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OASIS - HEATHEN CHEMISTRY
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TITLE:
Heathen Chemistry
LABEL:
CATNO:
RKIDLP25X
STYLE:
Rock / Indie Rock /
FORMAT:
Vinyl record
DESCRIPTION:
Rock LP Repressed - The official party line goes a little like this: sure, Be Here Now was bloated, but the boys were indulging in their phenomenal success at the time and, yeah, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants was a little uneven, but that was essentially due to overcompensation on the corrective steering, plus the defection of two founding members, so 2002's Heathen Chemistry -- the band's fifth album -- is where Oasis returns to form and starts acting like a band again (hell, not only does Liam contribute three songs, but so does bassist Gem Archer, while Andy Bell throws in a minute-long instrumental).
If only it were that simple. First of all, this, like Giants, is produced by Oasis and mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent, so it should come as no surprise that it sounds like that album, only without the slight electronica flourishes, since the band is determined to make this their rock & roll comeback. But that Stent-mixed, Noel-helmed production keeps Heathen Chemistry from really rocking -- it's big and diffuse, sounding enormous and vaguely psychedelic, without much grit or kick. When it's matched with the right song -- such as the swirling, majestically nonsensical opener "The Hindu Times" -- it can be an addictive sound, but often it's mismatched with the songs; the sound expands the songs too much and they lose focus and dynamic, whether it's the muted "Digsy's Dinner" stomp of "Force of Nature" (a solo Noel tune unearthed from a 2000 soundtrack for a British-only Jude Law film), epic ballads ("Little by Little"), stabs at sweeping psychedelia ("Born on a Different Cloud"), or rockers (including the Stone Roses-meets-the Stones closer "Better Man"). These are songs that desperately need some kind of definition from their production, since they're Noel-by-numbers (even when they're tunes written by Liam): pleasant, moderately tuneful, but not too hooky, or memorable (especially in this setting), and their deficiencies are brought into relief by the times that he really connects -- the guitar-heavy drone of "(Probably) All in the Mind," a pretty good power ballad in "Stop Crying Your Heart Out," the delightfully unassuming "She Is Love" (sounding as refreshing here as "Rocking Chair" and "Talk Tonight" used to sound as B-sides), and "The Hindu Times," holding up the trend of the last three albums of having Oasis leading with their best song as the first single -- plus Liam's "Songbird," a wonderful, sweet country-rock tune that's easily the second best here. That's not a great average, especially since the flat production doesn't make any of these songs shine as brilliant individual moments, the way "It's Getting Better (Man)" did on Be Here Now (well, apart from "Songbird," which is the only spare production here), but it's not bad, either, and good Oasis songs are still a joy. Nevertheless, for those who rightfully believed that Oasis was a great band in the mid-'90s -- when Noel had so many great songs, they spilled over to three B-sides per single -- it's hard not to find this album kind of disappointing, a confirmation that no matter what they do, Oasis Mach II will never have the sheer abandon or thrill as Definitely Maybe through Morning Glory.
