What happens when you take the biggest band in the U.K. and rising stars in the U.S. and give them a mansion, millions of dollars and massive amounts of cocaine? You get this months Underrated Classic, Oasis Be Here Now. Upon its release this was the record to make or break the brothers Gallagher and Co., after riding the success of two highly acclaimed and best selling records 1994's Defiantly Maybe and 1995's (What's The Story) Morning Glory? The men from Manchester brought the second British invasion and now needed to capitalize on it. 1997 saw the release of Be Here Now, the fastest selling album in the U.K. ever. It's an album full of poppy rock anthems, drug endued lyrics and a special guest appearance by Capt. Jack Sparrow himself, Johnny Depp on slide guitar on the track "Fade In-Out." The issue with Be Here Now is what could the band do next? It was looked at as a critical failure, for the first time the biggest band in the U.K. herd something negative. However, like many of the underrated classics we have looked it, Be Here Now is not all that bad. Due to its critical failure the band hates it and it shows by having no tracks appear on the bands 2006 best of compilation Stop the Clocks. In an interview with Q Magazine last year Noel had this to say about the record "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." But when looking at this record and hearing Noels quote it just sums up what Oasis is all about...not giving a fuck. Breaking this record down its a pure take on 70's rock and roll, and in actuality some of the bands best tracks appear on this record. Songs like the heartfelt "Don't Go Away," the Rolling Stones inspired "Magic Pie," and the neo-British Invasion anthem "Stand By Me." All in all, its not the most bizarre record they have ever done (See 2002's Heathen Chemistry) nor is it the worst (See 200's Standing on the Shoulder of Giants) but it is certainly the most interesting, there are sounds and things going on with Be Here Now that I am sure the band was or even still is aware of.
