I think it's interesting that so far we've not had any "bag of shite" scores and I don't expect we will. That could be because it's uniformaly brilliant but personally I think it's because, for all their attitude, the music itself is very safe. As more than one person has said it's just rock n roll and as such what's not to like at least to some degree? Ignore some of the fans and their individual personas and this music isn't going to offend anyone because there really isn't any risk involved.
The upside of this is there's no concern that they are taking the piss or cheating us. Forget the borrowing of stuff accusations, it's in plain sight and loads of bands do it. They were straight forwardly kids who wanted to form a band, play rock n roll and become fuck off famous; and they did exactly what it said on the tin. So you don't have to sit there watching a piano swinging like a pendulum thinking is this genius or is he having a laugh? It's just decent music so what's not to like?
But where I've always struggled with Oasis is how does decent then become great in many people's minds? This is where Sing Something Simple comes in.
Sing Something Simple was a radio show that ran from 1954 on BBC Light Entertainment and then Radio 2 until 2001. It was originally hosted by a guy called Cliff Adams and he had a group, The Cliff Adams Singers who sang popular tunes of the day that you could join in with. Like Oasis, it had by design little artistic cutting edge and competent, but not virtuoso, musicians. But it also happened to become the longest continuous running radio programme in the world, it may still hold that record for all I know. It did this because it tapped into a desire to be connected by music, it was virtual group karaoke in your home decades before karaoke hit these shores or the internet had even been invented. I think this is at the heart of Oasis's success, they tap into a communal desire to be connected by music and their music is a perfect fit for that. Familiar sounding and good enough to connect people and safe enough not to alienate. Imo it's not a coincidence that the song that was spontaneously sung by the crowd in St Ann's Square after the arena bombing was an Oasis song. It's the modern day equivalent of Sing Something Simple and I don't mean that as an insult.
But here's the problem for me. I'm basically anti-social and miserable (not really, I'm just introverted). I can get over myself but that would typically be through dancing, my days in a mosh pit were brief and long gone, so any communal experience is likely to be through a beat not a sing-a-long. There's a few exceptions to this but, Oasis's music isn't exceptional enough to be one of them.
To me, to be 'great' you can either be innovative, virtuoso or strike a relatable chord. Oasis are not the first two and for all that I was born and raised a handful of miles from the Gallaghers I find last week's version of a gobby youth, Mr Weller, much more relatable. I think he's had something to say about the work that Oasis never had. So I've always been in the kitchen at the Oasis party and I think that's where I'll stay. That's not really a problem as I like seeing other people have a good time. The only question is do I award extra points for their ability to do that?
