If the music critics are to believed, the Nineteen Nineties were a long time ago. Britpop, Oasis, Blur, Nirvana, Jarvis at the Brits and everything that the decade had to offer is the dark ages. The Eighties on the other hand, oh no, you can sample that till your hearts content and be call mavericks and trail blazers. If you dare to sound anything like a band from the end of the 20th Century you are castigated and flogged in the public of the music press for being nostalgically stuck in a time that was of its time.
For some people, me included, it was a golden age. Our Sixties, and if anyone wants to sound like that time that’s fine with me, but dare to be a lo-fi early part of the decade fuzz, grunge, garage band, you are looked down the reviewer’s nose at. If you have an Oasis influence then you are a Dad Rock band and dismissed. No-one is allowed to wear their influence of that musical period on their sleeve.
This week saw the release of the second solo album by a Mr Noel Gallagher. Since the announcement of the record back in October last year, we’ve been given tit bits and vox pops from him regarding the songs and the styles and words and phrases such as “Space Jazz” and “Saxophone solos” were floated. Over the past couple of weeks there have been magazine playbacks and streams on iTunes so that by the time it was released on Monday every music mag and website and national papers had an opinion. They seemed to think they were going to be listening to the creation of a new genre. Well they were obviously disappointed as the average reviews that came tumbling out seemed to suggest it was a let-down.
Interestingly, there were comments and statuses and tweets to the contrary. These may well have been uber-Oasis/Noel fans (although a large number of Oasis fans seem to think ALL of Noel’s solo stuff could benefit from Liam’s sneer) who would have given 5 stars to the sound of Noel farting into a crisp packet, but at least there was a Yang to the music press Ying.
I’ve listened to it. I’ve listened to it a lot now, and I think it’s a brilliant record. BUT, I didn’t after the first listen. It did seem a bit mid tempo, a bit MOR and not as immediate as his debut. I was probably influenced by the critics. Where was the space jazz?? But seriously, SPACE JAZZ. Who honestly believed it would be some bizarre, brass covered Miles Davis tribute dragged into 2015.
What did they expect? That Noel would abandon everything about his legacy and become a dub-jazz-trad-prog pioneer? Whatever that is!
Maybe some of these people are too young, too old, were more of a dance music fan, or have such expectations that Noel was going to produce a Sgt Pepper/Dark Side of the Moon magnus opus.
This record is a step forward for Noel. Even he admits himself that this isn’t the sort of music he would have made 10-15 years ago. The fact there is a saxophone on there at all is testament to that. The Right Stuff is a huge departure from anything he has done in the past. He might not appreciate me saying this but there is an element of trip-hop and acid jazz, that the likes of Zero 7 were doing in the early 00's. The prominent female vocals at the forefront of the mix attests to this, with an ambient feel much like early Doves on their debut. Two thirds of Doves make up the core of touring support for Noel in Black Rivers which could indicate Noel's taste at the moment.
The thing is though, I'm an unapologetic Noel fan. I'm a big fan. I'm a fanboy. The man is the greatest songwriter of the past 20 years, with only Paul Draper and Alex Turner coming close. In Definitely Maybe and What's the Story Morning Glory he wrote two of the greatest albums of the past 25 years. Then you take the singles off Be Here Now, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, Don't Believe the Truth, Heathen Chemistry and Dig out your Soul and you have a monumental discography. There are other great tracks hidden amongst otherwise hit and miss albums but take a look at that list of singles across the Oasis tenure and then the singles from his two solo records so far. It stands up with the very best. Supersonic, Shakermaker, Cigarettes and Alcohol, Live Forever, Some Might Say, Roll with it, Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger, D'ya know what I mean, Stand by Me, All around the World, Go Let it Out, Sunday Morning Call, Hindu Times, Stop crying your heart out, Little by Little, Lyla, The Importance of being Idle, Let there be Love, Lord don't slow me down, Shock of the Lightning, Falling Down, The Death of you and me, If I had a Gun, What a Life, Dream on, Everybody's on the run, In the Heat of the Moment and Ballad of the Might I. Don't get me started on B-sides as some of them will trump the A-sides.
Across generations people have had their heroes. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townsend, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Johnny Marr, Morrissey, John Squire, Ian Brown, David Bowie etc etc. Noel Gallagher is MY music hero*. Oasis were my band in the mid nineties and he was the gov'ner. He was the star, the icon, the God like genius.
*Paul Draper is also my hero, but I couldn't really say that in an article Noel Gallagher now could I?
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