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07-22 Oasis reissue Be Here Now
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Oasis shot from obscurity to stardom in 1994, becoming one of Britain's most popular and critically acclaimed bands of the decade in theprocess.
Along with Blur and Suede, they were responsible for returning British guitar pop to the top of the charts. Led by guitarist/songwriterNoel Gallagher,
the Manchester quintet adopted the rough, thuggish image of the Stones and the Who, crossed it with "Beatlesque" melodiesand hooks, injected
distinctly British lyrical themes and song structures like the Jam and the Kinks, and tied it all together with a massiveguitar roar, as well as a defiant
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Oasis shot from obscurity to stardom in 1994, becoming one of Britain's most popular and critically acclaimed bands of the decade in theprocess.
Along with Blur and Suede, they were responsible for returning British guitar pop to the top of the charts. Led by guitarist/songwriterNoel Gallagher,
the Manchester quintet adopted the rough, thuggish image of the Stones and the Who, crossed it with "Beatlesque" melodiesand hooks, injected
distinctly British lyrical themes and song structures like the Jam and the Kinks, and tied it all together with a massiveguitar roar, as well as a defiant
sneer that drew equally from the Sex Pistols' rebelliousness and the Stone Roses' cocksure arrogance.Gallagher's songs frequently reworked previous
hits from T. Rex ("Cigarettes and Alcohol" borrows the riff from "Bang a Gong") to Wham!("Fade Away" takes the melody from "Freedom"), yet the
group always put the hooks in different settings, updating past hits for a new era.
Originally, the group was formed by schoolmates Liam Gallagher (vocals), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan (bass), and TonyMcCaroll
(drums). After spending several years as the guitar technician for a Stone Roses-inspired group named the Inspiral Carpets, NoelGallagher returned to
Manchester to find that his brother had formed a band. Noel agreed to join if he could have complete control of thegroup, including contributing all the
songs; the rest of the band agreed and adopted a new name, Oasis, before launching a year of intensiverehearsals.
After playing a handful of small club gigs, the band cornered Alan McGee, the head of Creation Records, and forced him to listen to theirdemo.
Impressed, he signed the band and helped them ready their debut album. The group released their first single, "Supersonic," in thespring of 1994; it
edged its way into the charts on the back of positive reviews. With a melody adapted from "I'd Like to Teach the World toSing," "Shakermaker"
became a bigger hit in the early summer. Released a month before their debut album's arrival, the soaring ballad "LiveForever" became a major hit in
England and helped make Definitely Maybe the fastest-selling debut in British history. The record entered thecharts at number one and eventually sold
over seven million copies.
Oasis mania continued throughout 1994, as the group began playing larger theaters and watched each new single outperform the last.However,
tensions in the group began to build -- Liam and Noel refused to do joint interviews because they always fought -- and NoelGallagher briefly left the
band at the end of a difficult fall American tour. However, he quickly re-joined and the band headed back toEngland. As "Supersonic" began to climb
the U.S. album rock and modern rock charts, the string-laden "Whatever" (a non-album single) hitnumber two over the British Christmas season.
At the beginning of 1995, the group set their sights on America by promoting the single "Live Forever." The song became a major hit on MTVand
modern rock radio stations, peaking at number two, and Definitely Maybe soon climbed to gold status in the U.S. Returning to Englandafter a sold-out
American tour, the group recorded a new single, "Some Might Say." Drummer Tony McCaroll parted ways with the band onthe eve of the single's May
release, with Alan White taking his place. "Some Might Say" entered the charts at number one, and its success ledto all of Oasis' previous singles
reentering the indie charts. Oasis spent the rest of the summer completing their second album, (What's theStory) Morning Glory?, which was released
in October of 1995. Upon its release, the album shot to number one in England, becoming thefastest-selling album in the U.K. since Michael Jackson's
Bad.
The band continued to set records during the following years. Over the course of 1996, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? became the second-biggest
British album in history. On the strength of the iconic single "Wonderwall," Morning Glory also became a Top Ten success in America,where it reached
quintuple platinum status; it also cracked the Top Ten throughout countries in Europe and Asia. During 1996, the Gallaghers'combative relationship
was frequently detailed in newspapers and gossip columns, particularly when they suddenly pulled out of their latesummer U.S. tour. This followed the
group's two concerts at Knebworth, which broke records for being the biggest outdoor concert inEngland.
