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What do you get if you cross The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols & The Stone Roses? No this isn’t a crap joke you get in a Christmas cracker; you get Oasis!
Four unemployable Mancunian’s with attitude, and Noel Gallagher. A man with a talent for re-arranging all the best bits from his record collection and jumbling them up until he comes up with an anthem for the nation. What happened in 1994 though was “Definitely Maybe”.
Right from the off they set an arrogant mood with the opening track “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”. With ideas of grandeur and bravado “Tonight I’m a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” and lets face it Liam is!
“Definitely Maybe” is a loud, ear bleed, self-proclaimed masterpiece of a debut album, one that has gone down in British Rock'n'Roll history. It is like a fine wine, it seems to get better with age, and even 12 years on sounds as good as the day it was released. In my opinion there isn’t a single song that, a) shouldn’t be skipped when listening, & b) couldn't have been a single. From the 3chord acid influenced “Columbia” to the loud ear bleeding brilliance of “Bring It On Down”.
Although Definitely Maybe, & Oasis is known for loud guitars, Noel Gallagher has shown he could write beautiful meaningful songs. One standout track was “Live Forever” a 4-minuet spine tingling masterpiece. Everything about it is sheer naive brilliance. Liam’s vocals shine through, proving he can actually sing! With noel’s guitar solo setting the mood to what is the stand out song of the album. Another stroke of genius and one that most people can relate to is “Slide Away” a strong love song set to a rock and roll riff. In my opinion the best vocals of any song, on the album. “Cigarettes & Alcohol” is possibly the most profound statement anyone had made in 20years, and showed exactly what the country was going through at the time of writing. This is why Oasis became so big, they where a spokesman for a generation. “You could wait for a lifetime to spend your days in the sunshine you might as well do the white line Cos when it comes on top . . . You gotta make it happen!” Everyone was thinking, Noel Gallagher said it!
“Definitely Maybe” started a revolution, each song is an anthem. Some tracks talk about utter non-sense, and others are political & social statements of a generation. It’s rare to find a debut album both the critics & the buying public love, and it’s even rarer to find an album that even 12 years on still makes you want to sit down and listen all the way through with the same excitement as the day you bought it. But that’s what “Definitely Maybe” is a rare masterpiece, and one that has gone down in Music History.
Britpop Bootlegs Rating: |
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Released: |
August 30, 1994 |
Label: |
Sony |
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