FEATURE:
Champagne Supernova
Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? at Thirty
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THIS is a moment…
IN THIS PHOTO: Oasis photographed at Glastonbury 1995/PHOTO CREDIT: Jill Furmanovsky
when one of the biggest bands of the 1990s are touring and bringing their classic music to new and existing fans alike. Oasis are thrilling audiences around the world. About to head to Mexico, and then on to Australia, the band would never have imagined, even a couple of years ago, that they would be bringing their music to people far and wide. However, as they are reunited and this is an important year, there is speculation that there could be a new album or more tour dates. It is significant that Oasis are touring in 2025, as it is thirty years after they released their second studio album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Released on 2nd October, 1995, it followed a year after their hugely successful and acclaimed debut album, Definitely Maybe. I am going to write another feature about the album closer to its anniversary. However, now, I want to spend some time with one of the most important albums of the 1990s. One that included Oasis greats like Champagne Supernova and Wonderwall. If some feel (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is not as strong as Definitely Maybe, there is denying its popularity. It sold a record-breaking 345,000 copies in its first week in the U.K. Going on to spend ten weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart. (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? was Oasis’ breakthrough in the United States, reaching number four on the US Billboard 200, where it went on to be certified 4× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Two of its singles, Some Might Say and Don’t Look Back in Anger, reached number one in the U.K. Wonderwall and Roll with It reached number two. Champagne Supernova was never a U.K. single, though you feel it should have been!
I am going to come to some features and reviews for (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? It is an album that Noel Gallagher says he has trying to live up to. Such was the success and quality. I don’t think there are many weak moments on it. However, the singles really do stand out. Wonderwall is especially strong, and it remains Oasis’ most-streamed song. The two reviews I am going to end with are both for the twentieth anniversary reissue that came out in 2014. It contained bonus tracks and was this expanded release. Hard, as critics noted, to improve on perfection! However, before getting there, there are a few things to include. I have included the video above. This is where Noel Gallagher provided this detailed interview in 2020. He headed back to Rockfield Studios in Wales (this is where the band recorded the album. It was produced by Owen Morris and Noel Gallagher). NME highlight some key takeaways from the interviews. I have included my favourites:
“Noel just listened to ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ for the first time in 25 years…
The writer of ‘Wonderwall’ probably doesn’t need to give himself a refresher on what he’s created too often, but the interview kicks off with Noel revealing that he listened to ‘What’s The Story…’ in full for the first time since its release ahead of its anniversary.
“Often I’ve wondered,” he said, “what’s a fucking 14-year-old getting out of this after all these years, you know when I’d see them at the gigs? What are they fucking hearing? I fucking I understood it today. You know, the words, the melodies. Liam’s voice is fucking on another level on that record. Because there’s nothing, there’s nothing around today that even remotely comes near to it.”
He recorded ‘Wonderwall’ sitting on an actual wall, watched by “a lot of sheep”
Noel was joined by [man from Rockfield Studios] for the new interview, and took a tour around the studios and its grounds. Passing a wall on the outside of the studio, Noel revealed that the recording of ‘Wonderwall’ took on a rather more literal meaning when he put one of the most iconic songs of all time to tape.
“That’s the wall that I sat on that day,” he remembered. “Fucking idiot, playing ‘Wonderwall’.” Gallagher went on to recall that “a lot of sheep were watching me do ‘Wonderwall’. I don’t know who was more freaked out, me or them.
“I remember saying to Owen [Morris, co-producer], I’ve got this song called ‘Wonderwall’, I want to record it on a… wall.” Didn’t turn out bad in the end, we suppose.
Only the songs written pre-Rockfield on the album have a second verse…
It’s well known that ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ was written in a lightning fast 12 days. Booking Rockfield for six weeks, the band only used three of them, one of which saw them scatter across the country after a fight put a stop to proceedings. “I remember it just being really really fucking fast,” Noel remembers, “and half the songs hadn’t even been written when I got here.” He explained: “If you listen to the record, it’s split into two halves. Half of the songs have got a second verse, they were all written before I got here, and the rest of the songs are just the first verse twice, and then maybe a third time. That was me getting in here and going, ‘You know what? Fuck it.’”
The band were expecting the album to be hated upon its release
“It didn’t get one good review, I don’t think,” Noel remembered of the critical response from journalists upon the release of the album. “I think we were waiting for that,” he added, saying that journalists at the time, as well as the band’s record label, were “expecting ‘Definitely Maybe’ part two”. “I was expecting it to be not well-received.”
