Oasis (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (1995)

From amazon.com

Review When Oasis released their album “Definitely Maybe” in 1994, no one thought that one year later, they would become the most significant and important British band since the Beatles. 1995 was a whirlwind year for Oasis, and their release of the album “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory” was the focal point. This is more than an album – it’s part of 90’s popular culture. A true classic that spoke to a whole generation of fat and lazy middle-aged men. The album sold by the truck load – in the UK, it is the second biggest selling record of all time, with only the Beatles’ “Sgt. Peppers” standing in its way. The songs on this album are classics – iconic songs that will stand the test of time.

The album starts with the infectious “Hello.” Crunching guitar solos and brilliant vocals make this an excellent opener – it’s short, but sweet. The song starts with the tune of “Wonderwall,” but quickly changes to this all-out rock anthem. “Roll With It” was a big hit for the boys in August 1995, when the song peaked at No.2 in the UK. It has a brilliant melody, and the strained vocals from Liam Gallagher enhance the song’s quality. Up next we have two undeniable classics. Firstly, “Wonderwall” has to be one of the greatest songs ever written. Amazingly, the song didn’t make No.1, but charted at No.2 in the UK. This was the anthem that millions sung in 1995, and was played on the radio literally millions of times. “Don’t Look Back In Anger” is even more of an iconic classic. It gave the boys their second UK No.1 hit in the UK in March 1996, and pushed sales of this album even further beyond what seemed possible. The wonderful similarity of John Lennon’s “Imagine” at the beginning is genius. Everything about the song is perfect – vocals, lyrics, guitar, piano, drums. It’s the works.

“Hey Now!” is one of my favourites on the album. A lot of people dislike this song for reasons I really cannot see, because everything about it is perfect. The guitars and the drums are amazing, and the vocal arrangement is particularly interesting. A short interlude follows, before we move on to the amazing “Some Might Say.” This wonderful classic gave Oasis their first UK No.1 hit single in May 1995. Once again, wonderful guitar melodies are blended with wonderful vocals. The lyrics are well written, but in a way that encompasses all those who listen to it. “Cast No Shadow” is the album’s true chill out track. The boys release wonderful harmonies and beautiful melodies that relax the listener. A true masterpiece, said to be influenced by the Verve’s Richard Ashcroft.

“She’s Electric” is one of Oasis’ few humorous songs. The lyrics are wonderful, and very ironic of life amongst a jilted generation of slobs. It’s the song you heard on the radio all the time as a teenager, and knew all the lyrics off by heart. “Morning Glory,” the album’s title track, is a song that will stay in your head for years to come – possibly all your life. More wonderful guitar solos, and marvellous lyrics make for another album highlight. A song that reveals a dirty side to the band. Another short instrumental interlude follows, which is followed by the epic finale “Champagne Supernova.” This is one of the most beautiful and memorable songs that Oasis ever had the opportunity to churn out. Wonderful lyrics, excellent vocals and excellent melodies are all encased in seven and a half minutes of pure Britpop class.

This is not only an essential album for anyone interested in Oasis, but an essential album for those who witnessed the 1990’s – and the impact that this band had on the music scene. I was just eight years old at the time this CD was released, but I still remember all the songs that played endlessly on the radio for years. I hated them as a band but there’s no denying that these songs are amazing. Liam’s attitude is a bit vulgar and over-the-top, but that’s all part of their image. A handful of critics once said that Oasis were more important than the Beatles – I have to disagree, but they’re pretty damn close!

Review It’s quite obvious that over the last 8 years Oasis have produced some of the best music in recent memory and have established themselves as heroes of modern day rock n roll and have reached the height of success that such artists as The Rolling Stones, The Police, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, and The Beatles have been graced with. Morning Glory remains to be the one album that defined the true essence of oasis, thanks to the songs’ author and composer Noel Gallagher who stands today on the shoulder of giants. over the 8 years that have passed, however, their 1995 mega epic Morning Glory is still their best outing.

The entire album is outrageous and it still sounds pure when I put it in my disc player and play it from start to finish. beginning with “Hello” and ending with a Champagne Supernova in the sky, one goes through 1000 different emotions in the duration of less than an hour. You jump and cheer and roll with “Roll With It”, you get butterflies in your stomach with “Wonderwall”, you remember your past and dare to look back in anger with “Don’t Look Back In Anger”, you feel a sudden rush, a pump of warm blood running through your veins with every tone of Liam’s voice singing “Hey Now”, you dread on the bad pop music you’ve been hearing for ages and hope the song never ends when you hear “Some Might Say”, you sigh, sob or cry when you face the sun and “Cast No Shadow”, you get all electric and shine and sing along happily to “She’s Electric”, you then get another sudden rush like a shot of adrenaline that was just pumped into your veins and you walk to the sound of the favourite tune called “Morning Glory”, and finally you get back to your senses and mellow out to a conclusion that seems at that moment long awaited, and it seems that it’s coming to you faster than a cannonball but slowly walking down the hall of your mind with a “Champagne Supernova” in the sky. What art! What beauty! Genuine. Magnificent, spectacular, moving, slick, cool. You play it again and again and again and you never say stop!

