Oasis "What's the Story Morning Glory?"

[NORTHCOAST]

I have recently been listening to this album for the first time. Have heard so many comments about Oasis on this board and in the media (especially when Coldplay or Keane are compared to them). So I thought I'd give it a listen. It's funny cuz I immediately thought of Fountains of Wayne when I heard some songs, especially "Champagne Supernova". Thought the vocal sounded very familiar to some FOW songs. Thought it was a crazy comparision, but then today I read the review of FOW's new CD in Rolling Stone and they called one of the songs "Oasis-ish". Maybe I'm not so crazy after all. I did hear a little resemblence to the Goo Goo Dolls sound too. And of course The Beatles. Didn't really hear much Coldplay or Keane in this album. Do you? All in all, I like it, but don't love it.

Rolling Stone has a description of the band it it finishes with this line: "Controversies aside, they've managed to write some genuinely effective music and revitalize the spirit of rock 'n' roll with only a modicum of copyright infringement lawsuits. " The AMG biography mentions them frequently "reworking" hits by other bands. Can anyone give me some info on this??

Also the AMG review says they use "distinctly British lyrical themes and song structures ". Any insights on that? Kind of deep, but don't really understand the distinctly British theme part.

[Hervard]

My favorite song off the album was "Don't Look Back In Anger", which sounded very Beatle-esque. That remains the longest running #1 song ever on my Personal Top 40 chart. Spent sixteen weeks at #1. Wasn't #1 for the year, though, since those were the last 16 weeks of 1996, and it climbed my chart very quickly.

[halo19]

I really love the song "Morning Glory". Too bad it wasn't as big of a hit as its follow-ups. Yet that doesn't really matter because they then got extremely popular.

I love it. I've heard this and Be Here Now from them. But yeah, even the singles are reason enough to tell someone that you'll enjoy listening to it.

[punkydoodle]

My favorite Oasis album. Ah, I just adore it.

[Libra]

I love "Wonderwall".

"Champagne Supernova" and "Don't Look Back in Anger" are good, too.[/font]

[Deleted]

Classic.

[GiggaWho]

When I have a difficult project at work, I always cue this up on my iPod. By the time Hello is over, I'm off and running. I don't know what it is about this album, but it works every single time. It's my wonderwall (whatever that is).

[A Thug Named Slickback]

Unbelievably good... "Champagne Supernova" ranks as one of my favorite songs ever.

[kellydicted]

windwhispers said:

My favorite Oasis album. Ah, I just adore it.

[SyrupBoy]

northcoast said:

The AMG biography mentions them frequently "reworking" hits by other bands.  Can anyone give me some info on this?? 

The piano intro to 'Don't Look Back In Anger' is nicked from John Lennon's 'Imagine'. 'Cigarettes & Alcohol' from their first album is basically a rewrite of 'Bang A Gong' by T-Rex. Those are the two most blatant reworkings that I know of, aside from their last single 'Lyla' which channels 'Street Fighting Man'.

This is truly a classic disc, but I think I prefer Definitely Maybe.

[Hervard]

syrupboy said:

The piano intro to 'Don't Look Back In Anger' is nicked from John Lennon's 'Imagine'.

Sounds more like the piano intro to "Let It Be" to me. But they sound alike also, since they're both sung by John Lennon.

[friday]

ulij20 said:

syrupboy said:

The piano intro to 'Don't Look Back In Anger' is nicked from John Lennon's 'Imagine'. 

Sounds more like the piano intro to "Let It Be" to me.  But they sound alike also, since they're both sung by John Lennon.

I thought Paul McCartney sang on "Let It Be"?

[Chato]

Great song , not very radio friendly , though .

[jaxxalude]

syrupboy said:

northcoast said:

The AMG biography mentions them frequently "reworking" hits by other bands.  Can anyone give me some info on this??  

The piano intro to 'Don't Look Back In Anger' is nicked from John Lennon's 'Imagine'. 'Cigarettes & Alcohol' from their first album is basically a rewrite of 'Bang A Gong' by T-Rex. Those are the two most blatant reworkings that I know of, aside from their last single 'Lyla' which channels 'Street Fighting Man'. This is truly a classic disc, but I think I prefer Definitely Maybe.

