Familiar to Millions Highlights [PA]

Performer: Oasis
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Oasis: Liam Gallagher (vocals); Noel Gallagher (guitar, background vocals); Gem (guitar); Andy Bell (bass); Alan White (drums). Recorded live at Wembley Stadium, London, England on July 21, 2000. Rife with tossed-off obscenities, FAMILIAR TO MILLIONS captures Manchester's favorite sons shining in an element whose dynamic vibe is as much a result of the crowd's rabid feedback as it is of the band's tight delivery. Opening with the shambling sample-heavy instrumental "F**kin' In The Bushes," Oasis takes an electrifying stroll through their canon focusing heavily on their first two albums, DEFINITELY MAYBE and (WHAT'S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY. For a change, frontman Liam Gallagher is on his best behavior which means he stayed on stage for the whole show, admonished brother Noel to write more songs like "Supersonic" as his mates kicked into the intro and dedicated "Cigarettes & Alcohol" to the rowdies in the front row. In addition to playing larger-than-life versions of "Live Forever" and the B-Sides "Acquiesce" and "Step Out," Oasis flipped off the bad-boy switch long enough to deliver a stunning reading of "Don't Look Back In Anger" that attained another level thanks to the stadium full of fans providing the chorus. A neat trifecta of "Champagne Supernova" along with covers of The Beatles ("Helter Skelter") and Neil Young ("Hey Hey, My My [Into The Black]") neatly provides an over-the-top encore.

Q (12/00, p.131) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A big, loud, strangely unaffecting record....It's mostly fun, going right back to the broad, singalong Gallagher-karaoke of more innocent times..." Melody Maker (11/21/00, p.59) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...[Their] greatest hits played out under the Twin Towers, drenched in a beery atmosphere, swaying sing-alongs and big-screen bravado....the definitive Oasis collection played with an edgy passion which should shame every rock giant, past and present..." Mojo (Publisher) (12/00, p.99) - "...A surprise feel-good experience and a rather touching tribute to a great band's resilience in the face of its own self-destructive tendencies." NME (Magazine) (11/11/00, p.34) - 9 out of 10 - "...The fearsome sound of the nation's most brilliantly belligerent rock'n'rollers in their element....they sound like the least jaded band on the planet..."

Following in the footsteps their idols The Beatles, Oasis became a phenomenon in their home country in the 1990s. Taking the Fabs' template as a model, they added a thick wall of Pete Townshend-influenced guitars and stood at the vanguard of the mid-'90s Britpop movement, inspiring scores of imitators. While guitarist/songwriter/leader Noel Gallagher is responsible for penning several instant-classic pop songs, the press often focuses on the extra-musical hijinks and squabbles of he and his younger brother and Oasis lead singer, Liam. The constantly feuding brothers have threatened to split countless times (usually after one of Liam's public outbursts), but somehow they've hung together and kept things going against all odds.

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