#157 Oasis, '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?' (1995)
Previously #378
One of the most important album of the ‘90s and arguably the most important of the Britpop era. This album solidified the band as a cultural phenomenon building off of the major foundations laid by their record-breaking debut album. If that album, ‘Definitely Maybe (#217), was all about their dreams and aspirations about being Rock ‘n Roll Stars, this album was about living the lives of the Rock ‘n Roll Stars that they’d become. On this album, Noel Gallagher unashamedly continued to pepper their music with references to The Beatles; on ‘Roll With It,’ the lyrics “it’s all too much for me to take,” the title of a George Harrison song from ‘Yellow Submarine,’ on ‘Wonderwall,’ “And all the roads we have to walk are winding,” referencing ‘The Long and Winding Road,’ ‘Wonderwall’ was also the title of a movie for which George Harrison wrote the music. ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger,’ “So I’ll start a revolution from my bed,” a reference to John and Yoko’s bed-in, ‘Morning Glory,’ “Tomorrow never knows what it doesn’t know too soon,” a reference to the song ‘Tomorrow Never Knows.’ Also, the piano at the beginning of ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ is an interpolation of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine.’
Coincidentally, as the band based their music on The Beatles, their success would follow a similar trajectory too. The album would become the best-selling album of the ‘90s in the UK, being certified 15x platinum. The record campaign would culminate in the historic concerts at Knebworth, performing to a total of 250,000 people over two nights. More than 2.5m people (4.4% of the UK population) allegedly applied for tickets to those shows. The songs on this record, because afterall it is all about the songs, are incredible. I could mention each one, as each stands on its own two feet as a rock solid classic. It would be remiss of me not to mention ‘Wonderwall,’ a song so ubiquitous that it’s become a cliché. It’s a staple of campfire guitar performances, a song that has defined the band and become their signature song amongst a setlist of signature songs. Also the first time on record, Noel Gallagher took the reigns on lead vocals for ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger.’ Liam’s vocals on the rest of the album are sublime, culminating on the epic stadium singalong, ‘Champagne Supernova.’ Oasis would struggle to top this record, eventually imploding 14 years later due to the constant infamous bickering of the Gallagher Brothers. It remains one of the greatest albums of our time.
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