A year after the release of their debut Definitely Maybe in 1994, Oasis released their sophomore offering (What’s the Story) Morning Glory to much fanfare, hitting number one on the album charts in ten countries, garnering fifteen platinum certifications from the British Phonographic Industry and eventually becoming the highest selling British album of the Nineties. Following this outrageous success came daily tabloid appearances for the Gallagher brothers, frequent comparisons to the Beatles, the crystallisation of the Britpop genre and the explosion of independent rock n’ roll. Underneath all this hype and bravado, though, is a meticulous and heartfelt album that is built on great songwriting. Noel Gallagher’s ability to write melodic, soaring chorus lines made Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back in Anger and Champagne Supernova into anthemic, monster hits that are tender and introspective but not at all out of place in a drunken pub singalong either. The production is certainly more polished and nuanced than Definitely Maybe, giving Gallagher’s songs the depth and size that they need to soar. Underneath the mammoth ballads on this record it’s easy to forget that Oasis are a great rock n roll band too – Hello, Roll With It, Hey Now and She’s Electric all sizzle with urgency and electricity, taking cues from T Rex, the Rolling Stones and of course, the Beatles. Oasis have always worn their influences on their sleeve but rock has long been a culture populated by musical bowerbirds. So much on this record is shaped by what came before it, but conversely, Morning Glory also shaped everything that came after.
Pete Whelan 