Skip to main content

Oasis:The Greatest Band of the 90's

In the U.S., Oasis is a one hit wonder, known only for the song Wonderwall.  This is a huge shame, since Oasis is undoubtedly the best band of their era.  Most critics would disagree, citing Nirvana, which was monumentally influential, or Pavement, which was consistently brilliant in every facet (except singing in tune), as better options.

Certainly, it's easy to write off Oasis.  There's a litany of issues with the band's music: Noel wrote terrible lyrics, Liam doesn't have a traditionally good voice, and the other band members were mediocre at best.  All of that doesn't matter.  A great artists needs to do three things and three things only:
  1. Write great tunes.
  2. Sing them effortlessly.
  3. Believe 100% in the music.
Oasis in the mid-90's had all of the above in spades.  Noel, without any assistance, wrote the best set of tunes this side of the Beatles, and Liam sang those tunes with a power and verve that made him one of the best rock vocalist of his generation.  They defined an era in the UK (there's a reason Tony Blair invited Noel to No. 10 Downing Street after his election), and they are a large part of the reason why the Brits still care about guitar rock in a way America simply doesn't.

(Also, just one more reason to like Oasis: Noel Gallagher sold his home in Ibiza located near James Blunt because he "Can't stand living there in the knowledge that Blunt is nearby making terrible music.")

Now, go listen to some Oasis.  Trust me, it'll be time well spent.  Sit back and let the grandeur wash over you.  If you would like an idea of where to start, here a bit about each of their albums:
  1. Definitely Maybe: The most consistently great set of songs that Oasis ever managed, played with a swagger that they never recaptured. Live Forever, Supersonic, and Slide Away are particularly amazing.  Rating: 10.0
  2. (What's the Story) Morning Glory: Oasis' most famous and most successful album for good reason. It's far more varied sonically than Definitely Maybe and contains the most famous of Oasis' songs.  Everyone rightfully knows Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger, and Champagne Supernova. Rating: 10.0
  3. Be Here Now: It unfortunately has the reputation of being a bloated mess, but, once pared down and re-sequenced, it's even better than the first two.  I Hope, I Think, I Know and b-side Going Nowhere are among the best songs Noel's ever written.  Rating: 7.6
  4. Standing on the Shoulder of Giants: More or less garbage.  Noel didn't care at this point and it shows.  He somehow manages one moments of brilliance, though: Go Let It Out.  Rating: 6.6
  5. Heathen Chemistry: Probably their best late era album.  A bit soulless and inconsistent, but there are a couple really good songs.  Stop Crying Your Heart Out and b-side Idler's Dream are the standouts. Rating: 7.9
  6. Don't Believe the Truth: Their In Rainbows/All That You Can't Leave Behind.  A back to basics return to form.  Consistently listenable but consistently unremarkable.  Rating: 7.5
  7. Dig Out Your Soul: Essentially a somewhat worse version of Don't Believe the Truth. Rating: 6.6

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Made a Blog, I Made a Blog, Look at Me, I Made a Blog

I spend what can only be described as an obscene amount of time listening to music.  So, to convince myself that all that time hasn't been a complete waste, I've made a blog to share some musical knowledge I've gained over the years.  Thank you for being interested/bored enough to bother reading this, and hopefully, you'll learn a bit and discover some good new music. First, a bit about the blog name so you don't think it's complete retarded.  It's just an amalgamation of two song names, "Champagne Supernova" by Oasis and "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve (both absolutely classic britpop tracks, BTW).  It doesn't really mean anything, but it rolls off the tongue well.  Also, more importantly, it conjures up the lovely image of a melodious, alcoholic explosion of musical joy, and I sorta like that. Now a bit about my general music philosophy, illustrated by one of my favorite musical quote, courtesy of Lil Wayne, off of the song
1 comment
Read more

Top 10 Albums of the 2000's

Since everyone likes lists, here's another list.  My 10 favorite albums of the aughts.  By far my favorite decade in music and the one I know the most about; it was rather heart wrenching trying to narrow the list down to 10.  More than enough has already been said in the music press about all these albums, so I'll just give a explanation of why I like each and note my favorite tracks. The National - Boxer : My favorite album of all time.  The general topic of the album, the fear and general discomfort of transitioning and settling into adulthood, really connects with me at the moment.  It feels tense, while Alligator feels drunk and High Violet feels depressed.  This tension gives the songs a direction and a purpose absent on the other albums.  It also doesn't hurt that it has the best songs of the three.  Hell, there's not a single bad track (one of less than a dozen albums that I can say that about).  Also, Bryan Devondorf is simply the best drummer in all
1 comment
Read more

Lists 4 Bitches

Now, for some actual music.  First, my last.fm account if you want a quick snapshot of what I like.  (Yes, I know, the name is stupid, go ahead and laugh, I don't care...)  Also, I made you bitches a list...bitches love lists... Top 10 Songs of 2011 (so far): The Weeknd - Wicked Games :   This song is perfect.  The best track off of the most interesting album to come out this year (It's also free, you should download it and give it a listen if you haven't already: Link ).  The overblown drums and grimy guitars give the song a lot of momentum and a great ambiance, but really, the song is all about Abel Tesfaye.  His voice is hauntingly perfect (or perfectly haunting, either one works) and his songwriting is on point all the way through.  I tried to pick the best part of this song, but I just can't.  It's that good. Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers : Should have won Video of the Year.  At least he won Best New Artist. Kid deserved it. His mom looked so proud. Anywa
1 comment
Read more