STANDING ON THE SHOULDER OF GIANTS (Epic)

In the current issue of the New Musical Express, Liam Gallagher, he of the new Badfinger hairdo, explains the direction his band have taken with the writing and recording of their fourth album, 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants': "The reason why this one is different to the last one is because you bunch of bastards hated the last one so we thought we'd change it, alright, you c**t?"

Alright!

As in...dontcha just know it's gonna be...alright. Or maybe more: alright! 'Cause disenfranchised British youth (nearly 140,000 of them bought tickets to the Oasis' pair of Wembley Stadium shows in July) don't want a revolution. They want photog-thumping, hotel room-trashing, Kate Moss topless on the yacht hangin', Beatle-biting Oasis and therefore will (and probably should) accept whatever they're given. For all their thousands of slaggers - the ones who've escaped a good kicking anyway - Oasis are good for pop music and pop culture. Perhaps they haven't crafted a good pop album in over five years, but few bands are as honest about admitting that rather dubious fact.

That very candor about their limitations makes the prospect of reviewing an Oasis album pointless. If Giants is shit (and it isn't...quite), they'll still make another, and another. Because they, unlike you or me, were born to be excellent pop stars. When excellent pop stars open their mouths to sing (sometimes) less than excellent pop material, it's still pretty fucking great, if not quite a revolution.

That promised revolution, the one that advance word on 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' buzzed about (loops, samples, a modernization of their Beatle-basics) is not really here now, evident only on the hysterical lead track "Fuckin' in the Bushes." But again, we don't really want it, and with instant classic singles like "Go Let It Out," and "Who Feels Love" we don't really need it, either. In Beatle-context, "Go Let It Out" marries McCartney's swaggering "I Got a Feeling" (complete with winded, plastic soul "Uuuhs") to the Mellotronic hoots of "Strawberry Fields" (there's even a rave whistle in there somewhere). Play it backwards and you'll hear: "top tune, man... top tune." "Who Feels Love" is a hazy shade of mid-tempo humility, a gorgeous mountain-top melody with multi-tracked Liam at his adenoidally Lennon-est. The stadium-ready anthem "Roll It Over," (when you can't "Roll With It" no more) is another fat, melodious standout.

The Gallagher's maturity and sobriety was another party line (rather than white line) picked up during the advance hype. And Giants is indeed lousy with Noel's growin' up diary entries. But "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is," and "I Can See a Liar" (sitting, natch, "by the fire") seem more filler than revelatory killer. Still, they rock. The slower "Gas Panic"("My family don't seem so familiar/and my enemies all know my name"), and obligatory, Noel-solo elegy "Where Did It All Go Wrong?" (did somebody look back in anger?) uniformly indicate that Oasis are a bit tired of losing the plot. Finding the plot again, however, doesn't necessarily have to be this stale, does it?

(Pause here for a word or two about Liam's "Little James," a song so absolutely, spellbindingly and horrifyingly daft, it can only be brilliant. Thematically, a "Hey Jude" style love song to his stepson, it simply has to be heard to be believed. Lyrics like, "You live for your toys, even though they make noise," makes Shatner's Priceline.com commercials seem Springsteen-like in their profundity.)

So, if you're reading this review and thinking about buying it: buy it. Because if you've gotten this far without cursing me and exiting our site, you're probably a fan. 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' is not a great Oasis record, but Oasis are still a great, great band, and, in their own way, a very important one. Their very existence preserves a certain vitality in pop music, something bands with much more critical respect fail to do. Their fifth album, and sixth album will come, as will their inevitable farewell concert on the rooftop of Big Brother records. People will buy it all. Critics will try to review it and fail. They may not change pop music like their heroes did nearly four decades ago, but they will always, bring something to make you giddy, high, and surly all at the same time. In other words, Oasis are like cigarettes and alcohol - only good for you.

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c 2000 Andrew Turner

aturner@interalpha.co.uk

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