Oasis – Be Here Now (Remastered) (1997)

Oasis were the largest and most musically successful band on the planet before the release date of this album. The hype and frenzy surrounding this album were insane, so much so that numerous TV interviews and a documentary ran about the album before it was released. Unfortunately, this album was not well received for the hype prior to the album. The biggest band since The Beatles did not release as good an album as they possibly could have done. Still, it is packed with mega singalong tunes, so let’s observe this album, track by track, for history’s sake.

D’You Know What I Mean? launches this album in a tremendous way. It begins with the sound of an aeroplane, recorded at Mustique where the demos for this album were recorded. Soon enough, it goes into a huge amount of morse code, wah-wah guitar and overdubs. This isn’t a typical Oasis piece, that’s for sure. Eventually, this tune gets going after about a minute, and it does sound glorious and confident. Liam Gallagher sings in a wonderful, positive and emotional way, perfecting his singing voice here. This has the beat from N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton, slowed down for this track. The pre-chorus is different, and the chorus itself is awesome. “All my people, right here right now, D’You Know What I Mean? Yeah yeah,” is a nonsensical call to arms for those who still liked Oasis after this album was released. There is a huge amount of layered and compressed sound on this song, so much so that even though this track is very long, you listen to it differently every time. The repetition of this is a little difficult to bear at times, however. The piece is like Champagne Supernova but without the overall quality of that song. In fact, the whole album is just like that. A wah-wah guitar solo then emerges, which is triumphant sounding. Towards the end, a huge amount of overdriven guitars and feedback build up to a climax, before reaching the summit and finishing. The feedback at the end is awful and could have been removed in retrospect. There are a huge amount of backwards guitars here. Do we know what Oasis mean? Yeah, yeah…

My Big Mouth begins with more feedback, before launching into a great song that was played at the Knebworth gigs in 1996. In fact, this sounds not too far away from some of the efforts by the group on Definitely Maybe. Sure there are a trillion identical, overdubbed guitars but this does sound quite good for a piece of its sort. Liam Gallagher really hits the high notes, especially in the chorus, and Noel and Liam both knew he could sing very well at this point. A very good number, which obviously refers to the identity and fame of the Gallagher brothers. This does sound uplifting and extraordinary. With lyrics referring to “walking slowly down the hall of fame”, it seems Oasis were enjoying their successes to the full at this point. After a soaring guitar solo, we re-enter the singing section, which is fantastic. Although again, this is fairly repetitive, it is an enjoyable listen nonetheless. Noel Gallagher’s backing vocals at the end are awesome. Cool tune. It segues into the next track, with the sound of an oven cooking a pie. Tripped out.

Magic Pie begins with strummed acoustic guitars, a keyboard and some awesome morse code/feedback. The guitar playing in the intro is very bluesy sounding. Noel Gallagher sings this one, sounding triumphant and confident. Soon enough, this song goes into a heavily layered piece of guitar-laden frenzy. Whether or not that was a good idea is going to divide listeners. Nonetheless, Noel sings about whimsical ideals and his part in the world. Although many people consider this song to be awful, it would have been better stripped down, to be fair and reasonable. There is a quote from Tony Blair in the second set of verses, which has aged poorly in retrospect. Despite the fact that this song is more of a miss than a hit, it does fairly well. The chorus is nonsensical, as is the general motive for the song. After a second repeat of the chorus, some impressive wah-wah/feedback is embraced, before the guitar solo. The solo itself also has some very psychedelic vocal harmonies on it, and it just sounds glorious. Bear in mind that these guys were under the influence whilst making this album, and this song sounds very much that way. Eventually, the chorus returns for a final round of continuation. It is the sound of five young men making music to reflect themselves at the time: high. Eventually, the outro finally emerges, with Alan White doing some tremendous drum rolls, right before Noel screams, “Shut up!” and the Jazz coda begins. A weird tune, but very representative of Be Here Now nonetheless. Interesting, Noel Gallagher says, “Oh dear!” at the end, which is probably what he thinks about this song today.

