Put this set on your stereo, walkman, whatever, and turn it up loud. Because this live concert by Oasis in front of 70 thousand enthusiastic "punters" as the British call them, in the last days of the original Wembley Stadium, is a pure wall of sound that amplifies the band's melodic oevre to mind-blowing levels. Some reviewers have called the sound muddy, poor, like a bootleg. No Way. What this is, is the feeling of standing in front of a 100-foot tall speaker at a monster stadium and letting the music shoot you into the stratosphere at Mach 5.

Oasis came virtually out of nowhere in 1993-94 and within less than 2 years were the biggest rock band on Earth, if not in the US. Former guitar tech Noel Gallagher's natural flare for melody stemmed from his wear-his-influences-on-his-sleeve adoration of the Beatles. Add inspiration from 60's jingle-jangle guitar bands like the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield, Glam-era 4-on-the-floor giants like TRex, Bowie, and Slade, and even 90s Grunge in a roundabout, competitive way, and what you got was an original sound gladly nicking from earlier acts- but in a clever, creative way. Re-inventing classic sounds. That is, until some of their later material started becoming too derivative and self-parodying.

There was a time when Noel and Liam proudly boasted of being the best thing since sliced bread, and though after a while it all got a bit tiresome, it was undoubtedly their pure chutzpah that helped propel them to becoming one of the biggest bands of the 90s. Not to mention the incredible tunes- just listen here for proof.

The controversies, especially from Liam's endless diva outbursts, ultimately made the band look foolish. But I guess that's what happens when you have competitive brothers in the same band- look at the history of the Bee Gees for example.
Liam's cocky, rougher edge comes across well in this set, with his cool one-of-the-lads comments and straining cigarettes-and-alcohol voice making him the perferct front man- a true rocknroll star!

Pick up this set, and roll with it.

Most of Oasis' greatest songs are on here, and they sound just the way you'd expect live: amazing. Don't Look Back in Anger is, if possible, even better than the studio version; the band goes insane on Supersonic and Shakermaker; only Champagne Supernova seems to lose some of its eerie grace with the more rough-around-the-edges live sound. Of course, Liam acts out a bit: it's hard to catch what he's saying most of the time, but it's quite amusing when you do.

"This is for all the people in the front row...no not you...nor you guys...alright, maybe you. And you."

Even songs that were less than classic in the studio, like Roll With It, get a boost from the live energy - on that particular number, Liam now advises us not to let "any f*****" get in our way.

And while the band is great, the audience is impressive in their own right:

-There's a moment during the first verse of Wonderwall when they suddenly sounds like the world's biggest gospel choir.

-Such is Liam's faith in them that he even lets them take the whole chorus of Don't Look Back in Anger - and even though it comes through a bit muted, it's pretty incredible.

Finally, Liam's weary take on Stand By Me, supported by the always-enthusiastic audience, has to rank among the most affecting pieces of music ever recorded. It's just so - _romantic_.

The best band in the world ever - come on!

It was July 2000, Oasis played Wembley Stadium in London for two nights in a row. The heat was on, the expectations were high, and the thousands of fans that crammed the famous soccor field were "mad for it!" Everything was going good; Oasis were and still are the biggest band in England with a timeless influence on most of the bands coming out of America and Europe today, and they were to take the stage by storm, but there was one too many problems: Liam had just broken up with his then wife actress Patsi Kensit, was seriously drunk, and Noel wasn't talking to him. The effects of all of the above are evident on this recording.

Liam greets the fans as soon as he steps onstage after the intro of F**kin' In The Bushes fades out with a hammering comment at Wembley Stadium, calling it a 'sh*thole', before sarcastically and hilariously saying "Hello, Manchester!" which is welcomed with a few boos from the crowd and a giggle from Noel. After that, the music plays on with a collection of their most recent singles from their 2000 album Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants: the handraiser Go Let It Out and the soothing Who Feels Love, before venturing into a string of greatest hits, in no order: Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger, Live Forever, Stand By Me, Roll With It, Champagne Supernova, and Supersonic. In between songs, Liam and Noel are heard commenting with and at the crowd ("This is for all the people in the front row..." as Liam presents a song), the lighting operator ("...turn the f**kin' light off!" as Noel scorns the poor fellow), and each other ("Let's have a couple more of these songs, Noel...write a couple more of these babies!" as Liam presents Supersonic). The highlights on Familiar To Millions are the cover versions of The Beatles' Helter Skelter (taken from the US tour), and Neil Young's Hey Hey My My (which Noel sings with a passion), and the B-side Step Out (which is an underrated Noel sung number).

Familiar To Millions may not be the best live album ever released; in my opinion, it is not (Liam's tired voice is enough to convince me). But the Gallagher brothers manage to make it unintentionally entertaining and funny at times.

Recommended

B-

I am sorry. I love Oasis' music, own all their albums, but this live recording just sounds terrible. Liam's voice is really rough (too much smoking & drinking?) and he sounds half asleep/drunk on many of the tracks. I really like the new band members and Heathen Chemistry was just awesome, but they sound really new and not that great yet live on this recording. They should really release some live recordings from years ago - How about the Knebworth show? Oasis should take a lesson from U2 - They still sound great live after 20+ years in the business. Hopefully Liam will work on his voice and stay off the booze for shows in the future...