Standing on the Shoulder Of Giants

OASIS Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants (2000 UK 10-track CD album including the superb singles Go Let It Out & Sunday Morning Call booklet picture sleeve RKIDCD002)

With Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants, Oasis--the self-professed "biggest rock & roll band in the world"--continue exploring their fascination with Great British Bands of the late 1960s. Paying homage to your heroes is one thing, but many of Standing On The Shoulder's best moments sound like their icons' worst. However, this is Oasis, and they do manage to pull some stunners out of their hats: "Gas Panic" and "Where Did It All Go Wrong?" demonstrate the command of catchy hooks and epic anthems that made their first two albums--Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory?--such classics. Elsewhere, their influences are more obvious. The psychedelic "Who Feels Love?" is a perfect example of George Harrison in full Eastern Mystic mode, complete with sitars, tablas and tape-loops. Outright rocker "Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is" has the strut and stomp of vintage Doors or Rolling Stones, but is ultimately let down by its weak songwriting ("Ready or not, come what may/The bets are going down for judgement day"). The most dubious lyrics are saved for the Liam Gallagher-penned "Little James", his paean to paternal love which--perhaps unintentionally--contains some of rock's most laughable couplets ("You live for your toys, even though they make noise"). Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants doesn't represent a major step forward for Oasis, but it is a definite improvement on the band's previous album, Be Here Now. For stronger evidence as to why Oasis is credited with resurrecting Britpop in the late 20th century, newcomers to the band would do well to investigate Definitely Maybe or (What's The Story) Morning Glory?. --Rob Burrow