Oasis

Oasis makes clear its worthiness to represent England as the nation's next great rock & roll band. The original members of Oasis signed a record deal with Creation Records in early 1993 and came to the forefront with the 1994 single "Live Forever," a bittersweet and alluring gem of poetry and melodic craftiness written by guitarist/vocalist Noel Gallagher. It was given to his younger brother Liam Gallagher to sing, a brash, animated and raucous individual at times, whose personality and unique voice put vitality and raw energy into Oasis' rock-laden image. With Noel spinning out catchy riffs and eloquent lyrics and Liam generating them with his scratchy vocal pipes, they were a perfect couple for a band whose popularity grew by leaps and bounds. Because of their rivalrous personalities and flare-ups on stage, their presence makes their legacy legendary and always provides a great story for the media. The lyrics of "Live Forever" are vibrant and thought-provoking, and the music quite progressive and a cut above the rest at the time, a period when Nirvana's grunge would soon dissipate following the shocking death of Kurt Cobain, and when other Seattle rockers Soundgarden and Pearl Jam would lose the commercial limelight as they took different musical paths. Oasis was just a fun, awe-inspiring, witty, animated, and passionate rock & roll band that came at the right time to soothe listeners. The band's follow-up to Definitely Maybe, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? really got Oasis moving, and brought back the rave of arena and stadium rock, not to mention good live music that was deafeningly loud. "Up in the Sky is a beautiful tune with endearing lyrics surrounding by lushly recorded acoustic guitars and a peek at Noel's smoother voice. "Cloudburst" immediately demonstrates an early preview of the band's vital, uplifting, and distortion-drenched stadium rock anthems that Oasis is so hip to generating. The last track, a live performance of "Supersonic," gives the listener a feel for Oasis' early attempts to electrify crowds. It's a very dark, intense, and emotionally charged tune, laced with mind-challenging lyrics and buzzing guitar riffs. "I need to be myself/I can't be no one else/And I'm feeling supersonic/Just like gin and tonic," is a short look into the young rock stars, who at the time certainly felt supersonic with their initial dose of fame. ~ Shawn Haney, All Music Guide