Search - Oasis :: Standing on the Shoulder of Giants

Not exactly the grand reinvention that Noel had suggested, b

Dave | United States | 07/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Released in February of 2000 after a bit of a hiatus and with Paul Arthurs and Paul McGuigan both gone, "Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants" finds Noel Gallagher determined to re-invent Oasis. Quite frankly, he didn't really succeed (as Noel would be the first to admit), but that doesn't mean this album is a failure. There are some mild techno/ electronica flavorings to be found, plus some gospel-like backing vocals on a few tracks, but realistically, for the most part "...Giants" wholeheartedly embraces the trademark Oasis sound. Furthermore, you can hear a lot of traces of previous Oasis songs on here--notice the choruses on "Who Feels Love?", the chord progression is a carbon copy of the chorus from "Hey Now!"; "Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is" is strikingly similar to "(I Got) The Fever"; and the riff-rocker "I Can See A Liar" seems to incorporate snippets/ pieces from at least a handful of previous Oasis songs. All that said, this is still a great album. Liam Gallagher gets his first songwriting credit on an Oasis release with the amusing yet heart-tuggingly earnest and charming 3-chord power ballad "Little James". Apart from that, Noel's once again running the show, often filling in on bass as well, and he's got lots to offer. "Go Let It Out" is a great rousing anthem. The haunting and explosive "Gas Panic!" is intense and cathartic. "Roll It Over" has arrestingly dreamy verses, forceful Liam vocals, & a flawlessly-executed "Come Together"-ish guitar solo. The moody "Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is" sounds a tad forced with Noel's cameo vocal appearance toward the end, but otherwise it's a great surging rocker, as is the raging "I Can See A Liar". Noel sings lead on two songs--"Where Did It All Go Wrong?" isn't a bad song, although it does sound startlingly generic for Oasis; "Sunday Morning Call" is a little rote and melodramatic, but it's still strong, and again, has an arresting dream-like atmosphere. The Eastern-flavored "Who Feels Love?" is marred by an annoying loop, but overall it's pretty great and has excellent vocal harmonies.



This Japanese version of the album adds the soaring, powerful, somewhat otherworldly-sounding anthem "Let's All Make Believe" as the final track. "Let's All Make Believe" is also available as the b-side to the "Go Let It Out" UK CD single, as well as on a bonus disc that was included in supposedly "limited edition" pressings of the album in the US. Ironically, "Let's All Make Believe", along with another b-side "One Way Road", sound more like an extention into exciting new territory for Oasis than most of the remaining tracks on the actual album.



I do feel that "Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants" is weaker than each of Oasis' preceeding albums, but like I said, this is still a great album, and it certainly doesn't deserve the mind-boggling negativity that it has received by many fans."