It's 25 Years since Oasis' Be Here Now, their biggest & most divisive record

 

Last month saw the 25th anniversary of Oasis' Be Here Now, their third and last album by their classic line up featuring Bonehead & Guigsy and an LP that is Oasis warts and all, everything and the kitchen sink. It was hailed on its release as a classic with 5 star reviews by Q Magazine and Select but after all this time how does it sound now and how does this compared to how it sounded at the time of its release? Is it really their best as many Oasis fans attest or worthy for the charity shop? Below I'll go through it track by track but first..

Context

You have to hark back to summer of 1997 and remember where Oasis were at. In less than 18 months they had released two classic albums, a series of great singles and not too mention even better b-sides as well as a number of triumphant live shows. They had started making in roads into America.

Lead Up

The hype around the record was something I'd not experienced before. For a band that 'got me into music', it was an exciting time. I was too young to have experienced The Smiths, The Stone Roses or even early Suede so Oasis' timing was perfect. Yes the chords were simple, the lyrics largely meaningless and there was nothing pretty about them but then that's what I liked - they had genuine tunes, relatable and often humerous lyrics and a no nonsense image. And in Liam Gallagher they had a lead singer of the ages.

      That hype I mentioned led to Radio 1 DJs being asked to talk over new music because it hadn't been released yet, music journalists being asked to sign a waiver - promising that they wouldn't tell their girlfriend about it - about press released cassette copies and a prime time BBC documentary entitled Right Here Right Now (it's on youtube if you're intrigued). Never had a band received so much attention - I even found them on the front cover of a random French music magazine and bought it whilst in the country with my parents. In the days before the internet, twitter etc this was how you got your news outside of television. Sadly I learnt nothing new. Not tres bonne...

D'You Know What I Mean?

Lead single was released on 7th July, shot to number 1 and was part of the soundtrack to my summer to Wales as me and my mates galivanted around Capel Curig doing our Duke of Edinburgh Award. It shouldn't work but it somehow does. Yes it's long at 7 minutes but it's an occasion until its self, with it's airplane and morse code effect intro and pounding NWA style drums and let's not forget its video. Oasis' often neglected quality is that of menace, the menace that makes songs like Colombia work - and it's here in abundance. I loved it then and still have a soft spot for it - a keeper.

My Big Mouth

One of two songs debuted at Knebworth, My Big Mouth is this album's best rocker and also early example of the over production that would come to hamper much of this album. The producer Owen Morris' technique of effectively brickwalling was nothing new but here the low bass, the hidden drums and the multiple guitar tracks were more pronounced than ever. However I knew none of this in 1997 and loved the song, possibly my favourite on the record. However repeated listens, research as well as hearing it played live at Knebworth showed how even greater it could be have been. Still a keeper but the production was a warning..

Magic Pie

Undoubtedly the most derided track on the album and as such something of a underdog for me. At the time I liked it's slow pace and boastful tone, reminding me of White Album period Lennon even if the lyrics are opaque tosh. Time has not done it any favours though and a recent finding on streaming services of a piano cover gives us a glimpse of what could have been if Noel had decided to use a piano (at any point!). Clearly replacing Stay Young with it as outlined in the booklet accompanying the The Masterplan was a mistake...

Stand By Me

Ballads were supposed to be few and far between for Oasis but when they did them they tended to be first class; Slide Away, Cast No Shadow, Rockin' Chair etc. BHN's 2nd single though is a slow dirge that takes forever to get anywhere. From the first listen I also found the opening guitar line cringeworthy. It's probably my least favourite Oasis intro. Curiously the song's simplicity does make it a bit of a karaoke anthem for Oasis fans and recent uses in adverts and in a Liam acoustic album does show it's virtues but the album version falls flat well before it's reached it's second chorus. The single release saw a special song in Going Nowhere beside it, a Burt Bacharach influenced gem that would have effortlessly fitted onto the album and would have made a far better choice that it's a-side.

I Hope I Think I Know

Has anyone ever used this term before? Regardless, what sound like good verses, bridges and choruses on their own just don't work together. Many fans seem to love it - perhaps it's pop punk charm - but my ears don't detect a tune and as for the lyrics. This is probably where Oasis manager Alan McGee's misgivings really started. Shouldn't have made the album..

The Girl With The Dirty Shirt

I've always loved this song and my opinion hasn't changed since day 1. From a songwriting perspective it's the best song on the album, not least because there is simply nothing wrong with it, not overlong, not overproduced, even the absence of strings goes in its favour. Perhaps the only faux pas is the "get your shit together" line. A definite keeper and a possible clue as to where Oasis would go next with the groove of Go Let It Out.

