Definitely Maybe? Probably not. Oasis, mix tapes and looking back

RTÉ News​

6 days ago

My wife is watching Mix Tape. She tells me that I should watch it … with her, but every evening I find myself needing to unwind from the 2-hour horror show of getting the 4-year-old to sleep by engaging in something lighter such as Jimmy Saville: A British Horror Story, Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster and Churchill at War. Maybe she thinks I need something happier in my life, as she often links my dour middle-aged, grumpy (but uproariously funny) demeanor to my love for Roy Keane and Noel Gallgher. The irony being that I've been a Liverpool fan all of my life and I don't listen to Oasis, ever. But most likely, it's some kind of reminiscence of our own blossoming romance of the late 90s/early 2000s when I made a mix tape for her every week.
One of these masterpieces may have included an Oasis song, and most likely it was from Definitely Maybe, but I can't be sure.
We were at the tail end of the mix tape by the late 90s/early 2000s, and there was practically nobody copying whole albums onto tapes by that stage. But in 1994 it was still popular, and this is how I received my first copy of Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe. I turned 18 that year, a seismic time in any young person's life. I had come of age, buying my first pint in a pub… ahem, insured on my Mam's car, lots of carefree, reckless nights where I didn't even come home (others where I got my Mam to pick me up) and my school years were wrapping up for good in May - until I realised I enjoyed the Leaving Cert so much that I decided to do it again the following year. My tardiness with study no doubt influenced by the fact that I had started to play gigs the year before. Places like The Baggot Inn, The Earl Grattan, The Rock Garden, The Fox and Pheasant and the somewhat less salubrious Lorcan Community Centre in Santry were victims to my early escapades on stage. If I wasn't playing gigs, I was going to them - too many to mention for 1994.
My friend John Fitzgerald from Santry Close was usually on the pulse with new music and would often turn me on to something that was new and bristling underground. He was also responsible for opening my eyes to the glory that is Erasure, which was weird for me as a guy who liked his guitars loud. But I'm thankful as Erasure led me to Depeche Mode, New Order, OMD, Kraftwerk and many more excellent synth bands of the time. One day in the spring of 1994, John gave me the 7" of Blur's latest single Girls & Boys (for me to copy of course, not to keep). Blur were by no means an underground secret at this point as their third album was about to be released. But if Leisure (and specifically) Modern Life is Rubbish hinted that something great was to come from Blur, I wasn't really paying attention. I had erroneously labeled them as another English indie band, but when Parklife arrived in April 1994, I was converted. I love Blur, and this might give some context as to where my loyalties lay a year and a half down the road when the U.K. tabloids and their music press counterparts helped fill the coffers of the respective record labels of Blur and Oasis by creating a marketing frenzy for the 'Battle of Britpop,' capitalising on the fact that both artists were releasing singles on the same day. Ironically, with Country House and Roll With It, the 'Battle of Britpop' featured two of the most cringeworthy, and awful three-and-a half-minutes in either artists' canon.
Later that year, I had a similar experience. Rehearsing in the aforementioned Lorcan Community Hall with three guys who had asked me to ditch my old band and join theirs, the 15-year-old guitarist (soon to be converted bass player) Gav Fox told me about this new group from Manchester (I was already put off) called Oasis. I think he mentioned something about The Beatles! Anyway, he had Definitely Maybe on cassette, and needless to say I took it and I copied it. On first listen, it was clear that Oasis had something a bit special, if also a bit derivative.
Listen: Oasis superfans talk to Today With Claire Byrne ahead of their Dublin shows
This was certainly no 'Madchester' band; the guitars were loud, very loud, it was brash and bristling with attitude, but the driving force of their songs was melody. It was apparent that we were dealing with a serious songwriter. And, certainly at that time and arguably not since, Liam's vocals were incredible. His p**s-and-vinegar snarling also held a timbre that was full of character, and he seemed to go completely against the common trope of singing from the stomach - it was all in his throat. And he looked great. Noel was the songwriter, leader and creative drive of the band, but it wouldn't have worked without Liam. Definitely Maybe was like Never Mind The Bollocks for Generation X. Young guys with hooks, attitude, rebelliousness and an album that was all killer and no filler. OK, the drums were a bit crap and Noel often flew very close to the sun when it came to being "influenced" by other songs. Coca-cola, anyone? This would also bite them in the arse later when Whatever was released. But so what - who isn't influenced by the world before them, and wasn't the 1990s all about postmodernism anyway?
