Staff Pick: Brett
This is my go-to album when I go running. It opens with “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” and it gets me pumped up while listening on my headphones and jogging through my neighborhood.
These are working class kids from a small town that hope to escape life’s daily routine and are dreaming of becoming rock stars. Next song “Shakermaker” keeps the pace moving along and mentions “Mr. Sifter Sold me Songs when I was just sixteen, now he stops at traffic lights but only when they are green.” I dig this nonsensical Yellow Submarine kind of a lyric. I visited the Oasis band members hometown of Manchester (Burnage) last year and met Mr. Sifter who is now in his 80s running Sifters Records. He was listening to The Beatles and singing along while cleaning records. It made my heart feel good to know that this is the same record store owner who inspired the Gallagher brothers to make music that pays a lot of respect to The Beatles and they in return payed him back by namedropping him in this song.
“Live Forever” is also in my opinion one of the greatest Oasis songs that Noel ever wrote.
Supersonic shouts: “You can have it all, but how much do you want it?”
And Cigarettes & Alcohol is the perfect teenage anthem: “I was looking for some action
But all I found was cigarettes and alcohol”
This album remains a classic even after 30 years. I love it. —Brett
New, sealed.