I have always been a fan of Oasis over the years. Being in India I did have access to their album releases but could not get my hands on any of their B sides. It was 1997 or thereabouts when I saw Oasis perform live at MTV Unplugged and that concert really impressed me. A lot of songs in that performance I had never heard before, but had liked on first listening. So began the quest to get my hands on some of their B side material. But hark, Oasis made my task easier – they conducted a poll on their website where they asked their loyal listeners to vote their best Oasis B side numbers. At the end of it all, Oasis had short listed fourteen songs – most of which were results of the poll, and the rest were personal favourites of the band.
My personal favorite on the album has Noel’s fantastic voice and a full orchestra in the grandiose “The Masterplan” which is on the lines of “Wonderwall”. “Talk Tonight”, and “Listen Up” come in a close second, and are also featured on their unplugged album. Also included is the incredible live version of the Beatles’ “I am the Walrus”, and the mellow “Half the World Away”.
Over the years this album has become one of my treasured rock albums, I have taken it with me everywhere I go. The right balance between excellent lyrics and alternative rock makes this album a must have for any Oasis fan, and a good album to start for people who haven’t heard them yet (maybe those who have been in exile in the Himalayas for the last ten years). I have been lucky to see Oasis live in concert, and they performed many of the songs on this album (strangely all of them were performed by acoustic by Noel). Sadly though one of the B sides they performed unplugged “Round Are Way” is not present in this collection, so you’ll have to pick up the single of the “Wonderwall” to get this song.