GOOD CHEMISTRY (Heathen Chemistry - Oasis)

Member Name: C_Padd

Product:	Heathen Chemistry - Oasis
Date:	14/07/02 (392 review reads)
Rating:

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Oasis are back with a bang after two less than spectacular offerings Heathen Chemistry is a step back on course to old and better stuff from the Manchester lads.

Many people will have been looking forward to this album from Oasis. This, their fifth LP coming off the back of some poor works, love lives and new line ups could have had the potential to finish the band off. Two successful singles releases, some great live dates and a number one album later things are starting to look up. This is a much better album with some great tracks and some average tracks. That seems to make it a good effort and gives a chance that this is a new start for the band and better stuff is to come. Some of the tracks such as (Probably) All in the Mind, Born on a Different Cloud and Songbird are all great songs and there are no really bad efforts. Songbird and She is Love does however come from a thirty something band that do seem to be slowing down and calming down. Liam writes Songbird and this is a genuinely sweet and kind song, all about his new loves. Maybe the old wild Oasis are departing, but this still results in a damn fine album.

Most Oasis fans would love this album, simply because it is one of the best they have done for some time and goes right back to the beginning. Other people could point out that it is still not a patch on Defiantly Maybe, and maybe some people really don’t care. The song writing in this is shared between the Gallagher’s and also now Gem Archer and Andy Bell, the new members of the band. Liam is fast improving as a genuine songwriter and all the lyrics are passable with some great efforts. Liam says he has a great rock and roll voice, and the vocals on this are excellent for once backing up his big mouth. Who really cares if this album does take all sorts of other acts as influence, this is worth listening too regardless and is a great album.

The Hindu Times and Stop Crying Your Heart Out are two of the stand out
tracks off the album as the first two singles. The Hindu times opens the album with a distinctive oriental guitar riff and wall to wall guitars as a great start up. Good enough to get to number 1 in the charts and gave a good taste of what to expect here. The whole album is easy to get into, though the two singles are the best known to most listeners. The second single did not make number 1, but for me sums up England’s World Cup exit where this seemed to be playing all the time on the radio. Stop Crying Your Eyes Out is an excellent track, a slow ballad and much more acoustic it builds up to a great chorus and a great song.

Second track is Forces of Nature and back to some classic Oasis that people will know of old. The usual sort of music that made them, and this is more than an average filler and always good for a listen. Sung and written by Noel and bitter lyrics about his ex that are less than complementary. Hung in a Bad Place was written by Gem Archer and is another decent track, though not outstanding. Powerful guitars and drums, this whole song has a whole sneering feel to all the vocals and is very gritty.

After Stop Crying Your Heart Out comes Songbird. Songbird as I mentioned earlier was written by Liam and is a real change. It is all sweet and full of love about his new and stable life. It is an excellent song once you get over the shock, acoustic and light with keyboards. Lovely to listen to, but this could be a changing Oasis as they do settle down. If they keep writing like this then there are not going to be too many problems, but they will lose the excitement and controversy. This could also be the slip into their 30s, a long way off for me to talk about but they will probably not be rocking and rolling forever. A great song in the middle of the album though.

Another excellent song is Little by Little following on from Songbird. Noel is on vocals and I found this song quite catchy. Great guitars on the track th
at comes into life after a slower start and a chorus that is memorable and has good lyrics. An interesting change of direction is a 90 second instrumental at track seven. Called A Quick Peep that is all it really is, though a nice change and good music. (Probably) All in the Mind is another excellent offering. Both the Gallagher’s singing throughout this song makes a nice touch and has excellent riff and guitars.

She is Love is like Songbird a taste of Oasis or at least the Gallagher’s settling down. Written by Noel it is an upbeat song about now having their love lives sorted and looking towards the future. Good song with more electric guitars and acoustic guitars. Up tempo but still has the loving feel to it. Born on a Different Cloud is another sort of ballad that takes its time to get through near the end of the album. Still a good song, catchy and good guitars throughout the album that have set this aside from others.

Better Man finishes off the album as the elevenths track and is another great song written by Liam. Fast paced and a great piece of rock crossing over with indie a nice way to end the album on a high and it makes you feel alive. After about a 10 minute silence following on from the last track you are treated to a hidden extra piece. Nothing too special, I found it by accident and looking at the time the whole album plays it is over seventy minutes long in total. A nice enough acoustic and instrumental, a treat but I would not wait 10 minutes just for this.

This is a decent album from Oasis after a disappointing last one. It is still not as good as their first few, though a good stand alone piece of music and a glimpse of what talent they still have got. Worth getting, and hopefully this is a change back up a gear than a flash on the downward spiral.

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