Stand By Me is one of the more popular tunes from this album. It begins with a guitar descending slide, lurching into feedback before this gets going nicely. The opening lyric lines are fairly disgusting, but the rest of the song continues a lot of the rest of the album’s theme: bold and confident. There is also a string section throughout in the background, which makes things a bit different to listen to. A confident and inspired tune, this is a very good listen. The chorus is fairly repetitive, but there are handclaps and some nice chord changes throughout this section. Probably inspired by John Lennon’s own Stand By Me, this is a good song, destroyed by the muddy sound and the length of it all. Indeed, this album is great proof that having a gazillion guitar tracks on it is an egotistic and stupid move. This is a great song, despite all that. The solo section has more pronounced string sections to it, and it finishes, once again, with the chorus. A good song overall, even if it is a chore at times to get through. The outro has some interesting overdriven guitar parts.

I Hope, I Think, I Know begins with a huge amount of feedback, before going straight into a fast and rather brutal piece of songwriting by Noel Gallagher. Liam Gallagher’s singing is actually very good here, as once again, he hits all the high notes very well. This is a pseudo-Punk listening experience, and Alan White’s drumming in particular is a strong point of this song. In any case, this is a bit weaker as a number for a song, but despite that, this sounds quite good. Note that there is zero bass guitar to this album, it seems that Guigsy was totally mixed out in the process of listening. Which is odd. Regardless, a powerful and rather aggressive listen from Oasis. Just not the best song on here, but nonetheless, a strong effort. It’s a good song to annoy others. The outro has some delayed guitars, which is cool.

The Girl In The Dirty Shirt follows, with a single chord intro, before going into a piece adapted from The Beatles Wild Honey Pie. This is another fairly lengthy meandering sort of listening experience, but Liam Gallagher sings like the Rock God he always wished to be. A really cool listen, although this is not the most inspired Oasis listen. Still, the chorus is catchy and interesting, with an electric guitar-heavy piece that sounds really awesome. Alan White proves to be an excellent drummer, with his “ghost beat” rhythms, he really does sound sensational and good on this song. An uplifting song, and a comical sort of ballad, this is very much fun to listen to, despite its length. At the end is a Wurlitzer, which sounds phenomenally good. A cheesy tune, but nonetheless, a decent one to hear. It ends with dual tracked electric guitars and the aforementioned Wurlitzer, a very nice listen.

Fade In-Out begins with maracas, loose instrumentation and a count-in by Noel Gallagher. Some acoustic guitars, feedback-laden electric guitars and slide guitar by Johnny Depp (yes, you read that correctly) are here. Once Liam Gallagher sings, the whole thing sounds like the most out-there Blues music that only a band like Oasis would do. After the chorus, bongo drums enter to go with the whole vibe, which is actually quite interesting. Liam really pushes his limited and nasal vocal range here well, and Noel told him to stomp his foot throughout this piece, desiring Liam to sing like a man from Memphis. In the middle is a loud scream, followed by a chaotic and feedback-laden Rock jam. This jam itself isn’t that good to be fair, and it really could have been rethought. In any case, this is a dark, murky tune that goes on for quite some time for its nature, nearly seven minutes in fact. Towards the end, Liam sings, “Yer Fade In-Out” repeatedly, which gets a little tiresome after a while. The outro has Liam Gallagher’s vocals hit with a load of delay, Grungy styled guitars and a gradual strip-down of all the sounds present. It ends with some nasty guitar. Not the best piece on this album, although it does have some promise regardless.

Don’t Go Away begins with the clashing of drum sticks before a really beautiful ballad emerges with strummed acoustic guitars, melodic and slow lead guitar, a string and horn section to go as well. This is a very heartfelt and moving piece, especially with Liam Gallagher’s naked vocal delivery. He really sings from the heart in this song, and we hear a side of sensitivity that many vocalists rarely deliver. The string and horn arrangements were inspired by Burt Bacharach, and this shows a lyrical flavour that is reminiscent of that sort of music. Still, a very pretty and beautiful ballad, and definitely a great love song, no question about it. Towards the end, the sound builds up into a frenzied finish. A great tune, and an underrated Oasis piece. Excellent. It finishes with classical and regular acoustic guitars, which is a nice touch. Great song.

