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"Oasis - The Masterplan"

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Fri 15/03/02 at 18:58
Regular
Posts: 787
I’ve had this album about a week now and anyone who plucks through the ‘If you are listening to music at this very moment...’ thread with a fine toothcomb, you will know that I’m nothing but impressed with it. For all those people who don’t know, The Masterplan is an album by Oasis that consists completely of B Side tracks. Some you may have heard, some you may not, but every single song on this album is special in its own way.

In the introduction where it gives you information on all of the songs, there is a quote which I really admire – ‘a band who believe a B-Side is no excuse not to care.’ Any band in the world can say this, but talk is cheap. Only one in a million of the bands of yesterday and today could produce an album consisting only of B-Sides with the same calibre of The Masterplan. Oasis said they didn’t think a B-Side is not an excuse to care and they backed up this statement with style.

I like to think of myself as an avid Oasis fan who knows quite a lot about them, but I was really showed up when I first saw the back of the album. The only songs I recognised were ‘Acquiesce’ from the video ‘There and Then’, ‘I am the Walrus’ from a bit of a Beatles obsession and ‘Half the World Away’ because this is the theme to one of my favourite Television Programmes ‘The Royle Family’. I really like these three songs, but I was still a bit sceptical about buying the album but I thought, what the hell, Oasis have produced some top quality songs in the past and I personally think Noel Gallagher is a genius, so I handed my cash over and took my new CD home.

Here are all the songs that are on the disk and my overall impressions of them.

Acquiesce – Right at the very start of this song, you can hear ‘What’s the Story Morning Glory’ in the background. I suddenly got the urge to take The Masterplan out of my CD player out of my stereo and put ‘What’s The Story’ on, but this went when Acquiesce kicked in. It is described in the introduction notes as a ‘shoulda been an A-side’ song and you can agree with this statement completely after listening to it. It’s a great song, especially when sung live. 9/10

Underneath The Sky – This is one of Noel’s favourite songs that he has written. It seems to me to be one of those songs that you can just put on when you’re in a bad mood and listening to it will make all your problems go away it. It’s cheerful tune really calms me down when I’m feeling a bit on the angry side and I have found that this song is brilliant if you are suffering from a bit of Insomnia. Especially with Talk Tonight being the next song. Fantastic song, 9/10.

Talk Tonight – This is one of my favourite songs on The Masterplan. I’m not sure why, but I have never disliked a song where Noel is the lead vocalist. Some people say he hasn’t got a very good voice, but I think its easily on par with Liam’s, if not better. Another thing about this song that I love is that’s acoustic. I love acoustics and this goes right near the top of my list of all time favourite acoustics, that’s how good it is. Marvellous, fantastic, brilliant – all words that sum this song up. 10/10.

Going Nowhere – When I initially heard this song, it sounded sort of familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on it. After rooting through my CD collection, I realised why. This song featured on ‘Stand By Me’, which is one of my favourite Oasis songs, so I had probably heard it a few times after ‘Stand By Me’ had finished. It’s a good song, but not one of the best on the album. It gets a respectable 7/10.

Fade Away – Although its one of the faster songs on the album, it’s one of the easiest to listen to. Noel says the song is ‘about growing up not growing old.’ This way of thinking guaranteed its popularity with Oasis fans. A good listen, but nothing special. 7/10.

The Swampsong – The only song on The Masterplan that has no lyrics. It used to be a warm-up exercise for the ‘Morning Glory’ sessions and was also a way of testing sound levels. I, personally, love the sound that a harmonica makes. I don’t know why, I just do and it is used to brilliant effect on this song. Also, with the two duelling guitars and thundering drumming, it has an extremely Rock ’n’ Roll feel to it. I like this and could listen to it over and over again. 9/10.

I Am The Walrus (live) – This is the only song on the album that was not written by Noel Gallagher. For all those who don’t know, this was originally sung by The Beatles, but not even they performed this live. It is described as an act of ‘bravado’ aimed at local bands. This was recorded at a conference of Sony’s executives, gathered to hear Creation’s new signings. It sounds fantastic and I’m a big fan of this song. 9/10.

Listen Up – This song was originally featured on the superb ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’. It is one of Oasis’ less well-known songs and although I didn’t know most of the songs on this album, I recognised them after listening to them but I have no recollection of this song whatsoever. After listening to it a few times, it has sort of grown on me. It’s extremely easy to listen to and wouldn’t get bored of it easily. It also features a fantastic guitar solo. Great stuff. 8/10.

Rockin’ Chair – This is undoubtedly my favourite song on The Masterplan. The first time I heard this I instantly fell in love with it. It was inspired by Noel thinking about leaving his girlfriend and dreaming of what life might be like in London. It really touched me and is now a challenger for my all-time favourite Oasis song. There is some tough competition for this accolade as well (Live Forever, Cigarettes and Alcohol, Whatever, need I go on?) so it really proves how brilliant it is. I completely adore this song and if you are not thinking about purchasing The Masterplan, go and download it now. 10/10.