“[Journalists] had to second-guess everything after ‘Morning Glory’, because they’d got it so wrong,” Noel said. “That’s why when ‘Be Here Now’ came out, which isn’t a great album, it got 10/10 everywhere. It didn’t get one bad review, because they didn’t want to be made to look like dicks again”.
I want to come to an interesting interview from 1995, where Noel Gallagher was interviewed ahead of Oasis’ Croke Park shows. It was from the Hot Press archive. However, before that, I wanted to get some information about the making of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? This article from July provides a deep dive into Oasis’ second studio album. One that will get a lot of new inspection ahead of its thirtieth anniversary on 2nd October:
“Financing came from Creation Records, led by Alan McGee, who believed in Oasis’s vision. The recording budget was estimated at £60,000—a substantial sum, but modest compared to the album’s eventual impact. Financially, the band faced the usual pressures of second-album expectations, but McGee’s support and the band’s drive saw them through.
The album’s title, “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?”, came from a phrase used by Noel’s friend Melissa Lim, which itself originated in the film Bye Bye Birdie. The cover, designed by Brian Cannon, features two men passing on Berwick Street, London—a nod to the area’s record shops. The sleeve cost £25,000 to produce, with Cannon and DJ Sean Rowley as the men on the cover. Producer Owen Morris can be spotted in the background holding the master tape. Noel later admitted he wasn’t entirely happy with the cover, but its image has become iconic.
Recording Process
The story of the recording sessions is as compelling as the music itself. The main sessions took place at Rockfield Studios in Wales during May and June 1995. This studio, founded in 1961, is renowned for its rural setting and classic equipment. Previous clients included Queen, Rush, and Coldplay, making it a legendary place for bands seeking inspiration and technical excellence (Sound On Sound).
Producer Owen Morris, working alongside Noel Gallagher, drove the sessions with a fast-paced, no-nonsense approach. The band recorded the album in just 15 days—often finishing a song each day. The focus was on capturing energy and immediacy, not endless perfection. Engineer Nick Brine handled the technical side at Rockfield, while mixing was completed at Orinoco Studios in London. Owen Morris had previously worked with bands like The Verve and The Rolling Stones, bringing valuable experience to the table.
Recording was not without its challenges. The band’s hard-living reputation followed them into the studio, but producer Owen Morris kept them focused. Paul Weller’s contributions—especially on “Champagne Supernova”—brought a new dimension to the sound. The sessions were intense but creative, with the group feeding off each other’s energy. Noel Gallagher later described the sessions as “a mad blur,” but the results speak for themselves.
Touring and Promotion of (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?
The promotional campaign for (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? was bold and relentless. Singles were released ahead of the album, with “Some Might Say” coming out in April 1995, followed by “Roll With It” in August, which led to the much-publicised “Battle of Britpop” with Blur. The rivalry between the bands became a media sensation, drawing huge attention to both groups. Not only that, but Oasis made frequent television appearances, radio interviews, and magazine covers to keep the spotlight shining.
The album’s tour ran from 22 June 1995 to 4 December 1996, starting with a warm-up gig at Bath Pavilion. The tour featured major UK outdoor concerts, including two nights at Maine Road, two at Loch Lomond, and two at Knebworth House—each attended by 125,000 fans. The Knebworth shows were the largest ever held by a single band in the UK, with 2.5 million ticket applications. The tour visited Europe, North America, Australia, and Asia, with more than 100 shows in total”.
I will focus more on particular songs in the second feature. Maybe spotlight the singles or go inside the legacy of the album. There is not as much written about (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? as there is Definitely Maybe. Perhaps the latter is more impactful, as it was Oasis’ debut. However, in terms of hype, excitement and expectation, few albums of the 1990s were bigger than Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? I am going to move to that Hot Press interview from 1995. There are some interesting interviews with the band that year. However, this one caught my eye. Noel Gallagher, as you’d expect, unfiltered and candid! It does provide some useful context and helps give us an understanding of the album and what Oasis were feeling ahead of the release of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? A seismic album:
While it took Manc neighbours the Stone Roses a Fleetwood Mac-esque five years to record theirs, Oasis’ second album was cranked out in a fortnight with a good few of the guitar and vocal tracks laid down in one take. Ranging from the nihilistic guitar thrash of ‘Hello’ to the psychedelic bubblegum of ‘She’s Electric’, Morning Glory ram-raids its way through 30 years of Britpop finery with nobody, not even Blur, standing an earthly of pulling them over.