You also have "Roll With It" in "(What's The Story)...", which has parts that recall very much Status Quo's "Rockin' All Over The Word".
But way more obvious is "Definitely Maybe"'s "Shakermaker", which is basically a rewrite of the New Seekers' famous 70's Coke-ad soundtrack "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing". In fact, this is something that can be easily related to a funny bit. In late 1996 - at the height of the Oasis and Britpop frenzy in the UK - there was this Oasis tribute band called No Way Sis - get the pun? - who managed to have a hit with - guess? - a cover of "I'd Like To Teach...".
Sometimes, the B-sides of Oasis' singles were even more obvious in their "copyright infringement" method. Their stopgap 1998 B-sides and rarities compilation "The Masterplan" has one of these in song n.º 1, "Acquiesce ", which is very reminiscent of Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize". Noel Gallagher even once described his songwriting method. It goes like this:

a) Listen to a song by another act
b) Try to work up the song's scales and notes
c) Bring up two more tones to the scales and notes, switch them and add up two more tones
d) Steal lyrics from people who had already died so they couldn't sue them
e) Sign Noel Gallagher

How simple!

[A Thug Named Slickback]

I think people feel compelled to criticize Oasis simply because they've had so much commercial success, even though they are genuinely talented.

[unicorns]

One of my favorite albums of all-time. Looooooove it. Not one bad song on the album.

[jazklash]

This is pretty much the album which sealed the UK mainstream indie's modus operandi right until this day. And that is to rely too much on the UK's glorious guitar past - from the 60's to the 80's -, stick with it and not try to do anything vaguely iconoclast/creative/innovative with it. For all its moments of greatness, Morning Glory and the revivalist Britpop moment associated with it forever crystallized the vast majority of British guitar music into a ghetto of nostalgic reverence and Dadrock stillness (and stiffness too). Its impact, in the long run, couldn't have been deadlier and more negative to British music, and the way a lot of it is perceived outside its confines.
At least the United Electronic and Urban Nations of the UK were too busy constructing the present and delineating the future to bother with this. Too bad this just went over the majority's heads, though...

[freakyflybry2]

From what I've heard of the album, it's top notch Definitely deserved all the success they got, Oasis was really at their peak around this time.

[My Life Is A Stereo]

Mar 16, 2008 12:41:29 GMT -5 jazklash said:

This is pretty much the album which sealed the UK mainstream indie's modus operandi right until this day. And that is to rely too much on the UK's glorious guitar past - from the 60's to the 80's -, stick with it and not try to do anything vaguely iconoclast/creative/innovative with it. For all its moments of greatness, Morning Glory and the revivalist Britpop moment associated with it forever crystallized the vast majority of British guitar music into a ghetto of nostalgic reverence and Dadrock stillness (and stiffness too). Its impact, in the long run, couldn't have been deadlier and more negative to British music, and the way a lot of it is perceived outside its confines.
At least the United Electronic and Urban Nations of the UK were too busy constructing the present and delineating the future to bother with this. Too bad this just went over the majority's heads, though...

You know what? Oasis could give a flying f*** what this album did to any music revivalism. This album was and still is a major force. For the record, not everything needs to be "new" and "innovative" but its sure helps if it's good and this album isnt just good, its epic.

[My Life Is A Stereo]

It was funny to run into this thread now after actually hearing this played on a "classic alternative" station here in Calgary, just four days ago. Sounded radio friendly enough to me, lol.

[jazklash]

Mar 17, 2008 14:42:32 GMT -5 My Life Is A Stereo said:

Mar 16, 2008 12:41:29 GMT -5 jazklash said:

This is pretty much the album which sealed the UK mainstream indie's modus operandi right until this day. And that is to rely too much on the UK's glorious guitar past - from the 60's to the 80's -, stick with it and not try to do anything vaguely iconoclast/creative/innovative with it. For all its moments of greatness, Morning Glory and the revivalist Britpop moment associated with it forever crystallized the vast majority of British guitar music into a ghetto of nostalgic reverence and Dadrock stillness (and stiffness too). Its impact, in the long run, couldn't have been deadlier and more negative to British music, and the way a lot of it is perceived outside its confines.
At least the United Electronic and Urban Nations of the UK were too busy constructing the present and delineating the future to bother with this. Too bad this just went over the majority's heads, though...

You know what? Oasis could give a flying f*** what this album did to any music revivalism.

Especially if you get bloody rich in the process. Still, their negative impact on British music is still present (insert ironic chuckle here!), and the damage is done. Alas!

[Live Your Life]

An indisputable classic. Excellent album.

[someguy]

This is probably one of my favourite albums ever. It has such 90s nostalgia for me.