Fade In-Out

Like Magic Pie, my opinions of this song vary because of its imperfections. I think Noel was making a genuine attempt at neo-psychedelic indie off the back of his work with Chemical Brothers' Setting Sun as well as the indie's scene penchant for the mystical (see Kula Shaker's underrated debut album). The fact that he'd continue this, albeit more successfully with the Brothers on their Let Forever Be single as well as his own Hindu Times a few years later (whilst not forgetting he guested on Cornershop's magnificent Spectral Mornings) shows its earnest aspirations. Does it work? Well once you hear it in a live setting you realise it's something of a missed opportunity 

Don't Go Away

Without question, the fan's top vote for best song on the album but I wasn't a huge fan on first listen. Like with Stand By Me, I found it too tepid, too bland, a typical ballad. Whilst I've never been a fan of the chorus' "say what you say, say that you'll stay", it is probably more heartfelt than I originally gave it credit for. And amongst the earsplitting cocaine blues that taints much of the album, this is refreshing to hear and as such a keeper. It's Japanese only release should have been worldwide, possibly at the expense of the plodding Stand By Me, whilst it's b-sides were special: a lost song from their debut in Sad Song, a live Cigs & Alcohol (always the best way to hear this song) and perhaps best of all another chance to hear the acoustic warchild version of Fade Away.

Be Here Now

Similarly to the last track, I found this irritating on first listen and this irritation, particularly of the flute (?) and its lack of urgency was compounded even more when heard in a live setting, when it opened their shows on the BHN tour. It was faster and there was no flute to be seen. I now see it for what it is, part Cigs & Alcohol, part Digsy's Dinner containing both enough rock and humour to recall both of these songs. It also has a genuine tune, a bit of a rarity on this album so it has this in its favour. On balance it's a keeper though the way the song ends - which is basically the song collapsing into itself - never gets better with repeated listens...

All Around The World

The oldest song here, this pleasant enough 3 minute song proved underwhelming when I first heard it, before it went up an octave and the pleasant 3 minute song became 9...alas since day 1 i've never listened to it all the way through and thought 'that was brilliant'. Compared to previous epics such as Champagne Supernova this just sucks. The version recorded at Mustique has no strings and is 3 minutes shorter and is sung more earnestly by Noel and is far far better for each of these reasons. It was the 3rd and final single, probably chosen because of the lack of obvious singles on the album.

It's Gettin' Better Man (!!!)

The second of two songs debuted at Knebworth and like My Big Mouth it's a rocker and it's way way overproduced. However that's where the similarities end because unlike said song, this just isn't particularly good. Indeed it's also a culprit of the 'too long' argument littered throughout the album, I heard an Oasis podcast count the chorus 33 times the other day (and it sounded long sped up!). Live it's a little better but just not good enough for Oasis. In short I've never liked it and just don't know what people see in it. The intro's good I suppose and the line about a rooftop. Slim pickings and certainly not enough to warrant it's excessive 7 minute running time. One for the bin.

All Around The World (Reprise)

A beautiful instrumental to close the album, complete with footsteps and the sound of a closing door slamming. But after 69 minutes, what purposes does it serve if you're not listening?

Conclusion

After all the noise has passed, there's no doubt that it's quite a good album, that it's of the times and it carries the fervent spirit of Oasis albeit for the very last time; 18 months later Noel would be asking "where did it all go wrong?". That aforementioned spirit is odd insofar as it makes the album a lot more attractive than it really should be. Take many of these songs on their own and it pales into comparison next to it's two classic predecessors however it is greater than the sum of its parts - the definition of a good album right?

      That's not to say the album is not flawed because it is and it is still a handful listening to it all 71 minutes of it all the way through. Noel has said in hindsight he thinks they should have taken a year out and you can't argue with this; perhaps if they had, the songs would have been refined, endings rewritten, even approaches rethought - add some piano in, drop a verse? - etc etc. But it wasn't and the result was a glorious beautiful failure but one that had a great time whilst doing it.

Be Here Now...Naked?

It's been a perennial favourite of many Oasis fans to reimagine the album, so what's my take?:

1 D'You Know What I Mean?

2 Stay Young (b-side of D'You Know What I Mean?)

3 Don't Go Away

4 Going Nowhere (b-side of Going Nowhere)

5 All Around The World (Mustique version)

6 Be Here Now

7 My Big Mouth (produced more closely to its live version)

8 The Girl In The Dirty Shirt

9 Fade In-Out (rewritten so it's more like its live version)

10 Fade Away (from Warchild Charity album)

The first thing you'll notice is the ditched songs: Stand By Me, IHITIK, Magic Pie and IGBM have never sat well with me - I just don't think they're prime Oasis if push comes to shove. I've also cut down the overall number of songs from 11 to 10 as well as ditching the beautiful but ultimately pointless AATW reprise. I've then brought in the 2 best b-sides from the sessions as discussed above and finally I've taken a bit of poetic license and added the warchild version of Fade Away to close it. I think it's arguably their most underrated song and actually beats the original which is no mean feat. Other than being absolutely gorgeous, hearing Liam's backing vocals behind Noel's lead is pure gold and perhaps something we should have heard more of in hindsight. I hope you like it - perhaps Noel will one day revisit it in earnest? Also, have a look on Reddit and youtube for lots more alternative tracklistings and takes. Enjoy!!