Don't Believe the Truth is the 6th studio album from British rock group Oasis. Released May 30th, 2005 in the UK and most of the world, and May 31st, 2005 in the US (due to US chart protocol).
Features 11 tracks, with each (official) member of the group contributing at least one track. This album also features the least number of songs written by Noel Gallagher on any of the groups albums, as well as the greatest number of songs sung by him.
Former Oasis drummer Alan White was sacked before the recording of this album, so Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr and a fixture on concert tours by The Who, plays drums on the album.
The album began life in late 2003 when Oasis met with Death in Vegas and headed into the studio with that duo as the producers in early 2004. Liam Gallagher had previously worked with them on Scorpio Rising, and many people were hopeful that something would come out of it. But, after only a short time, these sessions fell apart, with Noel admitting that they "just didn't have the songs." Tellingly, of the song titles mentioned in the NME story announcing the pairing, none appear on the album.
Later in 2004, the band travelled to Los Angeles to work with famed rock producer Dave Sardy. The sessions worked magnificently, and with his help, an album came out fairly quickly.
As has become par for the course with Oasis the UK stadium tour dates sold out very rapidly. Much more surprising is that the band sold out Madison Square Garden within an hour, their largest venue ever in America. This is doubly shocking considering that their previous album, Heathen Chemistry, sold under 200,000 copies in the US.
Track listing:
- Turn Up The Sun
- Mucky Fingers
- Lyla
- Love Like A Bomb
- The Importance of Being Idle
- The Meaning of Soul
- Guess God Thinks I'm Abel
- Part of the Queue
- Keep the Dream Alive
- A Bell Will Ring
- Let There Be Love
Turn Up The Sun: Written by Andy Bell, this song is a typical Oasis rocker to open the album. Was one of the first songs that was written for the album.
Mucky Fingers: Written and sung by Noel Gallagher, this song is very reminiscent (in that Oasis way) of I'm Waiting for the Man, by the Velvet Underground, and maybe some Bob Dylan, too. Has a harmonica solo by Gem.
Lyla: Written by Noel, this track was released as the lead single. Another track that is typical Oasis. The intro verses have a similar tune to Street Fighting Man, by the Stones. When asked, Noel said that Lyla was "Sally's sister," referring to the Sally from Don't Look Back In Anger.
Love Like A Bomb: Written by Liam Gallagher, this song is in the same vein as his sleeper hit Songbird. In fact, it's been called "Songbird's older brother." Liam himself describes it as "one for the ladies."
The Importance of Being Idle: Written and sung by Noel. This song is very similar to The Beatles' I'm Only Sleeping lyrically. One of the better tracks on the album, set to be released as the second single from the album.
The Meaning of Soul: Written by Liam, this song was first played during Oasis' headling performance at Glastonbury in 2004, where it was not very well received. It's a short rocker with acoustic guitars, and is better than the Glastonbury performance might have indicated.
Guess God Thinks I'm Abel: Written by Liam, this is a mostly acoustic number with a bit of an electric interlude right at the end. The biblical reference is only in the title, and not related lyrically. It's a good song, but feels incomplete at the end.
Part of the Queue: Written and sung by Noel, this song was written about the struggles of life in London. It features interesting percussion, done by Lenny Castro. Some have said that it is a lot like Golden Brown by The Stranglers.
Keep the Dream Alive Written by Andy Bell. It is interesting to note that the tracks on the album that sound the most like Oasis were written by Andy Bell, who has only been a member for a third of the albums. A typically anthemic Oasis tune.
A Bell Will Ring: Gem's contribution to the album was the other new song played at Glastonbury, which was similarly panned. Noel has said that it sounds a lot like Revolver, (which is a stretch, if you ask me), and that is was "Ringo's favourite song."
Let There Be Love: A bare bones acoustic number written by Noel that finds the brothers Gallagher sharing vocal duties. It's a lovely little song, and a fitting end to the album.
Overall, it's a pretty good little album that's loads better than its predecessor, Heathen Chemistry, which has gotten a bit stale with age (nevermind what I wrote in that node). It's a bit of a different sound for the band, but still recognizable as Oasis.