After Oasis abandoned their American tour, they concentrated on recording their third album. While the band's first two LPs were quicklyrecorded, they
took several months to record the third, which finally saw completion during the spring of 1997. The resulting album, Be HereNow, was released in
late August, one month after the arrival of the single "D'You Know What I Mean." Greeted with generally enthusiasticreviews and robust sales, Be Here
Now shattered sales records in the U.K. and nearly topped the U.S. charts, positioning the quintet as thede facto rulers of rock. However, a backlash
set in among both critics and record buyers over the album's perceived excesses, which meantthat Be Here Now lacked the shelf life of its
predecessors. Not long afterward, typical infighting unraveled the band's tour, and the groupdisappeared from the spotlight for a time -- although a
collection of B-sides, Masterplan, did follow in 1998.
As the band was recording their fourth album in the summer of 1999, Bonehead left Oasis, claiming that he wanted to spend more time withhis family.
Interviewed by NME on August 11, the day after the departure was made public, Noel Gallagher seemed unfazed, stating "It'shardly Paul McCartney
leaving the Beatles." Ex-Ride guitarist Andy Bell and onetime Heavy Stereo guitarist Gem Archer signed on after therecording of 2000's Standing on
the Shoulder of Giants was completed. In fall 2000, the band celebrated their monumental world tour successwith the release of their first-ever live
record, Familiar to Millions. The album highlights Oasis' July 2000 gig at Wembley Stadium and wasreleased on six different formats including CD and
cassette, DVD, VHS, triple vinyl, and mini-disc
Two years later, Oasis surfaced with Heathen Chemistry. Worldwide dates coincided the release of Oasis' fifth studio album; however,problems loomed
ahead. While touring America in late summer, Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell, and touring keyboardist Jay Darlington wereinjured in Indianapolis after their
taxi collided with another vehicle. The band bounced back soon, returning to the road in two weeks timeafter canceling shows in Indianapolis, Boston,
and Philadelphia. In America, however, the album wasn't faring as well as Oasis' tour sales,and the leadoff single "Hindu Times" barely made a mark
on MTV. More trouble arrived in December, when Liam Gallagher and severalmembers of the Oasis entourage were involved in a street scuffle in
Munich; the younger Gallagher sustained facial injuries and was laterarrested while two of the band's security guards sought serious medical attention.
Despite such setbacks -- which also included mixedreviews for the album -- Heathen Chemistry nevertheless sold several million copies at home and
charted four U.K. singles. Additionally,Liam's own composition, "Songbird," marked the first time Oasis had released a single penned by anyone other
than Noel. The song faredwell on U.K. charts and paved the way for a new collaborative approach to songwriting.
Oasis' next album suffered delays, as initial sessions with the electronica duo Death in Vegas (who had been recruited to produce the record)were
scrapped. Additionally, drummer Alan White made his exit from the band in early 2004, and Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey climbedaboard to take his
place. Don't Believe the Truth eventually saw a worldwide release in May 2005. Featuring songwriting contributions fromevery bandmember, the record
represented a new approach from the previously Noel-dominated group. "Lyla," "The Importance of BeingIdle," and "Let There Be Love" all contributed
to the album's success, and Don't Believe the Truth soon became the band's highest-sellingeffort since Be Here Now. The band quickly returned to the
studio in mid-2007, halting production several months later to allow Noel to spendtime with his newborn child. Sessions resumed in November and
wrapped up in 2008, with Dig Out Your Soul receiving a release date laterthat year. In 2009, after a typically heated, backstage sibling altercation,
Noel left the group for good, prompting Liam (and the rest of theband) to change the name to Beady Eye, with plans to release a debut single in 2010.
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Similar Bands: The Stone Roses, Beady Eye, Blur, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Liam Gallagher Contributors: theNateman, Beauers, rockandmetaljunkie, discovolante, Mad., Hobosapien, NickLizard49, danielcardoso, ThomasTheCure, Modern, Mikesn, Iai, SylentEcho, Skinhead, RandyfromPennywise, rustysurf84, tom79, morrissey, Med57, KILL, Voivod, MikeForHollywood, Deviant., jamest33, Dave de Sylvia,
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