Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
Encyclopedia
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants is the fourth studio album by English rock
band Oasis
, released on 28 February 2000. The album is the 16th fastest selling album in UK chart history, selling over 310,000 copies in its first week. Standing on the Shoulder of Giants has been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
and has sold around 208,000 copies in the U.S. despite becoming their fourth number-one album in the UK. It is currently the band's lowest selling album to date.
In 1999, the year preceding the final release of this album, Oasis had lost two founding members (Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs
and Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan
) and hired a new producer (Mark "Spike" Stent) to replace Owen Morris
.
The album is an effective modern psychedelic record complete with drum loops, samples, electric sitar
, mellotron
, synthesizers and backward guitars, resulting in an album more experimental with electronica
and heavy psychedelic rock
influences. Songs such as "Go Let It Out
", the Indian
-influenced "Who Feels Love?
", and the progressive "Gas Panic!" were a departure from the band's earlier style, "Fuckin' in the Bushes" has been considered to be the closest Oasis have come to hard rock
with Led Zeppelin
style riffs.
: "If I can see further than anyone else, it is only because I am standing on the shoulders of giants
". Noel Gallagher
saw the quote on the side of a £2 coin while in a pub and liked it so much he thought it would be a suitable name for Oasis' new album. He then wrote the name on the side of a cigarette packet while drunk. When he awoke in the morning, he realised he had written "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants".
Due to the departure of Bonehead
and Guigsy
from the band while the album was still in production, their parts had to be re-recorded for legal reasons. Thus, the album only features the Gallagher brothers and Alan White
, and the sleeve of the album also features them.
. Some famous buildings can be seen here, for example the Empire State Building
is seen in front and the WTC
is seen in the back. This photo has a very special effect - it is impossible to say during what time of day it was shot. To achieve this effect, the photographer had to capture the same frame every half an hour in 18 hours during the whole day's course. Then the photos were digitally edited and united into the actual picture. All of the singles released from this album contained artwork that was based on the album artwork; the shot used for "Go Let It Out
" can be seen above one of the buildings at the front, which depicts five men playing football. This shot was taken from the roof of a football stadium, and the footballers from the car park were edited onto the rooftop on the final cover.
It was more warmly received when Q Magazine gave Standing on the Shoulder of Giants 4/5 stars and the B-side to "Go Let It Out", "Let's All Make Believe", was featured in Q's top 500 lost tracks and said that if "Let's All Make Believe" were on the album "it probably would have carried the album to another star".
Although it received lukewarm reviews from the music press, both Liam and Noel Gallagher have praised certain aspects of the record. During a Radio 1 interview with Gary Crowley in 2002 Liam said "Some people reckon the album is shit, but I think it's a great album...it's just a bit different", whilst Noel Gallagher has stated that he regards "Go Let It Out" as "up there with some of the best things that I've done". He also stated in a 2005 interview with Rock Profiles that he thinks "Fuckin' in the Bushes", "Go Let It Out", "Gas Panic" and "Where Did It All Go Wrong?" are "real pieces of music".
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants spent 25 weeks in the UK top 100 the fewest for any Oasis album. It was the 9th biggest selling album of 2000 in the UK.
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants debuted at #24 on the Billboard 200
in the U.S., selling about 55,000 units in its first week, but sales slumped its second week and fell to #84 with a 64% sales drop. The album received a huge sales hike following the VH1
airing of the group's Behind the Music
in April 2000, jumping from #194 to #113 on the Billboard 200 the week following the episode's airing.
Eleven years after its release, Noel Gallagher
said he regretted releasing the album.
Guest musicians
Additional personnel
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, released on 28 February 2000. The album is the 16th fastest selling album in UK chart history, selling over 310,000 copies in its first week. Standing on the Shoulder of Giants has been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
and has sold around 208,000 copies in the U.S. despite becoming their fourth number-one album in the UK. It is currently the band's lowest selling album to date.
In 1999, the year preceding the final release of this album, Oasis had lost two founding members (Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs
Paul Arthurs
Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs is an English musician and one of the founding members of the English rock band Oasis, best known as their rhythm guitar player from 1991-1999.-Early life:...
and Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan
Paul McGuigan (musician)
Paul McGuigan , better known by his nickname, Guigsy , is an English musician and one of the four founding members of the English rock band Oasis...
) and hired a new producer (Mark "Spike" Stent) to replace Owen Morris
Owen Morris
Owen Morris is a music producer who has worked with rock bands such as Oasis, The Fratellis, The View and The Verve.He started working in the music industry as a sound engineer at Spaceward Studio in Cambridge when he was 16. He continued as an engineer until 1994 when he started producing some...
