This is a massive time and place record for me. It was 1994, and I’d just started university. ‘Shakermaker’ came on the Chart Show TV programme and hooked me from the first note.
I scurried out and bought the album as soon as it was available. I was fully invested for the next couple of years, convinced Oasis was the best band of a generation. The magic wore off with the release of ‘Be Here Now,’ which was a massive letdown to me then, but for a time, they were the elite to me.
Until I got this record for Christmas, I can’t remember the last time I listened to Oasis, and I’m struggling to work out why. This LP is still cracking, in my opinion.
The singles were all massive. ' Supersonic', ‘Shakermaker, ‘Live Forever,’ and ‘Cigarettes And Alcohol’ are absolute BritPop classics, full stop. As I write this, ‘Supersonic’ blasts out, making me wish I was 21 again.
I’d forgotten how good some of the album tracks were, too. ‘Columbia’ is six minutes of snarling guitar and distortion, ‘Bring It Down’ is dirty, angry rock, and ‘Slide Away’ might be my favourite track on the whole record.
It isn’t all gold, though; I still think ‘Digsy’s Dinner’ is garbage. “We’ll have lasaaaaan-yer”. Should have put ‘Fade Away’/‘D’yer Wanna Be A Spaceman’ or any of the other b-sides from the singles on. Or why not ‘Whatever’ (if it were written at the time - I don’t think it was, to be fair)?
This double-disc reissue includes the bonus track ‘Sad Song’, a pleasant surprise but would sit better on the album ‘The Masterplan’ with the other excellent b-sides. I’d rather have had ‘Whatever’ on this, though…
Listening to this album for the first time in years has been a pleasure. I’m sitting here with a big, daft grin on my face, remembering the times I had with top mates in questionable bars.
Fancy a copy? This version is available for about £30 from the usual places, or if you are feeling flush, you can pick up an original copy for way over £100 via Discogs.
Tracks To Try: Any of them (except Digsy’s Dinner, which is pish)…
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