“I look at the Roses and thing, ‘fuck me, how did a top band like that manage to disappear up their own arses?’ Second Coming would’ve been an alright album if it'd come out a year after the first one but the build-up from the press and sense of expectation from the fans was so over the top that it was automatically going to be a disappointment.
“Maybe it does exist,” Noel proffers, “but I’ve certainly never experienced ‘difficult second album syndrome’. I’m happy that Morning Glory’s the best record we could possibly have made and if people disagree with that, fair enough, they’re entitled to their opinion. Even if it’s wrong. The only time I feel pressured is when someone comes up, recites the lyrics from ‘Live Forever’ and says, ‘that song prevented me from committing suicide’. I mean, I’m delighted it gave you the strength to carry on but it’s a heavy responsibility, particularly when they’re total strangers.”
Hot Press can also exclusively reveal – unless he’s blurted it out since to someone else – that Noel's done a Bruce ‘n’ Tarby and brought in Paul Weller to supply a few extra riffs.
“Yeah, we were strolling along the 17th fairway when I stopped, gave him a big hug and asked whether he’d be a luvvie and come in and play on our album. Nah, what happened is that me and Paul have become really good mates, he heard some of the rough mixes and went, ‘I wouldn’t mind a bit of that’. Naturally, I was happy to oblige.
“It was another case of meeting someone who I idolised and realising that he’s just a bloke from Woking who likes his beer and writes damn fine tunes. I’ll sit in the room and say, ‘why are you such a miserable cunt all the time?’, which I know he prefers to endless questions about The Jam and the fucking Style Council. Actually, I did have a word with him about all that crap instrumental stuff he did during his Cappuccino Kid-phase, but when you consider he’s been going 20 years and Stanley Road’s the best album he’s done yet, I think you can forgive him for the occasional dip”.
Actually, I am only going to feature one review for the 2014 anniversary reissue of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? I am being Oasis-like ramshackle when it comes to order and cohesiveness! Instead, I want to finish with a bit about its legacy Earlier this year, xs noize said about its legacy:
“(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” is widely regarded as one of the defining albums of the Britpop era and among the greatest records of the 1990s. It frequently appears on lists ranking the best albums of all time, reflecting its lasting impact on music history. Beyond its commercial success, “Morning Glory” became a cultural landmark, capturing the spirit of mid-’90s optimism and excess. Its tracks were everywhere—blaring from pubs, filling stadiums, and resonating with a broad audience, from dedicated rock fans to casual listeners. Songs like “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” transformed into anthems of unity and resilience, often sung by crowds at public events and gatherings. The album also cemented Oasis’ legacy in rock history, earning them numerous accolades, including the 1996 BRIT Award for Best British Album. Its influence can be traced through countless bands that followed, while its tracks remain staples on radio playlists and in live performances. Propelled by the success of “Definitely Maybe”, “Morning Glory” catapulted Oasis from indie crossover success to global rock superstardom. It is often highlighted by critics as a pivotal moment in British indie music, illustrating just how deeply independent music had penetrated the mainstream”.
I’ll get to Pitchfork and their take on the reissue of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Even though the original is pretty great and know, the expansion and three-disc reissue gave listeners access to unheard tracks and provided this wider and deeper story of a massive album that turned Oasis into truly global superstars. It definitely did not hurt their egos when the album sold by the bucketload! Regardless, you can feel the effects and influence of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? thirty years later. As we speak (pretty much), the band are playing songs from the album on the stage:
“It’s hard to remember now, but when (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? was released in the fall of 1995, Oasis were losers. Sure, their 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe had gone straight to No. 1 on the UK albums chart, and sold several million copies worldwide. But in their first true test of post-success fortitude, Oasis could no longer claim the title of biggest rock band in the land. “Roll With It,” the teaser from Morning Glory, was released August 14, 1995—not coincidentally, the very same day as “Country House”, the jaunty new single from their bitter rivals in Blur (aka the London art-school yin to Oasis’ Mancunian street-tough yang). A year’s worth of tabloid sniping between the two groups—which hit its peak/nadir when Oasis architect Noel Gallagher declared that Blur’s Damon Albarn and Alex James should “catch AIDS and die” —had effectively come down to the UK chart equivalent of an after-school fistfight. And in this case, it was Oasis who walked away licking their wounds—that week, “Country House” outsold “Roll With It” by more than 50,000 copies to take the No. 1 spot.