This is the best album of the nineties. Oasis are to be recognized forever as kings of cool Britannica, the honourable embassadors of the 90’s generation rock n roll.

Whether the critics decide to keep on pounding them artistically or give ’em a break, Morning Glory will come out and shout out straight in their faces the words “today is the day that all the world will see”. The world will still see and hope that today will last forever.

Oasis (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (1995)

From about.com

With (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis build off the success of their sterling debut album, Definitely Maybe. Though less of a guitar-rock record than Definitely Maybe, Morning Glory boasts a more melodic, introspective quality with several spectacular ballads serving as album highlights. Oasis have never been shy about wanting to be one of the biggest bands in the world, and with Morning Glory, they’re well on their way.

Relationships Gone Wrong

Oasis are led by singer Liam Gallagher and his songwriting brother Noel. And while Noel’s lyrics aren’t particularly strong or memorable, the muscular power of his music, matched with Liam’s endearingly nasally vocals, help push the album’s themes across. Morning Glory deals largely with relationships, but rather than the typical lovey-dovey sentimentality of pop bands or the furrowed-brow angst of grunge, the group’s songs are wistful and melancholic.

If Definitely Maybe felt bratty and exuberant, like a fun-filled night out on the town, then Morning Glory sounds like the morning after, suffering from a hangover and assessing the damage done. Morning Glory may seem less exciting than its predecessor at first, but its rewards are deeper and more profound.

Beautiful Ballads

A trio of superb ballads form the heart of the album, and they offer three different viewpoints on the difficulties of making love last. “Wonderwall” is a nervous assessment of a relationship at a crossroads. Singing his brother’s words, Liam wonders aloud if love can ever heal the void within himself and whether his girlfriend still feels anything for him. “Don’t Look Back in Anger” is grander musically, conjuring comparisons to John Lennon’s “Imagine,” but its mood is much more downcast. With Noel taking over lead vocals, the song addresses a lover who has already abandoned the narrator, and now there’s only the wreckage of the breakup to piece through.

Finally, “Champagne Supernova” stretches past seven minutes for a psychedelic rumination that calls to mind what the Beatles achieved with their trippy “Tomorrow Never Knows.” The lyrics may be maddeningly vague – something about cannonballs and landslides – but the music creates a powerful mood of regret but also acceptance. As the last track from Morning Glory, “Champagne Supernova” ends the album on a note of reconciliation – even if the lovers can’t remain together, maybe there is still hope for a better day tomorrow.

A Song for Every Mood

Morning Glory’s hushed vulnerability may be the album’s most noticeable quality, but Oasis are just as comfortable in other modes as well. “Morning Glory” is a fierce rocker about drugged-out recklessness that’s compelling in its furious abandon, managing to make the jet-set lifestyle both frightening and weirdly exciting. And showing a droll sense of humor, “She’s Electric” rides a rollicking beat for a tale about one unusual gal from a “family full of eccentrics.”

More so than on Definitely Maybe, Morning Glory demonstrate a band that can easily transition across different genres, and consequently the album breezes from one fantastic track to the next.

An Oasis Triumph

(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? delivers on the promise of Definitely Maybe, proving that Oasis can write both propulsive hard rock songs and heartbreaking ballads. Beyond its great set of songs, Morning Glory is alive with the spirit of being young, celebrating the highs and mourning the lows with equal aplomb.

Oasis (What’s The Story) Morning Glory ? (1995)

From sfloman.com

Although this album is now often considered the band’s “masterpiece,” initial reviews were lukewarm. It was only after people started buying the album in bucketfulls (I think that this is the bestselling British album ever) that it was critically reappraised, even snagging Q magazine’s “Album of the Decade” accolade.

This is the album that gave the Gallagher brothers the world domination that they craved, largely on the strength of the smash hit “Wonderwall,” an evocative ballad with all the makings of an instant classic. This album is largely made up of mellower, more sensitive compositions, as Oasis expands their grand grungy sound to include instrumentation such as cello, keyboards, harmonica, and mellotron. Only “Hello” and “Morning Glory” really crank up the amps like on their debut but fortunately do so quite convincingly.

Elsewhere, “Roll With It” is awfully catchy, while the truly sublime “Don’t Look Back In Anger” is a big Beatlesque ballad, this time with Noel on vocals. “Hey Now” has another nice melody, while its subsequent instrumental segue is harmless if unnecessary. “Some Might Say” is one of the album’s harder hitting and best tracks; after listening to this song you just gotta give Noel his due as a songwriter, and when Liam sings “we will find a brighter day” damn if it doesn’t brighten my day.