.
The album is an effective modern psychedelic record complete with drum loops, samples, electric sitar
Electric sitar
An electric sitar is a kind of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the traditional Indian instrument, the sitar. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional sitar...
, mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, synthesizers and backward guitars, resulting in an album more experimental with electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and heavy psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
influences. Songs such as "Go Let It Out
Go Let It Out
"Go Let It Out" is a song by the English rock band Oasis, written by the band's lead guitarist, and chief songwriter, Noel Gallagher. It was released in 2000 as the first single from the fourth studio album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. The song peaked at #1 in the UK charts where it went...
", the Indian
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
-influenced "Who Feels Love?
Who Feels Love?
"Who Feels Love?" is a song by the English rock band Oasis, written by the band's lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. It became the second single to be released from the album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, peaking at number 4 in the UK charts...
", and the progressive "Gas Panic!" were a departure from the band's earlier style, "Fuckin' in the Bushes" has been considered to be the closest Oasis have come to hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
with Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
style riffs.
History
The album's title was taken from the words made famous by Sir Isaac NewtonIsaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
: "If I can see further than anyone else, it is only because I am standing on the shoulders of giants
Standing on the shoulders of giants
Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants is a Western metaphor meaning "One who develops future intellectual pursuits by understanding the research and works created by notable thinkers of the past," a contemporary interpretation. However, the metaphor was first recorded in the twelfth century...
". Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
saw the quote on the side of a £2 coin while in a pub and liked it so much he thought it would be a suitable name for Oasis' new album. He then wrote the name on the side of a cigarette packet while drunk. When he awoke in the morning, he realised he had written "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants".
Due to the departure of Bonehead
Paul Arthurs
Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs is an English musician and one of the founding members of the English rock band Oasis, best known as their rhythm guitar player from 1991-1999.-Early life:...
and Guigsy
Paul McGuigan (musician)
Paul McGuigan , better known by his nickname, Guigsy , is an English musician and one of the four founding members of the English rock band Oasis...
from the band while the album was still in production, their parts had to be re-recorded for legal reasons. Thus, the album only features the Gallagher brothers and Alan White
Alan White (Oasis drummer)
Alan White is an English drummer, best known as being the drummer of the English rock group Oasis between 1995 and 2004, performing on four studio albums, two compilation albums and one live album. He joined the band in May 1995 after the band's original drummer Tony McCarroll was removed from...
, and the sleeve of the album also features them.
Album cover
The album's artwork features the photo of New York skyline taken from the rooftop of the Rockefeller CenterRockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
. Some famous buildings can be seen here, for example the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
is seen in front and the WTC
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
is seen in the back. This photo has a very special effect - it is impossible to say during what time of day it was shot. To achieve this effect, the photographer had to capture the same frame every half an hour in 18 hours during the whole day's course. Then the photos were digitally edited and united into the actual picture. All of the singles released from this album contained artwork that was based on the album artwork; the shot used for "Go Let It Out
Go Let It Out
"Go Let It Out" is a song by the English rock band Oasis, written by the band's lead guitarist, and chief songwriter, Noel Gallagher. It was released in 2000 as the first single from the fourth studio album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. The song peaked at #1 in the UK charts where it went...
" can be seen above one of the buildings at the front, which depicts five men playing football. This shot was taken from the roof of a football stadium, and the footballers from the car park were edited onto the rooftop on the final cover.
Reception
The album at first received generally mixed reviews from the media. It was a darker album possibly reflecting the times, or perhaps reflecting the loss of two original members. Noel has said, "Even though it wasn't our finest hour, it's a good album born through tough times. I worked harder on that album than anything before and anything since." Noel was forced to play nearly all the instruments on the album.It was more warmly received when Q Magazine gave Standing on the Shoulder of Giants 4/5 stars and the B-side to "Go Let It Out", "Let's All Make Believe", was featured in Q's top 500 lost tracks and said that if "Let's All Make Believe" were on the album "it probably would have carried the album to another star".
Although it received lukewarm reviews from the music press, both Liam and Noel Gallagher have praised certain aspects of the record. During a Radio 1 interview with Gary Crowley in 2002 Liam said "Some people reckon the album is shit, but I think it's a great album...it's just a bit different", whilst Noel Gallagher has stated that he regards "Go Let It Out" as "up there with some of the best things that I've done". He also stated in a 2005 interview with Rock Profiles that he thinks "Fuckin' in the Bushes", "Go Let It Out", "Gas Panic" and "Where Did It All Go Wrong?" are "real pieces of music".
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants spent 25 weeks in the UK top 100 the fewest for any Oasis album. It was the 9th biggest selling album of 2000 in the UK.
