Album: Definitely Maybe
When writing about this album, it's important to put thoughts of Cool Britannia and images of Noel Gallagher shaking hands with Tony Blair out of mind, and just focus on the energy and excitement of this record when it was released in 1994, a stellar year for British music. Before Oasis became cocksure and complacent, there was a doubt and humanity to their songs that made them interesting to listen to, a trait evident in the album title (Definitely Maybe) and lead single, Live Forever. Though on the face of it, the song sounds like a brash announcement of rock star immortality, the lyrics delivered by Liam Gallagher are actually riddled with self-doubt ("Maybe I will never be / all the things that I want to be"). Oasis were also a band that never wore their influences lightly and one of their great legacies was making a whole new generation of lager-swilling lads (and let's face it, many Oasis fans didn't really know much about music) aware of the Beatles. The cover of the Live Forever single was a picture of John Lennon's family home in Woolton, Liverpool, but in truth the song owed much more to the Rolling Stone's Exile On Main St. Live Forever's upbeat feel was definitely a factor in its huge popularity, but it's hard to put your finger on exactly why Definite Maybe became such a global hit. There was clearly plenty of good music being released in the early 90s (trip hop, hip hop and indie rock) but none of it had the mass consumer appeal and retro simplicity of Oasis. In the wake of Kurt Cobain's death, I also think there was an appetite (especially among teenage boys) for something that matched Nirvana for guitar-driven sonic intensity but that was more cheery in outlook too.
Artist: Oasis
Born: Burnage, Manchester
Released: August 1994
Genre: Britpop
Genre: Britpop
When writing about this album, it's important to put thoughts of Cool Britannia and images of Noel Gallagher shaking hands with Tony Blair out of mind, and just focus on the energy and excitement of this record when it was released in 1994, a stellar year for British music. Before Oasis became cocksure and complacent, there was a doubt and humanity to their songs that made them interesting to listen to, a trait evident in the album title (Definitely Maybe) and lead single, Live Forever. Though on the face of it, the song sounds like a brash announcement of rock star immortality, the lyrics delivered by Liam Gallagher are actually riddled with self-doubt ("Maybe I will never be / all the things that I want to be"). Oasis were also a band that never wore their influences lightly and one of their great legacies was making a whole new generation of lager-swilling lads (and let's face it, many Oasis fans didn't really know much about music) aware of the Beatles. The cover of the Live Forever single was a picture of John Lennon's family home in Woolton, Liverpool, but in truth the song owed much more to the Rolling Stone's Exile On Main St. Live Forever's upbeat feel was definitely a factor in its huge popularity, but it's hard to put your finger on exactly why Definite Maybe became such a global hit. There was clearly plenty of good music being released in the early 90s (trip hop, hip hop and indie rock) but none of it had the mass consumer appeal and retro simplicity of Oasis. In the wake of Kurt Cobain's death, I also think there was an appetite (especially among teenage boys) for something that matched Nirvana for guitar-driven sonic intensity but that was more cheery in outlook too.
The iconic album cover is also a strong cultural signifier that this is music for aspirational working-class lads who are open to progress (stripped floorboards, red wine) but know what they love: football (embodied by George Best), music (Burt Bacharach) and TV. One musical genre that Oasis drew plenty of inspiration from was glam rock, with the sound of Slade and T Rex looming large over the record, notably on single Cigarettes & Alcohol, a clear imitation of Get It On. The lyrics reveal a heavy despair at high levels of unemployment ("Is it worth the aggravation / to find yourself a job / when there's nothing worth working for?"), and a love of narcotics to deal with the situation. Karl Marx, this isn't! Noel Gallagher said that Live Forever, Cigarettes & Alcohol and album opener Rock n' Roll Star contained essentially all that he had to say, "after that I'm repeating myself, but in a different way". I would disagree. Three of my favourite moments on the record are the Hacienda-inspired Columbia, the life-affirming Supersonic ("I need to be myself, I can't be no one else") and Slide Away, all of which sound distinctively Oasis and less in thrall to rock music's past. I'm not going to pretend that I'm a huge Oasis fan, but to deny the undoubted power and energy of this album would be churlish. For a really in-depth fan perspective on the album, detailing the many greats shows that Oasis played in 1994, as well as the wonderful B-sides they released that year, I'd recommend this book.
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