Oasis (band)

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The band's nucleus - The Gallagher brothers Noel and Liam - in a rare moment of laughter

Oasis is a British rock band, originally formed in Manchester.

The band achieved international stardom in the mid 1990s, grafting elements of bands like The Beatles, The Stone Roses, and T.Rex to their own kind of psychedelic British rock. They are often credited with helping Britpop replace Grunge and House music as the most prominent pop-music movement of the mid-1990's.

Led by vocalist Liam Gallagher and his older brother, lead guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher, Oasis combined catchy melodies, wall-of-sound guitar, mod-style fashion and an arrogant swagger to attract the attention of the press in 1994. The band's behaviour both on and off the stage made them tabloid newspaper staples, with frequent reports of heavy drinking, drug abuse and violent confrontations appearing regularly in the press. Since the band's rise to prominence, the band's line-up has changed frequently, with the Gallagher brothers remaining the only constant.

History

Early years and breakthrough (1991-1994)

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(1991-1994) left to right: Liam, Guigsy, Noel, McCaroll, Bonehead

Oasis were first known as Rain, a guitar group who had taken their name from a 1966 Beatles' B-side. The band were originally comprised of Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan (bass), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitars), Tony McCaroll (drums) and Chris Hutton (vocals .

When Guigsy invited school friend Liam Gallagher to join the group, Gallagher accepted, and quickly pushed for the band's name to be changed to Oasis.

The band then played their first gig as Oasis in August of 1991, at the Boardwalk club in Manchester. Noel, who had recently returned from touring America as a roadie for the Inspiral Carpets, came to watch his younger brother play. A few months later, he was invited to join the band. Although he had been critical of them, he agreed, with the provision that he would become the band's sole songwriter and leader, and that they would aim for the very top.

After gaining a loyal and vocal following on the local Manchester gig circuit, Oasis signed to Creation Records in late 1993. It is reputed the band signed following a Glasgow concert at which they threatened the owner of the club to be allowed onstage (this version of events has not been substantiated). Following a limited white label release of their song "Columbia", the band released its first commercial singles, "Supersonic" and "Shakermaker," in the spring of 1994. Both gained national radio airplay and were Top 40 hits in the United Kingdom.

In August 1994 their true breakthrough came with the melodic crossover single "Live Forever," which hit the UK Top 10. Also around this time the band were involved in a high-profile incident on a ferry just outside the Netherlands. Liam and Guigsy were arrested for fighting, Bonehead and McCarroll were also detained for alleged shoplifting. All four were subsequently refused entry to the Netherlands, and this incident became the first of many tabloid stories on the band. The publicity helped their Definitely Maybe enter the charts at #1 in September 1994, becoming the fastest selling debut album in UK history.

More hit singles quickly followed The October 1994 single "Cigarettes & Alcohol" reached #7 in the UK charts amidst controversy that its central riff had been lifted directly from T-Rex's 1972 hit "Bang a Gong (Get it On)" The EP "Whatever" was released in December 1994, peaking at #3 in the UK charts and foreshadowing the band's move toward a mellower sound.

Britpop and the Blur rivalry (1995-1996)

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(1995-1998) clockwise from left: Guigsy, Bonehead, Liam, Whitey and Noel

A minor setback happened during early sessions for their second album: original drummer Tony McCaroll was sacked after reports of scuffles with the Gallaghers. He was with Londoner Alan "Whitey" White, whose brother Steve had drummed for Paul Weller and his band Style Council. McCaroll later attempted to sue Oasis over his sacking, citing breach of contract, but lost the suit on a technicality. Undisturbed the band continued recording their follow-up with on the drumming stool.

Oasis soon had their first UK #1 with the first single from their second album, "Some Might Say" (the only track with McCaroll's performance), in late April 1995. During this period, the British built up a rivalry between Oasis and "Britpop" band Blur. The rivalry turned ugly when Noel told The Observer he hoped Damon Albarn and Alex James of Blur would "catch AIDS and die." He subsequently apologised for this in a formal letter to Melody Maker magazine[1].

On Monday, August 14th, 1995, Blur Oasis released new singles on the same day, setting up a "battle of the bands" that dominated the week's music news. Perhaps because it was more cheaply (99p vs £199), Blur's "Country House" outsold Oasis' "Roll With It" 24,00 copies to 21,000 during the week. In the long run, however, Oasis' second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? the second-fatest selling album of all-time in the UK, leaving Blur far behind in popularity.

