Well, this was a pleasant surprise.
Released in conjunction with the video for Once (featuring Eric Cantona), it ostensibly works as an EP for the same track: two versions adorn this short collection; a demo devoid of added effects or instrumentation, ably demonstrating that a good song is a good song regardless of production (featuring, as it does, only guitar with Gallagher harmonising) and an acoustic offering which strips the Lennon vibes of the original whilst retaining the strings, the earnestness of the song suiting the stripped down model equally as well as the parent track.
There are three other tracks lifted from Liam Gallagher’s successful second solo album Why Me. Why Not?, none of which add anything of substance. Alright Now remains chippy and jovial and not markedly different while Meadow, as the name suggests, was a gentle track anyway but here has keys strangely low in the mix, almost non-existent. One of the stronger tracks from the album, Now That I’ve Found You, sounds less FM rock than it once did, still unashamedly sentimental but with a strong vocal.
All three tracks are less than six months old so none are wildly different from the originals because let’s face it, most fans are basically here for new spins on Oasis, of which there are three, each one over twenty years old.
Liam’s voice has understandably changed during that time, his voice now containing more nasal sneer than before. He bends the notes to fit the new singing style, which in the case of Cast No Shadow feels like a loss. The passing of the years has shaved away some of the naïve charm that his voice once had on the most faithful cover included, and with the more direct (and simpler) drumming and melodramatic piano, it feels much more professional. The female backing vocalists add some emotion in lieu of brother Noel, but on the whole, it seems an odd choice.
Stand By Me is much better, the acoustic sound more in line with the emotion of the song than the bombastic, full band version from Be Here Now (although it has to be said even that can’t hide from the song’s unnecessary repetition, with each chorus being the same line three times). Wisely, the track is truncated at the end but that’s probably the wrong choice; it would seem more suitable to trim the choruses elsewhere as it ends suddenly, with that gorgeous middle eight (working very effectively sans electric) acting as the crescendo.
The real jewel in the crown is the new version of Sad Song. Since the release of the Supersonic documentary back in 2016, Oasis fans have longed to hear a full Liam take on the Noel-sung lost classic. In his usual way, the younger Gallagher wrenches the emotion out of every note, obviously in a more confrontational style, but no less effectively. Now with added subtle strings which rise elegantly, it’s a welcome addition that compliments the original.
This collection contains some odd choices then, and it would have been nice to acknowledge his first solo album (having recently reimagined the song live, a stripped-down version of Greedy Soul would have seemed an obvious inclusion), but that’s nit-picking and missing the point of what this is: a nice little treat for the faithful.