The Album Review Club - Week #127 - (page 1545) - Definitely Maybe - Oasis

[RobMCFC]

Radiohead brought me in

At least it was useful for something then!

 

[Mancitydoogle]

I’m not an Oasis fan and I would tend to echo @coatigans comments, but as I’m one of the few that have never heard this album in full I’ll give it the requisite numbers of listens.

It does however bring back memories of when my brother and I owned a business and we used to use the annual Christmas party to subject our staff of about sixty to to listen to our wannabe rock star voices, either through karaoke or on one occasion fronting a live band we’d hired.
Anways on this occasion in the late 90s after I’d just taken up guitar playing, we decided to ‘perform’ as the Gallagher brothers.Now at this stage in our lives we’d both become follically challenged so we both doned Oasis wigs and set about playing ‘Wonderwall’ to our poor captive audience.My sister-in-law who was also in attendance with my wife was convinced we hired a rather poor Oasis tribute band!

 

[mrbelfry]

The mic dropped there - brilliant imagery!

I too struggle with the liking of the songs with the persona of the band, which is what I see more here in the US than the fanbase amped up to 11 given those levels were never really reached here as in the UK.

Ha I think I have an unhealthy obsession with Heidi Klum's fridge

 

[Saddleworth2]

My relationship with Oasis fans and fanbase, has been even worse. Irreparable perhaps. To the point, that it has taken significant effort, and being on here exposed to some level headed fans I respect, just to soften enough be able to swallow an immediate sense of disappointment in someone that says they are an Oasis fan. That is one broad brush do wave, I get that. But that has been my experience, and in the same way that people who have found something in them to resonate with, think I can't understand what it means to them, I think it is hard for others to understand what that means to me. If we accept for example footballing tribalism, and I happen to have the same innate prejudice that takes time and alternative exposure to erode at.

What an interesting admission.
Why, when you feel pretty ambivalent towards the band do you have this adverse reaction to those that like the band?

 

[Out on blue 6]

I think that Oasis's original fan base shifted to a more laddish element as they got bigger. The relationship with City and appearing on something like Soccer AM helped that. The band that filled the void when Oasis split was Kasabian. A debut I enjoyed but they started looking for anthems for the stadiums. They picked up a lot of stray Oasis fans

 

[Coatigan]

What an interesting admission.
Why, when you feel pretty ambivalent towards the band do you have this adverse reaction to those that like the band?

You are maybe coming at this as my passing judgement on their music taste. It is not that, it is broader behaviours and personalities, under the identity of Oasis fans, that I have not had the best experience of. The music in that context was a distant overlap, but one where the association has stuck.

 

[threespires]

Definitely Maybe came out in 1994 which was probably the perfect time for to fall in love hard. Growing up in a house that played Dylan, Cohen, Dire Straits & Lennon I naturally gravitated to 2 Unlimited and Technotronic until a friend at school gave me a tape with some Nirvana songs and my sisters boyfriends brother told me about Cypress Hill. These were fine and as my music taste enlarged I felt like this was music I could admire from a distance. Then Oasis came out of nowhere and I fell hard as this was music that spoke to me directly. Until I saw them live.

What should have been a euphoric moment - my favourite band at my favourite place (Maine Road) instead sparked a slide into disinterest and disdain.

the problem wasn’t the music it was the mythology. It’s like I’d gone from playing GTA to suddenly being a part of the Crips. Not wanting to join a cult I distanced myself from Oasis. I just have no swagger. I owned Morning Glory but quickly stopped listening to either album. My only exposure to Oasis songs then came on match days at the Etihad. Despite myself best effort I’d nod my head whilst telling myself I hated Oasis.

But this is a review not a biography. Rock & Roll Star is the perfect opener to the debut Oasis record. It’s a statement of intent and they have delivered regardless of my opinion. Liam has made the most of a limited voice. What surprised me is how soft and thin he sounds on this album - not the sneering bonobo I’d remembered. I know they were young when this came out but I thought it was at least post puberty. I listened to the remastered version in case it was just a bad mix but it sounded the same there.