Be Here Now is the title track. It begins with an electronic sound that is very weird from a toy keyboard, before launching into a guitar-heavy track with the electronic sound reoccurring. This song is not as good as one would hope to think, it sounds like a fairly average effort. Liam Gallagher, once again, is the real star of this song (and likely the album, too) as he sings with passion and emotion that many others cannot achieve. This is a fairly ordinary song and it sounds quite muddy. It sounds like a Rock jam that was lazily put together by Oasis, which it probably was. The lyrics are fairly ordinary, too. In any case, this was always the opening song on the Be Here Now tour, which is rather unusual. Towards the end, Noel Gallagher chants before the Columbia rip off part enters with Liam singing it. Seriously, they lacked that much inspiration at this point? Very disappointing to hear. A very ordinary song.

All Around The World begins with beautifully strummed acoustic guitars, some clean electric guitars, audible bass guitar(!) and quickly launches into a great song. Which it is. This was written many years prior to the release of Be Here Now, and it has many different musical elements present on this song. Liam Gallagher sings in such a positive and uplifting way that, for a little bit, you can overlook his rather pathetic public behaviour (for most of the time, anyway). This is poetry set to a really great and grand musical landscape. There is piano, two orchestras, good guitar parts and pounding drums, to name a few of the sounds. After the main verses have gone, Liam sings some Champagne Supernova style “na-na-na’s”, which is very cool. There is a key change after that, and this song sounds really interesting and wonderful. A really interesting listening experience, it launches into a huge musical frenzy before having another key change. “All Around The World, you gotta spread the word, tell ’em what you’ve heard, you know it’s gonna be OK,” sings Liam. Nothing is more positive a statement than that. The song continues with Noel singing in the background of this glorious tune that everything will be okay. “Please don’t cry, never say die,” is said, before we go into a good instrumental section with loads of sounds, including the orchestras, going on. This song is nine minutes long after all. Some Britpop style na’s then enter towards the end, before this piece concludes very well. Nice, even though it is Oasis for nine minutes straight. Good tune.

It’s Gettin’ Better (Man!!) begins with an onslaught of electric guitars and percussion, before going straight into a very loud Rock piece. This was another number played at Knebworth in 1996. Liam’s singing is very good, once again, despite the fact that this is a fairly average song. A more stripped-down version of this song would have been appropriate instead of the version present on this album. This is a trashy sort of tune that has not aged at all well, it just sounds like music to add yet more length to this already overly long album. In the middle of the tune, it’s guitar solo time. Organ and wah-wah guitar solos fight for attention and space in this song section. Eventually, the whole thing leads to a climax with a key change, but after the chorus, the vocals are repeated to the nth degree. “We’re getting better, man!” is repeated so often that it makes you want to skip the song entirely, which is probably a good choice. A trillion guitars present also are not very good to hear. Sadly, this is a disaster zone for those who like variety in their music. Fortunately, it finally ends at around seven minutes long with some loud guitars.

All Around The World (Reprise) begins with some string sections, piccolo trumpet and an annoying feeling that we have to hear the same melodies from a couple of songs back. Despite that, this instrumental is quite good, and it is primarily to show the prowess of Alan White as a drummer. The whole thing gets loud and dramatic. Eventually, after some large drum rolls, this gets winding down and we hear some footsteps and a slammed door. This is the end of disc one.

Stay Young begins with some glorious drum rolls and keyboards. If there ever were an underrated song, this would be it from Oasis. A catchy, youthful and lovely listen, this is just top. The lyrics here are much better than most of what is on the main Be Here Now album, and this sounds effortless. Liam Gallagher sings this piece really well, and he is undeniably amazing in this song. A great song, and one of the hidden gems from the era. A singalong piece that is amazing from start to finish, this must be known by Oasis fans across the world, otherwise you only really know Wonderwall. A great, energetic and uplifting piece of music, this is outstanding. The guitar solo is exciting and manic, and this proves that Noel Gallagher was quite wrong about Be Here Now. In the second half, the spacey keyboard sound is more prominent, and both Liam and Noel sing wonderfully here. A great lost piece of Rock music, fortunately though, it is on this expanded release. Uplifting, lovely and powerful, Oasis were still on top form during 1997. This is proof of that. The song ends with some nice guitars and keyboard textures. Brilliant.

