IT'S THE SAME OLD STORY

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

One of the keys to the popularity of the loutish British rock band Oasis is that its members make no secret of the fact that they want to be popular. American rock acts, especially all those fading alternative ones, often try to downplay their success, complaining, apologizing and obfuscating all the way. But after you've performed on the Grammys, hired a team from Silicon Valley to set up a multicolor interactive Website, or gabbed about your new record with Regis and Kathie Lee, all the moaning about the trials and tribulations of fame comes across as disingenuous and disagreeable. In contrast, Oasis' buck-naked lust for success--its admitted love of money, its wild embrace of the actress-bedding, chain-smoking, hard-drinking, rock-'n'-roll life-style--almost comes off as a virtue.

And now, following its quadruple-platinum album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1994), Oasis is back with a new, louder album, Be Here Now, which should make marketing waves on both sides of the Atlantic. Be Here Now is not a particularly smart or involving album, but then neither was Morning Glory. That previous album's charms consisted of four sprightly, tuneful songs--including Don't Look Back in Anger and Wonderwall--and a lot of latter-day Beatle-ish attitude. The members of Oasis, led by volatile singer Liam Gallagher and his songwriting, guitar-playing brother Noel, cut their hair like the Beatles, sometimes use the same kinds of guitars and amplifiers the Beatles used, and even try to write songs like the Beatles with Hey Jude-like na-na choruses and lyrical references to "yellow submarines" and the like.

Be Here Now finds the band once again aping the Beatles. One song, Magic Pie, has a title that echoes the name of Paul McCartney's last solo release, Flaming Pie; on another, the frenetic My Big Mouth, Liam sings of going "down the long and winding road." There are a few surprises on Be Here Now; at some points, Oasis cribs from bands other than the Beatles. Much of the album is informed by the crunching blues-rock of the Rolling Stones. One of the worst songs, however, draws from a less impressive source: the spaghetti-western-style guitar work on Fade In-Out echoes Jon Bon Jovi's rock gunslinger song Wanted Dead or Alive.

Now, there's nothing wrong with being influenced by other bands (as long as they've got better musical credentials than Bon Jovi). As former Beatle McCartney pointed out recently, the Beatles borrowed some of their style from performers such as Chuck Berry. However, Oasis would be a better band if it started to innovate more and imitate less. If we want to hear the Beatles, we can listen to their Anthology records.

There are a few worthwhile songs on Be Here Now. The first single, D'You Know What I Mean?, is a fun, if frothy, rock anthem; The Girl in the Dirty Shirt has a cool, clomping beat and playful but passionate vocals; and Stand by Me, with its big, sweet guitar licks and hand-clapping chorus, has pop appeal. So far, though, Oasis hasn't come close to creating a body of work that will make the young, hot, upstart rock bands of the future want to borrow from it. But the band is still a fairly new one. And there's a long and winding road ahead.

--C.J.F.