The Forgotten Oasis Album

Oasis is a rock band that is known to most for their mid-90’s musical output, mainly their debut album, Definitely Maybe (1994) and their mega-successful follow-up, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) which contained the hits “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. However, few critics or fans give as much attention to their early 21st century releases.  I would like to demonstrate that their 2005 release Don’t Believe the Truth is the most accomplished, concise, diverse and coherent album of the band’s entire career.

The reasons for the strength and accomplishment of Don’t Believe the Truth is as follows:  it gave the chance for more members of the group besides Noel Gallagher to contribute to the songwriting, making it more diverse and musically-interesting.  Secondly, the newer members of the group added a more technically-refined, musically-coherent, and refreshing sound to the album.  Finally, Noel Gallagher, the traditionally-acknowledged songsmith of all previous Oasis material, demonstrates an unparalleled maturity and growth as a songwriter and lead singer on a handful of songs.

Unlike the first few Oasis albums, on Don’t Believe the Truth, Noel Gallagher is not the sole songwriter.  Liam Gallagher, the brash lead singer of the band, as well as bassist Andy Bell (formerly of the band, Ride) and guitar-player Gem Archer all provide outstanding material.  Bell’s songs “Turn Up The Sun” and “Keep the Dream Alive” embody all of the energy, philosophy, and attitude of Noel Gallagher’s most popular Oasis songs.  Take these lyrics from the album’s opener, “Turn Up The Sun”:

I carry the madness
Everywhere I go
Over the border
and back through the snow.

So if you see me
And I look right through
You shouldn’t take it
As a reflection on you.

These lyrics really get at the essence of Oasis’s swaggering, hyper-confident persona as a band, especially coming from the mouth of lead singer, Liam Gallagher.  Archer’s “A Bell Will Ring” later in the album, adds buoyancy and catchiness with its searing guitar riff to open the song.  Of course, Liam Gallagher demonstrates increased maturity in his song-writing skills with his own offerings:  “Guess God Thinks I’m Abel” and “Meaning of Soul”.

The newer members of Oasis who have gradually replaced the founding members over the years add a stirring musical concoction to the milieu.  Zack Starkey (Ringo Starr’s son) drums on this album and there is something hypnotic about his sense of rhythm.  On the album’s single “Lyla”, for example, Starkey paradoxically sounds like he is free to embellish the rhythm while at the same time maintaining a rock-solid backbeat.  Similarly, the guitar solo that Andy Bell provides for “Keep the Dream Alive” is beautiful in its simplicity:  it maintains a bass note while slightly alternating a higher note in a droning, chiming manner that recalls Bell’s days with his shoe-gazer alumni in Ride back in the 90’s.

Of course, no Oasis album is complete without a number of tracks provided by the band’s chief songwriter, Noel Gallagher.  On Don’t Believe the Truth, the older Gallagher shows that he has grown a lot as a lyricist and songsmith.  He also shows that he is still able to “steal”, pay homage to, and re-appropriate songs from the classic Rock pantheon.  On “Mucky Fingers” he channels The Velvet Underground and on “Part of the Queue” he shows his long-held fascination with the songwriting of Burt Bacharach.  Where in in his earliest songs, Noel would limit his lyrical scope to such themes as partying, living the rock and roll lifestyle, and tributes to Beatles songs, on this album he demonstrates a poignant world-weariness, disillusionment, and unsteady precariousness within his lofty position in the world of rock music stardom.

Overall, Oasis’s second to last studio album is an under-rated gem.  It satisfies in its diversity and scope.  Although it has been virtually forgotten and overshadowed by the bands earlier recordings, it deserves credit and repeated listenings.