Oasis A to Z

Keep the Dream Alive

The only huge miss-step on DBTT, Andy Bell's very poor lyric fails to be redeemed by what is Liam's worst ever album vocal.

He's seemingly out of breath, Kermitting up a storm, sounding like a bad tribute. The "I'm at the crossroads" in particular; just horrible.

3/10

Ian Brady, is that you?

Let There Be Love

We tragic fanboys already knew this from the "It's a crime" demo that was leaked during the SOTSOG era - the sentiment is nice: Yes, let there be love. Love's pretty alright.

The original lyric was a bit confused and too vague, so the finished product is an improvement but it's still a quite blah. They missed an opportunity to fit in another "shee-ine" from Liam instead of "soul" in the line about stealing from the sun.

It opens with what sounds like a bong rip for some reason - maybe it's just the dregs of a "juicebox" - and we're at the point where Noel started wanting random wind-chimes in the studio when recording.

We get a fake ending followed by a little instrumental jaunt which in all is reminiscent of the Beatles/Theetles' Free as a bird.

As a closer it's decent, and if DBTT was the last Oasis album it'd be a fitting track with which to end it all, their second and final duet. 7/10.

60 tracks in, my top twelve:

Acquiesce - 10
Champagne Supernova - 10
Don't Look Back in Anger - 10
D'You Know What I Mean? - 10
Fuckin' in the Bushes - 10
Go Let It Out - 10
All Around the World - 9
Don't Go Away - 9
It's Gettin' Better (Man!!) - 9
Ain't Got Nothin' - 8
Fade In-Out - 8
Hello - 8

The board (not including me) top twelve:

Gas Panic! - 9.50
Acquiesce - 9.38
Fuckin' in the Bushes - 9.25
I Hope, I Think, I Know - 9.20
D'You Know What I Mean? - 9.17
Champagne Supernova - 9.00
Go Let It Out - 9.00
Cigarettes & Alcohol - 9.00
Be Here Now - 8.88
Bring It on Down - 8.86
Columbia - 8.83
Fade Away - 8.80

My bottom five:

Can Y'See It Now? (I Can See It Now!!) - 2
(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady - 2
Eyeball Tickler - 3
Better Man - 3
Helter Skelter - 3

Your bottom five:

Force of Nature - 0.83
Hung in a Bad Place - 2.33
Helter Skelter - 2.67
A Quick Peep - 3.00
(You've Got) The Heart of a Star - 3.20

Bizarre you should say that - this girl (who for what follows was Italian) was called Myra and when she told me I started telling her about a famous British murderer called Myra that buried some bodies not far from where she was standing :ffs: Obviously I said it slightly more romantically though and mentioned they were kids bodies. Smooth.

What's even more freaky is she said her second favourite Oasis tune was Let There Be Love (no shit). I didn't have the heart to tell her I thought it was tosh as I was still buzzing off meeting her so randomly. All in all: she was a madferit but mad fer the wrong songs. Weird feeling. I think she was a 7/10 overall, lino, thus approx 1 point higher than Heroes. Thx.

Anyone who's second favourite Oasis song is 'Let there be Love', nay, anyone who just thinks Let there be Love is a more than tolerable song, is clearly a psychopath. That, tied with the fact that she didn't flee in horror when a bootcut wielding loner started rambling at her about child killers and dead bodies beneath her feet.

I'd stay clear Sully, this could get messy.

Her second favourite? You should've told her that it's a crime! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

'Bootcut wielding loner' is definitely my new tagline on my dating profile The messages will be flooding in!! Watch and learn, guys.

She asked my favourite and I blurted out Rockin' Chair. A worthy pick yet she didn't even know it! Hindley waits, Hindley waits.

Let There Be Love is fucking abysmal and anyone who rates it should be banned from listening to music.

So it’s not a 7/10 then?

Tolerable is, what? A five? Abysmal a two? General consensus four?

Let's All Make Believe

The lost treasure of Oasis' catalogue, b-side to SOTSOG's lead single Go Let It Out, it's a pretty bleak song about fake friends like some others on that album - clearly a big problem for Noel circa Be Here Now.

Understated arrangement with trembling guitars, quite tastefully produced and well sung.

Nothing objectionable in the lyrics, which are very literal - a long way from "stand up beside the fireplace". 8/10

Listen Up

There are only five more 10/10s from me on this list after this one - one of my all time favourite songs. B-side from final DM single Cigarettes and Alcohol, this was played live quite frequently early on.

It does suffer from Noel's tendency back then to just repeat the entire song instead of writing additional verses, but it's strong enough to survive the laziness.

As I've mentioned before, I came to Oasis late, so first knew this through an MP3 (from Napster) of the MTV Unplugged performance; loved it immediately.

The laziest lyric is the "wouldn't be so bad if I had more time", but it's still not terrible. It's Noel in defensive mode, persecuted or harangued by the "man in a suit", accused of a crime, but realistic enough to know life is automatic (maybe we're part of a masterplan?).

It could be shorter, but 10/10 nonetheless.

10/10

All night?

Little by Little

Noel's attempt at DLBIA for Heathen Chemistry, foolishly chosen as a single (double a-side for heaven's sake!), Little by Little is cringeworthy. Shameful stabs at universality and profundity fall terribly flat, but it apparently always seemed to go down well live.

Quite an elaborate video with a little (by little?) Robert Carlisle getting bounced about by city folks. Ends with a forest opening up or some such nonsense.

This whole album was in large part reheated Oasis pizza, but all the best toppings were already picked off 2 nights ago. It wasn't put in the fridge. And instead of reheating it in an oven or (pro tip) in a skillet, it's been done in a microwave, so it's unpleasant to eat, falls apart and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. 5/10

I passed out to little by little Brighton 2002

unplugged version 20 outta 10.