As it should’ve: “Roll With It” is nobody’s favorite Oasis song and would be hard-pressed to crack a Top 20 list of the band’s all-time best. It's a catchy enough tune, sure, but its shoulder-shrugged message of “you gotta roll with it” felt atypically blasé coming from a band that had previously endorsed self-deification, immortality, and shagging well-heeled medical professionals in helicopters. However, for a band never encumbered by humility, the decision to go with Morning Glory’s weakest song was, in retrospect, Oasis’ cockiest gesture yet: They were willing to take the first strike in the so-called Battle of Britpop because they knew it was only a matter time before they’d be delivering the knockout blow.
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? would go on to sell more than twice as many copies in the UK as Blur’s contemporaneous The Great Escape, and, over the following two years, it served as the unofficial soundtrack to England's imminent changing of the guard. But, just as significantly, it achieved a metric of popularity that had proven so elusive to Oasis' Britpop peers: bonafide American success, with the album reaching number 4 on the Billboard charts and selling 3.5 million copies Stateside. (The Great Escape, meanwhile, languished in the lower reaches of the Top 200.) For all their unibrowed laddism and two-fingered paparazzi salutes, Oasis projected a glamorous image of Englishness that was potent enough to stoke the Cool Britannia fancies of those North American Anglophiles who make trips to specialty shoppes to load up on Dairy Milk bars, but (unlike Blur) not so colloquial as to alienate the heartland. It’s the stuff upon which Austin Powers franchises and Brit-themed pub-chains would later be built.
Fortuitously arriving at the mid-point of the '90s—and representing the peak of a Britpop narrative that took root with the retro-rock renaissance of the Stone Roses and the La’s five years previous—(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is Oasis' absolute pinnacle. If Definitely Maybe presented Oasis' raw materials—’60s psychedelia, ’70s glam and punk, Madchester groove—Morning Glory melted down and remoulded them into a towering sound that was unmistakably their own, with those omnipresent (but never ostentatious) string-section sweeps classily dressing up the songs like ribbons on a trophy. And yet the real triumph of Morning Glory is measured not by the tracks that have since become karaoke classics, first-dance wedding standards, and go-to bathtub sing-alongs, but the exceptional album tracks that never got a shot at certain chart supremacy—like the jet-roar jangle of “Hey Now” (for my money, the best Oasis song never to be issued as a single) and the crestfallen “Cast No Shadow”, dedicated to a then-mostly-unknown Richard Ashcroft of the Verve, a band that would soon reap the benefits of Oasis’ American incursion.
Ironically, the Oasis-whetted appetite for all things English was arguably also crucial to the impending Stateside success of the Spice Girls, who would usher in a wave of preteen-targeted pop that would eventually push guitar-oriented rock acts down the charts by decade's end. And what’s most striking about listening to (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? today is how, at the height of their powers, Oasis seemed to be bracing for their own eventual downfall. The tone of the album is decidedly darker and more reflective than the working-class escapism of Definitely Maybe, be it the foreboding “it’s never gonna be the same” prophecy of opening salvo “Hello”, the title track’s white-lined dispatches from the after-party circuit, or the cigarette-lighter-illuminated comedown of “Champagne Supernova”, wherein Oasis already sound nostalgic for the idealism of their debut album. And while Noel still deals in absurdist metaphor here (how exactly does one slowly walk down the hall faster than a cannonball?), he also emerges as a more personable, sobering foil to brother Liam’s bratty swagger—not just on his showstopping star turn on “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, but also in the way his backing vocals imbue “Cast No Shadow” with a deeper sense of despair”.
There are a couple of different takes regarding the legacy of Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? One of the black marks is that the vile and convicted sex offender Gary Glitter has a co-writing credit on the opener, Hello. It is this stain and I hope that Oasis never play this song, lest they be earning money for a repulsive human being! In any case, one cannot argue with the quality of the music and how the album slotted into British music in 1995. In 2015, The Observer wrote about the complex legacy of Oasis’ second studio album:
“Like many of its contemporaries, the 11-track Glory, which has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, has aged spectacularly well, especially in light of bands formed in its wake—the Killers, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys and so on—trying (and often failing) to recreate the record’s specific blend of ego, vanity, skill and attitude. That the album was also the band’s sophomore effort, following the 1994 breakthrough Definitely Maybe, only enhances Oasis’ already formidable reputation.
Granted, at the time of its release, critics almost uniformly dismissed Glory, writing it off as nothing more than a rehash of other, better British rock bands: “Throughout, it’s Gallagher’s way with a tune, any tune, that remains their trump card, as in the way ‘Some Might Say’ piles hook upon hook, shamelessly buttressing its assault on the memory: well, if that bit doesn’t get you humming, it suggests, how about this bit? Or this?” wrote the Independent’s Andy Gill upon Glory’s initial release.
