by Alex Lucas

This month we go back to the 90s with this classic album from Oasis, have a listen via our QR code and see what you think!

Definitely Maybe by Oasis

1994 marked the beginning of fifteen years of tabloid domination, sold out arenas the world over, and a plethora of anthems from Manchester’s very own Oasis. It’s tough to look at this album in isolation, almost thirty years later as so much arrived in its wake, not just from Noel and Liam Gallagher but in the wider scene of British music, be it a media-generated chart battle with Blur or the countless indie bands indebted to this album, Oasis songs still reverberate today and seem utterly timeless. Strip away all of the headlines and stardom which followed, Definitely Maybe is a sublime and unmistakably bright record emerging from the tenebrous life of being on the dole.

The songs littered across this album ooze a certain swagger yet still have the underbelly of the music which had informed so much indie from Manchester before them, be it The Stone Roses, The Smiths or Joy Division. ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Supersonic’ were smashes for Oasis and helped elevate this album, but it must be said, these are eleven top-drawer songs.

Bring It On Down’ is the brashest cut on here with its soaring guitars and imposing drums, along with ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ and ‘Rock n Roll Star’, underpinning the youthful exuberance and power which helped put Oasis on the map. On Definitely Maybe, Noel Gallagher announced himself as a songwriter who could write a variety of rock songs, acoustic tracks and ragers in equal measure. On top of these tracks, songs which didn’t make the record like ‘Half the World Away’, ‘Whatever’ and ‘(It’s Good) to Be Free’ represent a supremely talented songwriter. Gallagher’s voice certainly divides opinion, but for fans of Oasis, his best vocal performances land on this album, ‘Slide Away’ is Liam at his finest and is a high point in Oasis’ catalogue, more widely. ‘Columbia’ is also a great display of the range he possessed at this point in his career.

For anyone who wants to remind themselves of this LP or for a first-time listener, I urge you to dedicate some time to this, it’s a tremendously enjoyable listen.