The Fame comes next, with a good set of drumming and Rock guitars to open with. This is sung by Noel Gallagher, and it is actually rather prophetic about himself and what happened from the aftermath of Be Here Now. It’s himself having a bit of a whinge, but necessarily so. This is a good song regardless, and a real caution to people who are in the spotlight extensively. Musically, it sounds very accomplished and decent. Noel may have had writer’s block for some time, but he still comes across as a great songwriter and musician. A good listen about people taking advantage of The Chief himself, and it makes plenty of sense to those who experienced the sonic album disappointments of Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants and Heathen Chemistry to follow. There is a great sense of regret and paranoia throughout this song, even being emotionally exhibited in the guitar solo on this song. Fame destroys a lot of people, and in this aspect, it can destroy anyone. A great cautionary tale for the listener. It segues directly into the next track.

Flashbax begins with thunderous drums, before going into a simple acoustic-driven number. Noel Gallagher sings here again, and does a wonderful job of explaining his position, but less of a complaining position than previously. This is about the changes that Noel experienced now being rich and famous, as opposed to what he had growing up. Nonetheless, this is a great sounding B-Side and addition to this remastered album. It is very good that Noel and Oasis in general both cared enough about fans to show them the extra good tracks from this era on this expanded album. Noel sings from the soul, and even on lesser songs (or seemingly so) here, he delivers. A fantastic listen about moving on with life, this is Noel in a more carefree life than what he previously had. There are whistling and gorgeous keyboard sounds, instead of a guitar solo on this song. This actually sounds a little like Pink Floyd in some ways but is completely different in intent from the music that Pink Floyd ever made. This song ends with a load of crazy Alan White drum fills repeated singing from Noel and a dramatic conclusion. Nice effort.

(I Got) The Fever begins with a load of loud electric guitars, before quickly launching into a rather catchy tune that does well. Liam Gallagher sings wonderfully on this song, and he proves himself to be a great singer, even on these B-Side tracks. If Be Here Now deserves any sort of praise, it is that Liam’s singing was at its absolute peak, at least on these recordings. An interesting tune and also worth hearing, although it is difficult to tell what he means by having “the fever” himself. Still, these tunes are solid gold. Be Here Now was just as good as the first two albums? Quite possibly really. These extra songs are amazing and are just brilliant. A pulsating and electric guitar solo is present in this song, and it shows that this was a great extra song from the era. It’s not revolutionary like The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, but does it need to be? A fantastic and euphoric listen regardless. Towards the end is some monumental drum work, before this tune finishes. Great stuff. It has some thank yous, before segueing into the next song.

My Sister Lover is a longer piece at six minutes long. It begins with piano, strummed acoustic guitar and some other layered instrumentation to boot. Liam Gallagher sings his soul out, and proves to the world he could do his John Lennon/John Lydon crossover vocal perfectly on these tracks. This is about rejecting God-like ideals for love in the world. This makes sense to the listener if viewing it from a non-religious and a wholly Gallagher brothers’ perspective. The harmonies with Liam and Noel throughout are delicious. A sort of love song, but not overly so, this song like the other ones from the era, succeeds. A great and youthful listen, this has some beauty and melody that is intense and amazing throughout. A really cool tune, there is some fuzz guitar in the instrumental solo section, which is different. Another top tune, Be Here Now is that underrated classic from Oasis. Liam then returns on vocals, and this is the perfect album to remember 1997, and a great era that it was. The harmonies sung by the Gallagher brothers, again, are amazing. This continues right to the end, and the guitar work gets wild and frenzied to complete the journey. Eventually, this piece winds down nicely and sounds really terrific. Underrated.

