Disco de Oasis: “Heathen Chemistry”

Took a brief time for the album to grow on me, so I'm glad I didn't immediately write a review because it would've been a less glowing one.

Plenty of rock 'n' roll songs on this album, but it's clear that Oasis is broadening its reach while at the same time maintaining that 'oasis' sound. Songbird (yes, Liam can write decent songs) and She is Love are quite nice and understated. Better Man rocks with an irrestible groove. But without doing a complete rundown I can just say there are plenty of standout tracks here. And the lyrics work well, too.

I am one of those few, few Oasis-fighters. I truly doesn't think that "Standing on the shoulders of giants" was all that bad, and when everybody's saying how "Heathen Chemistry" will be Oasis' "comeback" and that they're "back", I'm in my personal view thinking that they were never gone.

Hence, I don't think that "Heathen Chemistry" is a far better album than anything Oasis've done recently. I believe, as most other, that "Definitly Maybe" and "(What's the story) Morning Glory" are fabolous. But I also think that "Be here now" is one of the finest pop-albums ever recorded, and that "Standing...", well it wasn't Oasis' best, but it was a lot better than most of everything on the genre.

It's the same with "Heathen...". It's not the best album ever recorded, sure, but it's a lot better than a lot else. The most interesting about this album though is that it seems to be somewhat of a turning point for the band.

On the other hand Noel has only written six of the eleven songs. This is perhaps the only problem I have with the album. Liam's, Gem's and Andy's aren't bad; Liam's "Songbird" is a fantastic ditty, "Born on a different cloud" quite talented and "Better man" "decent +", Gem's "Hung in a bad place" sounds Noel and Andy Bell's meaningless little one-minute-peep is swinging, but nothing more (doesn't have to be either). But I still think that Oasis works a lot better when Noel rules, it seems to be more uneven now.

That is one of the reasons why I start to wonder just how better "Heathen Chemistry" really is, compared to "Standing..." that is. Because, in my opinion, "Standing on the shoulders of giants" is a more solid production. It had some not-so-great songs, something that this album doesn't have, but on the other hand "Standing" had some songs that only the amazing single "Stop crying your heart out" can match. It's a hard comparison, and more or less impossible if you see it out of this point of the view: "Standing on the shoulders of giants" was the good-bye of Oasis' happy childhood, and "Heathen Chemistry" is the first step for a new Oasis.

So is this any better than "Standing..."?

This is Oasis' best recording since What's the Story (Morning Glory). The album is a great mixture of rock songs and ballads. What's better is the fact that Liam, Gem Archer, and Andy Bell also wrote songs for the album. Noel however writes the best songs which include "Hindu Times" "Force of Nature" and "Stop Crying Your Heart Out."

Now many critics have accused the band of constantly ripping off The Beatles and being nothing more than a tribute band. It's true that they are one of Oasis' biggest influences, but this belief is ridiculous now. First of all, bands can't help but sound a little like their influences. Secondly, Oasis could not of written five original albums that have sold well by copying another band. My suggestion is to take the album for what it is, great music and heartfelt lyrics.

After the somewhat disappointing 2000 LP "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants", Oasis return in 2002 with a fantastic new album. "Heathen Chemistry" sees the songwriting of Oasis spread out even more, 3 songs from Liam Gallagher, 1 each from Gem Archer and Andy Bell, while the rest come from lead songwriter Noel Gallagher. "The Hindu Times" starts off the new album in a rocky, pyschadelic fashion with a great chorus and guitar riff. "Force of Nature" has grown on me over repeated listenings, a great tune with Noel on vocals. The Archer-penned "Hung in a Bad Place" is one of the more rockier songs on the album, offering a nice opening guitar intro. Without a doubt, "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" is the best track on the entire disc, in my opinion. A classic Oasis ballad, it's destined to be sung by many fans during the band's worldwide summer tour. It has a memorable chorus and a great middle eight section. "Songbird" is Liam's finest work to date, sounding very Beatles-esque with basically just acoustic guitars. "Little By Little" is another Noel-sung tune, which could turn out to be the 3rd single off the LP and another classic anthem. "Probably All in the Mind" will most likely be an underrated Oasis song, similar to "Sunday Morning Call", "Columbia", or "She's Electric". "She Is Love" sees Noel with his last vocal performance on the CD, a soft acoustic-driven song. The LP closes out with a great song "Born On A Different Cloud" (Liam written), and "Better Man" which I haven't warmed up to yet. This is a great return to the sound that worked on 1995's "What's the Story Morning Glory?", which has sold over 15 million worldwide. Oasis has always made excellent pop/rock music and this CD continues that trend. Oasis popularity (especially in the U.S.) might not ever get back to the days of 1995-1997, but if enough people get their hands on this album, you could see a surge of Oasismania!!!

Yeah yeah yeah....I know.... 5 Stars?!?!?! I must be crazy! Well, that's true but, that is NOT why I rated this album SO highly. The truth is, this is a GREAT album! The problem is that, for those who are not fans of the Gallagher Brothers and their schtick, these guys have hyped themselves beyond reality and, therefore, the measuring stick is a mile long and a centimeter wide. Certainly not enough room for mere mortals and certainly not enough room for the supposed "Greatest Band In England" to put out anything less than songs that make the angels weep and the choir sing.

But even at their most mediocre, the Gallagher Boys are still 'Head and Shoulders' better than MOST of the rest. Look...how many of the more recent albums of the Rolling Stones do you recall? Every great band eventually comes back down to earth, even if only for a short period of time. Now, that is NOT to say that this album should be discounted as just a blip in an otherwise stellar career. Nope...the music on this album, for the most part, is engaging, classic, rock and roll. Is it groundbreaking? No. Is it seminal? No. But neither were the Rolling Stones after Exile on Mainstreet and, neither were the Beatles after Sgt. Pepper's. Does that mean it isn't great? Absolutely NOT! So then, what we have is a great band taking their sound to it's pinnacle, to its absolute.

Someone once said that before you can evolve, you must first exhaust all other avenues available, and that is exactly what the Boys from Madchester are doing.