Of course, this is no surprise. It is Oasis, after all. And like Coca-Cola, they've only reached their formidable stature because, well, they taste so damn good. Moreover, like the aforementioned soft drink, while you may have reservations about the quality of character in some of the organization's members, you can't deny that the product has always been consistently good, if not a tad on the syrupy side.

Along with nine new Noel Gallagher compositions, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants offers the novelty of containing the first Liam Gallagher song to be recorded by the band. The track, "Little James," is a tender ballad written much in the vein of, well, Noel Gallagher. In fact, the big surprises about the tune are that it is so remarkably similar to typical Oasis material, in content and melody, and that it sounds as good as it does. Sort of makes one wonder why it took Noel a good seven long years to allow one of his little brother's compositions to find its way to plastic.

Noel and Liam Gallagher

The release debuts the studio arrival of guitarist Gem Archer (known simply as "Gem") and bassist Andy Bell (known simply as "Andy"), who have respectively replaced Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan. (The new members made their live debut in Philadelphia, December 1999.) In support of the new CD (set for U.S. release February 29th), Oasis is embarking on a North American tour, slated to kick off in Seattle April 5th and wrap up in Mexico City May 8th when, I suppose, the liquor supply finally runs out.

While on the topic of drugs and drink, it's only fair to give mention to Noel's much-publicized sobriety, which has lasted now two years running. Says Noel of his former indulgences, "It was great at the time, but it came to the point where I just couldn't be bothered having the same conversations with the same people in the same chair in the same fucking house every week about UFOs. I got sick of waking up with a golf ball up my nose and cotton wool for a head."

Liam's contribution to the CD notwithstanding, if anything distinguishes the new release from previous Oasis offerings, it's the inclusion of the heaviest psychedelic overtones to date. (This is what happens when you sober up?) Minus the absence of moustaches or marching band outfits on the band members, the album – with its generous use of mellotrons, sitars and tape loops – is decidedly Sgt. Pepper-ish. Nevertheless, though somewhat short in length (at 10 tracks) the album is another good showing by the band and should hold us over well until the release of their White Album.

February 2000