1994 was a pivotal year for music. Artists who released notable albums include Green Day, Weezer, Hole, Soundgarden, The Beastie Boys, NAS, Notorious B.I.G., Jeff Buckley, Sloan, Nirvana, NIN, blur, Portishead, Manic Street Preachers, Suede, etc. On August 29th, one of the decade’s biggest albums was released by a new Mancunian band named Oasis. Lead by loudmouth brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, the band’s debut album Definitely Maybe would become the fastest selling debut in UK history and land at #1 on the UK chart.
Oasis in 1994 was a mixture of UK guitar based bands up until that point. The base was 60s British rock, with a punk attitude infused with 1990s British lad culture. First track, “Rock N Roll Star” laid down the band’s intent, the first of several songs that have lived on for 30 years through concert setlists. Noel has regularly said that the band’s first single, “Supersonic” is his favourite Oasis track. “Live Forever” has long been a feature at the end of concerts for both Gallagher brothers on solo tours while fan favourite “Slide Away” shows a loving heart beneath the bluster.
For its 20th anniversary in 2014, the band released a deluxe edition that features an additional 2 discs of b-sides, singles, live tracks, and rarities. The Noel Gallagher acoustic track “Sad Song” appears, a song that had only appeared on the vinyl version of the debut. The second disc contains one of the band’s fiercest early songs in “Fade Away” along with their live cover of The Beatles’ “I Am The Walrus”. The second disc closes with the single “Whatever” released in December 1994 and went to #3 in the UK singles charts. The b-side “Half the World Away” is the last track – it would later go on to be the theme song to British show The Royale’s as well as covered in a popular John Lewis Christmas advert.
The third disc contains an acoustic version of the band’s second single, “Shakermaker” that cheekily adds a verse from the Coca-Cola 70s advert jingle, a soundalike song that landed the band in legal trouble. The psychedelic swirl of “Columbia (Eden Studios Mix)” appears with a snarling live version of “Cigarettes and Alcohol” before closing with the strings only mix of “Whatever”. Thirty years on, Definitely Maybe remains one of the classic UK rock albums of all time. The deluxe edition is a must have reminder of how things were in 1994 as Britpop started to take flight.
Definitely Maybe – 10/10
Extra Discs – 9/10
The Light Appears 