Product Description

For their seventh studio album, Brit-pop stalwarts and general rock 'n' roll survivors Oasis have stuck mostly to theirguns, releasing a collection of bracing, swaggering rock songs with the odd moment of bluster throw into the mix. Though the hallmarks of the Oasis sound remain (Beatles-influenced pop with a classic rock edge), 'Dig Out Your Soul' is notable for the more riff-based songwriting style and the mix ofauthors. Vocalist Liam Gallagher contributes three songs, while his brother and guitarist Noel contributes the majority. Features the single 'The Shock Of The Lightning'.

Track Listing

1. Bag It Up
2. Turning
3. Waiting For The Rapture
4. Shock Of The Lightning
5. I'm Outta Time
6. Get Off Your High Horse Lady
7. Falling Down
8. To Be Where There's Life
9. Ain't Got Nothin'
10. Nature Of Reality
11. Soldier On

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35 in Music
• Released on: 2008-10-06
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Though Oasis are forever fated to live in the shadow of their initial success, they remain capable of producing exciting and touching music, and Dig out Your Soul continues the upswing in their fortunes sparked by 2005's Don't Believe the Truth. Unashamedly an album of two halves, the first part is heavily loaded with Noel Gallagher's tunes, including the pounding single "The Shock of the Lightning", a taut and pacy rocker nearer to the light touch of the Smiths' "The Queen Is Dead" than their usual Pistols-inspired power plod. The rocking "Bag It Up" shares nothing but a title with Geri Halliwell's already forgotten 2000 hit, while "Waiting for the Rapture" takes Lennon's harrowing "Cold Turkey" as a template, with some success. Liam's crude, sparky "Ain't Got Nothin'" holds up his side and his sprawling ballad (the only such effort here) "I'm Outta Time" adds another anthem to their repertoire. Even Gem Archer's "To Be Where There's Life", a bracing slice of undercooked psychedelia, is naggingly catchy. Only Noel's "(Get off Your) High Horse Lady", a pointless rewrite of Tommy Tucker's mod-era favourite "Hi Heel Sneakers" and Andy Bell's ungainly "The Nature of Reality" are downright inessential. Those missteps aside, it's hard to imagine anyone feeling shortchanged by Dig out Your Soul. --Steve Jelbert

Customer Reviews

Oasis are back
I have to admit I was loathed to buy this CD, as for me Oasis were just rolling out the same bland music seemingly without any effort recently. I don't agree with some other reviewers that they never went away, I think they are just the die hard fans for whom the Gallaghers can do no wrong! The last album for example for me had nothing memorable on it whatsoever. When this was down in price in the sale, thought I would give them one last chance. I was pleasantly surprised. This album has a much fresher sound, although it is still Oasis through and through. OK, still not up to their classic albums, but they have pulled their socks up and put together a good album.

Oasis Soldier On
Another year, another Oasis album which is perfectly fine but again fails to capture what it was in the first place that made people love them. 'Dig Out Your Soul' is a decent album and really very good in parts, but it is truthful to say that, has this been their debut album, nobody would probably have been that interested in them seven studio albums later. Recent albums have been encouraging and well worth buying, but if you were to rank the Oasis albums from best to worst, 'Dig Out Your Soul' would probably be somewhere in the middle. So, well worth listening to then, but it is still going to be a bit of a disappointment to anyone who remembers their first two albums and everything the music meant to the fans back then. However, we really just shouldn't expect anything like that again - it just isn't going to happen, folks.

So, the songs. Most of the tracks are the sound of Oasis cruising. Very seldom do they really get into fifth gear and, while it would be unfair to call it complacent, it is a little frustrating to hear competency in lieu of passion and creativity. The first four songs belong to Noel Gallagher and they're amongst the picks of the album. 'Bag It Up' is a hefty, slow-burning rock monster and an excellent way to open the album. 'The Turning' is a classy, chiming piano-driven head-nodder with a picked guitar ending which sounds very much like The Beatles' 'Dear Prudence'. 'Waiting For The Rapture' reminds me of Plastic Ono Band-era Lennon, with 'Cold Turkey' guitar riffs punctuating a catchy melody line.

'The Shock Of The Lightning', musically, could have been lifted from their debut album and if it wasn't for the slightly poor and meaningless lyrics (something about love being a "time machine upon a silver screen" and a "magical mystery" - wonder where they got that phrase from?) it could have been one of the best tracks on this release. Next up is Liam Gallagher's first composition of the album, the beautifully tender 'I'm Outta Time' and, as far as I'm concerned, it is the best thing he has ever written, sounding like a cross between a Jeff Lynne and a Sean Lennon song. Some great lyrics as well - "If I'm to fall, would you be there to applaud or would you hide behind the law?". For me, it is the best track on this album. Noel's 'Get Off Your High Horse Lady' is derivative filler at its worst, certainly for anyone who has heard 'Hi Heel Sneakers' before and the last Noel song of the album 'Falling Down' is a decent, dreamy piece with some good drum work from Zak Starkey.

Gem Archer's 'To Be Where There's Life' takes the album forward with an Indian-themed, psychedelic track featuring a winding, hypnotic bass line. It's nice, but hardly essential - he's no George Harrison. Liam's second song of the album is pretty dismal. You can tell that the band tried to make the best of 'Aint Got Nothing', but there wasn't much they could do with such a basic and unappealing composition. Andy Bell's 'The Nature Of Reality' is also a dull track and isn't much better than filler. Liam's third song of the album and the last track, 'Soldier On' is quite good, certainly interesting, melodically, and makes up, in part, for a relatively poor end to a good album.

All-in-all, this is quite a good album for any lovers of classic rock music, but if you're looking for innovation or raw energy, you may have to look elsewhere. Although there are tracks here which suggest that their youth hasn't quite deserted them, 'Dig Out Your Soul' does look like Oasis are showing a few signs of getting a bit of a middle-aged spread. Still, there's enough here to make this a worthwhile purchase for all existing Oasis fans and, if you liked the last couple, you'll probably like this.

MANCHESTERS WICKED BAND COME GOOD AGAIN
To be honest I really thought Oasis couldn't do it again after 'What's the Story Morning Glory' and 'Don't Believe the Truth' and 'Heathen Chemistry', but they have and Single 'The Shock Of the Lightning' is as good as the whole album. All songs great and danceable. Easy to sing along to! Great Buy :)