As Oasis release their best of we at Shadders reflect on their career and pick our track listing for the shaddersonline special Stop The Clocks to be downloaded onto our new walkman phone.

Oasis have and still are one of the best bands this country has ever seen and on top of that they also support the same footie team as the shadders team too (which is nice). So as Liam and Noel come to blows over their favourite Oasis songs the shadders team have put together our own Stop The Clocks, and the good thing about this seeing as we own all the albums and a great number of singles (all from the first two albums in fact) we can decide which songs are in our favourite 18 and download onto our brand spanking mp3 walkman phone. To make it just like the Oasis compilation we've even split it into two discs although obviously on the mp3 player they're all just saved on their and the playlist can be anything, we just liked the sound of how these two discs would flow.

Stop the Clocks - Shaddersonline Special  Disc One

Track 1 - Fuckin' in the bushes (Storming intro track on 'Standing on the shoulders of giants')

Track 2 - Supersonic (The first single and what a debut)

Track 3 - The Hindu Times (Another classic guitar stomper, from 'Heathen Chemistry')

Track 4 - Wonderwall (The classic and rarely beaten mega single from 'What's the story)

Track 5 - Talk Tonight (The stand out Noel track of early performances, a mere b side!)

Track 6 - Let there be love (Moment of sparkle from poor last outing)

Track 7 - Sunday Morning Call (Gem from 'Standing on the shoulders of giants')

Track 8 - Acquiesce (How this was allowed to be a b side god only knows, now a 'proper' a side!)

Track 9 - D' yer wanna be a spaceman (A mere early single b side stunning Noel semi acoustic number)

Stop the clocks shaddersonline special Disc 2

Track 10 - The importance of being idle (Stand out moment from last album and cracking video!)

Track 11 - Rock n Roll star (Classic early Definately Maybe moment that just sums Liam up)

Track 12 - Where did it all go wrong (Quality downer from under-rated 'Standing on the shoulders of giants)

Track 13 - Whatever (Class strings from the 'forgotton' single, great singalong stuff)

Track 14 - Stop Crying your heart out (Heart felt stuff enough to earn it's place)

Track 15 - Columbia (The white label started the ball rolling, quality stuff from debut album)

Track 16 - Little By Little (Impressive vocals from 'Heathen Chemistry' highlight)

Track 17 - Don't look back in anger (Perfectly paired with Champagne Supernova for a stunning 'What's the story' finale)

Track 18 - Champagne Supernova (The only way to finish, there is no better ending,from 'What's the story')

The ones which didn't quite make it, the nearly men so to speak, but could easily be on a Stop the Clocks 2 include the likes of: Shakermaker, Live forever, Slide away, She's electric, Go let it out, All round the world, half the world away, The masterplan and Force of nature. Oasis have such a fine back catologue it is really hard to decide even on eighteen 'best songs'. While deciding on the tracks to pick we've been obviously listening again to all six Oasis albums and which is tops and which ain't!

Definitely Maybe - Creation 1994

The original and the best some will argue and it is an absolutely cracking album but we're not so sure it's Oasis' best album to date. Even saying that this should be in your collection, in fact if it isn't why the hell not? There are the obvious classic singles 'Supersonic' and 'Shakermaker' plus gems like 'Slide away' and 'Columbia'. It has all the attitude, the guitars and that Liam snarl. Simply put brilliant.

What's the story (morning glory) - Creation 1995

Now we think this is packs a bigger punch than Definitely Maybe it certainly has the better songs in 'Wonderwall' and 'Don't look back in anger'. Then there isn't a better finish in pop history than 'Champagne supernova' simply stunning. It also catapulted Oasis into the big leagues. Marks off for the dreadful 'Roll with it' but other than that it's a monster of an album.

Be Here now - Creation 1997

This was supposed to be Oasis' opus but it kinda fell a bit flat despite shifting mega units. To be fair to this album it isn't as bad as history has painted it and does half some mega tunes, we love 'All around the world' and 'Fade in / fade out' then 'D'yer you know what I mean' is just pure and simple Oasis. Only the major trouble is that it's only two thirds of a great album and that is the let down, still The Farm would have loved to write any of these songs!

Standing on the shoulders of giants - Big Brother 2000

This in our humble view is one of Oasis best work, a classic downer of an album after the hype, knebworth and success of the previous six or so years. It includes some of Noel's finest songwriting moments and is quality and just works as a complete album. The intro track 'Fuckin in the bushes' is one hell of a opener but it's best moments are the down tracks, 'Sunday morning call' is just sublime and 'Where did it all go wrong' is spot on. There is also the debut of Liam as a songwriter, 'little James' has it's heart in the right place but should really have been a b side. All in all one of the best Oasis albums yet still somewhat overlooked and in the shadows of 'Definitely Maybe' and 'What's the story' which is a real shame.

Heathen Chemistry - Big Brother 2002

Another quality offering this, Oasis by this point had ceased to be the big fashion band that allowed them to spring to super stardom in the Britpop era, they were now Britain's best band and purely concentrating on recording great records. Along with SOTSOG this is a great record. It has all the elements, the big Oasis numbers like 'The Hindu Times' or say 'Force of nature' whilst still retaining those great sentimental songs that just make you think, the best on Heathen Chemistry being the superb 'Little by little'. Another monster Oasis album and even 'Songbird' is pretty damn good!

