these guys, everytime I put on one of their records I liked them more and more. BE HERE NOW sealed the deal: I'm hooked. Firstly, I will concede that there are some serious problems with this record; almost all the songs are too long and the lyrics are at times banal. However, this is a great album; no one makes rock music like this anymore. Today's British music scene is dominated by bands like Travis and Coldplay who are, like Oasis, direct descendants of The Beatles...but isn't this OK? The Beatles are quite arguably the single most influential band in the history of rock and roll..don't we expect modern bands to sound like them? If sounding like The Beatles means infectious hooks, gut-wrenching emotion, and sonic sophistication, the music scene could use a lot more Beatles rip-offs and a lot less Trains, Matchbox 20s, Creeds, etc...I highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoys listening to rock. Skeptics, beware....this album may change your mind about Oasis.

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