If Definitely Maybe was an unintentional concept album about wanting to be a rock & roll star, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is what happens after the dreams come true. Oasis turns in a relatively introspective second record, filled with big, gorgeous ballads instead of ripping rockers. Unlike Definitely Maybe, the production on Morning Glory is varied enough to handle the range in emotions; instead of drowning everything with amplifiers turned up to 12, there are strings, keyboards, and harmonicas. This expanded production helps give Noel Gallagher's sweeping melodies an emotional resonance that he occasionally can't convey lyrically. However, that is far from a fatal flaw; Gallagher's lyrics work best in fragments, where the images catch in your mind and grow, thanks to the music. Gallagher may be guilty of some borrowing, or even plagiarism, but he uses the familiar riffs as building blocks. This is where his genius lies: He's a thief and doesn't have many original thoughts, but as a pop/rock melodicist he's pretty much without peer. Likewise, as musicians, Oasis are hardly innovators, yet they have a majestic grandeur in their sound that makes ballads like "Wonderwall" or rockers like "Some Might Say" positively transcendent. Alan White does add authority to the rhythm section, but the most noticeable change is in Liam Gallagher. His voice sneered throughout Definitely Maybe, but on Morning Glory his singing has become more textured and skillful. He gives the lyric in the raging title track a hint of regret, is sympathetic on "Wonderwall," defiant on "Some Might Say," and humorous on "She's Electric," a bawdy rewrite of "Digsy's Diner." It might not have the immediate impact of Definitely Maybe, but Morning Glory is just as exciting and compulsively listenable. [In 2014, just a year shy of its 20th anniversary, (What's The Story) Morning Glory? received a super-deluxe reissue weighing in at three CDs. The first of the CDs features a remastered version of the original album, while the second CD rounds up nearly all the non-LP B-sides (a live 1995 "Live Forever" is missing), plus "Bonehead's Bank Holiday" -- a delightful, ragged novelty which was originally released only on the vinyl edition of Morning Glory -- and a cover of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," which appeared only on the Japanese "Some Might Say" single. This collection of flipsides is nearly as good as the proper album, and some of the songs should've made the proper album: "Talk Tonight" is Noel Gallagher's best ballad, "Acquiesce" crystallizes the tension of the brothers Gallagher, "Step Out" is a wild reinvention of Stevie Wonder's "Uptight (Everything Is Alright)" (which is why it was cut from the record at the last minute), "Round Are Way" belongs to the Ian Dury/Madness tradition -- and it'd be enough to justify a re-purchase of the album, particularly for anybody who loves Morning Glory but never had the accompanying singles. Nevertheless, the third disc is the real treat for hardcore fans, as it has unheard demos of "Some Might Say," "She's Electric," "Rockin' Chair," and "Hey Now," along with live performances highlighted by an MTV Unplugged take on "Round Are Way" featuring Noel on vocals. Apart from an excised verse of a demo of "Bonehead's Bank Holiday," there are no great revelations but each cut is excellent, offering confirmation that Oasis were indeed in their imperial phase during Morning Glory.]