Don't believe the Truth - Big Brother 2005

Now where do we start with this? Well it's a bit of a mess really, unlike most Oasis albums it's disjointed by the fact the songwriting is spilt amongst all the band so it really doesn't feel like a true Oasis album like SOTSOG does. Also some of the tracks just try a bit too hard, 'Lyla' is well guilty of that. Yet saying all this 'The importance of being idle' is one of Oasis best ever singles, a real romp of a song and with a magical, inspired video too. Noel, write all the songs again in future and we're sure Oasis will be right back on track.

We've also gone through our back issues of the fanzine that started all this website business 'Shadders? on me Lungs?' and have come across some excellent live reviews (including the original Sheffield Arena gig from 1995 featured below) but to start things off this piss take of arena gigs that was first published along with the arena review but still rings true today as bands like Razorlight and Kasabian also step up to tour the arena's.

Do it yerself in true ‘Shadders’ style – “The Arena Concert”

We show you how in eight easy to follow steps how you can recreate your favourite bands meteoric rise to fame in the comfort of your own to keep 12,000 capacity arena! Part One – Clear out your / your parents / a unlocked nearby garage! Part Two – Clear a very large piece of land nearby. This is to be converted into your very own money spinning car park! Find some half-wit and force him into wearing an embarrassing bright orange jacket, then get them to charge any car that goes within a five-mile radius £3.00. However, make sure your ‘attendant’ has buggered off well before the end of your ‘concert’ thus allowing utter mayhem to occur leading to it taking at least four hours for anyone to get out of the ‘car park’. Part Three – Back to the garage. Find an old cardboard box, or even better a milk or beer crate and place it upside down at the far end of the garage. Place above it a small piece of cloth upon which you stick your favourite bands logo (cut one out of NME). This obviously is your stage. Part Four – Locate a ten-year-old Walkman and a pair of really crap walkman speakers (the ones that cost when new about two quid and now are abound at any car boot sale for about ten pence). Place the walkman behind the beer crate (err I mean stage) and the speakers either side. This is the state of the art arena sound system. Part Five – Get some old plastic soldiers, the ones every kid used to have and as featured in Toy Story (Star Wars figures are no good, they are too big!). Glue them to your beer crate stage, this is your band so you’ll need about five, not that it matters that much cause where you are sat you won’t actually be able to see them anyway! Part Six – Make sure the garage / arena is dark, if there are any windows in the garage paint them black, if it is a relatives garage then ensure they have gone out for the day. Then get a torch; stand at the back of the ‘arena’ and point at the beer crate stage. For a truly professional light show have a number of torches and colour the end’s using a berol pen, then flash them at the ‘stage’. Part Seven – You should now be able to feel the ‘atmosphere’ beginning to grow. Therefore it’s time for the main event. You should now place a badly copied tape of your favourite band into the walkman (one done on a really awful Amstrad stereo is best, they are available at the same car boot as the walkman!) and press play. Once the music commences grab a highly uncomfortable plastic patio chair and place in the corner furthest away from the ‘stage’. For the best effect ensure a seven foot tall bloke is sat in front of you! Part Eight – Set fire to twenty quid, in fact add in another fiver for a barely warm burger or warm beer for that complete waste of money sensation. So there you have it, why travel miles to Wembley, Birmingham or even erm Sheffield when you can have the ‘time of your life’ in your very own back garden, why indeed!

And now for the arena gig review way back from 1995 that sparked the DIY arena piss take, arr the memories!

MAINE MEN - Sheffield Arena 22nd April 1995

On 14th May 1994 Oasis played Sheffield Leadmill one of Britpop’s finest hopes. Less than 11 months later Oasis are back, gone are the toilet venues replaced by huge sold out arenas. It has been an incredible rise from manc glue sniffers (to any lawyers that’s allegedly) to massive arena stardom. It all began with the killer ‘Supersonic’ then the perfect debut album ‘Definitely maybe’ with a huge number of glittering sold out live performances on the way. From the outset the twelve or ‘whatever’ thousand fans are on their feet, the seats rendered useless (except for a rest during Noel’s solo spot). As Liam enthuses that ‘tonight I’m a rock n’roll star’ as they begin, he is spot on. It’s so apt now as coaches from far afield as Plymouth have travelled to witness they’re every move. They are obviously thrilled and embrace the attention, stadium rockers they may well be but Simple Minds they ain’t. All the familiar tunes are here mixed in with a few new songs. ‘Shakermaker’ is announced as an ‘old one’ which is due to their tremendous work rate (Stone Roses take note). The new single ‘Some might say’ zooms by, it’s trademark Oasis, not that it suffers from that, a clear hit. Pick of the new bunch is ‘Acquiescence’ which finds them in rockier territory. Noel joins Liam for the chorus ‘We need each other and we believe each other’. Spot on Noel, the brothers Gallagher make a great partnership and it’s not just the brothers who believe, I dare say there’s nobody arguing tonight. Yet again Oasis unplugged is a major highlight, it is more at home in the arena surroundings. Liam’s rough voice may suit the fast pop tracks but there's no way he could sound as suprisingly elegant as Noel. The flawless ‘Take me away’ is an absolute jewel. Once Liam and Co rejoin Noel back on centre stage they don’t seem to spark back into top gear, ‘Whatever’ is more Oasis without the strings but it suits the Beatles sound on record. ‘Supersonic’ is merely good not brilliant! It’s not till the mesmerising finale of ‘I am the Walrus’ that they get back on the right track. It’s a bellowing monster; it has the whole arena on its feet applauding its brilliance (I am sure John Lennon would join them if he could). Oasis have proved that stepping onto bigger stages each time they play is nothing, progress I believe they call it. It however beckons just one final question, if one year they can go from playing the Leadmill to the Arena, where will they be playing next March? A tenner on Wembley arena anyone?