Well, to be fair this writer did think they had it in 'em. I mean, after the dog's dinner that was "Be Here Now" (dog's dinner? - hell, all the pooches in the pound came to it!) and the, er, wobbly "Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants", many thought OASIS' death knell should toll.
Strangely, your reviewer was one of the few who didn't believe "...Shoulder Of Giants" was entirely a steaming pile of shite. Yes, there was "Little James", but the likes of "Fuckin' In The Bushes", "Go Let It Out" and "Gas Panic" at least suggested a spark was alive.
And now, with the instalment of GEM ARCHER and ANDY BELL in the ranks, "Heathen Chemistry" marks the proper public birth of OASIS (mark 3) and the good news is it's a lot better than you might imagine. In places, it even approaches OASIS at their vintage, anthemic best.
There are still some clunkers, but first let's discover why OASIS' stalwart fanbase still have reasons to be cheerful. Well, for starters "Heathen Chemistry" goes off like a rocket with "The Hindu Times", the band's best single for ages, and even allowing for Noel's typically simplistic lyrics, it's the sound of OASIS recapturing that fearsome wall of sound they patented.
The Noel-sung "Force Of Nature" follows up. Dirty and almost indecently bluesy, this writer still hasn't decided whether the lyric about: "it's all over town that the sun's going down on the days of your easy life" is an over-the-shoulder stab at the former Mrs. Gallagher or Oasis' reputation, but its' raunchy growl is addictive, as is the Gem-penned "Hung In A Bad Place", even if it's basically THE STOOGES' "No Fun" kicked around the yard a bit. Indeed, this opening triumvirate tell us once and for all that OASIS are actually far better at sounding like an unholy alliance of THE SEX PISTOLS, CRAZY HORSE and T-REX, regardless of their BEATLES homage.
There's some more cool gear, too. Noel's been desperately attempting to follow "Live Forever" and "Don't Look Back In Anger" with something equally substantial for aeons and in "Little By Little" and "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" he's finally succeeded. The former features one of his own most impassioned vocals and a dangerously good middle eight, while in "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" Liam's X-factor voice leads perhaps OASIS' most moving terrace chanter yet.
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Undoubtedly, the presence of both Bell and Archer has sharpened OASIS creatively, although I'm not so sure about Noel's surprising altruism in allowing THREE Liam-penned tunes onto "Heathen Chemistry." This is certainly something of a mixed blessing. The gentle (hey!) Lennon-inspired "Songbird" just about scores off the post thanks to a plaintive Liam vocal, but "Born On A Different Cloud" goes nowhere at a snail's pace, rendering OASIS as dull and dour - never the point of these lippy Mancs.
Finishing up with "Better Man", however is a sound idea. Over an expansive dust-up of a beat, Noel and Gem Archer spar furiously and Liam's unusually vulnerable vocal ("I don't wanna hurt you, I just wanna see what's in your hands") helps this ascend to another plain altogether and puts a fine full-stop on the album after it sags with the OK, swirly psyche pop of "(Probably) All In The Mind", the lightweight "She Is Love" and "Born On A Different Cloud."
"Heathen Chemistry" then, puts forward a forceful argument for being the most effective OASIS album since "Morning Glory" and might just be the best since the all-conquering "Definitely Maybe." This writer still believes they have another album as good as that debut in them, and while "Heathen Chemistry" doesn't quite scale such (supernova) heights, it's certainly OASIS firmly on the road to recovery.
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