Oasis: Liam Gallagher (vocals); Noel Gallagher (guitar, background vocals); Paul Arthurs (guitar); Paul McGuigin (bass); Alan White (drums).
Additional personnel: Paul Stacey (acoustic guitar, guitar, keyboards, bass); Mark Coyle (12-string acoustic guitar, electric sitar); Charlotte Glasson (flute); Mark Feltham (harmonica); Jan "Stan" Kybert (programming); PP Arnold, Linda Lewis (background vocals).
Recorded at Wheeler End, Olympic Studios, Supernova Heights, England, and Chateau De La Colle Noir, France.
Having both become fathers since the release of 1997's BE HERE NOW, Liam and Noel Gallagher have cut back on the carousing and ironically made Oasis's fourth album the most psychedelic one to date. Overseen by Massive Attack/Bjork producer Mark "Spike" Stent, STANDING ON THE SHOULDER OF GIANTS, finds the larger-than-life sound of the Brothers Gallagher sprinkled with a light dusting of drum loops, samples, electric sitar, Mellotron, and backward guitar. As always, the Beatles continue to loom large as influences, particularly on the "Hey Jude"-like "Little James," Liam's songwriting debut. The track was written with Simple Minds' Jim Kerr and is dedicated to Liam's son. Elsewhere, the obvious Indian influence of "Who Feels Love" suggests "Dear Prudence" had George Harrison written it instead of John and Paul.
At different points, GIANTS finds Oasis flirting with the Madchester sound of the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses. "Gas Panic!" and "Roll It Over" point to the morning-after vibe of vintage Primal Scream while "Fuckin' in the Bushes" sounds like a lost Charlatans UK track. Despite all the experimentation, the lads from Manchester firmly hold onto their Brit-pop crown with thumping numbers like "Liar" and "Go Let It Out!"
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (3/16/00, p.73) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Sonically, GIANTS is easily their boldest work, with mastermind Noel Gallagher and new co-producer Mark 'Spike' Stent...layering backward guitars and turntable scratching over huge trash-can beats that actually swing a bit..."
Entertainment Weekly (3/3/00, pp.74-5) - "...less clotted and grating than 1997's BE HERE NOW...the sonic openness allows Gallagher's melodies and guitar and his brother Liam's pissy bray to shine brighter..." - Rating: B
Q (1/01, p.92) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000".
Q (3/00, pp.96-7) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...an effective modern psychedelic record that has dumped the bombast of yore and replaced it...with some real emotion....Oasis are still British rock'n'roll's brightest hope..."
Alternative Press (3/00, p.71) - 3 out of 5 - "...a good LP....containing a few new tricks....The huge-beat-meets-Led-Zeppelin-riffs instrumental [first track] and the groovy 'Go Let It Out' get the album off to a great start..."
CMJ (3/13/00, p.3) - "...its most heartfelt record to date....unabashedly couching their influences in an anthemic, often psychedlic, pop framework....still a force to be reckoned with."
Melody Maker (2/29/00, pp.46-7) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...a good record....confirms Oasis as the Rolling Stones of their generation rather than The Beatles....good enough to make you remember [their past greatness]..."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/00, pp.92-5) - "...the more you hear the album, the more its melodies gnaw into the brain and the subtle complexities of its arrangements unfold....a much better album than BE HERE NOW..."
NME (Magazine) (2/26/00, p.35) - 6 out of 10 - "...It is a transitional work, the album Oasis had to make, to prove to themselves as much as anyone else that the desire still lay within..."