Derivative, sure—glam pioneer Gary Glitter earned a co-writing credit on “Hello”, owing to the striking similarities between the Oasis song and his own 1974 tune “Hello, Hello, I’m Back Again“—but in that sense, Oasis prefigured pop music’s eventual infatuation with hip-hop, sampling and mash-ups. What was sacrilegious in the mid-1990s is now utterly commonplace among the 21st century’s reigning pop stars—just consider Sam Smith’s brief kerfuffle over just how much Tom Petty influenced the sound of his smash hit “Stay With Me”.
But strip-mining your record collection for inspiration doesn’t mean much if you don’t have the chops to back it up. And in that sense, Oasis stands alone.
Much like the albums crafted by the Gallagher brothers’ beloved Beatles, there’s a casual brilliance to so much of Glory that its stature as one of the landmark albums of the 1990s, despite the critical establishment’s initial revulsion and dismissal of Oasis, seems a given. The album spawned six hit singles, including “Wonderwall”, “Some Might Say”, “Champagne Supernova”, “Roll With It” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, yet Glory is remarkably cohesive. The record, produced by Noel Gallagher with Owen Morris, unfolds with unhurried ease, fading in with the youthful bravado of “Hello” and slipping away with the languorous, liquid fade-out of “Supernova”.
Strip-mining your record collection for inspiration doesn’t mean much if you don’t have the chops to back it up. In that sense, Oasis stands alone.
It’s easy to get lost in the almost taffy-like give and take of lengthier tracks like “Some Might Say” or “Champagne Supernova”—listening to these songs 20 years later is to be reminded that British rock bands still stand alone when it comes to cultivating an almost tangible atmosphere on their albums. Delving into the second and third discs of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’s special edition puts the accomplishment in greater context.
The second disc, full of period B-sides taken from the UK singles, finds Oasis toggling between acoustic sensitivity (“Talk Tonight”; “Rockin’ Chair”) and snarling bombast (“Acquiesce” and “The Masterplan”), but with less finesse than is found on Glory proper. (Still, “Round Are Way”, a B-side from the Wonderwall single, might be the greatest Oasis track to ever miss out landing on a record.)
That Oasis, at that moment in its career, was able to demonstrate restraint and ruthlessly cull its absolute best speaks to the savvy of the Gallagher brothers and their band mates. The axiom about having your whole life to make your first record, but hardly any time to make your second certainly applies: 14 months elapsed between Oasis’ first and second LPs. Perhaps it was the Beatles influence again—just dive in and do your best, and let the work dictate the direction of things”.
I am going to end with GRAMMY and their feature from 2020. Many note that, in spite of the odd less-than-epic song here and there, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? has aged really well. Songs like Champagne Supernova and Don’t Look Back in Anger still stir emotions and, for me at least, ensure memories flood back! Me as a child hearing this music for the first time:
“Rightly considered one of the eminent forces of 1990s Britpop, Manchester troupe Oasis found sizable acclaim and attention with 1994's Definitely Maybe. Like Radiohead’s Pablo Honey the year before, though, it was a strong but noticeably raucous and rudimentary debut. That said, there was enough potential to assume that its follow-up would feature more refined arrangements, production and songwriting. Fortunately, 1995's (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? offered precisely that.
True, a few songs became too big for their own good (you know the ones); plus, it was a more traditionally retro second effort than, say, Radiohead's innovative and diverse The Bends or the characteristically strange first releases from Oasis’ ostensibly direct rivals, Blur; yet, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? was a major step forward for the famously combative Gallagher brothers and crew. Twenty-five years on, it remains a top-notch slice of Britpop wistfulness.
Following the success of Definitely Maybe, Oasis were already showing signs of external triumph and internal turmoil. They’d spent much of 1994 touring and living the typical rock star lifestyle; as a result, the now-legendary tensions between Noel and Liam Gallagher truly began, with a September 1994 show in Los Angeles resulting in Liam throwing a tambourine at his brother, leading to Noel momentarily quitting the band. Thankfully, they reconciled, continued playing gigs, and focused on writing what would become (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
Predictably, they stayed with Creation Records, and the main quintet from Definitely Maybe carried over here; however, the sequence served as a transitional work in terms of drummers, with founder Tony McCarroll only playing on one track—"Some Might Say"—while his replacement, Alan White, played on everything else. Rather than create in several locations, they stuck to just one place—Rockfield Studios in Wales—and simplified further by using just two returning producers: Noel Gallagher and Owen Morris. By most accounts, the recording sessions were smooth, swift, and fruitful.
