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at a glance...
Hometown: Manchester, England
Year Formed: 1991
Personnel:
Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs -rhythm guitar
Liam Gallagher -vocals
Noel Gallagher -lead guitar, backing vocals
Alan White -drums
Paul McGuigan -bass
Bands in the family :
Tailgunner, Hurricane #1, Ride, Paul Weller, The Jam, The Verve, Travis, Ocean Colour Scene, The Seahorses, The Stone Roses, The Chemical Brothers, Goldie, Cornershop, Badly Drawn Boy, Clinton, Manic Street Preachers, Robbie Williams, Richard Ashcroft
Notes:
After playing a blistering unannounced gig in
Glasgow, Scotland, Oasis were eagerly offered a record
contract by the head of Creation Records. Their first
album, Definitely Maybe, went straight to
charts at #1, becoming the fastest selling debut album
ever in the UK. Instant success led to turmoil, as
the Gallaghers ousted drummer Tony McCarroll for
Londoner Alan White. A ridiculous media war with Blur
also began, adding to the band's reputation of
in-fighting and hotel room trashing. It was their
second album, (What's The Story) Morning Glory, that
made Oasis a household name, selling ten million
copies worldwide. They reached Beatles-like
popularity as they set European indoor attendance
records while playing Earls Court in London and later
played to 250,000 people over a two day period in
Knebworth, Scotland. Their third album, Be Here Now,
sold 650,000 units in four days upon its UK release.
Following an extensive world tour in 1998, the band
took time off and quietly released The Masterplan, a
collection of B-side tracks taken from their UK
singles. After the recording of Standing On The
Shoulder Of Giants in France, rhythm guitarist Paul
"Bonehead" Arthurs and bassist Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan
amicably but shockingly quit the band in 1999. The
Gallaghers recruited Gem and Andy Bell as their
respective replacements, releasing the album in early
2000 on their own record label, Big Brother Records.
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Oasis
(What's The Story)
Morning Glory?
Creation/Epic, Released 1995
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"What the bloody fook happened to the rock?" "They've
flinched." "They've gone soft." These statements
(and worse) were initially hurled at Oasis for not
making Definitely Maybe II. Instead of the hard
charged, drink-and-drug-induced euphoria that fueled
their debut, what the public received was (What's The
Story) Morning Glory?, a mature, thoughtful album of
mixed emotions and psychedelic imagery that made their
amazing debut sound adolescent.
From start to finish, this is an album of unexpected
depth. American, particularly blues, influences
permeate the record. The wild mind-bending
guitars on "Morning Glory," "Champagne Supernova," and
the two snippets of "The Swamp Song" create a
trippier rock edge than existed on Definitely Maybe.
Noel Gallagher also unleashes his best pop song to
date, "Some Might Say," tautly delivered amidst
cavalcade of booming drums, crunching guitars, and
Liam's exultant vocals.
Whatever state of rock classicism Gallagher strived
for on Definitely Maybe, he and co-producer Owen
Morris had the foresight to realize that Oasis could
go even farther if they would take chances with the
arrangements on this record. "Wonderwall," on first
listen, is stardust. Sure it might have been odd to
hear that cello, but you could tell it
worked. "Don't Look Back In Anger," despite the
sensationalized Lennon influences, is a unique
über-ballad marked by a wrenching undertow of piano
chords and Noel's emotive lead vocal. Even the quirky
"She's Electric" with its clever two and three part
harmonies reveals a growth in Oasis few could have
predicted.
Yet the defining moment of (What's The Story) Morning
Glory? is Liam's take on "Cast No Shadow." An ode to
The Verve's Richard Ashcroft, it proved
Liam Gallagher was a singer, not some cocky kid miming
lyrics for his brother. Gone was the confrontational
tone taken on Definitely Maybe, and in its place was a
plaintive vocal, an actual emotion that seemed to come
from within Gallagher himself, not the invented
superstar on the outside. It spoke for the band as a
whole that they had all truly come of age.
(What's The Story) Morning Glory? plays as the soundtrack to every young person's defining moments. It is the embodiment of life, love, and music.
Basically, it's fookin' top, man.
If you like Oasis, check out:
Oasis Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants
Oasis Definitely Maybe
Oasis The Masterplan
Oasis Be Here Now
Various Fire and Skill: The Songs of The Jam
The La's The La's
The Beatles Rubber Soul
The Stone Roses Second Coming
Stereophonics Performance And Cocktails
Travis Good Feeling
The Verve A Northern Soul
Paul Weller Stanley Road
-- Pierre Stefanos
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