Half The World Away - Originally featured on ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Half The World Away’ is now better known for being the theme tune to BBC’s ever-popular ‘The Royle Family’. This is sort of the album’s claim to fame, but I don’t think its one of the best songs on the album. Yes, it is a brilliant song, but I think Rockin’ Chair and Talk Tonight are better. That been said, it is a great song and a superb addition to the album. 9/10.

(It’s Good) To Be Free – I was a bit disappointed with this song when it first started, but the chorus completely redeems it. The happy feel to it is a real morale booster and its this that makes the song good. Although I was disappointed at first, it seems to have grown on me and I really like it. 8/10.

Stay Young – Another one of my favourites on the album. This initially blew me away the first time I heard it, mainly due to its upbeat nature. It’s both fast moving and easy listening, which in itself makes a song great. Fantastic song and one of the high points of The Masterplan. 9/10.

Headshrinker – Probably my least favourite song on the album. I’m not sure why, but it just doesn’t do it for me. It is still good, but I think the earlier songs spoilt me. That being said, it’s still a decent listen but, in my opinion, not one of their best. 6/10.

The Masterplan – I’m not sure how I can sum this song up in words. It is inspiringly beautiful. I’ve never described a song as beautiful before but I’m going to break that trend with this because quite simply, it is. Noel regards this as his finest piece of work and you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to realise why. It is so good, even Liam wishes he had sung it. The perfect way to end a brilliant album. An easy 10/10.

Although I have only had The Masterplan just under a week, it is sitting prettily among my favourite albums of all time. Maybe my opinion might change after listening to it none stop for about a year without listening to anything else (which doesn’t seem impossible at the moment) but I find it extremely difficult to believe that I will ever get bored of it. Brilliant album from a brilliant band, my advice, get it as soon as possible.

I think I need a ‘Cheers for reading’ message, because it is a bit of a mammoth post (well, for me anyway) I just hope you take the time to read it. Cheers. Oh yeah, this is the first time I have ever reviewed an album so don’t be too harsh :-).
Fri 15/03/02 at 19:37
Regular
"Rong Xion Tong"
Posts: 5,237
Aqciesce, Underneath the sky, Half the World Away and Masterplan are the best tracks.
Fri 15/03/02 at 19:10
Regular
"No Surprises Please"
Posts: 2,192
Heh, I think Rockin' Chair, The Masterplan and Talk Tonight are fantastic. It really speaks volumes for how good Oasis are when they have B-Sides of this calibre.
Fri 15/03/02 at 19:06
Regular
"You've upset me"
Posts: 21,152
Whoops, that was by me, I changed my name instead of my tag :-D
Fri 15/03/02 at 19:04
Regular
"You've upset me"
Posts: 21,152
I've never really been a big Oasis fan, but I bought this album for the sheer hell of it when I was going through a bit of a crisis. And it rocks. Totally. Masterplan is my favourite with Rockin Chair a close second.

"And we'll dace if we wanna dance,
please brother take a chance,
you know they're gonna go which way thhey wanna go,
All we, know is that we don't know,
how it's gonna be please brother let it be,
Life on the other hand won't make us understand,
We're all part of the masterplan"
Fri 15/03/02 at 18:58
Regular
"No Surprises Please"
Posts: 2,192
I’ve had this album about a week now and anyone who plucks through the ‘If you are listening to music at this very moment...’ thread with a fine toothcomb, you will know that I’m nothing but impressed with it. For all those people who don’t know, The Masterplan is an album by Oasis that consists completely of B Side tracks. Some you may have heard, some you may not, but every single song on this album is special in its own way.

In the introduction where it gives you information on all of the songs, there is a quote which I really admire – ‘a band who believe a B-Side is no excuse not to care.’ Any band in the world can say this, but talk is cheap. Only one in a million of the bands of yesterday and today could produce an album consisting only of B-Sides with the same calibre of The Masterplan. Oasis said they didn’t think a B-Side is not an excuse to care and they backed up this statement with style.

I like to think of myself as an avid Oasis fan who knows quite a lot about them, but I was really showed up when I first saw the back of the album. The only songs I recognised were ‘Acquiesce’ from the video ‘There and Then’, ‘I am the Walrus’ from a bit of a Beatles obsession and ‘Half the World Away’ because this is the theme to one of my favourite Television Programmes ‘The Royle Family’. I really like these three songs, but I was still a bit sceptical about buying the album but I thought, what the hell, Oasis have produced some top quality songs in the past and I personally think Noel Gallagher is a genius, so I handed my cash over and took my new CD home.

Here are all the songs that are on the disk and my overall impressions of them.

Acquiesce – Right at the very start of this song, you can hear ‘What’s the Story Morning Glory’ in the background. I suddenly got the urge to take The Masterplan out of my CD player out of my stereo and put ‘What’s The Story’ on, but this went when Acquiesce kicked in. It is described in the introduction notes as a ‘shoulda been an A-side’ song and you can agree with this statement completely after listening to it. It’s a great song, especially when sung live. 9/10

Underneath The Sky – This is one of Noel’s favourite songs that he has written. It seems to me to be one of those songs that you can just put on when you’re in a bad mood and listening to it will make all your problems go away it. It’s cheerful tune really calms me down when I’m feeling a bit on the angry side and I have found that this song is brilliant if you are suffering from a bit of Insomnia. Especially with Talk Tonight being the next song. Fantastic song, 9/10.

