Oasis – Definitely Maybe
Rock – Released August 29, 1994 – 11 songs, 52 mins
LUNDI’s album drop:
Alright boys we’re going back over 25 years for this next one. I doubt Roz has ever dug into this album but Reid may have.
I for one love this band for both their story and their music but have never listened to their debut album. They really hit big with their second album but this one often pops up on critically acclaimed lists and tops their discography for most hardcore fans and critics. I’m excited to dig in and see if I agree.
REID
Interesting choice from my boy, Lundi, on this one. I own Oasis’ debut album on CD and have listened many times. It’s the first album like this for me, as the three previous were new. Definitely Maybe is primarily known as the predecessor to Oasis’ blockbuster album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? and for good reason. Everyone is an individual with different opinions but I question someone’s taste if they rank this one above (WTS)MG. It reminds me of Dave Grohl’s thoughts from his book ‘This Is A Call’ when discussing Nirvana’s growth from Bleach (1989) to Nevermind (1991). He was asked about Bleach’s cult following and the claims they were more creative back then and completely shut it down and noted (paraphrased) ‘…everything about Nevermind is a huge improvement.’ And I totally agree. (Nervous now to see how the boys rank it haha).
Anyway, this isn’t meant to be a comparison review. I do like the album overall but I rarely circle back and listen from start to finish. High points for me include Rock N Roll Star, Up In The Sky and Married with Children with my favourite being Live Forever. I like other songs to varying degrees, there’s just nothing about them that stands out. At times I feel like I’m listening to the same song for 52 minutes. The reality though is this is a very good debut album. Oasis tapped into a musical genre and sound that absolutely exploded and made them very rich and hilariously bitter British men.
Rating – 7.5/10
Favourite Song – Live Forever
ROZ
Week 4 here we go!
To be completely honest, outside of yelling along to "Champagne Supernova" and "Wonderwall" in shady pubs throughout my late teens and early twenties, Oasis has never really been on my radar. I was pleasantly surprised when their debut studio album was picked for this week and couldn't wait to stroll past their radio hits and dive deeper into what made the Gallaghers famous.
Rock N Roll Star starts it off, which I found to be a decent track that left a good first impression. I found it pretty funny listening to the guys singing about being rock stars before the fact - positive imagery at work!
Shakermaker, you can tell right away that this is a jam just from the chord progression alone. Love the bluesy chords, hard hitting drums, and drawn out brit-pop vocals. The hook is fantastic, and Liam's voice is just as fantastic; After a few run throughs, I think this might be my favorite song on the album.
As soon as Live forever fired up I knew exactly what it would entail, as this happens to be the only track that I distinctly remember listening to before this review. Nostalgia trip be damned, it still holds its own to this day. Thoroughly enjoyed this.
Up in the Sky, how does it feel! Another display of Noel's fantastic songwriting coupled with electrifying guitar melodies. What else is there to say? Oasis is Oasis.
Next comes Columbia - loved the groove but otherwise I don't have much else to add for this one.
Supersonic, another jam that I've heard plenty of times outside of this week. By this point in the album I'm at a loss to add more than what I've already added, as Oasis has such a distinct signature sound that I'd be just parroting what I've said for past tracks. These guys are so damn good.
Bring it on Down came in a lot meatier than it's predecessors with it's heavy hitting percussion, electric guitar elements and distorted voice effects. This one definitely had the most "rock & roll feeling" going for it so far. It also made me realize how dynamic of an album this was turning out to be. Really loved the payoff at the end of this record - Noel can really play the hell out of that guitar.
Next is Ciggies and Alcohol, there's that bluesy guitar again. While not the strongest of the album I still enjoyed this record a lot; specifically the guitar. Nothing stood out too much to warrant any further comment.
Digsys Diner, I honestly felt that Noel wrote this song just to hear Liam sing about Lasagna for two and a half minutes. Hilarious.
Slide Away, man that guitar is really speaking to me, taking on a voice of its own. The solo specifically really stuck out for me. I also really enjoyed the vocals on this one, as usual the songwriting is fantastic. Second favorite behind Shakermaker.
Finally Married with Children, I read that this song was apparently Noel writing about himself after his girlfriend left him. Looks like your music wasn't shite after all, Noel. With it's stripped down arrangement and melancholy lyrics it really brings the energy down to the right amount - just the perfect closer. Fantastic song to sum up a fantastic album.
Rating – 9.0/10
Favourite Song – Shakermaker
LUNDI
I don’t think there’s much left to say about Liam & Noel but man I love both these guys. Their rivalry continues to be one of the best things in the music industry despite Oasis’ last show being over 10 years ago.
Definitely Maybe follows along with the format I’ve come to know and love with Oasis where Noel writes excellent songs and Liam brings them to life with his iconic voice, however, this album is much heavier hitting than the Brit Pop albums that follow. For me that’s a plus despite loving their follows ups as well.
The album kicks off for me with one of the best tracks. Rock N Roll Star sets the pace for the album to come and drew me in immediately. The next track that really hits for me is Live Forever and along with Supersonic it really shows what Oasis had in their future for those rock ballads with sing along courses. Between those two tracks another favourite of the album, Up in the Sky. The riff is basic but it’s perfect. I catch myself listening to this one over and over.
After Supersonic the remainder of the album holds up but isn’t as strong as the first half. It seems to alternate between radio singles and filler. Cigarettes and Alcohol and Slide Away are particularly great but even dispite labeling songs being filler I still don’t skip a single one. Most bands would kill to make a song as good as the worst song on DM.
Overall this is one of the tidiest albums I’ve ever listened to and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to give it a full go. The guitar work alone brings this to the top of the Oasis album rankings for me. Second week in a row it becomes a necessary vinyl.
Rating – 9.2/10
Favourite Song – Rock n Roll Star/Up In The Sky