Going Nowhere is another Burt Bacharach inspired song, except that it is likely the most underrated Oasis song in history. It has strummed acoustic guitar, keyboard, horns and a gorgeous string section throughout. It’s actually Noel Gallagher writing a song back in 1990 about what he would do once he became rich and famous. Do not assume that people cannot predict the future accurately. Despite the sad overtone, this is actually enjoyable listening as what Noel wrote back on the dole came true. This is an excellent song, especially for those who know deep down their excellence and the fact you can shape a better future for yourself. A brilliant and simple song, this is deep and inspirational listening. A great song to listen to when the mood strikes, this is a definitely unforgettable tune. The tune has some beautiful instrumentation towards the end driving this superb piece along, namely piano. A great piece of music, and very polished and pretty. If you love Oasis, you should hear this track as well. 

Stand By Me – Live at Bonehead’s Outtake is the acoustic version of the song recorded for the Right Here, Right Now documentary. Needless to say, Liam Gallagher’s singing and Noel Gallagher’s strumming match each other perfectly in this version. This is a real connection between the two brothers, something which Noel himself would dismiss existed in the first place today, which is a foolish assumption by Noel. A really nice and gentle breezy listen. Liam and Noel’s singing during the chorus combined is fantastic. Despite the overblown nature of some of Be Here Now, these guys could take these songs to a stripped-down version and still succeed wonderfully at their craft. The lyrics and simple music make for a brilliant listen, and no doubt most Oasis fans would approve of this. A grand, pretty and great statement, this version of Stand By Me is really loveable and enjoyable. A great song in any version, it is so great to hear the two Gallagher brothers doing this music nicely together. A bit lengthy at six minutes long, but does it matter? Every moment on this version of this song is enjoyable. Top tune by Oasis and this should be heard if you haven’t heard it already. Excellent work. It finishes quickly.

Untitled – Demo should not be dismissed as a tune. Although it may seem like a loose acoustic piece from Noel Gallagher that was not completed, it sounds like a decent addition to this expanded and remastered album. Noel sings this tune about memories of the past and similar things, it is a simple yet enjoyable listen. Sure, it’s not mind-blowing but that doesn’t mean it is bad at all. Noel obviously had a huge amount of songs in progress and working on at every Oasis recording period. A must-hear for fans, and even something that casual listeners will appreciate. A slow burner, but one that burns well, rather than stinking. A genuinely good listen that could have been worked on a bit more, but a decent experience to hear nonetheless. A really good and enjoyable piece of music, Noel Gallagher surprises us with this half-finished piece that sounds interesting. Great tune to hear, even in this setting.

Help! – Live in LA is just that, a slower yet more soulful piece of music that is a cover of The Beatles classic song. Even though this is a cover, Noel Gallagher sings well and wonderfully. These sorts of solo acoustic numbers showed how much a brilliant musician Noel is, and someone who is an absolute musical legend. This is merely a cover, but Noel Gallagher’s singing and the slower pace does this song great justice. Proof that a cover can improve an original song, hats off to Noel for recognising this music and giving it a new level of consciousness. Oasis may not be loved as much as The Beatles ever were, but Noel puts in a fantastic performance throughout. Simply beautiful, he should release an acoustic-only album at some point. Great cover.

Setting Sun – Live Radio Broadcast is an interpretation of the song that Noel Gallagher and The Chemical Brothers made together. The difference? It is another Noel Gallagher solo acoustic number, which was regularly performed on the Be Here Now tour. This is amazingly great as an interpretation for Oasis styled fans, with a real nod to The Chemical Brothers original throughout. A fantastic and excellent listen, this is undeniably magical and amazing. If you dig acoustic music, this should be one of your regular listens throughout your life. Upbeat, enjoyable and soul searching, Noel Gallagher sings from his soul and proves that by this point, he could match brother Liam’s singing very well. It repeats a little before concluding, great job. Simple music for simple people, a great listen.

