Oasis - Stop the Clocks (20 tracks) +Album Reviews

Incomprehensible mess but a lot of great music

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 11/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Music: 5 Stars; Compilation: 2 Stars

Oasis has come at the end of its contract with their label, and when told that a "best of" was going to be issued whether the Gallagher brothers liked it or not, Noel Gallagher took it upon himself to come up with the band first career-spanning compilation. At first it was going to include several new songs (including "Stop the Clocks"), but when all was said and done, we are left with this beautiful mess.

"Stop the Clocks" (2 CDs, 18 tracks, 86 min.) brings a selective sampling of some of Oasis greatest hits and best known tracks, including its US breakthrough hit "Wonderwall", which still sounds as fresh today as when it came out more than a decade ago, but also "Champaign Supernova", "Don't Look Back in Anger" and "Acquiesce", originally a B-side but it has become one of Oasis' best known and beloved songs. Nothing wrong with the music as such on this compilation. It's what is NOT on here that is the problem: Noel tries to rewrite history and conveniently ignores the "Be Here Now" album ENTIRELY, hence no "D'You Know What I Mean", "Stand By Me" or "All Around the World", all huge hits; other early-era classics MIA include "Shakermaker", "Whatever" and "Roll With It", and even latter day hits such as "The Hindu Times", "Little By Little" and "She Is Love" are conspicuously absent.

I guess I could have understood Noe's approach if this was a single CD compilation, but it is not. Can someone explain to me why, at a mere 86 min. over 2 CDs, all those hits and classics are not on here? This compilation, however great the music on here, is nothing but a beautiful and incomprehesible mess. Lacking any new songs or any other twist, it is doubtful that this set will attract many fervent Oasis fan."

A Compilation - Not a Greatest Hits Package

gnagfloW | Rosa Barks | 11/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For those thinking this is the definite Oasis singles collection, take a look at the songs NOT included (highest U.K. chart position):

Shakermaker #11

Whatever #3

Roll With It #2

D'You Know What I Mean #1

Stand By Me #2

All Around The World #1

Who Feels Love? #4

Sunday Morning Call #4

The Hindu Times #1

Stop Crying Your Heart Out #2

Little By Little #2

She Is Love #2

Let There Be Love #2

Their web site states: "The tracks as chosen by the band themselves - the songs they believe encapsulate their remarkable career to date." For many though, omitting all these tracks (no less than 3 number one hits) is rather excessive. Actually, this track list would make most bands proud of their achievement. Usually when tracks are omitted on such greatest hits compilations, those are one or two songs the band just simply hate (case in point is the recent R.E.M. In Time compilation which skips Shiny Happy People) or more often minor hits or known album tracks. Not one track from Be Here Now is included but over half of the tracks here are from their first two releases, incidentally the albums most people already own.

This is not to say that the songs on this compilation are not superb, they are. On that strength I give this set 4 stars (I am probably generous). There should, however, be a warning sticker on this release stating that this is merely a compilation, nothing more. An alarming case in point is the track Whatever, which has only been available as a single. This begs the question, why is there not a double CD version of this release? Ooops, actually this is a double CD release with simply very few songs on each CD compared to the compilation norm. Maybe this is some kind of retro attempt. In the age of programmable music, I'd rather be able to edit my music down to my personal choices of nine songs as opposed to being limited in that option.

"

I've Always Loved Oasis

Maggie Mae | Memphis, Tennessee | 06/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It seems Oasis has kind of past their heightened golden days and that's sad. Releasing this compilation is a good attempt at being popular again and I hope it works. This British band has had their fair share of radio hits over the years and that's what Stop The Clock is pretty much about. It has all the best and excellent singles they have released over the years plus superb b-sides. Most of the songs are from their best years of 1994-1995, which was the albums Definitely Maybe and the popular (What's the Story) Morning Glory?.

There are only a few tracks from the albums that followed Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants and Heathen Chemistry. Those two albums weren't as popular so that's when the band faded out of the spotlight and I for one don't understand that. I've always loved Oasis and I hope they do something new and I hope they do it soon."

A missed chance

M. A. Rodriguez | Fort Worth, TX United States | 03/10/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Back in 1994 I was pretty much fed up with grunge, specially the way the music industry had exploited the alternative rock genre, but in late 1994 I saw the video for "Live Forever" by a new band from Manchester, England, Oasis and made an instant impact on me, I tought these guys are going to be huge, and they were. Their debut album "Definitely Maybe" was an instant classic and in less than a year they followed it up with their sophomore album "What's the Story (Morning Glory)" and they were on top. In reality the Brit-Pop Scene had been started a couple years before by Blur and Suede, but Oasis were the biggest band of them all. Now was Oasis destined to be the next great Rock N Roll band and release more great albums? We now know that wasn't the case, they became bloated. The albums they released after, weren't as nearly as good as their first two albums. In 2006, 12 years after and with their contract expired with Sony, it was time to release a retrospective of their hits. This was not Oasis first compilation, in 1998 they released "the Masterplan" a collection of B-sides up to that time. So Noel Gallagher took the task of assembling the greatest anthems this band ever produced, which to me is a no brainer, right? It looks like Noel had a very different idea, he selects 4 B-sides already included in "the Masterplan", ignores "Be Here Now" completely and almost "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants" by including only one song of it. They pressed 2 CDs but only put nine songs on each. I knew all this but the reason I bought this compilation was an improvement in sound, it was minimal. To be honest if you already have the albums, you don't need this, if you are just getting into the band there is no way around it, buy the first two albums, they are classics, as for this compilation the one good thing about it is the price. I see now a box set in the future which should be more comprehensive, but for now this is my ideal song listing:

Disc A: 1.Rock N Roll Star, 2.Live Forever, 3.Supersonic, 4.Cigarrettes and Alcohol, 5.Slide Away, 6.Roll With It, 7.Wonderwall, 8.Morning Glory, 9.Don't Look Back In Anger, 10.Champagne Supernova.

Disc B: 1.D'You Know What I Mean, 2.Stand By Me, 3.Don't Go Away, 4.Go Let It Out, 5.Who Feels Love, 6.The Hindu Times, 7.Stop crying Your heart Out, 8.Layla, 9.The Importance of Being Idle, 10. Stop the Clocks (I heard they recorded a new song, but for some reason didn't include it in this compilation)."

UK band

alexander laurence | Los Angeles, CA | 05/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"
Noel Gallagher said that they would never release these greatest hits, but here it is. Much like their peers, Blur, Pulp, Supergrass, Suede, and Verve, Oasis has all released greatest hits CDs after ten years. Britpop is now a decade old. It is still popular, and very few bands, other than Arctic Monkeys, and Libertines, have come and replaced them with something better or equal. Oasis' recent tour featured most of the songs from this collection, plus a few more from the new Don't Believe The Truth. These songs have soaked into the British sensibility like no other recent UK band. Of course we have "Live Forever" and "Supersonic" from the first album. There are "Wonderwall" from the second. But there is not so much from after Be Here Now. Half of the album is from the first two albums. The other half is early b-sides, and one or two tracks, from the rest. It's kid of an odd collection. Most of the Oasis fans have all these tracks on the previous releases. Some of the other Britpop bands offered some new tracks or unreleased material. Placebo had a DVD included. I guess Oasis is saying to all future generation: "Here is the classics, if you want to look into it further, check out the other albums." Great cover by Peter Blake. One Liam song is included."

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