Quote:
Originally Posted by Screen13
I have been listening to BHN recently for the first time in years, and for me, overblown production aside, it's half a potentially very good album with quite a bit of filler that killed the whole effect for me. Sadly, it's production...nah, make that Wall of Guitars Attack, is the thing which reflects an excessive period for the band which puts weight on plenty of very catchy hooks, with only "Don't Go Away" (one of their most effective ballads ever - Nice Bacharach touch at the end!) and "Stand By Me" holding back on the guitar a bit to let the songs move. "It's Getting Better (Man!)," "I Hope, I Think, I Know" benefit a bit from the big production if mainly to fit the occasion, but the overkill on "All Around the World" which would have made a perfect 5 Minutes,, is possibly the most guilty of running a good thing into the ground.
To me, it was a time of going over the top in playing Rock Stars, losing touch with the street-level they came from...such was the madness of '97. Thankfully, Noel decided to cut back from it. To this day, I still think that Standing on the Shoulder of Giants was a fine follow-up even if many others think otherwise. "Go Let It Out" looked like that it was do-or-die time, and Noel kicked the Bass in enough to power it to success.
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It's a matter of preferences, I guess. For me, dynamics are very important in whatever kind of music I'm listening to and Oasis simply has never really grasped that concept and sometimes the hooks are just drowned in the murky production, not only on BHN but on all of their albums. But, once again, some of the melodies are top-notch which saves them at the end of the day and Liam does have a good pair of pipes to deliver them.
By the way, my favourite tracks on BHN are "I hope, I think, I know" (great melody, and the only song on here that's not overlong), "D'you know what I mean?" and maybe "My big mouth" which actually sports a decent riff.