Spins: Oasis • Familiar to Millions 25th Anniversary 3xLP
Oasis
Familiar to Millions 25th Anniversary 3xLP
(Big Brother)
As part of the juggernaut Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour selling out stadiums worldwide, Oasis’ stop at Soldier Field was the hottest ticket in town last summer. Fans can relive some of the energy generated that night by spinning this 3xLP audio reissue of 2000’s live album Familiar to Millions. Recorded on July 21, 2000 at Wembley Stadium, this show finds the Manchester, England band supporting its fourth album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants in front of a massive crowd in their home country. Although album sales for Giants were a far cry from those achieved by Definitely Maybe, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, or Be Here Now, the group were soaring high as rock music’s biggest concert draw.
“Time for something you don’t know,” says singer Liam Gallagher after opening with “Go Let it Out” and introducing the psychedelic pop drone of “Who Feels Love?” from Standing on the Shoulder of Giants.
The audience erupts at the introduction of “Supersonic,” the first of five favorites drawn from debut album Definitely Maybe. Hot on its heels comes “Shakermaker,” with its words and melody borrowing from the old Coca-Cola jingle circa 1971. Judging by the stadium-sized crowd participation, Oasis did a pretty good job of teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony.
In addition to memorable album fare, the band dips into its B-sides collection. Guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher sings the chorus vocal and plays a sinister groove for the hard-driving “Acquiesce.” “Step Out” is a high-octane fan-pleaser, with Noel Gallagher taking the lead vocal throughout. The tuneful melody was similar enough to “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” that Stevie Wonder is listed among the songwriting credits.
The alternately carefree and defiant “Roll With It” is the first of four songs from global smash sophomore album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory. In the late summer of 1995, the song was at the epicenter of “The Battle of Britpop” between Oasis and Blur (set against the latter’s “Country House”).
Glam-rocker “Stand By Me” is drawn from 1997’s Be Here Now, with an instrumental hook that echoes Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes.” Liam Gallagher delivers the lyric with a Johnny Rotten snarl.
Noel Gallagher’s electric guitar riff ignites the crowd at the start of “Wonderwall,” and the 70,000 fans at Wembley can be heard singing above the band. Echoing the song’s “blinding light” lyric, Noel and Liam demand relief from the harsh stage lights as the song fades. Liam dedicates “Cigarettes & Alcohol” to the fans who had managed their way to the front row. The rhythm section of guitarist Gem Archer, bassist Andy Bell of Ride, and drummer Alan White drive the T.Rex-styled rocker while Noel Gallagher plays bristling riffs and solos. The song concludes with a quote of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” featuring Zeb Jameson’s shimmering Hammond organ solo.
The audience leans in for the Lennon-esque, piano-fueled anthem “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” “Please don’t put your life in the hands of a rock n’ roll band who’ll throw it all away,” Noel Gallagher warns the thousands hanging on his words, but it’s clearly too late. The set reaches euphoria with set-closing anthem “Live Forever.” The concert’s encore leads with Noel Gallagher’s rollicking cover of Neil Young’s “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black).” Skyrocketing power ballad “Champagne Supernova” lives up to its name, and the band closes with the ecstatic statement of purpose “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.”
Wrapping the collection as a bonus cut is Oasis’ slashing cover of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter,” recorded at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee during April 2000.
Familiar to Millions does a fine job of capturing the sound and bratty attitude of Oasis during their heyday. The album includes studio repairs to some vocals in order to correct for ad libs and songs like “Wonderwall” when Liam Gallagher let the fans take the choruses. Nonetheless, the elemental sound of the six-piece band and the roar of the crowd convey the band’s primal rock and roll energy in a way that the original studio creations can’t convey.
– Jeff Elbel
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