Oasis – Be Here Now 25th Ann. Ed. - 1997 Brit Alt. Rock - Ltd. Silver Metallic Vinyl - Sealed 2LP

D3 All Around The World (Reprise)

 

 

 

''It began to be seen as a rock folly, a coke-fuelled monument to ‘90s excess. There was mass backtracking. It was the emperor’s new clothes, and we were all blind to the reality. Even the most hardened fan would struggle to put ‘Be Here Now’ before B-sides compilation ‘The Masterplan’ in their mental list of the best Oasis albums.

 

Yes, it’s the sound of two men’s egos exploding simultaneously. Yes it’s got lots of empty sentiment covered up by strings and noise. But really, this was ambition and self-belief on a grand scale, with big tunes thrown in for good measure. Can an album that includes the epic, rock ‘n’ roll rush of ‘D’You Know What I Mean’, the sing-along-y ‘Stand By Me’, the council estate pop of ‘The Girl in the Dirty Shirt’ and their most accurate Beatles pastiche, ‘All Around The World’ really be that bad? Maybe it’s time to re-re-appraise ‘Be Here Now’. Or perhaps it was never meant to be scrutinised so closely at all. Noel Gallagher himself remembers it as follows: “the sound of five men in the studio, on coke, not giving a fuck.” And suddenly, it all makes sense.'' (NME)