In the run-up to release, the press helped Oasis stir up more controversy with Blur. Specifically, both bands issued singles on August 14, 1995, with Blur’s "Country House" quickly outselling Oasis’ "Roll With It" by about 50,000 copies. In response, Noel told The Observer the following month that he wished members of Blur would "catch AIDS and die." He issued an apology shortly thereafter, but the remark continued to serve as a chief example of Oasis’ well-known bitterness.
Despite all of that disorder, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? outdid its predecessor commercially. In fact, it sold nearly 350,000 copies in its first week alone and entered the U.K. charts at No. 1. (It remained at the top of the charts for the rest of the year and eventually became one of the best-selling U.K. albums of ever.) Comparably, it reached #4 on the Billboard 200, with six singles being out out between April 1995 and May 1996. It also fared quite well in Canada, Sweden, New Zealand and elsewhere, so it’s fair to say that the LP was a global hit.
It’s a bit ironic, then, that initial critical reviewers weren’t entirely enthusiastic, with publications like Q, the Chicago Tribune, Melody Maker and The Independent voicing significant gripes. In contrast, Entertainment Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, NME, and Rolling Stone were more positive. Of course, the record is now considered a classic, with a high ranking in several articles and books about the greatest albums of all time. It even won "British Album of 30 Years" at the 2010 Brit Awards.
Although other releases from back then may have pushed more boundaries, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? still shines in terms of recalling the splendor of the 1960s British Invasion within a modern edge. For instance, "Roll with It"—with its poppy melodies, backing chants and twangy guitar strums—sounds like a lost Lennon tune from Help! or Rubber Soul. The same can be said for the brighter and more playful "She’s Electric"; the dreamily epic "Cast No Shadows"; and the decidedly biting and symphonic "Hey Now!" That’s not to say that Oasis were being too derivative—rather, they incorporated such homages into an irresistibly invigorating and poignant new stew.
Similarly, the immensely popular "Wonderwall," "Don’t Look Back in Anger" and "Champagne Supernova" are still among the best tunes from the Britpop era. In particular, "Wonderwall" is a quintessential example of a 1990s acoustic rock ode complemented by strings, with a lovely juxtaposition of hip verses and compelling choruses. The piano-led "Don’t Look Back in Anger"—their first single with Noel on lead vocals—is just as gripping yet even more nuanced, touching and charming. As for "Champagne Supernova," its cryptically poet lyricism and fiery guitarwork (courtesy of Paul Weller) taps into 1970s classic rock while also harnessing the optimism and softness of the previous decade’s folky warmth.
Even the unruliest tunes—"Hello," "Some Might Say" and “Morning Glory”—manage to conjure Definitely Maybe whilst showcasing advanced techniques. The hooks are bigger, the layers are denser and the scopes are larger. There are also the two "Untitled" entries (a.k.a "The Swamp Song—Excerpt 1" and "Excerpt 2"): the first is a quick and relatively abstract interlude full of vibrant post-punk carnage, while the second cleverly reprises its forebearer beneath the soothing sounds of water. Sure, they may not be significant when heard in isolation, but the ways in which they tie together—as well as how they segue in and out of the tracks around them—give the LP a stronger sense of continuity and ambition.
Two-and-a-half decades later, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is still a great record. At the time, it propelled Oasis further creatively, commercially, and—at least to an extent—critically, all the while dominating the high school hangouts and dorm room memories of countless Gen Y fans. Thus, it’s a significant time capsule as much as it is a superb piece of entertainment, and while real-life incidents may have marginally marred our nostalgia for it, when considered outside of that drama, it’s well worth looking back in appreciation”.
On 2nd October, we will celebrate thirty years of Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? The pressure to follow such a distinct and popular debut album could have ruined other bands. To be fair, it almost did that to Oasis, though Liam and Noel Gallagher constantly fought anyway - so it is a minor miracle they are on stage together now and seemingly, for now, reunited! It gives the album new weight and significance that Oasis are (briefly) reformed. They get to play these songs with fresh eyes. To fans who were there in 1995 or the children of the parents who were! Each person has their own perspectives and memories of the album. If you were around in 1995, you would have known how significant a release it was. Thirty years later and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? has…
NOT lost its swagger and brilliance.