It was 20 years ago today…February 2000

Oasis:  Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Following the runaway success of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? and the followup Be Here Now, Oasis were feeling on top of the world and as if they could do no wrong when making music…and then they released this album.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants has received ignobility by being ranked among the worst albums of all time.  Twenty years on, the only song I still listen to is “Go Let it Out”, which was probably closest to their stadium rockers than any of the other tracks on the album.

The track highlighted the psychedelic turn Oasis was gearing toward on their previous album, but where they went wrong was that they repeated the title too many times.  It was the first single released by Oasis that has not been certified as ‘silver” status in the UK.

Nonetheless, Oasis continued to be the largest band in the UK for several years before eventually breaking up.  As of 2020, Noel Gallagher still claims he will never again share the stage with his brother Liam.

It was 20 years ago today…January 2000

Warren Zevon:  Life’ll Kill Ya

Released January 25, 2000 (yeah, I’m a few days late), Life’ll Kill Ya is more an album about aging, than about death, however less than three years after the album’s released, Zevon had died of mesothelioma.

Perhaps a controversial song, and certainly not playable on the radio, but “My Shit’s Fucked Up” humorously encapsulates the feeling of aging and being able to feel that one isn’t as young as they used to be.

Zevon had spent his career performing songs such as “Werewolves of London” and “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner”, earning him a reputation of having a very dry wit.  He was a regular stand-in for Paul Schafer on the Late Show with David Letterman, and he earned the respect of other musicians simply by sticking around.