If We Shadows – Demo is another lesser-known tune that should have been put somewhere into the Be Here Now cannon. Admittedly, this song is not as strong as some of the other songs of the era, but hey, it still sounds really fantastic. A melancholy sort of piece, perhaps Coldplay took inspiration from Oasis’s more melancholy tunes such as this one. Regardless, a good song, even if it is not particularly memorable. Noel Gallagher shows himself to be a true pioneer of music and no doubt many of his contemporaries could not keep up. This is a good listen, provided you come to it with zero assumptions about some of the lesser tracks of Oasis. It is very difficult to believe Noel’s statements about “running out of inspiration” for this album, this is clearly not the case. A really steady and excellent piece of music, even for a lesser. “I feel no shame at all,” says it all. Enjoyable.

Don’t Go Away – Demo begins with some gentle acoustic playing, before launching into a rather rough demo of this amazing song. This was likely one of the pieces done at Mustique where Noel Gallagher demoed all the songs. A wonderful piece that Noel sings from the heart, and it is a really excellent piece of awesome music. There is evidence of Noel’s writing block, as some of the lyrics are incomplete. Still, this is very pure, romantic and magical. A fine and interesting listen, this is a really uplifting piece of balladry that never gets old. The fact that the Gallagher brothers sing from such a deep and humane place makes their music really shine. The middle eight does not have lyrics, just acoustic guitar playing here. It finishes very nicely.

My Big Mouth – Live at Knebworth Park is where Oasis did their first live version of this excellent song, back in the huge festival of 1996. Liam Gallagher introduces the song, whilst he and Noel joke about it before Noel Gallagher plays the lead guitar riffage opening the song. Once it gets going, this sounds really fantastic and wonderfully driven. Admittedly, Liam’s voice sounds somewhat raspy, but he still hits the notes for the most part. Regardless, the whole band are on top form on this song and this is a great moment in musical history. If you don’t know about this concert, technically you aren’t an Oasis fan. A menacing and rawer version of this tune, it certainly sounds rather Punk like. An enthusiastic and energetic listen, this excels as a live song. The guitar solo sounds top and fun to hear, and this is a big moment of recognition for the group. Who knew that 108DB of Oasis could sound so good? This is an excellent song and must be heard if you like live Oasis. A great tune, Noel’s backing vocals at the end are incredible. It ends nicely, in a different way from the album version. Good job boys.

D’You Know What I Mean? – NG’s 2016 Rethink is exactly that. It is a sober revisit to the Cocaine excess of the original song. Since although this is the case, the instruments are better mixed and sound somewhat more realistic. Although this is essentially a remix of the original song, neither version (original or remix) is better. Both stand tall in different ways. What are the differences? It seems more cut down and defined, and yes, you can hear all the overdubs well, including the string section. Whereas the original album version was best heard wasted, this is best heard clean and sober. A fantastic redo, although Noel Gallagher himself should have been bothered to do this for the rest of the album. It sounds very Psychedelic and Electronic, which is not exactly what Oasis were about. But, who cares? Variety is variety, and this is that. A great and interesting listen which has fewer guitars, more textures and a slightly more interesting vibe, this sounds terrific. A really fine and cool journey through sound, this is really great. The wah-wah guitar solo is crystal clear and sounds twice as good as the original version of the solo. A very wonderful listen, amazing to hear, and a great idea by Noel Gallagher to remix this legendary tune. The ending is less chaotic than the original version, it ends with sustained string sections, loads of backwards morse code and the ending guitar loop in the right channel. Very cool, nice job bro.

D’You Know What I Mean? – Mustique Demo begins side three of the album and has the aeroplane intro, somewhat elongated. Before long, some psychedelic guitars enter which are different. It sounds very surreal, before the Wonderwall styled guitars enter. Before long, this piece gets going with Noel Gallagher singing away nicely. It is a simple demo, but a very good one at that. The jangly guitars are different from the album version, and the whole thing sounds different. Noel sings differently than brother Liam does and he sounds really gloriously good. An interesting and more stripped back demo, this is really great and fantastic listening. A forward thinking and powerful piece of music, this takes on a completely different atmosphere to the album version. Perhaps Noel Gallagher’s writer’s block is self-evident in this song, he sounds as though he is struggling to make an original song here. Despite that, this is a very good demo and The Chief does superbly well, on a demo alone. Great music, and this is a good demo. Enjoyable listening. The outro is different, with a psychedelic edge to it.

