Although the cracks were beginning to enter the Oasis picture at this point, 1997 was not yet over and although the Be Here Now album was initially released to rave reviews and strong sales, after a while, the appeal for many was beginning to wear off. Still, there was room for some interesting EP releases by the group in this era. Stand By Me is the second EP release based from the Be Here Now album. Much like the other earlier releases by Oasis, this should be a worthy listen. Let’s take a listen to this and hear what it sounds like.

Stand By Me begins with a descending guitar slide and feedback, before a glorious and wonderful chord progression enters. Soon enough, the rest of the band gets going and this tune comes alive. Liam Gallagher sings wonderfully and gloriously, fitting for an amazing ballad and great Oasis tune that this is. “So..what’s the matter with you? Sing me something new. Don’t you know? The cold, the wind and the rain don’t know…they only seem to come and go away,” is a brilliant bridge lyrical section, before the chorus enters. If this song can be summed up in one word, it is: glorious. A fantastic piece of nicely structured music with a beautiful string section, this is a solid gold winner. An amazing listen, with a lyrical climax aimed squarely at songwriter Noel Gallagher’s ex-wife, this is nonetheless enjoyable and amazing to hear. If anything, this song suffers from being somewhat lengthy and repetitive as a flaw. A majestic, awesome and one of the best songs from Be Here Now, Noel Gallagher and crew made a brilliant listen here. Fantastic and enjoyable from start to finish, although some of the excess of the song could have been pulled back a bit. It ends with a loud guitar outro which is heavily overdriven, nice work.

(I Got) The Fever begins with more loud and quirky guitar parts, before drummer Alan White enters with a bombastic drum roll. Soon enough, Liam Gallagher gets singing in a wonderfully nasal way, showing the world how much of an impressive singer he was. This may be a B Side track, but again, this is absolutely wonderful and brilliant to hear. The whole band plays with confidence and excellence. This song points out that Be Here Now wasn’t necessarily the “great failure” that everyone says it was, quite the contrary. On a musical level, this is really brilliant, it just works. A fine and awesome listen, this tune is firepower musically and anthemic emotionally. A really awesome tune, and something for Oasis fans to remember. There is an extended guitar solo with some really awesome playing from Noel Gallagher, and it sounds terrific. In any case, a really cool tune to hear, and something for people listening to cherish. Cool, calm and collected, the Gallagher brothers lead the charge with Oasis. Another great song, with a quirky outro that leads into the next song with, “Cheers! Nice!” said right at the end. Cool stuff.

My Sister Lover begins with strummed acoustic guitars, piano and a lead guitar riff from Noel Gallagher. Soon enough, this gets underway very nicely and sounds really brilliant. Liam sings really tunefully, and this is another great cut from the group. “Faith in the lord is something I will never have, faith in my sister’s gonna set me free. Faith in the lord is something I will never have, ‘cos the lord I know don’t got no faith in me!” is sung by Liam Gallagher. The chorus has some really fantastic and top harmonies sung which are quite emotional. This is an interesting and devotional piece about being deeply in love with a lady who means everything. Both Liam and Noel Gallagher got married (for the first time) in 1997, so this song makes perfect sense. There are some blistering sounding guitar solos here, followed by another bridge/chorus section. A really decent, moving and unique tune, this sounds powerful and fantastic. The perfect soundtrack to music in 1997, just before Britpop died and the world moved on from it. Awesome to listen to, every time. The outro has some crunchy sounding guitars and riffs galore. Brilliant work, yet again. There is a slow and lengthy fade out here.

Going Nowhere is the last song on this EP. It’s another Burt Bacharach esque flavoured number, with organ, horns, pounding drums, maracas and strummed acoustic guitars. Interestingly enough, Noel Gallagher wrote this song way back in 1990 on a train when travelling. The chorus has a string section and the lyrics are eerily prophetic. Noel himself has somewhat of a six sense about him. Nonetheless, this is an underrated and very amazing from start to finish. A beautiful, unique and dynamic tune that definitely demands repeat listens, the music on this song is brilliant. “I’m gonna get me a motor, maybe a Jaguar, maybe a plane or a day of fame. I’m gonna be a millionaire, so can you take me there? Wanna be wild because my life’s so tame. Here am I, going nowhere on a train…” Says it all. This song may point to the fact that clairvoyancy ability can exist out there, although that is debatable. The end of the song has some beautiful organ playing, followed by a sweet sounding guitar solo. An excellent tune from start to finish.

Again, Oasis put out a really underrated, awesome and brilliant EP for all those into real music should care about. The songs present on this EP are mindblowing and really amazing. This is perfect music to play on a portable stereo at times when having a picnic in the park with friends, or just by going about on your daily business. Oasis were, and are, legendary. A must listen.

Fantastic music.

9/10