rock Music – issue #8
Rock music’s history is glorious. But who are it’s greatest rock bands and artists?
Over the years Many Disparate rock music sub-genres have emerged. hybrids like blues rock, folk rock, country rock, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Glam Rock, Heavy Metal, Punk, Electronic, Etc. Have their Fans and Critics. From the ’90s alternative Rock achieves dominance. New genres, like grunge, Britpop, Hip Hop and indie Rock enter the mainstream. each with their own Unique Characteristics, Style, and Cultural Significance. Rock music has long been linked with political activism. Together with changes in social attitudes to race, sex, and drug use. Rock Music has assimilated cultural and social Movements – mods, rockers, Punks and the hippie movement for Example. the music both reflects society and influences society.
The evolution of Rock Music has been inextricably linked to technological advancements. from the invention of the electric guitar to the rise of digital streaming platforms. Thus Music became ubiquitous, whether in public places or in the home.
Music is a form of human conversation
Music Remains deeply personal, We hope to Highlight albums that evoke images, memories, and emotions to spark debate and
Broaden your Horizons, step out of Your comfort zone and expand your music taste and experiences.
Join the Conversation!!!
we will Feature Up to 3 Albums from Artists representative of a range of the Many sub-genres. We Hope to encourage Listeners of all tastes and passions. So Get your Headphones on and Consider discussing the musical Offering and sharing your views with like-minded peers.
In Issue #8, we feature oasis
The band released its debut album, Definitely Maybe, to rave reviews. Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it “a furious, inspiring record, a rallying cry for the downtrodden to rise above and seize their day but, most of all, it’s a blast of potent, incendiary rock & roll.” Oasis won the best British newcomer award at the 1995 Brit Awards. Already tensions between the Gallagher brothers were apparent during the tour in support of the album, however, and Noel Gallagher briefly quit the band between the U.S. and U.K. legs. With their debut album the Manchester group gave British rock the greatest shot in the arm since the Sex Pistols’ snotty arrival two decades earlier. 1994’s Definitely Maybe captured the frustration and apathy of working-class communities dismantled by successive Tory governments. As Liam sneered to his listeners on “Bring It On Down”: “You’re the outcast, you’re the underclass / But you don’t care because you’re living fast.” Inspired by The Stone Roses, Manchester’s clubbing scene and, er, Burt Bacharach, Definitely Maybe proved a vital dispatch from the frontlines of British youth. On “Cigarettes & Alcohol,” Liam asks whether it’s “worth the aggravation / to find yourself a job when there’s nothing worth working for?” During blistering opener “Rock ’n’ Roll Star,” there’s rage at the elites who run the country and ignore their prospects: “You’re not concerned about the way we are.” Fame would soon have them hobnobbing with British prime minister Tony Blair in Downing Street following Labour’s landslide victory in 1997’s general election. Definitely Maybe became a cornerstone for Britpop music. It is a loud, bold, sometimes boorish debut album that stands the test of time. Undeniably brilliant, still.
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? was released in 1995, with Alan White replacing McCarroll on drums. The first two singles, “Some Might Say” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” reached number one on the U.K. singles charts, but “Wonderwall,” which peaked at number two, became the band’s most enduring ballad. With its relatable lyrics and catchy melody, it was Oasis’s biggest single in the United States. Meanwhile, Morning Glory won the 1996 Brit Award for best British album and earned Oasis the best British group award. Given the growing hype achieved with debut Definitely Maybe, this sophomore album came out about as good as one could hope. The rawness was replaced with some of Noel’s most popular creations: “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back In Anger,” a wistful ballad that’s now burnt into the psyche of the British people. There’s also “Cast No Shadow,” a beloved deep cut written about The Verve’s frontman Richard Ashcroft, which Noel later called “some of the best words I ever wrote.” Released to mixed reviews – Melody Maker called Morning Glory “laboured and lazy” and critic Robert Christgau dubbed it “phony Beatlemania” – the LP was nevertheless a commercial juggernaut.