Shakermaker was the first Oasis track I’d heard. Listening to the radio with my bedroom light off it was noisy, dense and loud but not in the American style. It was British sounding but without the acoustic guitar prattling away in the background like the Smiths or the Cure. Its loud, chaotic and polite. The rest of the album sounds just as loud and dense but almost homemade and authentic. DM is the album your mates made.

I’ve already written a lot so won’t go into a song by song breakdown but honestly there wasn’t a song I didn’t love and wish had been recorded by someone not Oasis. It’s disappointing - like marrying Heidi Klum only to realise she’d harvested Seal’s organs and kept fingers in the fridge. Digsy’s Diner sounds like a band in-joke and the album should end with Slide Away - I can’t remember if Married With Children was an unlisted bonus track that you often got at the end of albums in those days. It’s fine and caustic and is a palette cleanser to the dense production of the rest of the album.

Much has been written about how simplistic and derivative the album is which I think is actually why it is so good. Oasis don’t excel at anything but they are a great covers band. This is like a greatest hits record of several other bands you probably like if you like Oasis.

To see how well this had aged I checked out another album I loved that came out the same year - Parklife by Blur. If I could have been in any band at that time I’d have picked Blur - they were quirky in all the ways I liked. The wrote about London like the Jam did so it’ll never feel local in the way Oasis does despite not have any overt references to Manchester. The difference between those albums demonstrates why DM is the vastly superior album in retrospect. Oasis would never write a song like Lot 105 but on the plus side Lot 105 would never appear on an Oasis album. DM is not interested in demonstrating how smart Oasis are. It's interested in sharing some great tunes with you.

There is a video of Thom Yorke DJing at Boiler Room in London whilst a group of disinterested people stand around watching him be smart and ironic and clever. Oasis would only play the bangers people danced to. No artifice. No irony. Nothing smart. Your mates playing you songs that they love.

Despite everything in me reminding me I hate Oasis this is an 8.5. it feels good like a cheese and onion crisp and beef paste butty. My mates shared their mix tapes with me with music they were passionate about - Oasis do the same

Brilliant write up mate.

"But this is a review not a biography."

The biographical revelations we're getting from this pick are the best part! I've now got a fairly bizarre image of @Mancitydoogle in my head (and it also sounds like the union should have got involved to to protect his workforce from cruel and unusual punishments ;-) .

 

[mrbelfry]

Brilliant write up mate.

"But this is a review not a biography."

The biographical revelations we're getting from this pick are the best part! I've now got a fairly bizarre image of @Mancitydoogle in my head (and it also sounds like the union should have got involved to to protect his workforce from cruel and unusual punishments ;-) .

Ha yeah it's easy to imagine his poor workforce being polite for fear of losing their jobs. I went to a birthday party once that had a live karaoke band. I feel like everyone should experience a dwarf singing Killing In The Name Of at least once in their life

 

[Mancitydoogle]

Ha yeah it's easy to imagine his poor workforce being polite for fear of losing their jobs. I went to a birthday party once that had a live karaoke band. I feel like everyone should experience a dwarf singing Killing In The Name Of at least once in their life

Ha I can assure my workforce were far from polite!
Dwarfs now we’re talking, but that’s a whole different story!

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

I’m on my second listen now and tbf, I haven’t had the instant revulsion I had yesterday by the second song.
I do still have much of the same observations particularly regarding Liam’s irritating off key drone and pronunciation and general delivery…….
But……. be positive Eamo.
I will try to be totally objective and will add reaction as I go.

Positive: Noel can write a decent tune and although I wouldn’t regard him as anything exceptional as a guitarist, he’s accomplished enough to deliver decent breaks and intros and outros. Prime example being Live Forever.