Definitely Maybe begins with a statement of aspiration, as Liam Gallagher sneers that "tonight, I'm a rock & roll star" -- the words of a bedsit dreamer hoping he'd break out of those four walls and find something greater. Maybe all he could muster is a fleeting moment of stardom as he sings in front of a fleet of amps pushing out power chords, or perhaps he'd really become a rock & roll star; all that matters is he makes the leap. This dream echoes throughout Oasis' debut, a record which takes the dreams of its listeners every bit as seriously as those of its creators. Both the artist and audience desire something greater than their surroundings, and that yearning gives Definitely Maybe a restlessness that resonates. Certainly, Oasis aren't looking to redefine rock & roll here; they'd rather inhabit it. They scour through the remnants of the past three decades to come up with a quintessentially British rock & roll record, one that swaggers with the defiance of the Rolling Stones, roars with the sneer of the Sex Pistols, thieves from the past like the Happy Mondays, and ties it all together with a melodicism as natural as Paul McCartney, even if Definitely Maybe never quite sounds like the Beatles. All the Fab Four comparisons trumpeted by the brothers Gallagher were a feint, a way to get their group considered as part of the major leagues. Soon enough, these affirmations became a self-fulfilling prophecy -- act the way you'd like to be and soon you'll be the way you act, as it were -- but that bravado hardly diminishes the accomplishment of Definitely Maybe. It is a furious, inspiring record, a rallying cry for the downtrodden to rise above and seize their day but, most of all, it's a blast of potent, incendiary rock & roll. Soon after its release, Noel Gallagher would be hailed as the finest songwriter of his generation, an odd designation for a guy drawn to moon/June rhymes, but his brilliance lies in his bold strokes. He never shied away from the obvious, and his confidence in his reappropriation of cliches lends these bromides a new power, as do his strong, sinewy melodies -- so powerful, it doesn't matter if they were snatched from elsewhere (as they were on "Shakermaker" or the B-side "Fade Away"). The other secret is of course Noel's brother, Liam, the greatest rock & roll vocalist of his generation, a force of nature who never seems to consider either the past or the present but rather exists in an ever-present now. He sometimes sighs but usually sneers, shaking off any doubt and acting like the rock & roll star Noel so wanted to be. This tension would soon rip the group apart but here on Oasis' debut, this chemistry is an addictive energy, so Definitely Maybe winds up a rare thing: it has the foundation of a classic album wrapped in the energy of a band who can't conceive a future beyond the sunset.
The UK is most definitely one of the greatest countries in terms of music. So much classic bands that helped to build up the genres that we know these days, that even if you don't like some of the bands from there, at least you should be grateful for the impact they have in everything you listen. One of the most well-known bands from there is Oasis, a pop rock band that was one of the pillars from the Britpop movement, which was massive in their country and has a monstrous legacy. The frontman duo, Noel and Liam Gallagher, are some of the most arrogant people in music, but these guys definitely know how to make a tune. After the massive success of their first albums, "Definitely Maybe" and "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?", which had some of the most famous UK's stadium anthems, the third album "Be Here Now" was considered a failure by many(even if I don't think so) because of its length, overproduction and nonsensical, cocaine-fueled lyrics. So, after Oasis found themselves trapped in a hole, they decided to put their b-sides together and released their first compilation, "The Masterplan", which turned to be one of the best Oasis albums.
It starts with "Acquiesce", a full-mode rocker that bounds between Liam's verses and Noel's chorus that works so beautifully that is hard not to ask yourself how they didn't used this vocal duo attack more often. Other rockers like "Fade Away", "Headshrinker" and "Stay Young" are the usual anthemic stuff that Oasis mastered so wonderfully in their early career, with memorable lyrics and noisey, gigantic guitars that create a sense of confidence that is exciting to see in a band that is so young, but at the same time is so strong and magic that it sounds like a experienced band.
But while the rockers are awesome, everybody knows that Oasis's best songs are the ballads, and here they're the best that you could imagine. The emotional vocals of Liam in "Listen Up" and "Rockin' Chair" are a pleasant surprise that shows his best vocals in the band's history, and how he is a great vocalist sometimes. But, the best ballads are the Noel ones. "Half The World Away" and "Talk Tonight" are acoustic numbers that shows how simple and rewarding Noel's songwriting can be, with sweet choruses and catchy lyrics. But, the album's masterpiece is the title track, that is close to be the band's best song. Its soothing first verse, beautiful violins and piano, powerful chorus and masterfully composed lyrics shows why Oasis is such a big deal.
Their influences are obvious here, with Beatles-esque songs like "Underneath The Sky", and a cover of "I Am The Walrus" that is a little unnecessary, but it is a good one anyway. The Smiths-esque "Going Nowhere" is pretty good, but it really doesn't go nowhere, feeling a little weak compared with the rest of the album. The instrumental "The Swamp Song" is forgettable, and it prejudice the flow of the album too. But the overall instrumentation of the album is beautiful, with great solos, buzzy guitars and a great use of multiple instruments that gives the characteristic Oasis sound to the songs.
Oasis's passionate, anthemic and confident sound comes into full circle on "The Masterplan", focusing on their grandiose energy that makes simple songs become so uplifting and exciting that in a few listens you will sing along to the entire album. Its rock dynamics together with pop tendencies blend together so well that almost everyone can enjoy it, liking rock music or not. It is a document of a band that was once in the top of the world. Oh, and did I mentioned that it's only a b-side compilation? Yeah, that's hard to believe.