Right. 3rd listen over…….
I’m reluctant to say that this has grown on me, but most, definitely maybe, I got much more enjoyment out of it this morning than either of the other two listens.
I think
@mrbelfry and
@threespires and perhaps a few others, did really articulate quite a few of my own emotions while me, at the same time, never having been a fan of Oasis.
One overriding feeling I have, or should I say, I agree with is that with Oasis it was never a hatred or dislike of their music. I was always looking at the adulation from the outside in though. However one of the above articulated it very eloquently, I never begrudged those that were enjoying them so much, after all it is simple rock and roll and what’s not to like about 3 chord, 4 bar rock n roll. After all, my own obsession (Rory) pretty much played nothing else but a blues based form of same. (Although he did it pretty damn well).
What
@Coatigan and a couple of others have written about the fanbase and the music being intrinsically entwined and spoiling it for some because of the tribalism, well….. over here we may not have had so much of a problem like that. Personally, even the whole Blur v Oasis rivalry thing, I thought was totally contrived. They were completely different and there were good and not so good elements to the music of both. There was no comparison with the style of music both were putting out.
Oasis were/ are hugely popular In Ireland. Why? Well no.1 The music itself. Like has been said,it’s not complicated. It’s simple basic rock n roll and regardless of whether I personally think it’s average or above average doesn’t matter. It has a wide appeal.
No.2 I think is significant over here however. We are a strange bunch when it comes to claiming Irishness. The Gallagher brothers and I think perhaps another band member are second generation Irish and they let it be known.
That kind of thing goes down a bomb over here. I’d put the Pogues in that category too. It certainly did them no harm over here and I do wonder did this elevate them in stature nationally and would they have been just another Manchester band that would have had their time here, just to fade back to relative obscurity otherwise….. Who knows.
In my second contribution I indicated that I have a comparison with a local band in mind. I thought about whether it’s relevant or not, but to hell with it, I’ll share my thoughts.
How I feel about Oasis is similar to how I feel about a nationally idolised band over here and particularly idolised in Dublin. They could have been huge, perhaps, but circumstances involving their charismatic frontman and their loyalty to him, held them back.
So no, it’s not U2. The band are called Aslan.
Aslan hit the scene at the end of the 80’s into the 90’s and they had a singer songwriter and brilliant frontman (some would say) who turned out to be their biggest asset and their biggest stumbling block at the same time.
Aslan in my estimation had bigger potential than U2 when they started, they could play and Christy could sing.
So why am I comparing them to Oasis, well bare with me, it’s probably just my own taste and prejudices but Christy wrote a certain three or four songs that became anthems that you just couldn’t get away from over here.
Similar to Oasis, they are good songs, they have mass appeal, which is why they are anthems. Some songs have anthem trust upon them while others seem to get written with this crowd arena type appeal in mind. I think that’s something that followed with Noel and perhaps a reason why I switched off as far as they were concerned.
Just for completeness, Aslan were set to be huge but Christy had a drug addiction that lost the band at least a decade. They dined off those three or four songs that were endlessly pumped out on the radio while Christy got himself cleaned up. To their credit the band didn’t ditch him and supported him and waited. When he came back their popularity here sored and although very much a local secret, their live shows were heralded and Christy himself was hailed as a national hero almost, before his death last year.
Right, so I’ve outlined my own prejudices regarding Oasis, none of which is particularly fair to
@BlueHammer85 having put this album forward.
Well as I said I enjoyed this morning’s listen far more than I’ve ever enjoyed listening to them. Perhaps me OD’ing on my auld mate Rory last night May have done Liam and Noel a favour. I was very much in a rock n roll frame of mind.
If I had scored this on first listen god knows how low I may have gone.
I was in the 5-5.5 territory but having had two objective listens since then, I genuinely think it deserves no less than what I gave to INXS, a 7. Perhaps I have overscored INXS, but I like to maintain some sort of consistency.
It will never be a go to album for me, but I understand not quite perfectly, but very well, from the heartfelt contributions in here, just what it means to others.
Like I said, I have no problem watching others’ obvious enjoyment from the outside when they come on.
A great album for debate, regardless of how you score it.
