Oasis (and solo) album-by-album thread

I love Songbird and really like Hindu Times, Little By Little and She is Love are good but the rest I need to revisit again as it's been years since I felt the need to play it. I do really like the next album to come however.

 

One of the singles off of the next album is my favourite Oasis song ever.

 

Wasn't this covered by World Party? Or does my memory fail me?

 

I've always liked "Hung in a Bad Place" but I laughed at a review at the time that asked, "And what exactly is it like to be hung in a good place?"

 

My only problem with Noel's songs on this album and the B-sides is that they're just so depressing IMO. The Hindu Times, Force of Nature and She is Love are just about his only upbeat songs here.

 

Haha...speaking of, I love Shout it Out Loud.

 

Not trying to be too phychoanalytical here, but I think Noel was pretty emotionally spent about Oasis during this period, and it shows in his songs. He probably already made some dicisions about his future without them, hence his letting the others have songs on albums he once tightly controlled.

 

Even more than Where Did It All Go Wrong, it was Idler's Dream and Shout It Out Loud that best represented Noel's brief obsession with Neil Young, which also included him leading the rest of the band (without Liam) through a cover of Hey Hey, My My that found its way onto the Familiar To Millions live release, documenting their first of two performances at Wembley Stadium in 2000. Although it's a personal highlight of the Heathen Chemistry material, I can't really deny that Shout It Out Loud owes much of its existence to Cortez The Killer...

 

I could be off on the timeline but wasn't he going though a divorce during this time also?

Having his doctor telling him can never do coke again and being a Manchester City fan and watching Untied be dominant at the time may have also helped.

It does feels like there was a period where he hit a writers block or he was holding back. Regardless the next album is better because others did come up with better material to help round it out.

 

For me this is half an album. The first 6 tracks are great then it all goes horribly wrong. Outwith Dig Out Your Soul it’s my least favourite oasis album

 

There are some killer tracks on Heathen Chemistry but something about the production I don't like and I think it is firmly the worst Oasis album for me. Although I will say that "Songbird" is one of the best Oasis tracks ever.

 

I think Stop Crying Your Heart Out is possibly Liam's best vocal. Heathen Chemistry has a lot of great singles but it never really flowed for me as an album experience. The sequencing, never a strong point with Oasis, could be much improved. I still love many of its songs and b-sides.

I do think this is the point where Noel let Oasis go a bit and started thinking about his eventual solo career.

 

I have said this before, but I think Heathen Chemistry is one of the strongest Oasis albums post-Morning Glory. The only song I dislike is "Better Man," which is a real bummer since it's the album closer. "Shout It Out Loud" would have been a huge improvement. Nevertheless, I find it more pleasing start to finish than Giants and Truth, easily.

 

I think I might agree when it comes to "Stop Crying Your Heart Out". I'm honestly kind of surprised that Liam could sing that well at that point in his career.

Also, yes, the sequencing could have been improved. It doesn't help that three of the singles - Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Songbird and Little by Little - are all there in a row right at the end of what would have been side one.

 

"Little By Little" and the previous album's "Where Did It All Go Wrong" would have fit fine on either of Noel's first two solo records. But even though he'd had 2 leads on the previous album and numerous b-sides, by "Heathen Chemistry" I stopped thinking of his songs as "the Noel tune" and realized that he was more of a co-lead vocalist now.

 

100% agree with you there. Previous albums were dominated by his songs. Later on (and we'll get into this around ) Liam started the accusations that Noel was holding back good songs from Oasis in preparation for solo... but the seeds were planted on this record.

 

never heard that one before. Thanks.

 

I think Songbird is the best song on this album. What a shame that Liam's best effort was surrounded by probably Noel's weakest batch of songs. Imagine Songbird on SOTSOG.

 

I know Hindu Times was a big hit, and kind of a comeback for them, but I was never dazzled by it. I don't list it in Noel's 20 best songs.

 

Little By Little is still one of my favorite songs they ever did. Rest of the album doesn’t really hold up for me but that one does.

 

I think this is a very strong album. Stop Crying Your Heart Out & Songbird are the clear stand outs, but I love Better Man and it's heavy Plastic Ono Band influence. This was the last of the Oasis's albums I got to complete my collection.

 

I've always considered this leaked rough mix of Better Man vastly superior to its officially released counterpart:



Why did they feel the need to mute that additional guitar part at the end?! (If the final version has any advantage, it's because of the Mellotron and background vocals also present during its reworked closing section - I suspect Noel didn't want a repeat of the "kitchen sink" production approach taken on Be Here Now, especially if this diverted focus away from Johnny Marr's contributions as a special guest on the track.) Hopefully we'll get expanded remasters of the last four albums some day, with this outtake deservedly appearing as a highlight of the Heathen Chemistry reissue...

 

Great discription of "Better Man". Sounds a lot like POB influenced number. Isn't this the only song in the Oasis discography that is a Gallagher/Gallagher cowrite?

 

Better Man wasn't co-written... That's entirely a Liam track, but Noel does get a credit for The Cage, which is separated on the original CD version of Heathen Chemistry by a lengthy silent gap, though not indexed as a standalone song.