With a softer sound that led to mixed reviews, the album has since sold 2 million copies worldwide and two other hit singles with "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger", which reached numbers 2 and 1 respectively. As their rise to fame reached its zenith, Oasis perfomed back--concerts at Knobworth Park on the 10th and 11th August 1996. The band sold out both within minutes - 300people for both nights, a -breaking number for an outdoor concert in the UK.

In September of 1995, Guigsy briefly left the band on tour in the US, citing depression. He was replaced by Scott McLeod, formerly of The Ya-Yas, who featured on some of the tour dates as well as in the "Wonderwall" video before he abruptly left. In order to complete the tour, Guigsy was successfully convinced to return to the band.

The recording and release of Be Here Now (1997-1998)

Oasis spent the end of 1996 and the first quarter of 1997 planning their third album. Be Here Now was released in August 1997, the band choosing to launch it on a Thursday rather than the traditional Monday. Preceded by the UK #1 single "D'You Know What I Mean", the album was perhaps their most anticipated effort, and as such became the subject of considerable media attention. Anticipation culminated with the screening of the documentary, "Right Here, Right Now" on BBC1 on the eve of the album's release. The attendant press attention and hype helped the album become the fastest-selling album in UK history, selling 423,000 units on its day of release, and reached number 2 in the US album chart.

Be Here Now ultimately outsold Definitely Maybe worldwide but could not match the sales of (What's the Story) Morning Glory. Although early media reviews were positive, once the hype had died down, the album was later criticised as bloated and derivative by fans and critics, and the Noel Gallagher himself later disavowed the album. Melody Maker later gloated that Be Here Now had become the album most frequently sold to second-hand record shops, ending the era of Oasis as media darlings. When an argument between band members interrupted the band's American tour of the album, the band nearly self-destructed.

After a Yellow Submarine-inspired video for their fourth UK #1, "All Around The World", the group kept a low profile throughout 1998, although a compilation of popular B-sides, The Masterplan, was released in autumn 1998.

Later years (1999-)

The recording of the fourth album also saw founding member Arthurs leave the band. His departure was reported at the time as amicable, with Noel stating that Arthurs wanted to spend more time with his family. Arthurs' statement clarified his leaving so as "to concentrate on other things"[2]. However, in a recent interview Noel has offered a contradicting version: that a series of violations of Noel's 'no drink or drugs' policy for the album's sessions resulted in a confrontation between the two. Finding the pressure of being in the band without his close friend too great, bass player "Guigsy" soon gave notice. White, however, elected to remain with the Gallaghers. Thus he, Liam and Noel had to re-record much of the album, with Noel playing all guitar and bass parts. Colin "Gem" Archer, formerly of Heavy Stereo, was later brought in as guitarist while Andy Bell, formerly of Ride joined on bass guitar. Bell had never played bass before and he was obliged to learn playing it as well as all Oasis songs of the back catalogue at the last minute before their starting tour.

With the death of Creation Records, Oasis formed their own label, Big Brother as a subsidiary label of the Sony group.

Oasis's fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants was released in February 2000 to good first-week sales. The album was greeted by lukewarm reviews, however, being seen as experimental, and a departure from their traditional sound, and as of 2005 it remains their lowest-selling album worldwide, although it did spawn another UK number 1 with"Go Let It Out".

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(1999-2003) left to right: Gem, Whitey, Liam, Noel and Andy

The spring of 2000 saw the new line-up embark on a world tour, which again proved eventful. In Barcelona they were forced to cancel a gig at the last-minute because of a hand injury sustained by Alan White. As a result, the band spent the whole night drinking, and a fight broke out between the Gallagher brothers. Noel then jetted home immediately and announced he had quit overseas touring. The band replaced him with guitar technician Matt Deighton to complete the remaining tour dates.

After two months of ongoing rumours about band's long-term future, Noel returned for the British leg of the tour, which culminated in a Wembley show. A live album of the show, called Familiar to Millions, was released in late 2000. Noel, White and Liam all ended marriages during this period. Liam, whose marriage to actress/singer Patsy Kensit had been well-known among tabloid readers, soon started a relationship with former All Saints' Nicole Appleton, who soon became pregnant with their son Gene.

In mid-2001 the band returned to work on their next record. Oasis' fifth album, Heathen Chemistry, was released in July 2002. The record retained an experimental flavour, but also borrowed heavily from traditional British sounds. Heathen Chemistry was also a much more balanced recording process for the band, with Liam, Andy and Gem all penning songs. This new working method, along with a less fighting and drug abuse in the studio, ultimately gave the record a more relaxed feel compared to past efforts. Johnny Marr provided additional guitar as well as backup vocals on several songs, and while critics gave Heathen Chemistry lukewarm reviews, it was commercially successful.

