Re: Oasis fans...

Did the name Beady Eye turn you off?
What did you think of the album?

I like it fine. It doesn't rise to the level of Oasis' best, but it's good. And no, the name didn't turn me off.

For obvious reasons, I'm holding out greater hopes for Noel and his High-Flying Birds.

I liked the single; I believe it was an iTunes free download one week. And I'm not really an Oasis fan.

Funny, I was just thinking this morning what a lousy band name Beady Eye is.

I like the record, though. First Oasis-related music I've dug since Morning Glory. Like Delvin, I'm looking forward to hearing Noel's solo project.

I'm with Toland. . . I was a big Oasis fan for a spell (that spell being Definitely Maybe) but Beady Eye is, IMO, not good. Liam's vocals have become a parody of everything that made them compelling at one time, and the songwriting is mediocre at best. I'm not loving Noel's project either, but the songwriting is much better (obviously).

Actually, I like the record (as my post says). I just don't like the band name.

Ultimately Oasis and its spinoffs will never be anything more than ear candy to me - not deep, meaningful music that I'll carry with me the rest of my life. But as ear candy goes, at its best it's pretty sweet.

I'm not with Toland, then (and apparently don't read him closely either).

The name Beady Eye is mildly off-putting. But I'm not much of an Oasis fan. It was all downhill after "Supersonic" for me.

Is Beady Eye a play on "B.D.I." and if so, what the hell does that mean?

Beck Depression Inventory?"

Baltic Dry Index?

I dunno.

I have to agree that the guitar sound is a major part of the appeal--that being said, my favorite Oasis tune is a non-LP track that highlights that feature: "Acquiesce."



Post Edited (10-07-11 16:10)

I'll go on record as saying Oasis is my favorite band to debut in the '90s. No other act from that decade has given me as much sheer listening pleasure. Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory haven't lost a bit of their freshness. Be Here Now and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants slacked quite a bit, but still have their moments; all their albums from Heathen Chemistry onward are great. Even their B-sides comp, The Masterplan, was pretty top-drawer.

I was saddened when Liam and Noel finally split, but my overall reaction was, "Finally." Anyone care to venture how long we'll have to wait before the reunion?

I just love the wall of sound guitars. The closer you listen, the more layers are present. To me, it's not surface, ear-candy music (well, lyrically it is); meaning, you have to listen close to get it. If you listen on good headphones or deconstruct to play along with your guitar, it unfolds into brilliance. For a simple B-A-G/3-chord basic rock structure, there's a lot going on sonically. You wouldn't really know it just hearing the random song on the radio. Some of the b-sides were better than the A-sides. In person they put out an incredible roar and a personal atmosphere. But they're not indie enough or art-rock enough to please everybody.

I like Be Here Now because it has a song-cycle feel and is slightly prog. Morning Glory has sound problems, and is the most pop-based with ballads that don't wear as well (and has their 2 worst songs) but I still enjoy it on occasion. The last few were hit and miss (the Importance of Being Idle is one of the greatest pop singles of all time) but I liked SSoG. I still find it bizarre that Oasis are blockbusters outside of the US, but essentially an indie band here.

>Is Beady Eye a play on "B.D.I." and if so, what the hell does that mean?
The rumor was that Liam wanted the band to be slotted next to the Beatles but beyond that I don't think they've explained themselves. Oasis = great name; Beady Eye = sanguinary.

Agree with Paganizer. The density of guitars on Oasis' best recordings gave them a true grandeur that holds up, and even unfolds further, with each listen. Noel gets bagged on as a songwriter ... and given that he stole everything that wasn't nailed down, that slagging isn't unjustified. But there's nothing lazy or weak about his guitar playing.

I saw the group three times, and each show the band was better than the previous time. That said, the first show (on the Standing on the Shoulder tour) was my favorite; Oasis and Travis on the same bill was a good match-up, IMO. (Plus, we had great seats.)

> But they're not indie enough or art-rock enough to please everybody.

Given the esoteric parameters of both those categories, Oasis would've pleased a lot fewer people if the band had gone further in either direction. They were just plain rock enough to please me, that's for sure.

I was never really a fan when they were together, but now that they've become elder statesmen with at least two still-revered albums, I've been giving their records another listen. Given the hype-driven evocations of the Beatles that accompanied their ascent, it's funny how they're now as old as the Beatles were when "Columbia" was first heard on the radio, and yet at this moment, the Beatles are releasing another posthumous song that's getting far more attention than anything the Gallaghers have put out in years. (Not a reflection on quality - I remain skeptical that "Now and Then" will be any good.)

I didn't realize many of their best songs were widely believed to have been relegated to B-sides, especially on the first two albums' singles where in some cases the B-sides are considered by far the better songs. Put together, all of this material collectively sounds pretty engaging, and I almost wish there was a collection titled 1993-1995, similar to what you'd find on jazz reissues that present a chronological survey of everything recorded in the years given. Having said that, they really went off a cliff after 1995. Had something tragic brought an end to their music careers after 1995, I could see people lamenting that they were another great loss denied a chance to reach their full potential after leaving behind those tantalizing and massively popular works. (It reminds me of a conversation I had with someone about Hendrix and Clapton, where you wonder if the tables were turned, people would be speculating about all the great music he would've made after Layla while the same people would eventually lament over Hendrix's decline and embarrassment across the '70s and '80s.)

Noel has some great lines in the Hipgnosis documentary, Squaring the Circle.

Noel seems like a consistently great person to interview. Greil Marcus once said the famous "Wibbling Rivalry" single (an interview with the Gallaghers that was actually put out as a record, becoming a hit itself) was his favorite Oasis record and I can see why - it's highly entertaining and Noel is just great in it.

[www.youtube.com]

Someone spliced together highlights from Noel's DVD commentary for their videos - pretty entertaining:

[www.youtube.com]