STANDING ON THE SHOULDER OF GIANTS (Epic)

Oasis' fourth studio album is solid, but it may not be exceptional enough to recapture American listeners' loyalty.

Now that the Blur vs Oasis battle is a distant memory and everyone's Fall '95 mix tape with "Wonderwall" on it has been taped over or lost, Oasis are in the unfortunate position of having to re-conquer America. Though oasis are still headline-makers elsewhere in the world, 1997's BHN failed to spawn a monster hit over here and thus America's short attention span has shifted far away from the fearsome fivesome. The Gallagher brothers could claim that they don't really care about America anymore, but what's the point of striving for world domination if you forget about the US?

So here they come charging headfirst into the 21st century with a new batch of songs written and recorded with stadiums in mind. But it seems that no matter how many public squabbles and break-up threats these characters give us this time around. SOTSOG isn't going to be the album that puts Oasis back into the forefront of America's consciousness. It's a good LP, but it's no OK Computer. Simply put, Giants isn't the kind of record that forces critics and fair-weather fans to reconsider the value of a band who have been (perhaps unfairly) dismissed as past their prime.

Giants-which is the swan song for guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and bassist Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan, both of whom left the band in August - contains a few new tricks (and a new co-producer, Mark "Spike" Stent) but in general it sounds pretty much like Oasis. The Beatles influence is present, but it doesn't seem as overbearing as before, probably because Noel's been ripping them off for so long we've forgotten where the inspiration initially originated. It also contains songs that are reminiscent of a lot of other songs (either by oasis or others), something that used to be irksome about the quintet, but somehow now seems kind of comforting. But it's definitely not Oasis' best album, as there's something less lively about the songs and their presentation. There's also a lot less quality balls-out-rock, which doesn't help the situation.

The huge-beat-meets-Led Zeppelin - riffs instrumental "Fuckin' In The Bushes" and the groovy "Go Let It Out!" get the album off to a great start, but from there things level off. The cozy, psychedelic "Who Feels Love?" (which puts John Denver's "Leaving On A Jet Plane" in your head), the Liam-penned "Hey Jude-ish" ballad "Little James" and the Noel-sung "Where Did It All Go Wrong" are impressive, but nothing here really stands out as their best work. And when they get around to the real rock - "Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is" and "I Can See A Liar" especially - you realize that it's probably best that most of Giants consists of slower and mid-tempo material. It's unlikely that Oasis will lose any true fans with this record, but it is even more unlikelythat they'll have the whole world in their hands any time soon.

3 out of 5

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c 2000 Andrew Turner

aturner@interalpha.co.uk

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