Oasis
Superchronic!
Albums
7/10
Producer: Oasis, Mark Coyle, Owen Morris, Dave Batchelor
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Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
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Shakermaker
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Live Forever
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Up in the Sky
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Columbia
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Supersonic
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Bring It on Down
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Cigarettes and Alcohol
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Digsy’s Dinner
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Slide Away
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Married with Children
Definitely Maybe is the debut album by British band Oasis. Oasis is built around the partnership of main songwriter and guitarist, Noel Gallagher, and his younger sibling, Liam Gallagher, who is the primary vocalist in the band. The rhythm section of Oasis has been known to change from time to time, but the Gallagher brothers are the core nucleus of the band. Definitely Maybe was an instant success on both sides of the Atlantic, with our American cousins lapping it up just about as much as we did. At the time of release it went on to be the fastest ever selling album in the UK. People tend to either love Oasis or hate them with a passion. I can proudly say that for a long time I fell into the latter category. A couple of their singles have caught my eye (ear?) over the years, but I have distinct memories of being bitterly disappointed with Definitely Maybe, after all the praise it had been given. You see, to me, Definitely Maybe will never be a classic music album. But what it is, is a very good guitar rock album, which keeps alive the spirit and essence of what unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll is all about – having copious amounts of fun.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Star opens the album and is a good example of what I have just been describing. I remember watching an interview with Noel and Liam at the time of release of their 2006 compilation album, Stop the Clocks. Noel explicitly stated that he considered Rock ‘n’ Roll Star to be their best ever song. I’m certainly in agreement with him that it is one of the band’s best. The song is all about having fun, living the dream, achieving what you have always wanted to, “Tonight – I’m a rock ‘n’ roll star!” Everyone can identify with that, so you know, fantastic lyrics. The guitars crunch in an epic way, Liam’s whine has rarely sounded better. Well, I’m in heaven.
Live Forever was the third single to be taken from Definitely Maybe; it was released a few weeks prior to the album’s release. The song’s structure is basic, without being simplistic. It maintains the feel-good vibe which carried Rock ‘n’ Roll Star so well, and it just makes you feel good about yourself. It’s an optimistic song and I’m sure I’ve heard Noel Gallagher say in interviews that it was in direct opposition to the grunge bands which were populating the charts with their views on death and teen spirit. I haven’t sold my soul to the album just yet - I despise Columbia. It really hurts my delicate ears! It forces itself upon you in a less than welcoming manner and then proceeds to penetrate your ear drums with its mindless wall of noise. You can hear decent guitar work somewhere along the way, but it is all buried underneath deadpan drumming and awful production.
The first single to be taken from Definitely Maybe was Supersonic, which is my favourite song here. I love the authority which the guitar work has; it sucks you into a typhoon of Godly genius. Liam sings his verses with an impressive level of passion, the couplets are entirely nonsensical, but endearingly so: “(Elsa,) she’s done it with a doctor, on a helicopter; she’s sniffin’ in a tissue, selling the Big Issue!” In my ever humble opinion, this is the definitive feel good moment on Definitely Maybe and the peak of both Noel’s song-writing and Liam’s vocals on the entire record.
I’m not a fan of Bring It on Down. Again, it seems to utilize the same techniques as Columbia, and it just ends up a dissonant racket. You can hear a decent melody bubbling away under the surface, but it never reaches fruition as the song is far too concerned with battering you into submission with its unpleasant squalls of noise. I’m going to be a snob and tell you that I hate Cigarettes & Alcohol. Not just because of the ‘borrowed’ riff from Get It On by T-Rex (although, my hatred does mainly stem from this), but because it has been overrated to hell and someone needs to stand up and tell you how bad it is. It’s a distinctly average protest about working class life. It’s the musical equivalent to sitting through an entire day of Jeremy Kyle repeats while Trisha Goddard serves you tea. Seriously, people, there are far better moments on the album.
Slide Away is the last great moment on a very inconsistent record. Liam sings with a confidence not seen since his performance on Supersonic. The chord progression during the chorus is an absolute beauty and it really pulls at the heartstrings, the lyrics aren’t too shabby either, “Now that you’re mine we’ll find a way… let me be the one who shines with you!” I’m not a fan of Oasis. I said as much at the very start and my review has probably only bolstered this fact. I don’t dislike them; I just find them inconsistent at the best of times, and I hate that they are championed as the best band to represent what British music is all about. Definitely Maybe isn’t a bad album, in fact, it’s a good one. But if you call it a classic I will take you out!!
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Condie Jeff - January 26th 2010
Comment: I too was very dissappionted with the album and the band itself. There was nothing new, it all sounded the same, and was less than mediocre. Oasis owes me $10. |
Oasis
