More on: Oasis

Label: Big Brother
Release Date: 20/11/06
Rating:

It's been twelve years since Oasis swaggered onto the British music scene. Arriving during the Britpop explosion, 'Supersonic' wore its influences on its parka sleeve, and the natural rivalry began with fellow chart-botherers Blur. The biggest difference between Oasis and the rest of the bands of the time, was that they never deviated from what they did best. This lack of risk-taking goes some way to explaining the longevity of the band - they know their audience, and the audience has grown up with them.

Finally, Oasis reach a stage where it's time to issue a Best Of. It's good timing - last year's 'The Importance Of Being Idle' being one of the strongest songs they've done.

On reflection, the anthems of old, such as 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' and 'Live Forever', feel a bit stale now, and the braggartly 'Rock 'n' Roll Star' make you realise the (relatively) more thoughtful songs have aged the best. We don't mean 'Songbird' though, a Liam abomination from 'Heathen Chemistry' that has ludicrously been included at the expense of 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out'.

It's '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?''s songs that define Oasis, and a lot of its tracks are on this album. 'Some Might Say' took the debut album's assured sound, but with less of the arrogance. 'Champagne Supernova' is one of the highlights of the Oasis back catalogue. Who cares if it's a bit overblown and pretentious, this arms-aloft introspection on new-found fame is exactly what the band are good at.

There'll be plenty of misty-eyed nostaglia for those who were there back in '96, clinging on to their mates at kicking-out time, singing along to 'Don't Look Back In Anger'. 'Wonderwall' will never feel tired, what with Liam having never sounded better singing the love song it's okay for blokes to like.

The running order on this double CD is not chronological, and seems to understand what people want from an Oasis greatest hits, and it's not a great deal from anything other than 'Definitely Maybe' and 'Morning Glory'. Having said that, with a b-side compilation 'The Masterplan' already available, to leave off so much from the albums between 1997 and 2002 to instead include four b-sides (one of which is 'Acquiesce', aka 'the greatest Oasis single that never was') is quite surprising.

With such an imbalance of singles from each album, it's hard to judge if this album is to be seen as a 'greatest hits', or a retrospective. Noel Gallagher clearly doesn't feel proud enough of hit singles like 'The Hindu Times'. It's a shame, seeing as half the world's population already owns 'Morning Glory', that such emphasis is given to this album, as definitive as it is.

Stop the Clocks ends up feeling like an opportunity missed for songs, critically less popular at the time, to be given a second lease of life.

Becky Reed

Oasis Official Site