Be Here Now

08/26/1997 3:00 AM, LAUNCH
Ken Micallef

Forget about being bigger than Jesus; Noel Gallagher claims Oasis are now bigger than God. And was it God or Shakespeare who said that pride goeth before a fall? Anyway, Noel, Liam, Bonehead and the rest of Oasis can well afford a big cushion, and they are going to need it after the debacle of hack lyrics, cliched guitar solos and endless songs that is Be Here Now. Where Definitely Maybe brewed 30 years of Britrock down to one resplendent debut, and What's The Story Morning Glory? was an imaginative lark through Strawberry Fields and Penny Lanes, Be Here Now is a dullard's cacophony, a dud. DOA.

Rehashing their debut with more brawling guitars and Liam's sneering pout at the fore, Noel Gallagher takes the mantle of world's greatest songwriter seriously and drops the ball. Noel's lyrics have always been pleasantly meaningless, but now his songs have grown grating, his arrogance a veil that cloaks his eyes and ears. "D'You Know What I Mean" is decent enough, standard Oasis fare for punters with pints everywhere. After that it's a hard day's slog. "My Big Mouth" pumps a big empty wall of sound; "Stand By Me" drives its feel-good chorus into the ground; "Fade In Out" totes a slide guitar for an attempt at Brit blues-rock. Uh huh. No "Wonderwall" or "Live Forever" here, just ripped-off Beatles' references, repetitious melodies and trite guitar. "Don't Go Away" is good, a bittersweet melody wrapped in sympathetic strings and Liam's classy reading. But it's a lone little bugger. The record's statement of intent is the incredibly tiresome (9:20!!!) "All Around The World." Held until now because it was considered such a great song, it attempts to one-up "Hey Jude," gushing pompous strings, Ringo-ish drum fills and Noel's cloying guitar over insipid peace'n' love lyrics.

**Newsflash!! Be Here Now is not the work of our boys, just a crude Oasis cover band from the year 2020. What a relief.