Oasis - Don't Believe The Truth (2005)
Many had written these boys off a long time ago. And who can blame them. After launching out the blocks with Definitely Maybe in the early 90s, it had been a case of diminishing returns for Oasis. Yeah they sold tons of records, but while there were some great tunes, the albums were generally disappointing. 2002s Heathen Chemistry had shown that a more diplomatic approach to song writing may suit the band, but I have to admit when I put this into my CD player for the first time, I wasn't expecting an album quite this good. First up you get Turn Up The Sun, which starts off with some nice pastoral acoustic guitar action, before yr typical Oasis guitar onslaught, with vocalist Liam Gallagher putting in a particularly impassioned vocal. Next up is Mucky Fingers, a Noel sung tune that betrays the influence of, believe it or not, The Velvet Underground. A nice wee chugger of a tune, it even features guitarist Gem Archer performing a harmonica solo. Then we get 1st single Lyla, which ticks all the right Oasis boxes, great vocal, catchy as hell, singalong. One of this albums strengths is the fact that on drums, Oasis had managed to recruit one Zac Starkey. Yep, Ringo's son. Yep, touring drummer with the Who. Perfect for this bunch of tunes and the albums secret weapon, with a deceptively light touch, given that one of the guys who taught him how to play drums was "Uncle" Keith Moon. This lightness of touch is perfectly displayed on Love Like A Bomb, a song that features one of Liam's most tender sounding vocals is ages. The Importance Of Being Idle, another Noel sung tune, is all full of Kinks damage, but then Oasis have often tread that fine line being "influenced by" and "ripping off blindly." I reckon this falls the side of the former (just), a view that isn't universal amongst some folks I know.
Next up, The Meaning Of Soul, possibly the best tune Liam Gallagher has ever come up with. Its all driving acoustic guitars, driving drums (wooden spoons on a box of corn flakes apparently) and another impassioned vocal. Just fantastic. Followed up by the vaguely psychedelic Guess God Thinks I'm Abel, an OK tune, though possibly the weakest on the album. We then get the 3rd Noel sung tune on the album, Part Of The Queue, a jaunty shuffle of a tune.
At this point, we generally get to the point where Noel has run out of steam and dashes off a rather silly tune to pad the album out, which is where the Digsy's Dinners (great) and She's Electric (no so great) of this world. But no, this time we get Keep The Dream Alive, a song with some wonderful chiming guitars and a chorus as epic and soaring as anything Oasis had ever done. And they follow that up with A Bell Will Ring, another tune that just soars and soars and soars. They then close the album out with Let There Be Love, an understated attempt at the Oasis epic album closer.
I really didn't think Oasis still had it in them to produce an album so strong from start to finish. Hell, even the filler kicks arse and, I think I like this more that Definitely Maybe (just maybe though). This could've been a new beginning for the group, leading to the most extensive international touring is ages, increased sales, and general good times (check out tour doco Lord Don't Slow Me Down for more on this). But, it wasn't to be. A weak follow up was followed by a pre-gig bust up between the Gallagher brothers, and it was all over. For good this time, Noel embarking on a solo career, while Liam and the rest of the band carried on as Beady Eye.