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants debuted at #24 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
in the U.S., selling about 55,000 units in its first week, but sales slumped its second week and fell to #84 with a 64% sales drop. The album received a huge sales hike following the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
airing of the group's Behind the Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
in April 2000, jumping from #194 to #113 on the Billboard 200 the week following the episode's airing.
Eleven years after its release, Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
said he regretted releasing the album.
Track listing
Use in media
- The song "Fuckin' in the Bushes" was used on the soundtrack for Guy Ritchie'sGuy RitchieGuy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
film 'SnatchSnatch (film)Snatch is a 2000 crime film written and directed by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast. Set in the London criminal underworld, the film contains two intertwined plots: one dealing with the search for a stolen diamond, the other with a small-time boxing promoter named Turkish ...
' (2000). It contains samples from Murray LernerMurray LernerMurray Lerner is an Academy Award-winning American documentary and experimental film director and producer.1967 saw the release of the film Festival...
's film Message to LoveMessage to LoveMessage to Love is a feature documentary film of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970. The film unsparingly, often comically depicts the myriad problems associated with the famously chaotic festival—the main program of which was held on August 26–30, 1970—including gate-crashing, numerous crowd...
. It has also appeared numerous times on the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
motoring show Top Gear. It's also used as sample on XFMXfmXfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are... - This version of the song "Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is" is currently used as the theme song for the Canadian show Dragon's Den.
Personnel
Oasis- Liam GallagherLiam GallagherWilliam John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
– vocals - Noel GallagherNoel GallagherNoel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
– guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards, production - Alan WhiteAlan White (Oasis drummer)Alan White is an English drummer, best known as being the drummer of the English rock group Oasis between 1995 and 2004, performing on four studio albums, two compilation albums and one live album. He joined the band in May 1995 after the band's original drummer Tony McCarroll was removed from...
– drums, percussion
Guest musicians
- Paul StaceyPaul StaceyPaul Stacey is a British guitarist and producer, best known for his work with Oasis and The Black Crowes.Paul Stacey's early work included the 1990s band, The Lemon Trees and Denzil....
– keyboards, additional lead guitar on "Fuckin' in the Bushes", backwardsBackmaskingBackmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward on to a track that is meant to be played forward...
guitar on "Who Feels Love?Who Feels Love?"Who Feels Love?" is a song by the English rock band Oasis, written by the band's lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. It became the second single to be released from the album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, peaking at number 4 in the UK charts...
", bass on "Who Feels Love?Who Feels Love?"Who Feels Love?" is a song by the English rock band Oasis, written by the band's lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. It became the second single to be released from the album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, peaking at number 4 in the UK charts...
", "Gas Panic!", "I Can See A Liar" and "Roll It Over", additional acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
on "Where Did It All Go Wrong?" - P. P. ArnoldP. P. ArnoldP. P. Arnold is an American-born soul singer who enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and beyond.-Early life:...
– backing vocals on "Fuckin' in the Bushes", "Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is" and "Roll It Over" - Linda LewisLinda LewisLinda Lewis is an English vocalist, songwriter and Guitarist. Lewis is the oldest of six children two of whom also had singing careers...
– backing vocals on "Fuckin' in the Bushes", "Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is" and "Roll It Over" - Mark CoyleMark CoyleMark Coyle is a British music producer, known for his work with Oasis.Coyle worked as a sound technician for many Mancunian bands throughout the 1980s including the The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays. Coyle has been a friend of Noel Gallagher for many years, having met when working as roadies for...
– electric sitarElectric sitarAn electric sitar is a kind of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the traditional Indian instrument, the sitar. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional sitar...
on "Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is", twelve-string acoustic guitar on "Little James" - Mark FelthamMark Feltham (musician)Mark Feltham is an English musician best known for his harmonica playing. Feltham is a long term member of the British rhythm and blues band, Nine Below Zero, and Rory Gallagher's band; and is often utilised as a session musician.-Albums:*Nine Below Zero: Live at the Marquee ; Don't Point Your...
– harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
on "Gas Panic!" - Tony Donaldson - Mini Moog & Mellotron on "Gas Panic!"
- Charlotte Glasson – fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
on "Gas Panic"
Additional personnel
- Mark "Spike" StentMark StentMark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
– production, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Paul Stacey – engineering
- Wayne Wilkins – assistant engineering
- Paul "P-Dub" Walton – assistant engineering
- Aaron Pratley – assistant engineering
- Howie Weinberg – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Jan "Stan" Kybert – programming, Pro ToolsPro ToolsPro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
- Steve "Rambo" Robinson – studio assistant