Oasis
The Masterplan

THE REVIEW

I admit that I'll receive a lot of insults just because I dared to write a review on the raw band from Manchester, but I also promise that no more will be made for quite some time. I did it!

Finally, on Saturday afternoon, I managed to purchase the latest splendid album of my fantastic CD collection on the most charismatic band of the '90s, namely "The Masterplan," an album from 1998, a collection of b-sides released after the much-criticized "Be Here Now" from '97, which in my opinion, however, is decidedly underrated. Noel Gallagher stated that with some gems from this collection, any band in the world would have been able to achieve great success. And he was right. "The Masterplan" contains songs that an average band wouldn't even dream of putting in b-sides. You can prove it by listening to this CD.

"Acquiesce," which my dear friend Gallagher87, to whom I dedicate this review with all my affection, considers the best song in the band’s career: it’s a thrilling rock song. It's the first song where the Brothers' voices alternate, Liam & Noel, something that will happen again in 2006 with "Let There Be Love," a single from "Don't Believe The Truth."

"Underneath The Sky" is the song that follows the previous masterpiece, and honestly, it's not one of the best songs on the album. Repetitive and excessively rock. But with "Talk Tonight," we return to the true Oasis style. The song is dedicated to an ex of Noel, who sings lightly, romantically, and soothingly, a song that for long stretches resembles "Wonderwall" for its acoustic guitar riff and the tranquility in which it is played. "Going Nowhere" and "Fade Away" are wild rock songs, where first Noel and then Liam express their vocal ranges to the fullest, particularly the latter, whose voice is unrecognizable!

"The Swamp Song" is one of those songs from this album that I can't listen to because of the excessive "noise." "I Am The Walrus" (I Am The Walrus) is a Beatles cover, written by the great John Lennon and Paul McCartney, where the Mancunian lads manage to almost match the Fab Four in reproducing this track. The iconic song of this album is definitely "The Masterplan," where Noel's vocal abilities are at their peak.

Unfortunately, the album is condemned by critics who accuse it of being too similar to the style of the four baronets from Liverpool, a factor that will greatly affect its sales. From the Oasis there is absolutely no response to the criticisms (in perfect Gallagher style), except for a well-deserved break after about 5 years of non-stop productions. In "The Masterplan," it's still hard to recognize the style that characterized them in previous years, but one can still appreciate it. In my opinion, the Oasis also made a mistake in returning in 2000 with "Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants," an album that is not among the best, where the band changes its genre and also its band members, Guigsy (bassist) for Andy Bell and Bonehead (guitarist) for Gem Archer. An album that will be criticized, perhaps more than "The Masterplan."

The Oasis could have returned in great style, but they didn’t. Nevertheless, they remain dear to me and appreciated worldwide.

Cheers!