If only it were that simple. First of all, this, like Giants, is produced by Oasis and mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent, so it should come as no surprise that it sounds like that album, only without the slight electronica flourishes, since the band is determined to make this their rock & roll comeback. But that Stent-mixed, Noel-helmed production keeps Heathen Chemistry from really rocking -- it's big and diffuse, sounding enormous and vaguely psychedelic, without much grit or kick. When it's matched with the right song -- such as the swirling, majestically nonsensical opener "The Hindu Times" -- it can be an addictive sound, but often it's mismatched with the songs; the sound expands the songs too much and they lose focus and dynamic, whether it's the muted "Digsy's Dinner" stomp of "Force of Nature" (a solo Noel tune unearthed from a 2000 soundtrack for a British-only Jude Law film), epic ballads ("Little by Little"), stabs at sweeping psychedelia ("Born on a Different Cloud"), or rockers (including the Stone Roses-meets-the Stones closer "Better Man"). These are songs that desperately need some kind of definition from their production, since they're Noel-by-numbers (even when they're tunes written by Liam): pleasant, moderately tuneful, but not too hooky, or memorable (especially in this setting), and their deficiencies are brought into relief by the times that he really connects -- the guitar-heavy drone of "(Probably) All in the Mind," a pretty good power ballad in "Stop Crying Your Heart Out," the delightfully unassuming "She Is Love" (sounding as refreshing here as "Rocking Chair" and "Talk Tonight" used to sound as B-sides), and "The Hindu Times," holding up the trend of the last three albums of having Oasis leading with their best song as the first single -- plus Liam's "Songbird," a wonderful, sweet country-rock tune that's easily the second best here. That's not a great average, especially since the flat production doesn't make any of these songs shine as brilliant individual moments, the way "It's Getting Better (Man)" did on Be Here Now (well, apart from "Songbird," which is the only spare production here), but it's not bad, either, and good Oasis songs are still a joy. Nevertheless, for those who rightfully believed that Oasis was a great band in the mid-'90s -- when Noel had so many great songs, they spilled over to three B-sides per single -- it's hard not to find this album kind of disappointing, a confirmation that no matter what they do, Oasis Mach II will never have the sheer abandon or thrill as Definitely Maybe through Morning Glory.
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Last FM Information on Oasis
Please note the information is done on a artist keyword match and data is provided by LastFM.
Oasis are an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. The original lineup consisted of Liam Gallagher on lead vocals, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs on guitar, Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan on bass guitar, and Tony McCarroll on drums. Liam’s older brother Noel Gallagher joined later as lead guitarist and vocalist, becoming the group’s main songwriter and de facto leader. Oasis are regarded as one of the most successful and influential bands of the Britpop movement.
In 1993, Oasis signed to the independent label Creation Records and released their debut album "Definitely Maybe" in 1994. The record reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time. Their second album, "(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?," followed in 1995, featuring new drummer Alan "Whitey" White. Released during a widely publicized chart rivalry with Blur, dubbed the "Battle of Britpop," the album spent ten weeks at number one in the UK and achieved international success. It became one of the best-selling albums of all time, the third-best-selling album in UK history, and the UK’s best-selling album of the 1990s.
Oasis became known not only for their music but also for the Gallagher brothers’ often turbulent relationship and media coverage of their disputes. In 1996, the band performed two record-breaking shows at Knebworth for crowds of 125,000 each night, which were the largest outdoor concerts in UK history at that time. Their third studio album, "Be Here Now," released in 1997, broke sales records upon release but was later met with mixed critical reception.
Founding members Arthurs and McGuigan left the band in 1999 during the recording of "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants" (2000) and were replaced by Gem Archer, formerly of Heavy Stereo, and Andy Bell, formerly of Ride. White departed in 2004 and was succeeded by touring drummer Zak Starkey. Oasis went on to release three more studio albums: "Heathen Chemistry" (2002), "Don’t Believe the Truth" (2005), and "Dig Out Your Soul" (2008). The band disbanded in 2009 following Noel Gallagher’s departure. The remaining members formed Beady Eye, which continued until 2014. Both Liam and Noel Gallagher later pursued solo careers.
Oasis reformed in 2024 and announced the "Oasis Live '25 Tour," which commenced the following year. As of 2024, the band’s lineup included the Gallagher brothers, Arthurs, Archer, and Bell.
By 2024, Oasis had sold over 75 million records worldwide, ranking among the best-selling music artists of all time. They achieved eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums, as well as three Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)-certified platinum albums in the United States. The band received numerous awards, including 17 NME Awards, nine Q Awards, four MTV Europe Music Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, and six Brit Awards. In 2007, they received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music and the "Best Album of the Last 30 Years" award for "(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?." Oasis were also nominated for two Grammy Awards.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis_(band)
Studio albums
Definitely Maybe (1994)
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
Be Here Now (1997)
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000)
Heathen Chemistry (2002)
Don't Believe the Truth (2005)
Dig Out Your Soul (2008) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