London based Bassist Phil Rapley was asked to play for Oasis whilst Andy was busy finishing off solo material but turned it down because of his own band

In late summer of 2002, whilst the band was on tour in the United States, Noel, Andy and touring keyboardist Jay Darlington were involved in a car accident. While none of the band members sustained any major injuries, some shows were cancelled as a result. Liam also suddenly bolted offstage for no apparent reason during a show in Fukuoka, Japan, leaving Noel to take over vocal duties. It was the second Fukuoka show in three years that Liam failed to complete; over the years Oasis have developed a reputation for cancelling concerts or ending them prematurely on a whim.

In December 2002, whilst on the European leg of the tour Liam and White, as well as three members of the band's entourage, were arrested in Munich after being involved in a drunken brawl at a local club. Liam was considerably inebriated and became involved in a scuffle with other drinkers. The scuffle saw Liam lose his two front teeth. He also jumped on the club's stage and kicked a police officer in the groin. As a result of the brawl, two of the band's security guards required serious medical attention. The altercations led to 12 shows being cancelled, the band incurring £170,000 in losses, and two years later Liam was fined £45,000, with part of the money going to the injured police officer. After the end of the tour, the band spent the rest of 2003 out of the spotlight.

After nine years in the band, longtime drummer Alan "Whitey" White, left the band in early 2004, the announcement coming just a month into recording the follow-up to Heathen Chemistry. Although various rumours have circulated regarding the reasons for White's departure, his brother Steve White stated on his own web-site that Alan was just tired with being in Oasis and wanted some time off to be with his girlfriend. This became the first of many setbacks in the recording of Oasis' sixth studio album, resulting in the scrapping of the first sessions.

In June 2004, Oasis headlined the Glastonbury Festival for the second time in their career, and debuted two tracks - Gem's "A Bell Will Ring" and Liam's "The Meaning of Soul". The concert although was badly received, was important becaise it saw the official introduction of their new drummer Zak Starkey, son of Beatles' Ringo Starr.

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(2004-) from left: Liam, Gem, Zak, Andy and Noel on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

In September 2004, the band released Definitely Maybe: The DVD in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the release of their debut album. The DVD contains an enhanced audio version of the album, four hours of live footage, and interviews with band members and the production team.

In May 2005 the band resurfaced after three years with their sixth album Don't Believe the Truth. It featured the previous album's democratic songwriting duties with Noel contributing five songs, Liam three, Andy two and Gem one. The album was leaked on the internet a month before its actual release and was well-received by fans.

This album signalled the end of Oasis' current recording contract. Following Noel's comments whilst accepting the "Best Music DVD" award at the NME Awards in London in February 2005, speculation grew that they were seeking to work once again with former boss Alan McGee on a new label, albeit one with major backing. Noel has since claimed that this was not what his comments referred to. As of August 2005 the band are still without a contract for future albums.

June 2005 also saw the band on tour after a three-year gap-but not without incidents. One gig witnessed the audience pelting the stage with bottles and objects after Liam had walked off stage at the end of the show midway through Champagne Supernova, leaving Noel to assume the vocals for the remainder of the show. Later in the month the band played two especially large gigs in USA; at Madison Square Garden, where 16,000 seats were sold within the first hour; and at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts where the band played to their largest audience of any tour in the United States, with 20,000 in attendance. There was also some crowd trouble at their televised Manchester homecoming gig when a crowd barrier was broken, and fans were forced to wait 25 minutes while the problem was fixed.

Discography

Studio albums

1. Definitely Maybe (August 30 1994) - #1 UK, #58 US - 15 million

2. (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (October 2 1995) - #1 UK, #4 US - 18.5 million

File:Oasis Be Here Now album cover.jpg 3. Be Here Now (August 21 1997) #1 UK, #2 US, #1 CAN, #1 AUS - 8 million

File:StandingontheShoulderofGiantsOasisalbumcover.jpg 4. Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (February 28 2000) - #1 UK, #24 US, #8 CAN, #12 AUS - 3 million

File:HeathenChemistryOasisalbumcover.jpg 5. Heathen Chemistry (July 1 2002) - #1 UK, #23 US, #5 CAN, #3 AUS - 5 million

6. Don't Believe the Truth (30 May 2005) - #1 UK, #12 US, #3 CAN, #5 AUS, #1 JPN - 1.5 million

Compilations

The Masterplan (B-sides compilation album) - (November 2 1998) - #2 UK, #51 US, #11 CAN - 2 million

