Manchester‘s heroes OASIS scored (another) No. 1 hit in the UK with D’YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? today 27 years ago. The first single from
their mediocre 3rd LP Be Here Now.
Also #1 in Canada and Scotland.
Noel Gallagher: “I was going to make up some profound statement in the chorus
but I couldn’t come up with anything that fitted. Then I just thought ‘All my people right
here, right now, d’you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah.’ Very vague, very ambiguous,
that’ll do.”
Manchester’s rock titans OASIS released their 3rd LP BE HERE today 25 years ago.
Pitchfork: “Oasis’ third album from 1997 was always more circus than substance. The bloated and indulgent remaster only reinforces it as one of the most agonizing listening experiences in pop music… It wasn’t just the end of Oasis’ imperial period, but the record industry’s as well. Britpop receded to make way for a more humble kind of rock star in the likes of Travis and Coldplay.” Score 5/10.
TUTV: First things first. I was/am a supersonic Oasis fan. They gave the 90s a much-needed lets-fucking-rock-again injection, no arty farty BS, only scream-along wonderwall anthems for all the lads (like me) and lasses hungry for going bonkers again with a band they can identify with. I followed them from the very beginning (thank you NME). Their shows had the atmosphere of a sold-out Premier League Match. Glorious!
But as it goes with too much money and too many drugs it only was a matter of time before Oasis would fuck up. As happened with Be Here Now. Unfortunately, nobody had the bollocks to tell the stoned Gallaghers bros and their stoned mates to get the decibels down in the studio for this stinker, so anyone could a least hear the melodies crushed by the cocaine-fueled wall-of-guitar chaos.
Let’s go to Noelthe chief Gallagher. He’ll tell you everything about why BE HERE NOW was a major failure and he still looks in anger at it.
Wait, wait, wait, the 3 singles
were pretty good, well much better
than the full result.
‘D’YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?’ by Manchester legends OASIS hit the top spot of the UK Singles Chart this day 22 years go, on 19 July 1997. It was the lead single of their third and weakest – too much coke according to Noel Gallagher – album Be Here Now. The single was only one of the few highlights and sold more than 745,000 copies. Here’s the pretty cool accompanying video clip. Release the chopper here…