My Big Mouth – Mustique Demo comes next, and it begins with some feedback, before launching into a more straightforward and simple demo that is okay. Noel Gallagher does not deliver as well as Liam does on this song vocally, and sounds like he going through a routine here. Regardless, this is another simple and straightforward piece of music that does not unimpress. These are merely demos, by the way, but are good for what they are. A good listen anyway, Noel Gallagher obviously had a good idea of what he wanted to achieve on this song. Interesting guitar solos are here which are somewhat different from the album version, but still this sounds really amazing. Very decent song, and it sounds nice anyway. It ends with scorching guitars.

My Sister Lover – Mustique Demo begins with Noel commenting about himself coughing at the start of the demo, before this whole piece gets kicking. A very straightforward and decent listening experience, although Noel’s vocals are buried a little in this mix. Understandably, Noel Gallagher himself is a very different singer from brother Liam. He doesn’t sing that well here, and these demos sound fairly rushed. Regardless, this is okay listening, but just not phenomenally wonderful. A good, just not a great listen. Noel’s voice sounds rather tuneless here, and this piece is rather underwhelming overall. Rather repetitive as well, this could have been edited down somewhat. A good but not great demo, but then again, what did you expect? It finishes off with loud guitars and pounding drums.

Stand By Me – Mustique Demo is yet another lengthy demo, with some acoustic guitars and some interesting lead guitar work. Noel Gallagher sings again, and he actually sounds fairly good. This is still a demo, of course, but he does very well and delivers. The electric guitar playing here sounds more concise and better delivered than you’d expect, and is a very good and enjoyable piece of music. The chorus in particular is quite good, and this piece is a monumental and powerful listen. Great listening, it does seem to be that the demos on this release have more character at times than the actual album versions themselves. Well delivered, Noel does a good job on these demos. Enjoyable listening, although this is quite long at six minutes in length. The outro has loads of bluesy sounding guitars, good work.

I Hope, I Think, I Know – Mustique Demo begins with guitars aplenty and launches into a more Punk Rock piece than the original song, and sounds really fast and furious. A loud and pacing listen, this is somewhat different to the album version. Sure, in retrospect, this song is rather throwaway, but this is a good effort. Dramatic music for a different time, Noel Gallagher does a great job, even on his own. A loud and straightforweard Rock tune, this is somewhat like The Buzzcocks, as Noel himself described this version as being. Powerful and wonderful, it is quite catchy listening. It ends with loads of loud guitars, excellent stuff.

The Girl In The Dirty Shirt – Mustique Demo comes next, and has a loose sounding intro, before this song gets kicking on well. There are acoustic guitars on this one, along with electric guitars and Noel Gallagher’s singing. This sounds like a much better listen than expected and compared to the earlier demos, Noel delivers a better and more awesome listening than before. Enjoyable and rather classy, this sounds very loud and direct. A more defined listen than the album version, this is pleasant and rather catchy listening experience compared with that. Noel sings his heart out on this song, and it is quite a good listening experience. The outro has repeated vocals and the layered guitars, which sound refreshing. A better effort than expected, and enjoyable.

Don’t Go Away – Mustique Demo begins with a completely different intro to the song, compared to the album version, which was cut down from here. Noel Gallagher sings over the top of acoustic guitars, and this song sounds more deeper and emotional in comparison to brother Liam Gallagher’s usual singing. In any case, this is a good demo that succeeds very well. Decent and great listening, this is good for what it is. A nice and well done demo, this sounds wonderful. A shorter and very sweet sounding tune.

Trip Inside (Be Here Now) is not what you’d expect. It’s a loose pastiche of guitars and guitar harmonics. This was obviously junked later on, but it is okay. There are some Talk Tonight sounding riffs throughout, which is likely where this was adapted from. An interesting addition to this remastered album, this is worth your time if you feel up to it. The playing here is nice and mellow, Noel Gallagher was likely high on this recording, or drug inspired. Very pretty.

