Couldn't decide what to listen to today so just went back to Chasing Yesterday and chose to export the most boring format ever to this section of the forum
My thoughts on it:
It's a really good record in my opinion, and very interesting in hindsight because it's a clear bridge between the Oasis-like debut and the experimental pop rock of Who Built The Moon, and from interviews you can sense Noel feels the same about it
Overall it's an extremely consistent piece of work (he's generally been very consistent throughout his solo career) and the lows can hold their own, but the difference between the fillers and the top songs is quite notable in the sense that the good ones have this feeling of being fully developed and brought to their best level of expression while the rest is a bit by the numbers, good pop tunes, because Noel's a good (well, great) pop songwriter, but not much more than that
What made WBTM so great is that even the lower stuff had something interesting going on that forced you to pay attention, this is missing a bit here
Also I never quite noticed it as much but the second half is top heavy compared to the first
It's a solid 7,5/10 for me, even 8 tbh
The tracks:
Riverman: funny how the sax was such a big deal back then, we really had no idea what was coming
As for the song itself, still one of the best HFB things for me, moody, with a brilliant guitar solo and an effortless chorus
More sax crimes Noely please
In The Heat Of The Moment: I was quite thrown off when it was released, and he didn't look very convinced either, then I heard it live and it got a monstrous reaction, place was buzzing
Nowadays I think it's an alright catchy tunes, nothing more nothing less
There are some elements I really like (tasty bass, great verse melody) and some I'm not a fan of (the nananas, the chorus in general is a bit "big for the sake of being big")
The Girl With The X-Ray Eyes: this gets a lot of flack on here but I think it's proper nice
Some dodgy lyrics but overall it's classic Noel without sounding too similar to other ballads he's written before, and the melody sticks around
It also gave me my favourite HFB remix so bonus point for that
Lock All The Doors: I was a bigger fan of it when it came out, now I don't think it's bad but I wouldn't exactly fight for it like I used to
It's good fun, I believe it would've worked well as a b-side, but it's trying to recreate an Oasis formula that has not worked for a while. All Noel's best rockers in the 2000s bar a couple of exceptions are on that moody, dark spectrum, that's his thing now
The Dying Of The Light: there will always be the endless conversation soundcheck vs acoustic version vs studio version, but I like it as it is
A lovely ballad with some great lyrics put into the correct atmosphere and not overshadowed by any of the production elements
Is it Noel on autopilot? It is, but when he gets it right he still gets it REALLY right, and this is one of those occasions
The Right Stuff: unlike anything Noel's done before, and a massive sign of things to come
It took some time to grow on me but now I absolutely love it, it's what I'd call sexy when it comes to music, and I personally think Noel's voice and delivery really fit this stuff
Also the live version they've been doing on the last tour is one of the best HFB related things ever, absolutely massive
While The Song Remains The Same: my favourite song on the album by far, some of his best lyrics and it's a great combination of early and new Noel
The sound is different, more layered and a bit more researched, but it's got that powerful feeling of melancholia that really reminds me of 90s Oasis like few other things
The Mexican: honestly this is one of the biggest momentum killers I've ever seen
Not only it's shit, like bottom 5 HFB songs, but it interrupts such a strong run of tunes
It's supposed to be a fun and energetic number, but it falls flat, both the riff and the melody are utterly forgettable and slightly irritating
It was nice live though
You Know You Can't Go Back: very simple song, although the melody's still lovely, but this is the kind of Noel I'm glad we've managed to hear more and more as a solo artist
Musically it's the most predictable number ever, and the lyrics are not even *that* happy, yet there's such a wonderful feel of pure freedom and joy to it
An uplifting tune if there was one
Ballad Of The Mighty I: a great closer, has Noel ever written this many words for a song before?
Love everything about it, the verse melody, the obsessive chorus, the guitar licks, the strings, Noel's powerful vocals, and it's always nice to hear him play a little solo
One last thought: I expect HFB#4 to be similar in its intentions, more "songy" songs but with some experimental and uncommon touches, but it will be interesting to see how it ends up
This came out after NGHFB, a very well received and totally into his comfort zone album, #4 will be out after a transition period from WBTM/EPs/some unexpected collaborations, I wonder what it'll lead to