Be Here Now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Be Here Now | ||
 |
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| Studio album by Oasis | ||
| Released | August 21, 1997 | |
| Recorded | November 1996 – April 1997 at
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| Genre | Britpop | |
| Length | 71:38 | |
| Label | Creation Records | |
| Producer(s) | Owen Morris and Noel Gallagher | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oasis chronology | ||
| (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) |
Be Here Now (1997) |
The Masterplan (1998) |
Be Here Now is the third studio album by English rock band Oasis, first released in August 1997 (see 1997 in music).
Oasis' previous worldwide successes with Definitely Maybe (1994) and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) made this album, Oasis' third, their most eagerly awaited. As a result, it was also their most hyped. While Be Here Now was commercially successful, it failed to live up to these massive expectations that preceded its release. Retrospectively, the album is criticised for being over-indulgent and bloated, with the guitar effects criticised as sounding slightly "acidy".[1] The band has apparently felt the same way, as no songs from the album have appeared on the 2006 compilation album Stop the Clocks.
When Be Here Now was released in the UK, Oasis were at the height of their fame. It became the UK's fastest selling album of all time, selling 423,000 copies on the first day of release alone, moving 695,761 copies in the first week and over 1 million within two weeks. Be Here Now went on to sell 10 million copies worldwide.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- All tracks written by Noel Gallagher.
- "D'You Know What I Mean?" – 7:42
- "My Big Mouth" – 5:02
- "Magic Pie" – 7:19
- "Stand by Me" – 5:56
- "I Hope, I Think, I Know" – 4:22
- "The Girl in the Dirty Shirt" – 5:49
- "Fade In-Out" – 6:52
- "Don't Go Away" – 4:48
- "Be Here Now" – 5:13
- "All Around the World" – 9:20
- "It's Gettin' Better (Man!!)" – 7:00
- "All Around the World (Reprise)" – 2:08
[edit] Singles
| Cover | Information |
|---|---|
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"D'You Know What I Mean?"
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"Stand by Me"
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"All Around the World"
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"Don't Go Away" (Japan only) |
[edit] Charts
[edit] Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Billboard 200 | 2 |
| 1997 | Top Canadian Albums | 1 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "D'You Know What I Mean?" | ||
| Canadian Singles Chart | 3 | ||
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 36 | ||
| Modern Rock Tracks | 4 | ||
| 1997 | "Don't Go Away" | ||
| Adult Top 40 | 27 | ||
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 36 | ||
| Modern Rock Tracks | 5 | ||
| Top 40 Mainstream | 35 | ||
| 1998 | "All Around the World" | Modern Rock Tracks | 15 |
[edit] Release
The album was released in various countries in August 1997.
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | August 21, 1997 | Sony Music Japan | CD | ESCA 6767 |
| UK | August 21, 1997 | Creation Records | ||
| LP | RKIDLP008 | |||
| CD | RKIDCD008 | |||
| USA | August 26, 1997 | Epic Records | CD | EK 68530 |
[edit] Miscellanea
- Upon its release, Q magazine readers voted it the 13th greatest album of all time. However, in a 2005 retrospective on Oasis' career, the same magazine lowered its rating from a 5/5 to a 2/5. But soon afterwards, in its countdown of "50 Worst Albums of all time, it was "rescued" and is labelled "All because it's no (Whats The Story?) Morning Glory doesn't make it bad." But then in their 20th Anniversary Issue, it was mentioned in the "5 Overated Albums" list. So Q have mixed opinions on the album.
- Noel Gallagher said that, in fact, he wanted to make a double album, but later reconsidered and scrapped some of the tracks intended for this release. Some, like "Stay Young" and "Going Nowhere", were released as B-sides. Nevertheless, the record is their longest so far: at over 70 minutes, it is about 25 minutes longer than the average length of their other records.
- Be Here Now is the fastest selling album in UK chart history.
- The date on the calendar on the album cover varies depending upon the release date of Be Here Now in the relevant country. Therefore, it says August 21 on the British version, but August 26 in the American version.
- At the beginning of "D'You Know What I Mean?", the Morse code in the background is inspired by "Strawberry Fields Forever". It is intended to say "bugger all", following the line "Don't look back 'cause you know what you might see".[2]
- The cover photo was taken at Stocks House in Aldbury, Hertfordshire, which used to be the rural base of Playboy UK.
- The car parked in the pool on the cover of the album has been widely assumed as a tribute to The Who drummer Keith Moon. The car in the pool refers to a myth that Moon parked a Rolls Royce in a Holiday Inn swimming pool during his 21st birthday party. The car also features a license plate that has the same letter and number combination as a car on the front of the Beatles album Abbey Road, as another one of many Beatle tributes the band has made over the years.
- According to Noel Gallagher, the album name stems from a John Lennon quote. When asked what history was, Lennon replied "to be here now" . "Be Here Now" is also the title of a song by George Harrison.
- Be Here Now is the name of an influential 1971 book by Richard Alpert. The phrase describes the Vedic teaching that to dwell in the past or future is to be dead in the present.
- Actor Johnny Depp guests on slide guitar on "Fade In-Out". Reportedly, Noel was too inebriated to perform it himself. Depp is a friend of the band. [2]
[edit] Liam and Noel's opinions
The Gallagher brothers have different opinions about the record. While Noel washed his hands of it, blaming it for over-production and high intake of "booze" and cocaine, Liam defended and liked the record.
The following quotes are from the 2003 John Dower-directed documentary Live Forever for which both brothers were interviewed.
Noel:
- "Liam thinks it rocks."
- "It's the sound of 5 men in a studio, on coke, not giving a fuck. There's no bass to it at all, don't know where that went. The songs are too long and the lyrics are shit and for every millisecond Liam is not singing, there's a guitar riff there in a 'Wayne's World' style."
- "It's surprising how many people say to me it's their favourite Oasis album, but I don't like it because I'm giving it all this on the guitar all the time Our Kid's not singing."
He also claims that the album will not be remembered like Definitely Maybe or Morning Glory, but says the title explains what the album is all about. It fitted the music of the day perfectly, but has not stood the test of time.
Liam:
- "We thought it was great, and I still think it's great. People always talk about Definitely Maybe. Fuck Morning Glory, it's over! Fuck Definitely Maybe, it's over!"
- "Go buy it, there's plenty left!"
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Austin Chronicle. Record Reviews. (September 2, 1997) [1]
- ^ a b Q magazine interview with Noel
| Oasis |
| Liam Gallagher | Noel Gallagher | Gem Archer | Andy Bell | Zak Starkey |
| Tony McCarroll | Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs | Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan | Alan White |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Definitely Maybe | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Be Here Now Standing on the Shoulder of Giants | Heathen Chemistry | Don't Believe the Truth |
| Compilations: The Masterplan | Stop the Clocks |
| DVDs: Live by the Sea | …There and Then | Familiar to Millions | Definitely Maybe – The DVD |
| Films: Lord Don't Slow Me Down |
| Related articles |
| The Rain | Britpop | Owen Morris | Creation Records | Big Brother | Awards and nominations |
