Comments:

It opens nicely with four fine tracks from "Acquiesce", "Underneath the Sky", "Talk Tonight" till "Going Nowhere". On three of these songs, Noel gets a lead vocal, a thing which is a pleasant change from Liam's often very twisted and unbalanced vocals. Unfortunately, after this promising start, the level drops. "Fade Away" is a noisy rocker with Liam in front; the group has other numbers in the same vein that are far better. "The Swamp Song" is decidedly weak and should never have been included. The group's version of "I Am The Walrus" which many fans undoubtedly have enjoyed live, should have been on a live album, or at least be placed as the last cut. "Listen Up" is actually a pretty good Liam rocker, but with its six minutes-plus feels quite longwinded. Then follows a trio of fine numbers. “Rockin 'Chair” with the sizzling organ and its fine melody is a highlight. "Half the World Away" is Noel in a Burt Bacharach's mood, while "To Be Free" is a nice mid-tempo rocker, quite melodiously sung by Liam. The same could probably be said about "Stay Young", which, though, I am a little less excited about. "Headshrinker" is another weak track that I would never have chosen to include. On the other hand, the exquisite almost symphonic "The Masterplan" is a majestic conclusion of the album; again a song sung by Noel.

With a total playing time of more than 66 minutes, 15-20 minutes could easily have been cut off and if had the right tracks been selected, you would have been left with a really nice and homogeneous album that easily compares with the band’s other albums; maybe with the exception of the masterpiece, "What the Story Morning Glory"