VA - The Many Faces Of Oasis (2017) CD Rip

Brit Pop emerged in the U.K. as a music trend characterized by the use of exclusively British music influences to shape the sound of up and coming bands in the 1990s. Furthermore, with bits of Bowie, The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam, The Who, Cockney Rebel, Ultravox, T.Rex, Small Faces, Gary Glitter, Buzzcocks, The Kinks, Slade and of course, The Beatles, multiple bands emerged in the early 90s that ended up leaving us with a superb catalog of memorable songs. Out of all of them, Oasis and Blur were the ones that achieved the biggest global success. Supposedly antagonistic, Blur represented Britain's middle class, while Oasis were the typical exponents of the working class, rude and quarrelsome. With a singer (Liam Gallagher) that exuded charisma and in possession of an unmistakable voice, a band sound based on an almost hypnotic guitar sound, a remarkable repertoire and a constant promotional presence based on the fight between the brothers Gallagher (the aforementioned Liam and Noel) Which, Oasis reached the masses to become a classic among British rock royalty. In The Many Faces Of Oasis we'll enjoy the lesser known paths of the band's members and their multiple collaboration and we will enjoy the British rock scene from where they emerged. The line-up of the band that recorded the first three albums and gained worldwide fame was Liam Gallagher (vocals), Noel Gallagher (guitar), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan (drums). After recording the album Be Here Now in 1997 a shakeup took place and both Bonehead and Guigsy were fired (Tony McCarroll had already been replaced by then). Bonehead's boyish personality was very popular among the fans, to the point that a journalist once said "the wonderful thing about Oasis's success is that they can have someone like Bonehead, the typical guy that you can find on any pub, whose behavior and image is completely removed from what you would consider a rock star, and that's what makes Oasis a real band. In The Many Faces we pay tribute to the figure of Bonehead by presenting music from his two projects after leaving Oasis. First, we have the Parlors Flames, band the guitarist formed with singer Vinny Peculiar in 2013. The group released a great debut album that sadly went pretty much unnoticed. We include here four songs from that album. A year later, Bonehead formed the duo Phoneys And The Freaks with Alex Lipinski, which was a more acoustic and intimate endeavor. Included here are the four songs from their only EP so far. As we mentioned above, after the recording of the first album Definitely Maybe and the single Some Might Say, Tony McCarroll left the group, and was replaced by Alan White, who was suggested to the band by Paul Weller. Prior to joining Oasis, Alan had played alongside Dr. Robert, leader of the Blow Monkeys. In The Many Faces we present two wonderful songs where we can hear them playing together: A Moment Of Madness and Realms Of Gold. After Bonehead and McGuigan left, two new members were added to Oasis: guitarist Gem Archer (formerly of Heavy Stereo) and guitarist turned bass player Andy Bell, ex-Ride, one of the most notable groups of the 'shoegaze' movement. In The Many Faces we can listen to Gem Archer playing several Small Faces songs alongside Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller and two original members of the Small Faces (drummer Kenny Jones and keyboardist Ian McLagan). Noel sings lead vocals on one of the songs: Here Comes The Nice. After Ride disbanded in 1996, Andy Bell formed Hurricane #1 along with singer Alex Lowe, a band that, coincidentally, had a sound very similar to Oasis. After recording two albums, Andy joined Oasis. In 2015 the band re-formed with Lowe as leader and with a sound very similar to their early outings. In The Many Faces we included the songs Leave It All Behind, Feel Me Now Again and Crash. We also included Andy with the band Harvey's Rabbit, originally from Oxford, the city where he was born. In 2000, Oasis created Brother Records, their own independent label, to release the band's albums. A year later, they founded Sour Mash, a second label where they released albums by Shack and by Proud Mary, a group of which Noel is a fan and discovered himself. On The Many Faces we can listen to Proud Mary with the songs Rain On Me and Hats Off, songs that blend the traditional brit sound with a little bit of country rock, much like The Band once did. In early 2004, Alan White left Oasis, being replaced by Zak Starkey, the son of legendary Ringo Starr, who at the time was playing with The Who's new formation. In The Many Faces we can listen to Zak with the band Broken English and also a rarity- playing guitar along Simon Townshend (brother of Pete, the leader of The Who) on the song Ecstasy Heaven. After a couple of years with Oasis, Zak decided to go back to The Who as a full-time member, and was replaced by a veteran of the British rock scene, Chris Sharrock, whose resumé includes playing with The Icicle Works, The La's, World Party and Robbie Williams, among many others. Following the breakup of Oasis in 2009, Sharrock became Beady Eye's drummer, the band that included all of Oasis' members with the exception of Noel Gallagher. Funny enough, currently Chris is the drummer of the High Flying Birds, Noel Gallagher's current band. In The Many Faces we enjoy Chris Sharrock in a little-known project where he plays alongside Mike Badger, another former member of The La's. In 2002, Jay Darligton (former keyboardist for the hit Brit pop band Kula Shaker) joined Oasis as a guest musician during their tours, and remained in his position until the band called it quits. In The Many Faces we can listen to him with Pantaleimon (the project of the British singer Andria Degens), a little known collaboration that the fans will surely enjoy. Finally, we get into the world of Trio Valore, the project of drummer Steve White, Alan White's brother. In addition of being the drummer of Style Council and Paul Weller's band, he has played with countless artists, including The Who and Ian Dury. During Oasis' 2001 US tour, Steve replaced his brother Alan during multiple shows while he was recovering from tendinitis. CD 3 of The Many Faces includes a fantastic selection of British rock that ranges from a little-known song by Marc Bolan (leader of T.Rex and an idol for the Gallagher brothers) and glam band Hello, to pop punk's Nine Nine Nine and Martin Carr's Brit pop, with a classic such as Lloyd Cole and indie rock stars The Sonic Movement (with a song that is pure Oasis) in the middle. Also featured are Hero & Leander, Monochrome Set (a real cult band in the UK) and Dutch Uncles. We close these liner notes with a pop trivia note: Included here is 'Keep The Circle Around' by the Inspiral Carpets, a band for which Noel Gallagher served as roadie in 1990 and 1991. Enjoy.