Oasis: Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants

If you are an Oasis fan and do not mind spending a few bucks to have their hits on one CD, this is it. Period.

In all seriousness, with few exceptions, bands who’ve managed to put out a string of four or more albums without collapsing under the sheer weight of stardom, internal rivalries, and touring pressures are few and far between. Of course there are those who want us to remember that their previous release Be Here Now was bloated and almost filled an entire CD, clocking in at 71 minutes. Yet these same people forget the magic of many of those tracks, seeming to waste a band who rose too quickly in the midst of the fledgling internet, and lack of any privacy. So yes, perhaps the band, the fans, and the record industry should have let things fall apart with Be Here Now, … though the truth was, too many people were making too much money, and they all wanted one more bite from the magic apple, before they let things pass away. And that leaves us with Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants.With all of that being said and done, the album, even with a half finished feel is layered with raw emotion and pinpoint observations. Even if one concedes that most of these songs are merely fleshed out riffs, the songs are sung and presented far beyond their modest station, and filled with enchanting considered lyrics, worth contemplation and consideration. So take “Go Let It Out,” “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” or “Little James,” all tracks that return the band to a space of sure footedness, and are marvelously done.Which means that right there, that’s half of an album that can not be trifled with or easily dismissed.The album is truly a post modern psychedelic outing, one filled with heavy psychedelic rock influence [Hendrix style riffs] both musically and lyrically, experimental electronica, backwards guitars, synthesizers, a mellotron, electric sitar, and Indian influences … so I assure you, this is not an album that was created as a downward spiral swan song, Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants was a major undertaking for a group on the edge of the abyss.In reality, perhaps Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants wasn’t the masterpiece that the band needed to put them on par with other bands who were now passing them by, but in the same light it was not the failure that so many would have you believe. The outing was a sincere effort to take the next step, filled with confidence and pop smarts. Yet even if Oasis had created the best and finest album of their career, it would not have been enough to hold a band together with a center [or centers] that would not support them. At the time, it seemed that their fate was sealed, it was either close down shop or implode like a super nova, leaving Oasis to walk deeper into the shadows with their final three albums.*** The fun facts: The album's artwork features the photo of the Manhattan skyline taken from the rooftop of 500 5th Avenue (5th Ave/W 42nd St). Some famous buildings can be seen here, for example the Empire State Building is seen in front and the former World Trade Center is seen in the back. To create the cover photo, the photographer captured the same frame every half an hour in 18 hours during the whole day's course; the photos were digitally composited into the final picture. All of the singles released from this album contained artwork that was based on the album artwork; the shot used for "Go Let It Out" can be seen above one of the buildings at the front, which depicts five men playing football. This shot was taken from the roof of a football stadium, and the footballers from the car park were edited onto the rooftop on the final cover.The album’s title was a quote from the famous Sir Issac Newton, “I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”Review by Jenell Kesler

Great album!

This was the last great album from Oasis. It's solid from beginning to end. Some might say (pun intended) it doesn't hold up to their other work but this album is, to me, the only one in their catalog that I love all the way through. Maybe not all the songs have the impact of Champagne Supernova, but the album as a whole stands far above most of their others. Leave your expectations of hits behind and you will be rewarded with a wonderful collection of songs that stand the test if time.

I love this album, no matter what the critics say, this album is excellent. It's nothing like the first two albums, but almost a new sound. A much toned down, mature sounding album. It may not be their best album of all time, but it sure has the right stuff. What would Oasis be without those guitar solos from Noel? Signature vocals from Liam? They added new faces to the band (Andy & Gem) I find them to be excellent players.The first track (see track listing) is an interlude featuring excerpts from a movie. If you watched the movie "Snatch" you might have heard it w/o the excerpts during one the fight scenes. Good guitar work, if you don't mind the f-bomb.The popular "Go Let it Out" is one of their best songs, memorable and catchy hooks. "Who Feels Love?" is sung so well, along with the psychedelic feel and effects. "Put Your Money Where Yer Mouth Is" is grungy-rock with awesome guitar rifts. "Little James" (written by Liam) is a simple sweet song with simple lyrics. "Gas Panic!" sounds like trouble, but "gas" is never mentioned just "panic" as in "...panic is on the way." The song has the same feel as "Who Feels Love?" with a psycho screamin' flute playing at the end. "I Can See a Liar" is another grunge-like song with a tough attitude in the music. "Roll it Over" is one of the best songs from the album with its psychedelic-feel, melocholic vocals, backing ones as well, and Noel's guitar solo in the middle. Great to conclude the album."Where did all go wrong?" is soft rock with catchy guitar rifts and great lyrics, and "Sunday Morning" is one my personal favorites, especially for the guitar solo and the overall approach. Both of these songs are performed by Noel, who is one damn good vocalist!"Let's All Make Believe" is the bonus track on the import edition, B-side on "Go Let it out" (which maybe included with the album if you have the right version!) I think this should've been on the original line-up. Another psychedelic-rock song that has the same sort of layout as "Go let it out" with a fantastic closer! Believe me, if you like this album, you'll like this song as well. Vocals are performed by Liam.My Faves: Everything, including "Let's all make believe"If you like Oasis or alternative rock, this album is worth the listen.

Some good tracks, F....n in the bushes, Go Let It Out, Who Feels Love, Gas Panic, Where Did It All Go Wrong. I bought this when it first came out in 1999. I just thought I would collect all Oasis albums again. There's worse band's out there.

Product described as “Used - Very Good”. I think they need to go to Specsavers. Heavily scratched and scraped cd-case. Why not just be honest? It was a cheap cd, with P&P being more than the cd itself, so just be honest. “Used - Fair”.

Bought this for a friend’s Christmas so I’m hoping he’ll like it. This CD arrived well packaged and on time. Really pleased.

Read bad things about this album...but I got it because I'm a bit of a completist...and I wanted all the Oasis studio albums...but to be honest, I ended up listening to it all the way through and ended up liking it...the first half of the album is quite stellar really...the second half fizzles out really...but as is the case with many Oasis albums...or many albums in general...standout songs for me...would be Go Let It Out, Gas Panic!, Who Feels Love.

I love this album and I quite never understood why it's so underrated and I am not that person who likes everything "unpopular" in hipsterish way. Definitely maybe was an album full of dreams, hopes, fighting and being the best. What's the story mroning glory was a band standing on the top of the world dreaming about legacy and Be Here Now was an egocentric, selfish, cocaine driven album full of itself. Standing on the shoulder of giants is the opposite, it's dark, highly psychedelic and emotional album reflecting on the past and "inner" lives of the band. It's just different, but still with Oasis's footprint.