Review Summary: From Under the Rug: Be Here Now Revisited
*To sweep something under the rug: To avoid discussing or dealing with; to hide something embarrassing.*
Be Here Now is the album that Noel Gallagher would like to erase from his memory. He is certainly not shy when it comes to his distaste for the album. He once described it as “the sound of a bunch of guys, on coke, in the studio, not giving a f***.” There is truth to this statement. The band was at the peak of their cocaine use, and you could argue they truly didn’t give a f****. Over 19 years have passed since the coke-infused album’s initial release and In light of the reissue, it is an appropriate time to wipe the dust off our copies of Be Here Now - that is if you still have one.
With as much self admiration as Oasis had at the time, they felt they could do no wrong. Both their debut Definitely Maybe and follow up (What’s the Story) Morning Glory were smashing successes and the band was on top of the world. The band were now under insurmountable pressure ahead of their third release. Few bands have released three consecutive albums that help sustain the band’s momentum. If there was ever an argument on Blur’s behalf in the heated Britpop feud, it would be that Blur perhaps have a “triple play” in Modern Life Is Rubbish, Parklife, and The Great Escape, something Oasis failed to do with Be Here Now.
After selling out two consecutive shows of over 200,000 fans at Knebworth in 1996, Oasis were asking what do you do next? Apparently spend a lot of money on coke, but also a third album. Despite once being the fastest selling album in UK history with an astounding 696,761 copies sold in just three days, Be Here Now remains a widely criticized album. Believed to be the final nail in the coffin of Britpop, this is one Oasis record that unequivocally needs restoration.
The extravagance of Be Here Now is represented in many ways but perhaps none better than in the song “All Around the World”. A track with three key changes, it certainly tries to be more monumental than it actually is. Written back in 1992 and originally twelve minutes, Noel had this song in his back pocket. Noel solely put it on the third record because he was able to afford his creative vision for the song. What is that vision? A 36-piece orchestra to assist in the production of the song. Yes, a 36-piece orchestra was deemed necessary for one track - Cocaine is one hell of a drug. This is just one of the numerous contributing factors to the overblown absurdity of the album.
There is not much that can be said about Be Here Now that hasn't already been said. The songs are too long, it is overproduced, and the album was rushed, but is it possible to look at the album through a different lens? If compared to the two preceding albums Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory, then yes, Be Here Now is not great. But if you were able to make it through the drawn-out 72 minutes of Be Here Now without comparing it to its predecessors, you may be surprised.
The album’s opening track “D'You Know What I Mean?” really sets the tone for what is to come on the album. Originally this song had over a minute of absolute meaningless noise, feedback, and the sound of an airplane taking off. Why? That’s a great question. Other tracks such as “Magic Pie”, “Fade In-Out”, “It's Getting Better (Man!!)” and the previously mentioned “All Around the World” fall under this commonality of excessiveness. What can be said about these songs however is that with some trimming and remixing they have potential.
The best songs on the album are “Stand By Me” and “Don’t Go Away”. Much like the rest of the album, these two ballads are victim to over production with unnecessary heavy distortion guitars diluting what are otherwise great tracks. On “Don’t Go Away” we hear perhaps some of the most heartfelt vocals from Liam ever. At a time when the Gallagher brothers feared they would lose their mother, this song came to fruition. Liam Gallagher cried during the recording of the song and with this in mind, you hear the sincerity in the vocals from Liam.
Be Here Now as it has been said before, is a missed opportunity. Overproduction and lengthy songs make for an Oasis album that comes off as arrogant and lazy. Behind the layers upon layers of guitars and effects hides what could have been a great record. The reissue was absolutely necessary but even still we come out disappointed. The album certainly isn’t as bad as it has been made to be and remains a memento of the 90’s Britpop era.