When Oasis’s third album, Be Here Now, was released in 1997, it became the fastest-selling album in the United Kingdom, selling 696,000 copies in three days of its first chart week. It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and remained on the chart for 26 weeks. The Gallagher brothers, however, continued to draw headlines for their quarrelling, drug and alcohol use, and boorish behaviour. 1997’s Be Here Now has achieved legendary status, for better or worse. It remains the fastest-selling album in U.K. chart history thanks to its first seven days of sales (813,000 copies) and spawned two U.K. No. 1 singles in “D’You Know What I Mean?” and “All Around The World.” Noel, however, “hates” the record and in his 2004 book Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Britpop, critic Jon Savage said that it was where the Britpop party came to an undignified end. Once you cut through the noise – and goodness me, isn’t there a lot of it – what remains is a very good (and occasionally great) rock record… and “Magic Pie.” Recorded at the height of their fame and during a period of significant drug use, Be Here Now was derivative (The Beatles-aping “All Around The World”), sometimes hilarious (“My Big Mouth”) and touching (“Stand By Me,” “Don’t Go Away”). It may not be their finest hour but perhaps encapsulates the band’s ‘90s story best: messy, but utterly unmissable.
In 1990, bassist Paul McGuigan, guitarist Paul Arthurs, drummer Tony McCarroll, and singer Chris Hutton formed a band called the Rain. Unsatisfied with Hutton, Arthurs invited and auditioned acquaintance Liam Gallagher as a potential replacement. Liam suggested that the band name be changed to Oasis. Noel approached the group about joining on the provision that he would become the band’s sole songwriter and leader, and that they would commit to an earnest pursuit of commercial success. Arthurs recalled, “He had loads of stuff written. When he walked in, we were a band making a racket with four tunes. All of a sudden, there were loads of ideas.” Under Noel, the band crafted a musical approach that relied on simplicity, with Arthurs and McGuigan restricted to playing barre chords (with the index finger used to bar the strings) and root bass notes, McCarroll playing basic rhythms, and the band’s amplifiers turned up to create distortion. Oasis thus created a sound described as being “so devoid of finesse and complexity that it came out sounding pretty much unstoppable”
Oasis signed to independent record label Creation Records in 1993 and released their record-setting debut album Definitely Maybe (1994), which topped the UK Albums Chart and quickly became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time. The following year, they released follow up album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) with new drummer Alan “Whitey” white which was also an international chart success.
The Gallagher brothers featured regularly in tabloid newspapers throughout the 1990s for their public disputes and wild lifestyles. In 1996, Oasis performed two nights at Knebworth for an audience of 125,000 each time, the largest outdoor concerts in UK history at the time. In 1997, Oasis released their highly anticipated third album, Be Here Now, which became the fastest-selling album in UK chart history selling 696,000 copies in its first week. During the recording of Oasis’s fourth album in 1999, two of the band’s founding members, guitarist Arthurs and bassist McGuigan, left the group within weeks of each other. They were replaced by former Heavy Stereo guitarist Gem Archer on guitar and Ride guitarist Andy Bell on bass guitar.
The album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants was released the following year (2000). White departed in 2004, replaced by touring member Zak Starkey. Oasis released three more albums in the 2000s: Heathen Chemistry (2002), Don’t Believe the Truth (2005) and Dig Out Your Soul (2008) which all reached number one in the UK album charts with their last two releases being regarded as a return to form for the band. In 2009 the Gallagher brothers had a backstage argument at the Rock En Seine festival in Paris. The show was cancelled, and Noel Gallagher issued the following statement that evening: “It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.” The group abruptly disbanded in 2009 after that sudden departure of Noel Gallagher. The breakup was lasting, and the Gallagher brothers went their separate ways in subsequent years, though both continued making records and performing live. Oasis fans, nonetheless, long hoped for a reunion, and after some 15 years of speculation…….
Sound quality is important and the better online Streaming services will offer superior sound quality. As always, We do encourage you to purchase Favoured albums from good online or High street record stores.
oasis record labels : Creation
Artists in upcoming issues: the national, elvis Costello, Blur......Keep Listening!!
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