- Be Here Now Remastered

BE HERE NOW seems to have garnered the most opposing views out of Oasis' great lexicon of music. The end result is really that we all have Oasis to thank for keeping rock 'n roll "Still Alive and Well" as Johnny Winter sang so long ago & Neil Young's lyrics of "Hey, Hey, My, My" (Rock 'n Roll Will Never Die; which Noel happened to do a great job with at Wembley Stadium in 2000) through the extremely "lean" years of the 90's. Give 'em credit!! On both sides of the Atlantic the 90's could have seen the death of real rock. This seems like a good point to interject my viewpoint regarding the "so-called" Oasis "Phenomenon". Yes, they were a great rock band...but "phenomenon"? Let's be real! It was the 90's: We're not talking 60's or 70's. There was no competition! But, while some others also kept the dream alive, nobody else in the 90's had the catalog & talent that Oasis did. I don't think any other bands toured as much as Oasis seems to have done either. Oasis might've gotten a huge break early on in their career, that they didn't have to "put in some hard time" like so many other bands, but that didn't mean these guys just sat back & only indulged in the usual rock 'n roll excesses. They, too succumbed but they worked their behinds off, too! So, they partied hard & maybe worked even harder. BE HERE NOW is the Gallagher brothers at their most super-overinflated opinions of themselves! So what? In retrospect, they were young & shot out of a cannon with the overwhelming popularity of "Definitely, Maybe" and "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?". As a result, it makes a sort of sense that BE HERE NOW would have such egotistical lyrics following that enormous instant success. Oasis wouldn't have gotten those ego's without the help of all their fans & the media. So, cut 'em some slack...It still comes down to the music & Oasis' BE HERE NOW is fantastic, too!!! (It just may take a few more 'listens' to arrive at that conclusion than the first two did.) As far as all the fuss about Johnny Depp's slide guitar...he's alright. But, if you really want to know what slide is "all about", listen to Bonnie Raitt. She is to slide guitar what Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher & Johnny Marr are to guitar. By the 90's, the reality of just how much of a melting pot America is really came into play in music...hip hop was mainstream in the 80's; rap in the 90's, the "Lilith Fair" female singer-songwriters, r & b diva's in the 90's, the "boy" bands (of which there were both in the UK and US), grunge (I admit to liking and owning Garbage, The Offspring & Social Distortion, but I don't consider them to truly be grunge & Soc. D started in the '80's). And, I think only true grunge fans would consider grunge to be real rock 'n roll music. Also, by then 'metal' had started to have its' own sub-divisions! Depeche Mode kept music going but I don't know that I'd classify it as "rock". (Aside: I only got "into" Depeche Mode recently. "Soothe My Soul" off their new Delta Machine (all great!) got me hooked!) The Smithereens (a local NJ band, who hit, but not as big as Bon Jovi) and Lenny Kravitz did their parts, too, to keep rock going. But, my personal opinion is that none of the bands mentioned posed any real rock 'n roll competition for Oasis and for possibly even greater creativity if there had been any. Back to BE HERE NOW. No...It's not another "MORNING GLORY" or "DEFINITELY, MAYBE", but it DOES have GREAT tunes with one of the best voices in rock & roll history. I may not like that Liam said that Americans didn't "get" Oasis. I have to admit he may have been right (at the time). I, myself, got into Oasis "bass ackwards" as my dear old Dad would've said. By "getting into" Beady Eye first & then backtracking. Of course, I was AWARE of Oasis in the 90's...I wasn't dead!; but, I agree that I don't think they got the radio airplay they should've gotten & deserved in the States; because we were wrapped up in so many other musical genre's at that time. And, believe me, rockers really didn't know where to turn. I myself did a lot of listening to The Black Crowes and The Smithereens, and got into blues...Kenny Wayne Shepard, Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Susan Tedeschi and Indigenous. Also, a phase of non-"lilith fair" female singer- songwriters (Sheryl Crow, Joan Osborne & Lucinda Williams and the lesser known but so talented Tift Merritt, Toni Price, Annie McCue, and Thea Gilmore). But, then, I've never "gone with the pack" when it comes to music. I always try to seek out new. In the early 2000's, I found myself backtracking to one of my favorite decades: the 80's & becoming immersed in INXS. So, I also had to get past how Noel Gallagher insulted Michael Hutchence at the 1996 Brit Awards. But, they're soooooo good, I had to!! And, now I've already built an Oasis collection in just about 7 months that far surpasses my INXS one, in CD's & DVD's. For anyone starting to become an Oasis fan....there's PLENTY to choose from to start. There seem to be 2 "camps" of a fanbase...the early years with Bonehead and the later years with Gem & Andy. I'm more familiar with the later years & Gem & Andy only because I've watched "Familiar to Millions" Wembley Stadium concert DVD dozens of times & listened to that CD dozens of times already, too. (Aside to anyone starting: you MUST have at least one live CD & DVD...Oasis is DEFINITELY a band to hear live. There's a whole "underground" of "off-label" releases, too. It's tricky; best to, hopefully, find someone who is helpful & will kind of "mentor" you in the finer points. I didn't set out with some 'diabolical' scheme to find a mentor; I was just very fortunate that I made purchases from very friendly & knowledgeable UK people who seemed happy to share information with me, to keep me from getting "burned"). It must've been SO fabulous to've been "THERE AND THEN" (another great DVD, which some reviewers prefer over "FAMILIAR TO MILLIONS"; again, the 2 different fanbases of early years vs. later years). I'm lovin' ALL the years!!! BE HERE NOW may take several listens before you realize just how great this particular Oasis CD really is. I knew more than half the songs on it & liked them a lot; but as I come to play it more & more, I'm loving all of the songs more & more. I've surprised myself that one of my favorites on BE HERE NOW is "Don't Go Away"; a ballad (of all things!) I think that's why I maybe didn't 'get' Oasis in the 90's...for me, they were a little mellow for how I liked my rock. And, I realize, too, they sometimes use "string" instruments (like violins; woodwinds...instruments I never before associated with rock 'n roll). I had always liked big, head bangin' hard rock (AC/DC and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts had been favorites of mine for many years; so you have a reference point). I didn't "go for" CD's, or albums, that had a little of this, a little of that. But, the flip side of that coin is there's something for everyone! I've always had an open mind with music, though; which I'm so glad for; that I've found my way back to Oasis, even though they are no longer together. (But, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Beady Eye's 2nd, BE & they are 3/4's of Oasis; however, I would be THRILLED if Oasis does reunite. Gem's a decent backup vocalist, but I do miss how Liam & Noel's voices harmonized & complemented each others' so well, even if the brothers' themselves didn't! I LOVE their version of "My Generation" better than the Who original!) "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" from HEATHEN CHEMISTRY is still my favorite Oasis ballad, but now "Don't Go Away" is giving it a run for it's money, I've got to say! I'm repeating myself, with this review, but again, all the songs ARE GREAT!; there are no "fillers". "Don't Go Away" is just SO exceptional. I'm always surprised at how fab Liam does ballads; that he's made me a lover of ballads (which I never went for!) when he does such a great job on the rockin' numbers. Other particular favs. here are definitely the opener "D'You Know What I Mean?", "My Big Mouth", "Stand By Me" and "It's Gettin' Better (Man!!) I guess back in the 90's probably the song I remember Oasis for most was "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?" and, I'm sure, that's because, for me, that was & always will be Oasis' most ROCKING tune. I do wish they, or, maybe, now Beady Eye, would've done at least a few more like Shakermaker, which was their most "blues-y" sounding track & they CAN do it all & DO IT WELL (a very early quote of Liam's); & SO TRUE....I would LOVE to hear more "blues" from them; but I don't think that'll happen, and that's just fine, too. BE HERE NOW...another winner of "NICE ONE" award! And, a big THANK YOU for keeping rock going for those of us who've practically been weaned on it & for those who were tots & teens in the 90's, the generation who right now may be finding their way to you & the generations to come!!!!!!!! CHEERS LIAM, NOEL, BONEHEAD, ANDY, GEM, CHRIS, The 'Shroud' (keyboards) & everyone else who ever lent "backing" vocals, guitar, percussion, etc...

