Oasis – Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants (2000)

After the hype and expectation that Be Here Now created, the letdown occurred afterward. Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher struggled with coping with the aftermath of what had happened. By 1999, Bonehead and Guigsy left the band within a week of each other doing so. In short, things did not look good. Noel quit hard drugs in 1998 and Liam also had to follow strict rules regarding drug use during the recording of this album. Noel had no choice but to retreat inside himself and began experimenting further with sound more than ever before.

Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants itself was considered even worse than Be Here Now. It some respects, it honestly is. But strangely enough, it was the last album which Liam sang really well on it and that Noel didn’t need assistance with others for songs or musical inspiration. Some of the following Oasis albums were ordinary, to say the least. But this one definitely has its moments.

The lead-off song is Fuckin’ In The Bushes. It sounds rather bad in some parts, despite having a killer riff. It’s not too well thought out but has some even more interesting textures than what Be Here Now offered.

Go Let It Out comes next, and boy! It is a good song. It is upbeat, joyous and positive all in one. “Going leaving this city, gonna drive in and out of town. And you’re coming with me, the right time is always now.” Straight to the point, and great.

Who Feels Love? is a trippy song all right. Given Noel was sober after years of heavy hard drug use, it sounds concise but perhaps ill thought for a psychedelic song. Liam’s voice, although at this point had seen better days, matches the chorus fantastically. A very good song, complete with loads of trippy sounds.

Quite probably the worst Oasis song to make it onto an album, Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is says it all, it’s terrible. It is a direct rip off from The Doors and just sounds off-key totally. One was hoping for something a little bit better at least from Noel, but not this time. Worth skipping if you wish.

Following up is the fairly ordinary song, Little James. I’ll give Liam some credit here, it was his first songwriting attempt. But that says it all too, it is trashy in its nature. It sounds rather depressing and has a load of psychedelic sounds include a 12 string acoustic guitar. Better luck next time guys.

Gas Panic! is a standout tune on the album. It’s super underrated and sounds like paranoia at 4:00AM in the morning, probably more paranoid than anything else ever recorded. It’s an epic song, but unlike the songs on Be Here Now, isn’t overwhelmingly long. Listen to this if you feel lonely.

Where Did It All Go Wrong? is a very depressing song. It would have made better sense to have some of the instrumentation stripped back on this album too. It’s not easy listening to this one, but the guitar solo is great.

The dreary Sunday Morning Call follows and is the equivalent of an Oasis style death march. It is a little more upbeat this song but still, it is the musical equivalent of nothing special. It could have been shortened at least.

The next song I Can See A Liar is another contender for worst Oasis song ever recorded but harks back to the days of Definitely Maybe at least. It falls flat. It’s a terrible song and easily could have been junked in retrospect.

Roll It Over closes the album, and although seems like nothing special, it’s actually quite a good song. There are some beautiful guitar parts throughout and a Pink Floyd like atmosphere here. Liam sings wonderfully, and the album comes to a close.

Unlike many other low key albums out there, this one actually makes the tough times more bearable. It’s in no way a classic album, but many an Oasis fan and people who are going through a rough patch should give this a listen. Otherwise, you may as well crank up Wonderwall over and over. It’s by no means perfect but in some ways, it is still listenable.

7/10