Don't Believe the Truth [Explicit Lyrics]

Personally, I think it's the best thing they've done since Definitely Maybe.

I'd reccomend the limited edition version with the extra DVD - it shows some great footage of the band in the studio, and you really get a sense of how hard they worked - it's not all drinking, drugs, and partying - Oasis have grown up.

If ever people thought that there was a Beatles influence, it's certainly evident here. Take 'Let There Be Love' as a good example of this. Definitely Lennon-esque, and another cracker.
Everyone is familiar with 'Lyla' these days, and although most radio friendly, it's probably not one of the best tracks on the album. 'Turn Up The Sun' features some heavy guitar work, but is superbly constructed, along with the rest of the album.

Well done boys, a fantastic album from one of the best bands ever!

The most surprising thing about DBTT is the variety of different songwriters on the album - all band members with exception of the drummer have contributed songs - and compentently too. Liam and Gem's little work, 'Love Like a Bomb', is not at all dwarfed by the giant and powerful 'Lyla' which it follows, and which has already gained success in the singles charts. Previously we have been accustomed to see almost a whole album of songs by Noel, but here we have a development of Oasis as a band, not just the Gallaghers.

Not so surprising it is then, that a song by bassist Andy Beel leads off the album. 'Turn Up the Sun' does not disappoint, and almost teases the listener as he hears a rolling chord progression. Then a huge rhythmic riff appears almost from nowhere - a statement, perhaps, that Oasis are back to the powerhouse that they used to be. 'Mucky Fingers', the next song, keeps the same 4/4 rhythmic chord progression, and again the emphasis is on power, not finesse - as we saw with their frist success, 'Definitely Maybe'. The two songs merge perfectly into one another - and one would be surprised to find that one is written by Noel and the other by Andy Bell.

If you are an Oasis fan in my mould, then you will probably have bought DBTT on the strong evidence of the single 'Lyla'. Ironically, the most powerful song on the album has no improvisation from Noel over the top of the rhythm guitar - but the riff rocks so hard that it is not really needed. When a small solo emerges, it is simple and passionate. The song reached no.1 in the singles charts, and justifiably.

'Love Like a Bomb' is Oasis at their simplistic best - only four chords are used, in the same order, throughout the whole song - A D G and E. Yet as with one of Oasis' greatest ever tracks, 'Champagne Supernova', the density of the song is thickened by other elements - this time a tinkling piano and Liam's characteristic tambourine.

'The Importance of Being Idle' takes us back to the jaunty 'Digsy's Dinner' of 'Definitely Maybe', and indeed shows a general attitude to life that we can all relate to - recalling 'Married With Children' of the same album. 'The Meaning of Soul' hits short and hard, and is raw and emotional - much like the character of its composer, Liam Gallagher. The lyrics hark back to the days of rebellion in songs such as 'Rock and Roll Star' - but this does seem a little out of character with the more thoughtful songs later in the album, such as 'Let There Be Love'.

The transition is the next song, 'Guess God Thinks I'm Abel'. The opening chords took me personally to the 70s and Led Zeppelin's 'Battle of Evermore', but then evolves into a traditional Oasis ballad, up there with 'Don't Look Back in Anger' - we see all elements of a relationship in one song - the tenderness and the passion which bursts out in the last line - 'come along let's make it tonight'. 'Part of the Queue' is a jaunty soliloquy from the singer, and the confused euphony of sound reflects well his mental state.

The last three songs take the album out on an uplifting note. 'Keep the Dream Alive' starts with bright chords and finally opens up into a simple and effective chorus - powerful in the two chrods it uses. The optimism of the song is reflected by the lyrics, and basically makes me feel good! The opening riff of 'A Bell Will Ring' shows a more competent side of the band, and the chords which are then introduced represent a powerful song from an again powerful band.

So I come to the last song on the album, 'Let There Be Love' - a sentiment probably more at home in a Beatles album - but Liam's grating vocals identify it immediately as Oasis. The band has a tradition of placing absolute blinders at the end of albums - 'Champagne Supernova', the 'Masterplan' and 'All Around the World' for example - so 'Let There Be Love' has a lot to live up to. It doesn't have the hard-hitting power of 'CS', nor the emotion of 'Masterplan', but it does round of the album in a satisfying way, bringing it drifting to a well-rounded close.

All in all, DBTT is a most well-constructed and enjoyable album. It will have you turning up the volume, not just for the gargantuan songs like 'Lyla' but throughout its entirety. Gone is the languid torpor of 'Standing on the Shoulders...', gone the disappointingly inconsistent 'Heathen Chemistry' - Oasis are back.