Artist: Oasis
Album: What's the Story (Morning Glory)?
Released: October 2, 1995
When I was in college several years ago, and Coldplay was really popular, I heard someone say that Oasis was "the Coldplay of their time". To me that makes sense in the fact that they are both mainly mellow groups that have many listeners but don't quite get the media hype of other artists or bands. Oasis is still well known among those who listened to the radio in the '90s or otherwise know a lot about music from that era, but even among some of them, the band is an afterthought today. It will be interesting to see if Coldplay is in that same situation in 5-10 years.
Anyway, What's the Story (Morning Glory)? was their breakthrough album and by far their most well known album to this day, at least in the US. Definitely Maybe was released a year earlier and was a big success in the UK, setting up a breakthrough onto the worldwide, mainstream stage with What's the Story. Even though many critics familiar with Definitely Maybe didn't think that What's the Story was as strong of an album, it still was wildly successful and greatly expanded interest not only in the band itself, but in British Indie rock in general. Indeed, I first learned about Oasis when I heard "Wonderwall" on the radio a lot in fifth grade. I've heard quite a few people claim them to be a '90s version of the Beatles, and I guess I can see that. Some of their songs even have a quasi-psychedelic quality while retaining a '90s grunge/post grunge sound.
Now, taking away as much of the context as I can, I am a big Oasis fan and enjoy many of their songs. But if you know me, particularly anything about my taste in music, you know that I get irritated very easily when a song (or album) gets overplayed and overhyped. But also as a child of the 1990s, I can't help but say that "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova" are two awesome songs! These are probably their two most popular and well known tracks today, though they had many other hit singles that aren't as well known. The vocals are definitely what make "Wonderwall" a great song. The guitars are what make "Champagne Supernova" so great, and being over seven minutes long, it's easy to get lost in that song without it seeming too drawn out. Indeed, whenever I hear it, it seems like about 4-5 minutes.
There really is not a weak track on this album, though I still have my favorites. I really like the optimism of "Some Might Say"; it's also really catchy and has some cool lyrics. Most of the other songs are still good, though at times it feels like there isn't enough variety of sound. That's why I didn't give "Hello" a 10/10 rating; same for "Morning Glory", which is a really cool song but has moved down my list slightly as time goes on. Besides being a big hit, "Wonderwall" provides a more laid back sound compared with several of the other more intense tracks. For that same reason, "Cast No Shadow" has grown on me more over time. "Don't Look Back in Anger" and "She's Electric" are interesting because they have a retro feel, though I don't think the band is at their strongest with this formula, at least not on this album. "Roll with It" and "Hey Now!" are pretty similar to "Hello" and "Some Might Say", respectively, and while they're decent songs, they don't stand out as much.
The next album from Oasis, Be Here Now, produced a few hits, but as is often the case with big breakthrough albums, they never replicated the success of What's the Story. Some infighting within the band certainly didn't help, though they have continued to put out albums since then. In any case, What's the Story (Morning Glory)? has to be considered a classic of the 1990's. The big hits alone make it memorable, but the rest of the album, though there isn't much variety, is still a great listen. If you're a '90s music person, chances are you're already familiar with this album, so I would recommend trying out some of their other stuff as well. I'm sure I'll be reviewing their other albums at a later date.
Track #, Name of Song, Duration, My Rating
1. Hello (3:22) - 9/10
2. Roll with It (3:59) - 8/10
3. Wonderwall (4:18) - 10/10
4. Don't Look Back in Anger (4:47) - 8/10
5. Hey Now! (5:41) - 8/10
6. (Untitled Track) (0:44)
7. Some Might Say (5:28) - 10/10
8. Cast No Shadow (4:51) - 9/10
9. She's Electric (3:40) - 8/10
10. Morning Glory (5:03) - 9/10
11. (Untitled Track) (0:39)
12. Champagne Supernova (7:27) - 10/10
(Note: The two untitled tracks are short reprisals of other tracks, and I decided not to rate them.)