The airy, melancholic “Cast No Shadow” (love those sighing backing vocals) gets my vote as this album’s overlooked gem, while the sing songy “She’s Electric” is minor but also quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, track ten is a waste of 39 seconds before the album ends with “Champagne Supernova,” another epic power ballad and instant classic, though its overly long length provides an ominous foreshadowing of their next endeavor. Still, when Liam sings “where were you while we were getting high?,” the answer for many people in 1995 was “somewhere listening to this album.”

Perhaps Morning Glory isn’t as attention grabbing or as exciting as Definitely Maybe, but this album has a diversity that their debut doesn’t. Some argued that The Beatles’ influence was again all too apparent, and Oasis also liberally borrows from T. Rex, samples Gary Glitter, and steals a melody from R.E.M. This may make Oasis unoriginal, but it doesn’t mean that they’re uncreative, since Noel is a highly effective musical plunderer who is a supreme melodist in his own right.

Besides, the band sounds great throughout (new drummer Alan White was a nice addition whose work really enhances several songs), and the years have only been kind to this mid-’90s classic.

Oasis (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (1995)

From sputnikmusic.com

Oasis’ second album was a major sucess. There were some brilliant melodies on it and every song was a winner. Their first album, Definitely Maybe, brought them some sucess, and it’s follow up, Morning Glory was even better. The quality of production on Morning Glory is ten times that of it’s predecessor. There are some great tunes on here that are just rockin’ and some excellent ballads.

Oasis combined the rough image of the Rolling Stones with Beatles melodies and lyrics similar to the Kinks. Then they have the loud guitar sound that draws from the Sex Pistols rebellion and the Stones arrogance. Anyone who has ever read an Oasis review will know that the band are extremely arrogant, which in my opinion takes away from the music. This album was done before the band had fully developed their egos.

This album was the second biggest album in the U.K. It was also the fastest selling album in the U.K. since Michael Jackson’s “Bad”. This album is truly Oasis at their best.

Hello- A real rocking tune. It starts out with the chords of Wonderwall, and then comes in with a heavier electric guitar riff. A great album opener, and just an all around fun song to listen to. 4/5

Roll With It- This song is also one of the more rocking songs. The track was one of the many hits off the album and does very well.The guitars are good, and the lyrics are also good, like most of the lyrics on the album. Liam also does well with vocals. 4/5

Wonderwall- The definitive Oasis song. Everyone has heard this song before, regardless of whether they think so or not. In fact, this song was so popular that it was still receiving radio airplay in 1997. The lyrics in the song are great, and I think that Liam handles vocals very well. The acoustic guitar is great and the strings are also good. Late in the song, there is a piano riff which is fitting and sounds excellent. Not a bad video clip either. 5/5

Don’t Look Back In Anger- Another of the many hits from this album. Don’t Look Back In Anger is just another of those songs that shows Oasis’ excellent sense of melody. It starts with piano until the guitar comes in. Some of the best lyrics Oasis have ever done as well. Very uplifting. Definitely a 5/5.

Hey Now!- A great song by itself, but nowhere near the strongest track on the album. Another one that is more rocking than the previous two tracks. This song is another winner.

Track 6- Just a litte instrumental thing with a guitar solo. Pretty cool, about 30 seconds long.

Some Might Say- The lyrics to this song are also great, just a really fun song. There is some great soloing over the top by Noel Gallagher. I really like Liam’s vocals in this song. Another rocking tune, and the first single from the album. 5/5

Cast No Shadow- At one time, this song was my favourite on the album. I don’t beleive it was ever released as a single, but it is definitely one of the albums strongest points. This song by far has the best vocal harmonies on the album. They are mixed fairly low, but they are definitley worth looking out for. Some good lyrics in here, and a very nice sounding guitar. The drums are good too, despite not being the highlight of the song. 5/5

She’s Electric- This song is a bit different to the others, and possibly the weakest track on the album. It’s still a lot of fun, despite having some slightly strange lyrics. I think this song has a slight country influence. 3.5/5

Morning Glory- This song has great melodies and an extremely catchy and infectious chorus. Every song on the album is very, very catchy, but this one deserves special mention. Great fun as usual, with a top guitar solo. Liam’s vocals are top class as usual. 5/5

Track 11- This track is just the same as track 6, except that it sounds like it’s being played from a distance and theres a lot of rushing water sounds in the background.

Champagne Supernova- Wow is the only thing I can really say to do this song justice, until you hear it. A long track, clocking in at 7:27. The lyrics aren’t the most poetic, but everything else makes up for it x2 and then some more. I don’t really know what else that there is that I can say about this song other than this: Listen To It Now! The build ups are awesome, and the guitar work is very tasteful. Liam’s vocals have never been better. 5/5

This album is an absolute essential if you like just plain old Rock N’ Roll. If you like catchy stuff, then this album is a top buy. Seriously, there are not many people who I would not reccomend this album to. My words simply don’t do it justice.