Talk Tonight – This is one of my favourite songs on The Masterplan. I’m not sure why, but I have never disliked a song where Noel is the lead vocalist. Some people say he hasn’t got a very good voice, but I think its easily on par with Liam’s, if not better. Another thing about this song that I love is that’s acoustic. I love acoustics and this goes right near the top of my list of all time favourite acoustics, that’s how good it is. Marvellous, fantastic, brilliant – all words that sum this song up. 10/10.

Going Nowhere – When I initially heard this song, it sounded sort of familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on it. After rooting through my CD collection, I realised why. This song featured on ‘Stand By Me’, which is one of my favourite Oasis songs, so I had probably heard it a few times after ‘Stand By Me’ had finished. It’s a good song, but not one of the best on the album. It gets a respectable 7/10.

Fade Away – Although its one of the faster songs on the album, it’s one of the easiest to listen to. Noel says the song is ‘about growing up not growing old.’ This way of thinking guaranteed its popularity with Oasis fans. A good listen, but nothing special. 7/10.

The Swampsong – The only song on The Masterplan that has no lyrics. It used to be a warm-up exercise for the ‘Morning Glory’ sessions and was also a way of testing sound levels. I, personally, love the sound that a harmonica makes. I don’t know why, I just do and it is used to brilliant effect on this song. Also, with the two duelling guitars and thundering drumming, it has an extremely Rock ’n’ Roll feel to it. I like this and could listen to it over and over again. 9/10.

I Am The Walrus (live) – This is the only song on the album that was not written by Noel Gallagher. For all those who don’t know, this was originally sung by The Beatles, but not even they performed this live. It is described as an act of ‘bravado’ aimed at local bands. This was recorded at a conference of Sony’s executives, gathered to hear Creation’s new signings. It sounds fantastic and I’m a big fan of this song. 9/10.

Listen Up – This song was originally featured on the superb ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’. It is one of Oasis’ less well-known songs and although I didn’t know most of the songs on this album, I recognised them after listening to them but I have no recollection of this song whatsoever. After listening to it a few times, it has sort of grown on me. It’s extremely easy to listen to and wouldn’t get bored of it easily. It also features a fantastic guitar solo. Great stuff. 8/10.

Rockin’ Chair – This is undoubtedly my favourite song on The Masterplan. The first time I heard this I instantly fell in love with it. It was inspired by Noel thinking about leaving his girlfriend and dreaming of what life might be like in London. It really touched me and is now a challenger for my all-time favourite Oasis song. There is some tough competition for this accolade as well (Live Forever, Cigarettes and Alcohol, Whatever, need I go on?) so it really proves how brilliant it is. I completely adore this song and if you are not thinking about purchasing The Masterplan, go and download it now. 10/10.

Half The World Away - Originally featured on ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Half The World Away’ is now better known for being the theme tune to BBC’s ever-popular ‘The Royle Family’. This is sort of the album’s claim to fame, but I don’t think its one of the best songs on the album. Yes, it is a brilliant song, but I think Rockin’ Chair and Talk Tonight are better. That been said, it is a great song and a superb addition to the album. 9/10.

(It’s Good) To Be Free – I was a bit disappointed with this song when it first started, but the chorus completely redeems it. The happy feel to it is a real morale booster and its this that makes the song good. Although I was disappointed at first, it seems to have grown on me and I really like it. 8/10.

Stay Young – Another one of my favourites on the album. This initially blew me away the first time I heard it, mainly due to its upbeat nature. It’s both fast moving and easy listening, which in itself makes a song great. Fantastic song and one of the high points of The Masterplan. 9/10.

Headshrinker – Probably my least favourite song on the album. I’m not sure why, but it just doesn’t do it for me. It is still good, but I think the earlier songs spoilt me. That being said, it’s still a decent listen but, in my opinion, not one of their best. 6/10.

The Masterplan – I’m not sure how I can sum this song up in words. It is inspiringly beautiful. I’ve never described a song as beautiful before but I’m going to break that trend with this because quite simply, it is. Noel regards this as his finest piece of work and you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to realise why. It is so good, even Liam wishes he had sung it. The perfect way to end a brilliant album. An easy 10/10.

Although I have only had The Masterplan just under a week, it is sitting prettily among my favourite albums of all time. Maybe my opinion might change after listening to it none stop for about a year without listening to anything else (which doesn’t seem impossible at the moment) but I find it extremely difficult to believe that I will ever get bored of it. Brilliant album from a brilliant band, my advice, get it as soon as possible.

I think I need a ‘Cheers for reading’ message, because it is a bit of a mammoth post (well, for me anyway) I just hope you take the time to read it. Cheers. Oh yeah, this is the first time I have ever reviewed an album so don’t be too harsh :-).

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