Rocktrospectiva: The Succesful "Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants" Turns 25

 

Released on 28 February 2000, "Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants" was the fourth studio album by English band Oasis. It was the band's first album under their new record label Big Brother Recordings. In the year preceding the album's release, Alan McGee closed Creation Records, and Oasis had lost two founding members Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and hired new producer Mark "Spike" Stent to replace Owen Morris.

Curiously, the album marked a significant change from the Britpop scene to a modern psychedelic sound full of drum loops, samples, electric sitar, mellotron, synthesisers and backward guitars. The result was an album more experimental with electronica and heavy psychedelic rock influences. Songs such as "Go Let It Out", the Indian-influenced "Who Feels Love?", and the trip hop sounds on "Gas Panic!" departed from the band's earlier style. This album also marked the first time that lead singer Liam Gallagher contributed on songwriting with the track "Little James", and this process continued for their subsequent albums, instead of relying solely on Noel Gallagher's songwriting as they had for the first three albums.

The album's title misquotes an expression by Sir Isaac Newton: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". Noel Gallagher saw the quote on the edge of a £2 coin while in a pub, and liked it so much he thought it would be a suitable name for Oasis' new album. He then wrote the name on the side of a cigarette packet while drunk, and upon awakening in the morning, he realised he had written "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants". 

Noel decided to drop the equipment used in the three previous albums and instead buy "loads of really weird pedals, old guitars, and small amps" as the lack of a deadline on the album allowed him to "take quite a few days just messing around" and experiment with new musical landscapes. Noel was forced to play nearly all the instruments on the album, aided by some additional musicians, due to the departure of two founding band members, while the album was still being recorded, their parts were re-recorded for legal reasons.

Spawning three singles, "Go Let It Out", "Who Feels Love?", & "Sunday Morning Call". The lead track, "Fuckin' in the Bushes", features no vocals, but does include sampled quotes from Message to Love, a documentary film of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970. Another rate track is "Gas Panic!" inspired by the panic attacks Noel Gallagher had as he quit drugs in advance of the birth of his daughter Anaïs, and of course "Fuckin' In The Bushes" and due for this Walmart didn't want to sell the album.

The artwork features the photo of the Manhattan skyline taken from the rooftop of 500 Fifth Avenue (5th Ave/W 42nd St). Some famous buildings are visible including the Empire State Building, and in the foreground and the former World Trade Center in the background. This album was the first Oasis artwork not to be created by Brian Cannon at Microdot.

Despite its lukewarm critical reception, both Liam and Noel Gallagher have praised certain aspects of the record, the both thought it's a great album ... it's just a bit different", whilst Noel Gallagher has stated that he regards "Go Let It Out". Noel has also praised the sounds and production of the record. 

 

Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants Track List:  

1. Fuckin' In The Bushes

2. Go Let It Out

3. Who Fells Love?

4. Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is

5. Little James

6. Gas Panic!

7. Where Did It All Go Wrong?

8. Sunday Morning Call

9. I Can See A Liar

10. Roll it Over