Oasis' sophomore album shows growth
Their second album, Definitely Maybe, created a stir with its arrogant driving style, a direct reflection of the young Brits' brash talent and abrasive style with singles such as "Supersonic" and "Live Forever."
This time around, Liam and Noel Gallagher, lead vocalist and lead guitar, respectively, have expanded Oasis in several ways. Both Gallagher brothers have improved their musicianship. Liam's voice now has greater range and displays surprising gentleness. Noel Gallagher has begun to back up his claims of being a great songwriter and guitarist with more clever lyrics and a vastly improved guitar technique. The other two members of this Manchester quintet -- rhythm guitarist Paul Arthurs and bassist Paul McGuigan have also done their share of practice. Lastly, longtime drummer Tony McCaroll is no longer present. He received the boot after getting in a fistfight with the ever-pugnacious Liam in a nightclub.
The finished product is different than Definitely Maybe. The title track and first single, "Morning Glory," and two other tracks, "Hello" and "Some Might Say" (released as a single earlier in 1995), are the closest in style to Definitely Maybe . All three revel in crunching guitars while expressing subtle hooks and riffs that were not displayed in their debut. Noel Gallagher, who writes all of Oasis' tracks, conveys the band's cockiness into lyrics. "Hello" appears to be the band's bold, "we're back again" statement to the world; it ends with the repeating sampled chorus, "It's good to be back."
The other tracks on Morning Glory show maturation on the band's part. The Beatles-esque "She's Electric" has irresistable charm with rolling keyboards and a fun, flowing style marked with heavy reliance on Noel Gallagher's assertive background vocals, which show off his impressive range.
The title track is a showcase of Oasis' technical improvements. Noel Gallagher and Arthurs complement each other perfectly with driving riffs and heavy background noise. The lyrics in Morning Glory point to a cynical outlook on drugs, of which the Gallagher brothers are no strangers. Lines such as, "All your dreams are made/As you're chained to a mirror and a razor blade" point to the darker aspect of heavy drug use.
Morning Glory doesn't suffer from the sophomore blues that have doomed many other bands. While it lacks the anthem-like quality that defined Definitely Maybe 's singles such as "Supersonic" and "Slide Away," it makes up for this with improved musicianship and, more importantly, fresh new sounds. Yet the band still retains a brash, youthful sound that includes the healthy dose of Beatles' influence.
At some points, this album is absolutely brilliant. Will this band conquer America as the press expects it to? Should they find a way to stay together, they have a good chance of establishing themselves as the rock 'n' roll gods they set out to become only a couple of years ago.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the November 3, 1995 issue.
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