How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
Value for Money
Advantages:
Songs, Performance, Hugely Influential
Disadvantages:
Hugely influenced
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
In 1995, Oasis and Blur were vying for the title of the world's biggest band - as they prepared to issue their new albums, the music press was building up the hype and the hate war between the two of them. The first shots in this phoney battle came with the singles, Country House by Blur and Oasis' Roll With It, which were both released in the same week.
As it turned out, they were both pretty abysmal records, with Damon Albarn's Cheeky Chirpy Cockney muse just outpointing the Status Quo rip off which Oasis had masquerading as their offering. Everything went surprisingly flat for the papers and they cried out in anguish. However, battle was actually joined when they issued their albums, but there was strictly no contest.
Blur issued a whimsical piece of nothing much at all by the name of The Great Escape (I do believe), while Oasis triumphed with a stupendous collection by the name of (What's The Story) Morning Glory? - an enormous, blistering, invigorating collection of some of the most excellent rock and roll of the decade. The battle was effectively over as Blur teetered on the edge of inanity and drifted away from centre stage, while the stock of Oasis soared (although they came back to earth with a bump when they stumbled badly with Be Here Now).
Prior to Morning Glory, the Brothers Gallagher had faced enormous criticism for their Beatles copyist tendencies, but now the themes were strictly post-Fab Four with Quo, Gary Glitter and Flame-era Slade all getting a look in as the Glam Rock Show came to town. However, Oasis revelled in this brash, flamboyant smorgasbord of sound, belting out classic after classic. Plagiarism and wearing your influences on your sleeve have long been almost omnipresent within rock, so this was nothing new, and the fact that they carried the whole thing off with such marvellous panache and verve meant that we could forgive them everything, even the media generated bad behaviour.
Morning Glory oozed energy and vitality and reverberated with classic rock music, and a clutch of wonderful songs ...Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger, Some Might Say, She's Electric and Champagne Supernova ... this was bloody remarkable music, razing the earth with its abrasive edge and raucous fire.
Noel Gallagher's blaring, eloquent, thunderous songs and guitar were larger than life, laying down the base for that startling nasal whine of Liam, the most distinctive voice of the mid-90s. These were the twin peaks of Oasis, even though Paul Bonehead Arthurs and Paul McGuigan were still around on rhythm and bass respectively. Alan White had come in on drums, but these three were cast very much in the guise of session musos beneath the towering shadows of the Gallaghers. That cast was even expanded to include the influential Paul Weller for one track on the album, but even the Modfather remained in the shade, with Liam and Noel dominating proceedings completely and utterly.
The sound was big and brash and beautiful and carried off with no little aplomb, a veritable greatest hits album of originals, truly exceptional.
However, away from the music Oasis were poised on the cusp of self indulgent madness and revelling in their own glory - they'd always been pretty arrogant, but now they had convinced themselves of their supremacy. The sleeve notes smacked of this self-worship: "Coming down off the nova somewhere near the boiled egg that is the Royal Albert Hall, we watch Paul's sun crossed with John's star and hold ice cream hands. Someone slipped on a cassette as the one you wanted left with someone else but somehow it was cool because as the music filled the shadows, you heard a sound that was a million miles away from fakery and a step away from your heart."
What the bloody hell was that all about, eh?
************************************ Hello ************************************ There has rarely been such a blatant rip off of any song as this thinly disguised rehash of Gary Glitter's Hello Hello I'm Back Again, but who cares because this is just wonderful in its raw power and sure footed drive. Opening acoustic strumming quickly gives way to the powerhouse glam rock sound of the Glitter Band, Slade and The Sweet and we're off, all soft heavy metal power chording and distorted guitar licks. DERR-RANGGG!!!
************************************ Roll With It ************************************ "I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it, I LI-I-I-I-KE IT, LI-I-I-I-KE IT, Here we go-o-o, Rockin' all over the world..." Well, perhaps not quite, but Rick and Francis were certainly in mind when Nolly penned this. It's damned annoying, but it's damned catchy. Pitter patter, pitter patter, orthodox twelve bar, "I'll have a ham roll with it...." NYARRRR, Clang, Clang, Bazapp, followed by one of the most predictable middle eights ever ... oh well, and those backing vocals are BIZARRE.
************************************ Wonderwall ************************************ From the ridiculous and hamfisted to the sublime and masterful ... Wonderwall is one of the finest songs of all time, a whimsical, romantic ballad drenched in quite marvellous strings and acoustics. There's always a chill going up my spine when we're in the presence of greatness, and Wonderwall is simply awesome, peerless, magic class. That opening, that amazing unaccompanied acoustic opening before the buzzing strings check in, awe inspiring, bloody awe inspiring. If anyone ever tells you that Oasis are overrated, point them in the direction of this little epic, which even Mike Flowers couldn't really ruin. "I said maybe, you're gonna be the one who saves me, and after all, you're my wonderwall ... I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you NOWWW..." PS Simply adore the drums on this one.
************************************ Don't Look Back In Anger ************************************ The ghost of John Lennon would turn in his grave as Abbey Road and Let It Be are dissected and rearranged for the 90's. This was an enormous hit single and one of the best sounds of the year, but the Beatles influence is everywhere: "So I start a revolution from my bed, cos you said the brains I have went to my head, step outside the summertime's in bloom, stand up besides the fireplace, take that look from off your face, cos you ain't ever gonna burn my heart out."
************************************ Hey Now! ************************************ This is a bit of an oddity here, with its rolling, almost sedate pace and stop start jerking. It's not particularly memorable, but it chugs along nicely enough.
************************************ Track 6 ************************************ A few seconds of heavy metal riffing to fill out the gap quite nicely, what are you on, boys?
************************************ Some Might Say ************************************ The image of Liam, shades and anorak in place, bow legged crouching stance with hands behind his back, belting out Some Might Say is one of the classic bits of Oasis-lore and you can easily see why. That Andy Capp guitar and tambourine at the start, more Sladey than Sladey, "Gudbuy T'Jane, Gudbuy T'Jane" at 20 RPM, it may be, but another truly wonderful piece of 90's rock. Love it to death.
************************************ Cast No Shadow ************************************ More strummed opening chords and echoing, spacey drums lead us in to a slow paced number, punctuated by glowing harmonies and soaring but restrained strings, the anthemic ballad that the Gallaghers always feel necessary to release at one point or another.
************************************ She's Electric ************************************ Cartoon pop of the kind which Damon Albarn excelled at, but Noel Gallagher was also a dab hand at whimsy and small time family fun and this is a stroke of tiny little genius. The rhymes here are grating and plain annoying but tremendous fun.
************************************ Morning Glory ************************************ Helicopter over opening (they tried that one again on the next album), then blaring, yearning guitar and jump, jump rock a boogie, endlessly addictive. Love it but can't really explain why.
************************************ Track 11 ************************************ More fidgety wandering in the Number NINE, Number NINE mode, but thankfully shortlived and brief enough not to be much a distraction.
************************************ Champagne Supernova ************************************ The Gallaghers had to close with a big time rock anthem didn't they, with a gorgeous spacey opening, Wonderwall-like lyrics and "Where were you while we wuz getting high." By the way, I always feel extremely troubled when Liam sings that God-awful rhyme involving being faster than a cannonball, but the harmonica's a nice touch. It rambles and wanders and never gels quite as well as they would have wished, but it does have grace and power and leaves us on a nice mellow up.
PS Don't really much like the pic of the back of Noel's head on the CD label...
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How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Good
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month of it going multi-platinum,The Timesclaimed they were more important than the Fabs; and Liam Gallagher was inviting George Harrison to fight him on Primrose...
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