Search - Oasis :: Importance of Being Idle

Best Oasis single in years!

Jon Danuser | Fargo, ND | 10/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a top notch Oasis single, all the way around. The title track, the single "The Importance of Being Idle," is unlike anything Oasis has done before. I've heard many references to this being "Kinks" like, and I would agree. It's no blatant rip off, and is quite unique. Noel accels vocally, hitting some incredible falsetto here, and the lyrics and music are quite quirky all around. It's a new brand of Oasis, and I personally love it.



The first B side, is Liam's "Pass Me Down the Wine," which is by far and away the greatest song he's written to date, in my opinion. It's got a driving acoustic guitar to guide it along, and his lyrics and vocals here are as good as ever. This song fits in quite well with "The Importance..."



Track 3 is a simple, acoustic song, that can't be overlooked. "The Quiet Ones" would be a great addition to any acoustic performace Oasis does in the future, and I'd love to hear Noel do vocals on this track. Top notch stuff, and any TRUE blue Oasis fan must get this single. it's not to be missed!!!"

Great 2nd single from "Don't Believe The Truth"

C. Buchanan | USA | 08/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Compared to the hugely weak first single "Lyla", Oasis could do very little wrong with their 2nd release. The first good thing is the fact that the a-side is one of the best songs from the album and is much better than "Lyla", just this alone makes the single stronger than the entire "Lyla" single (b-sides included!!).



"The Importance Of Being Idle" is a very un-Oasis sounding song indeed and has great instrumentation and some of Noels most interesting lyrics and vocal deliveries to date, the organ heard throughout the song actually bought on an online auction website for £50 by Andy Bell, adding a unique sound to the song.



With the b-sides one can't expect much worse than "Lyla" b-sides "Eyeball Tickler" and the over-indulged Lennon sounding "Won't Let You Down" and luckily Oasis have delivered 2 songs that are leagues better than the previously mentioned 2 songs. "Pass Me Down The Wine" is a Liam Gallagher song and is one of the better songs, in fact I would say it is better than some of his songs on the album... but sadly the sound of the song would not fit on "Don't Believe The Truth" and is defnitely more of a b-side song. A hard strummed acoustic guitar leads this song on a journey into territories Liam has not taken us with his songs yet and this makes me wonder "Just what else has he got written!?!" in fact the quality of the lyrics on this song are more suprising than most of his other offerings, a really strong song and one of Oasis better b-sides of late. Luckily Liam loses the Lennon influence on this and goes more for his own sound, and that is not a bad thing in any way at all!



The other b-side written by Gem "The Quiet Ones" is best reserved for the purpose it serves, that of a b-side. It is short and simple with some cool wah-wah sounding guitars playing along with the strong acoustic vibes, the vibe of which could be described as trippy, easy going, relaxed etc etc. Good song and not an un-welcomed addition to the catalogue, it serves a purpose more like songs by The Beatles such as "Her Majesty" and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" not in sound but in that it is a good song that most forget about.



A great single and a MUCH deserved 8th UK #1 for Oasis. Buy this over "Lyla", heed my words!!!!"

Pass me down the wine

Nate | Brisbane, QLD AUSTRALIA | 10/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oasis have always be known for releasing singles with album quality B sides and this is no exception. Pass me down the wine deserved to be on the album, it is one of the best songs from the 'Don't believe the truth' era. It is also the best song Liam has written to date. He keeps getting better as a songwriter and has surprised a lot of people including myself. I always thought Oasis would fall apart without Noel but now they could easily survive on the songwriting of Liam, as well as Gem who wrote track 3, 'the quiet ones'. Not one of his best but a good little acoustic song which will definitely get played more than once in my stereo. Most bands put out B sides that are rubbish and would never get a second listen, but Oasis have once again delivered 2 more tracks that hold its own place in the Oasis catalogue. To all Oasis fans, I seriously recommend buying this single, even if you are only a fan of the 'Don't believe the truth album', you should buy it anyway."