Singles

• "Supersonic" - (April 11, 1994) #31 UK
• "Shakermaker" - (June 13, 1994) #11 UK
• "Live Forever" - (August 8, 1994, #10 UK
• "Cigarettes & Alcohol" - (October 10, 1994) #7 UK
• "Whatever" - (December 19, 1994) #3 UK, #40 AUS
• "Some Might Say" - (April 24, 1995) #1 UK
• "Roll With It" - (August 14, 1995) #2 UK, #48 AUS
• "Wonderwall" (October 30, 1995) #2 UK, #8 US, #1 AUS
• "Don't Look Back in Anger" - (February 19, 1996) #1 UK, #55 US, #19 AUS
• "D'You Know What I Mean" - (July 7, 1997) #1 UK, #3 CAN, #16 AUS
• "Stand By Me" - (September 22, 1997) #2 UK, #48 AUS
• "All Around The World" - (January 12, 1998) #1 UK
• "Go Let It Out" - (February 7, 2000) #1 UK, #1 CAN, #23 AUS
• "Who Feels Love?" - (April 17, 2000) #4 UK, #7 CAN
• "Sunday Morning Call" - (July 3, 2000) #4 UK, #8 CAN
• "The Hindu Times" - (April 15, 2002) #1 UK, #1 CAN, #22 AUS
• "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" - (June 17, 2002) #2 UK, #6 CAN, #48 AUS
• "Little by Little" / "She is Love" - (September 23, 2002) #2 UK, #2 CAN
• "Songbird" - (February 3, 2003) #3 UK, #2 CAN
• "Lyla" (16 May, 2005) #1 UK, #4 CAN, #23 AUS
• "The Importance of Being Idle" (22 August, 2005)

Exclusive International Singles

• "Champagne Supernova" - (US and AUS only, June 17 1996) #26 AUS
• "Morning Glory" - (US and AUS only, October 30 1996) #25 AUS
• "Don't Go Away" - (Japan only, February 19, 1998)
• "Acquiesce" - US Modern Rock Tracks

Lives and Videos

• Live By The Sea - (August 31 1995)
• ...There And Then - (October 14 1996)
• Familiar to Millions - (November 13 2000) - #5 UK, #182 US - 1.5 million
• Definitely Maybe - The DVD - (September 7 2004)

Plaudits

Oasis are regularly voted towards the top of many "Greatest of all time" polls, some of which include:

• Observer Music Monthly 100 Greatest British Albums poll, June 2004- #19 Definitely Maybe, #70 (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
• Channel 4 100 Greatest Albums of All Time, April 2005- #6 Definitely Maybe, #15 (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
• NME's 100 Best Albums of All Time, 2003- #13 Definitely Maybe, #37 (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
• Q Magazine's 100 Greatest Albums of All Time, 2003- #8 Definitely Maybe, #22 (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
• Q Magazine's 50 Greatest Bands List, 2004- #13 Oasis
• Virgin Radio's 100 Greatest British Artists, 2003- #3 Oasis
• Q Magazine's 100 Greatest Gigs, 2004- #3 Oasis- Knebworth 1996

Band Members Over the Years

1991-1994:

• Liam Gallagher - Lead Vocals
• Noel Gallagher - Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals/Backvocals
• Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs - Rhythm Guitar
• Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan - Bass Guitar
• Tony McCaroll - Drums. Replaced by Alan White in 1995

1995-1998:

• Liam Gallagher - Lead Vocals
• Noel Gallagher - Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals/Backvocals
• Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs - Rhythm Guitar. Replaced by Gem Archer in 1999
• Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan - Bass Guitar. Replaced by Andy Bell on Bass in 1999
• Alan White - Drums

1999-2003:

• Liam Gallagher - Lead Vocals
• Noel Gallagher - Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals/Backvocals
• Gem Archer - Rhythm Guitar/Backvocals
• Andy Bell - Bass Guitar
• Alan White - Drums. Replaced by Zak Starkey in 2004

2004-Present

• Liam Gallagher - Lead Vocals
• Noel Gallagher - Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals/Backvocals
• Gem Archer - Rhythm Guitar/Backvocals
• Andy Bell - Bass Guitar
• Zak Starkey - Drums

See Also

• The Music
• Primal Scream
• Blur
• Ian Brown
• Paul Weller
• The Chemical Brothers
• Best selling music artists - World's top selling music artists chart.

External links

• Oasis - official website.
• The Mad Fer It - An Oasis fan site filled with downloads, online community and more!
• The Soapbox - Oasis and other bollocks.
• Masterplan Forum - fan forum with live concert downloads, Ignore Jeff.
• Live4Ever - Oasis Fan Site with large community and frequently updated site.
• Oasis Fanatic - An online community of Oasis fans
• German Oasis Fansite