Another highly successful album of the mid-1990s was “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?” by Oasis, a British band led by the combative Gallagher brothers, Liam & Noel. Noel was the primary creative force and songwriter, as well as the lead guitarist, and Liam was the lead vocalist. Rated as album #157 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Album of All Time, the band blended their indie rock roots with a double dose of Beatle-esque sound to create an impactful and really well-done album.
There are two songs on this record most everyone knows, “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova”. In particular, “Champagne Supernova” is a big favorite of mine, and is a really strong closing track for the album. With its galactic and expansive concept and sound, this track is a just a beautiful song, and stands to me as their finest accomplishment. “Wonderwall” is a good song but not quite on the same level for me. For all of the success of these two songs, they were actually the fourth and sixth singles released. Liam’s voice across this album is a blend of Joe Strummer, John Lennon and Billie Joe Armstrong.
What surprised me the most was how much I loved the rest of this record. For all of their drama as two brothers who fought constantly, they did make a great record. They aren’t the first brother duo to fight their way through a musical career. John & Tom Fogerty still don’t speak to this day, and other famous brothers like the Davies, the Wilsons, and the Everlys certainly had their moments as well.
“Hello” is a decent opener, but perhaps my favorite new track to me comes next, “Roll With It”, a great up-tempo rocker with a very infectious hook. Although I didn’t recognize it, “Roll With It” was their second single released from the record. I think that is what strikes me most about this album, is how alluring each of these songs are on the first listen. Many of these records are an acquired taste, but I loved this one from the first listen.
Two other tracks that stood out for me were “Some Might Say” and “She’s Electric”. “Some Might Say” opens with a Georgia Satellite-sounding riff, which is a long, long way from London. “She’s Electric” very much taps in to the notion that they were building from a Beatles base, and it reminds me a lot of “Good Day Sunshine”. A happy and very pleasant tune indeed, who says these guys don’t get along?
I’m not overly interested in how many times they quit the band on each other or punched each other on or off stage. At the end of the day, some tension and intensity in the band often creates great music, and this album is a hidden gem I’m happy to rediscover.
A Lifetime-Plus of Music 