These pictures of Noel and The Incredible Durst (aka Greybeard McGillicudy) have absolutely nothing to do with my long rumored Oasis post below, but since they are from the year 2000, it's high time they made their way onto the intertubenets. I took these when I was stalking Noel backstage at the 2000 Reading Festival. He had just finished giving a TV interview when Durst came up and asked him for an autograph, that being the little white piece of paper Fred's clutching.

Now then, where was I? Oh yeah. I've had the Oasis "collection" Stop The Clocks for a while now, and while it's wonderful to have all those hits on a two disc set, I find myself thinking more about all the songs that were left off the album. Outside the no-brainers, Noel got a few things right - "Slide Away," "Songbird" - but there were too many misses on there - "Half The World Away," "The Importance Of Being Idle" - for it to be the definitive Oasis collection, at least as far as I'm concerned. I am one of the biggest Oasis fans ever, but many of the big hits leave me wanting more. It's the album tracks that do it for me. So I made a mix of the best songs that were left off Stop The Clocks and overall, at least for me, it's much more fun to listen to.

The Swamp Song
The Hindu Times (above)
A Bell Will Ring | Live, Summersonic Festival, Osaka 2005
Columbia | Live at Knebworth, 8/11/1996
It s Getting Better (Man!!) | Live at Air Studios, 1997
Cigarettes & Alcohol | Live , Glasgow Barrowlands 2001
Stop Crying Your Heart Out | Live 2002
Roll With It | "Live", Top of the Pops (With Noel on vocals and Liam on guitar. Classic.)
Turn Up The Sun | Live, Manchester 2005
Cast No Shadow | Noel, Live
Love Like a Bomb | Live on TV
Hello | Live at Glastonbury, 1995
D'You Know What I Mean? | Video
I Can See A Liar | Live on Letterman
Stand By Me | Noel & Liam acoustic
Lord Don't Slow Me Down

To me, this is a much better collection of Oasis songs in the way that Extras is the perfect companion album to The Jam's Greatest Hits. It fills in the blanks for anyone that doesn't want to go back and buy (or download) all their albums. I mostly stayed away from the b-sides because they've already been collected and showcased and there are so many great album tracks and leftover singles to choose from. It's a fucking travesty that "The Hindu Times" wasn't on Stop The Clocks. It's one of the best songs Noel has ever written (especially if you've ever heard the horrible original version, which was all about how he hated Meg). Watch the video footage above and tell me you don't want to be in the middle of Wembley pouring beer all over yourself while you sing along to that song. Ditto for "D'You Know What I Mean?"

"Columbia" wasn't the first Oasis song I ever heard, but the first one that really grabbed me, mostly because of the way Liam sings "There we were, noweeeehaweeeeahhhhh". You're fooling yourself if you don't think "Love Like A Bomb" is the best track off of Don't Believe The Truth. It's scary to think that five years from now Liam could be the band's chief songwriter, or at least Noel's equal. "Hello" is a criminally underlooked track from Morning Glory. Maroon 5 liked it so much they covered it live. Yes, it's as bad as you think it would be. Worse. And I'm sure anyone that's heard the full version of "Lord Don't Slow Me Down" will tell you it's quite simply the best thing they've done in ages.

Now that I think about it, it's clear why Oasis isn't on the same level as they were in their mid-to-late 90's heyday. Aside from the obvious things, marriage, money, fame, etc. that is. They haven't written a decent slow jam in 10 years. "Don't Go Away" and "Stand By Me" were their last good ones. They still write corking stadium suitable rock anthems, but it's the slower songs like "Wonderwall" and even "Champagne Supernova" that gave the band their crossover success, especially here in the States.

And while Oasis was slipping, other bands took notice and copied what the band was doing and ran with it. Travis famously asked "What's a Wonderwall anyways?" on their record The Man Who, but what is that record but stripped down Wonderwall- influenced, acoustic flavored rock? They've made a career out of copying Noel (and for the record, I'm a fan). Coldplay took the same formula, added some piano and applied it to their music for the masses. Songs like "The Hindu Times" give Liam a chance to show his stuff, but it will never be as popular as "Don't Look Back In Anger."

I'd venture a guess that the reason Noel can't write the slow hits anymore is that he's a) rich and b) divorced. He writes rich man's rock now. He has anything his heart desires. It must be hard to write songs for the common man when you reach that point. Which is why Liam will be the one to push this band forward. He's still honing his song writing craft, and after comparing "Little James" to "Love Like A Bomb" or "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel," it's hard not to be excited about Oasis album number seven.