Is it a grandiose, self-indulgent, ambitious, sneering, loud anthemic fireball of crunchy, slightly bent hook-laden British guitar rock? YES! Oasis was still very young, very crazy, and totally unafraid to amp it up, ramp it up and like a 16-ton weight in a Monty Python episode, drop this massive monolith on top of whatever happened to be standing in its way. I recently bought the album in part based on the positive reviews, and have to admit that on first listen I was blown away by the sheer length and loudness of the songs. I found it disappointing and didn't "get" the hooks at all -- the songs seemed disjointed and contrived besides being just plain loud and long. On that first listen I was only really impressed with about three tunes, "D'You Know What I Mean", "Stand By Me" and "Don't Go Away." Some tunes just didn't seem to make any sense. So I decided to then listen in the car and just let the music sink so I wouldn't feel impatient about the beefy running time of the songs. However, on second listen, everything "clicked." The riff in "My Big Mouth" is catchy, a solid wall of electric jangle with lots of phase shifting, like it was run through a jet engine. "Magic Pie" literally came together in my brain and seemed to work brilliantly. The three (wow) key changes in "All Around the World" drive the anthem home and the sheer length and breadth of "D'You Know What I Mean" now seems necessary for a band that was on top of the bloody world and knew it! Liam's voice is ballsy as ever throughout, yet simultaneously soars with possibilities even on a plaintive chorus of "Don't Go Away." All the singles sound like they should have been massive radio hits, but you know radio would rather play the same song repeatedly especially when the new stuff doesn't sound EXACTLY like a perfect little sequel, so at least in the US this kind of landed with a thud at the time. No matter. Almost 14 years on, the record is taking on a life of its own via the sheer brute force that was packed into its grooves. The album is like a time bomb that is going off now mainly because the band is officially over as a unit. After all, the "Time Flies" singles collection is out there, and the only thing for fans to do is to listen with fresh ears to existing material. Yes, there are no doubt hidden treasures lying amongst the unreleased material, such as mystery b-sides, lost songs and alternate takes. But that's the future. For now, we can and should re-examine the past. And one thing I think it's fair to say is that despite the the endless bleating of critics, Oasis stayed with it and created numerous killer songs throughout its career. In this case, what we have is a snapshot of what was happening when the band was first blowing up everywhere. It's big, bold, brash, and loud as hell. This disc doesn't play, it explodes out of your speakers with vocal and instrumental hooks that attach themselves to the side of your brain and refuse to let go. And to make sure they don't, they're repeated several more times! So not only is this at volume level eleven, the songs all go to "length level eleven!" And there are eleven separate songs -- not including the reprise of "All Around the World" which is the wholly unnecessary finish to this demented escapade -- and therefore, the perfect ending to it all. Five stars for a rock and roll album that singlehandedly launched (and won) the loudness war. In fact, my impression was that with this album, Oasis in fact became "England's Loudest Band." You are either along for the ride of your life, or you can stay home and whine because they didn't make the same album again and again. Fortunately the record is being rediscovered. Only a bunch of rich, brilliant, egomaniacal skeezed-up punks could have made this album and I'm glad they did!