Fade In-Out – Mustique Demo begins with maracas and launches into a more acoustic piece than the album version, although it still has Johnny Depp’s slide guitar present, of whom Noel Gallagher was hanging around with at the time on the island of Mustique. This is a great demo of the album song, and is a bit quicker than the album version. It is a good and interesting listen regardless, and just sounds very well done throughout. Very catchy and wonderful, this is very much more a better effort than the album version, which says a lot. A great old fashioned Blues music number, this works surprisingly well. Great song to hear, especially in this format, although this could have been cut down for the final album version. Good to hear, however. It ends with strummed guitar parts and a fade out.

Stay Young – Mustique Demo comes next, and is a much more lo-fi demo than you’d expect. It has Noel Gallagher’s singing and crunchy guitars, and is not as good as the album version. It’s okay, but rather ordinary sounding compared to the final product. But, then again, what did you expect? These are merely demos after all. A good song that needed some tweaking, but good at this stage alone. The guitar soloing in the middle is subdued, and the whole thing sounds rather messy audio wise. A good, but by no means, great effort musically. It ends at just under five minutes, and it’s okay, but barely that. It ends with some loud electric guitars.

Angel Child – Mustique Demo begins gorgeous acoustic guitars that sound great. Note that this is the only version of this song. A deep, beautiful and lovely sounding piece of music that sounds really romantic. It is a great listen and an inspiring tune. Really excellent listening, this is worth hearing for any Oasis fan out there. It is a very lovely and beautiful tune, and it sounds really excellent. This should bring a smile to your face, which is what it is should do. An acoustic guitar solo and handclaps are present on this song, and this certainly sounds enjoyable. A tranquil and lovely listen, this is underrated. Nice effort dude. It ends with a nice electric guitar arpeggio.

The Fame – Mustique Demo begins with loud guitars and a groovy backbeat that is very much like the final product. This is very similar to that, and it is moving as much as the final product is. A good and fairly underrated piece from the Be Here Now era. Catchy and different, it makes you wonder about Rock stars and their lifestyles. A great and interesting piece of music that says that we all have our own troubles, this is very groove based and decent. The guitar solo present is rather melacholic. Good song, even in this environment. Excellent listening. It ends with loads of scorching electric guitars.

All Around The World – Mustique Demo is next, with a hi-hat led intro, acoustic guitars that sound very pretty and an euphoric sound. It quickly launches into a rather sludgy version of this song with Noel Gallagher on vocals. It doesn’t have the orchestral backing nor many of the overdubs present, but sounds really beautiful. A decent tune to hear all the same, it is a great piece of music that was penned many years earlier. Forward thinking and pretty, this is also worth your time. A great tune with softer vocals by Noel, this is sounding completely different to the album version. It doesn’t sound as professional as the album version, but makes up for it in terms of beauty. Great effort, it sounds powerful and good all the same. It progresses more quickly and is shorter than the final product, which is actually a very good thing. A very good effort, the outro is different and is happily euphoric. It ends with the Be Here Now title track keyboard riff, which is interesting.

It’s Gettin’ Better (Man!!) – Mustique Demo begins with hi-hats and launches into the very last track on this expanded reissue. It quickly launches into quite an underwhelming version of this song. It sounds really quite ordinary, as like it was bashed out just to make a point. Noel Gallagher’s singing is very different to brother Liam’s, but all the same, this is a rather naff song that doesn’t really need to be on here. The guitars in particular need rethinking, and this is a very trashy song. It’s okay, but barely that. The guitars sound horrible in the solo section. Anyway, it’s here and for you to listen, whether or not you do is entirely up to you. The key change doesn’t change a great deal, and this ordinary song fortunately is at the very end. The repeated vocals at the end during the guitar solos at the end aren’t as many, but this is still very sub par for Oasis. It eventually ends, as does this re-release.

This is a very good album for what it is. To be fair, Oasis didn’t succeed as well with this album due to public expectations and the like. However, the music here is still great, and is still loved by people today. It’s not a total failure by any means, it just sounds top notch. Whether you are a casual fan or a diehard fan, this album is great to hear, even today. The remastered reissue here is wonderful. Check this out.

Outstanding.

10/10