It’s my favourite compilation of all time and maybe the best representation of Oasis ever in that it boils down all the essential components into one disc. And yet, it still could have been better. As that article suggest, I’d have definitely found room for D’Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman and Round Are Way. The Swamp Song, a cool filler at best, should have been chucked off, and as much as I like it, probably the I Am The Walrus cover (for a start it would have taken attention away from the Beatles obsession).

I don’t really subscribe to the argument that they should have saved up all their b-sides for the third album. The magic of all that material compressed into a few years is extraordinary, and without those b-sides, all those classic gigs from 94-96 would have lacked something. Part of the magic was the sheer vast wealth of material that was on offer and they only added to the hype and obsession. Perhaps the lack of availability of b-sides is just one of the contributing factors as to why the US never really got Oasis as much as they should have as they weren’t exposed to it as much as everyone in the U.K.

For as brief as it was though, I’d rather see a band peak like that spectacularly rather than just draw it out for a few more years but without that sense of expectation and ultimate hype.

Interestingly, that article talks of Noel claiming during Be Here Now era that those three albums would mark a trilogy after which they would ‘revamp their sound’. I still believe things were salvageable after Be Here Now though but that lay with Noel parking his ego aside and swallowing a bit of pride. As much as he was engrossed in his own ego, Noel surely should have had the self-awareness to realise that the potential of revamping the sound lay with other people aside from himself. There’s very very very few artists who have that level of versatility to do things completely by themselves (of complete creative control and drastic stylistic changes, I can only really think of Kate Bush), and if you look at all the big successful reinventions such as The Beatles, Bowie, U2 and Radiohead, they all relied on collaborative efforts within the band themselves and/or the producers they hired.

The brutal fact is that Noel could have done a lot better than hiring a washed up Andy Bell who had just recently been in the dire Hurricane #1 and some bloke from the extremely uncool Heavy Stereo that only ‘yer da’ was a fan of. He should have hired real virtuosos who had creative ideas to bring reality to his vision along with a producer of the highest esteem.

It’s a shame Noel wasn’t licking Bono’s arse in the 90s after Be Here Now, because in the words of Bono after the similarly received bloated Rattle & Hum, it should have been the time to ‘go away and dream it all up again’. I don’t know why people would have had an adverse reaction to change in the music - there’s no way they could have continued that immense peak so why not reboot the whole thing? It would have still been the bare components of Noel and Liam’s swagger but with an added twist counted as ‘evolution’. It may also have well and truly cemented their place as the all encompassing smash hit yet, importantly, pioneering band of the 90s (instead Radiohead took that accolade). Sadly, we got largely dreariness and inconsequential retreads, save for a few sparkles here and there.

Everything after Be Here Now was only ever a distant echo of the past. I didn’t want to pine for the past when listening to Oasis (which is what happened after every single album post-BHN), I wanted to live in the present and experience new sounds and new emotions, but still wrapped up in the familiar swagger of the brothers. For all that success in the 90s, it’s almost stupid to say ‘missed opportunity’ but for all the talent Noel possessed, it’s also easy to think otherwise.

Only bought it in 2002, first I couldn't find it anywhere in my town, second I read in a magazine that it was a compilation of "discarded" songs, so I thought it was a bunch of bad songs for some reason, so I kind of ignored it.

Then I finally found it in a store on those best price bins, so went home and put it on my discman, oh my, man listening to it was like finding a treasure chest with gold, I couldn't believe it, I wondered how they left those songs out of their proper albums, are they crazy? so many outstanding songs, I even recognised some songs like Acquiesce and Half The World Away which I've heard somewhere else.

Because of this I see TM as a treasure chest for those willing to dig deeper into Oasis career, for me it was the moment that made me feel special to be an Oasis fan.

Yep whenever people tell me Oasis had two good albums and that was it, it's The Masterplan album that really cements their place as one of the greatest bands of all time for me. An insanely brilliant collection of songs.

And if you wanted all their b-sides then this album was of no help at all. You still had to buy all the singles.

Remember downloading it off Limewire or Kazaa around 2003 maybe and just being blown away. 👐

Let us not forget how awesome the Oasis logo was for this compilation and also the art direction overall. Brian Cannon was definitely a huge part in shaping the Oasis visual narrative in the 90s. Never dug the majority of artwork post 2000 or that failed attempt at a new logo.

To be fair, SOTSOG was about 90% recorded or more when Bonehead and Guigs departed. They didn’t contribute much to anything with the overall sound of the band in studio so them leaving didn’t really impact SOTSOG. Noel was already playing all the big bass parts in studio and he simply recorded new guitar parts in place of Bonehead. No biggie. What killed the album’s concept was the songs available. Noel was struggling with writing compelling tunes and a lot of his material was downbeat. That was totally different vibe from the fist pumping anthems of the previous 6-8 years. Nothing was saving SOTSOG (which honestly isn’t bad at all) except better material. Perhaps Oasis needed another year off. They certainly deserved it but this was when Oasis stopped being a band and slowly became a brand.

This was the album that turned me from big Oasis fan into complete mad fer it. I started to track down the remaining bsides (digitally until I could find the physical ones, which was quite a treasure hunt in those days before everything was available online).

If I could only listen to one album for the rest of my life it would be this one. A true treasure chest, as its been said. This album encompasses all that is Oasis, especially why they are so loved by their fans.

Didn't buy it till a year or two later.... had all the singles... so didn't see the point

I can only echo this. Summer 2014, really discovering Oasis catalogue. I had all those songs on repeat for months and months. I love them all. I actually discovered "The Masterplan" before Be Here Now. 

Oh and on the subject "Round Are Way", I must be in the minority but it's one of my least favourite 90's tracks. I'm fine with it not being on the compilation. 

As a fan who isn't old enough to have seen the band in this era, it really is a great read hearing all the stories from people buying the album on release.

It's probably the biggest gripe I have as an Oasis fan. Why were these songs b-sides, why did no one stop them being b-sides! How many of you have had to put up with the "oasis only had 2 good albums" remark? It gets so tiresome having to mention the b-sides. People will say they're still available but clearly they go unheard of.

The only time I can see the benefit of it was using Stay Young as the Dyou Know What I mean b-side. That single release was clearly like a huge event and anyone interested in the band would get to hear it.