El producto (Be Here Now de ) llegó en muy buen estado y bien empaquetado. No tuvo ningún daño y se ve exactamente como en la descripción. La entrega fue rápida y todo correcto. Muy satisfecho con la compra.

Good collection if you like oasis. I hope I think I know sound better then the digital.

Excelente!!!!

This is a great pressing. no divots or imperfections, just a clean sounding classic album. But beware Amazon shipped this to me with no packaging at all. They just slapped a sticker on the cover and dropped it in the mail. Although the vinyl arrived undamaged, the cover itself was chewed up from the journey. Very disappointing.

Poco más puedo agregar a una reseña en un medio como este que no se haya dicho ya. Fue el primer álbum que obtuve de Oasis, en casete, en mi adolescencia. Tengo 38 ahora y, finalmente, lo vuelvo a recibir y en una edición especial. Es música que marcó mi vida en su debido momento. Oasis fue una de las bandas que impuso estilo en los 90, incluso sin que ese haya sido su objetivo. Su única preocupación era la composición y con ello bastó para ser más grandes que la vida. El Be here now logra un siguiente paso en su madurez musical, consolidando su característico ritmo pausado como preponderante, pero no único, para desplegar toda una expresión tanto en melodías como en letras. Sí opinaré que la manufactura de la tapa por dentro no parece ser la mejor. Poder extender las últimas páginas, donde se hallan los discos 2 y 3, se complica por la incorrecta medición de base para el ensamblaje de los folletos. Así, al abrir la compuerta, directamente parecía que esa zona había sido forzada previamente, como se ve en la foto. No obstante, posiblemente, lo mismo me hubiera pasado a mí, ya que habría sido necesario hacerlo para poder extender esas páginas. Debido a ello, me preocupa pensar que el producto recibido haya sido una devolución de otro cliente. Espero que no, ya que busco la novedad absoluta en el material. Por otro lado, la parte trasera vino con un raspón que había afectado parte de la imagen. Le puse una breve cinta adhesiva como protección, como se ve en la foto. Espero que la copia que recibas llegue en mejores condiciones.

I'm a huge fan of Oasis. Let that be known first off... While the band was never high on this album after release, fans loved the nods to psychedelic rock thrown in at the end of some songs. I have had the original album since its release date in August of 1998. Great album! The B-sides on this 3 disc album have also been heard by hardcore fans that purchased the singles from the original album. There are a couple new demos on the 2nd album worth checking out that had gone unheard till now. Also, Noel's rethink of the song D'Ya Know What I Mean? is brilliant! He has a great ear for music, and to come in and redo this song after 20 years is pretty remarkable. The part of this album that fans have been clamoring for and finally receive are the Mustique Demos. This 3rd disc is the one that immediately went in my CD player upon ripping open the album. It. Does. Not. Disappoint!!! Amazing! The 1st chords of D'You Know What I Mean? (Mustique Demo) is amazing and a whole new way to take in the music! All songs on this 3rd disc are sung by Noel (as at the time, he wrote all of the music and lyrics for the band). Most fans of Oasis, prefer the Noel takes on songs, and he does not let us down. He's as strong as ever on the vocals in these demos. They are definitely a treasure worth digging for. Thank you Oasis for finally opening up the vault and giving fans the chance to hear how talented you were. Here's hoping for a reunion of sorts for down the road! Not only for nostalgia's sake, but with new music coming along with it!!!