I barely paid attention to Oasis after 1997, which is not to say that they were not capable of greatness here and there.
But then came the infamy. If Liam's swagger helped to bring the sex, drugs and rock n' roll notoriety that the image-conscious English music press so voyeuristically hold sacred, it worked against them in their drive to achieve world domination and a rightful place at the table of the greats. His inconsistency live, his ability to miss shows and his incapability to pander and schmooze an American audience left Oasis with a big hill to climb. If we think of the great frontmen as travelling salesmen, Liam was certainly not one of those. Which is not to say that he didn't have his own, very unique and not unappealing style on stage.
But it's more than just that. I was excited by Oasis, I even bought a t-shirt when I saw them supporting R.E.M at Slane Castle in 1995. They were okay that day, R.E.M were outstanding (has there been a better frontman than Michael Stipe?). For me, it never got better than Definitely Maybe. I didn't love (What's The Story) Morning Glory, save a couple of good singles: Some Might Say (which sounds like a hangover from their debut longplayer) and (arguably) Wonderwall. But I could understand the widespread appeal of that album, the production was more lush, there were more acoustic guitars, more strings and a sing-along epicness that wasn't as prevalent before. I always suspected that Oasis lived off a bunch of songs that Noel had accumulated over the previous 10 years, but when the vault ran dry, they were in trouble.
Although that argument loses credence when you consider that they released Roll With It so early in their career!
Liam's voice, as cool as it was, lost a bit of its magic just as the new songs did, until he eventually became a sitting duck for parody. You can sing from the throat when you're 22 and get away with it (regardless of the abuse), but you won't get away with it forever. The caveat here is that he seems to be singing quite well on this latest tour and no doubt has the bit between his teeth to be tour-fit for this one.
What followed (What's The Story) Morning Glory was the bloated, mid-tempo, layered dirge that was Be Here Now. How bad can an album be when All Around The World is actually a single? And when helicopters show up in videos, you know a band has lost the run of themselves.
I barely paid attention to Oasis after 1997, which is not to say that they were not capable of greatness here and there. Contrary to my description above, one of the tracks on Be Here Now - Stand By Me - is up there with their best, but again apparently Noel had that in the locker for awhile. Some other later singles stand out, such as Little by Little and Stop Crying Your Heart Out.
Ironically, with Country House and Roll With It, the 'Battle of Britpop' featured two of the most cringeworthy, and awful three-and-a half-minutes in either artists' canon.
Noel is often better when he's bringing a bit of melancholy to his songs, and usually you'll find this on those that he sings. He's funny, sharp and acerbic with a laser tongue when it's warranted. But when it's him and the acoustic, there is something different, possibly his Irish roots bringing a more pensive tone to his songwriting and delivery. Oasis' last release on Creation Records was The Masterplan in 1998. Comprising B-sides and cuts that did not make it on any of their previous albums, it's clearly better than Be Here Now and really should have been the third album. Oasis were so brash and confident in 1995 that they included the song The Masterplan as a b-side to Wonderwall, even though it was far too good to be a b-side. Ah, the folly of youth. This, alongside Talk Tonight and Half The World Away hint at another direction the band could have taken for a different album after (What's The Story) Morning Glory, one that maybe would have served them better.
I saw Oasis one more time following that Slane show in 1995. It was in Landsdowne Road in 2000, how I came across a ticket for this gig warrants a whole other article. But suffice to say my estimation for the support band Supergrass, and in particular Gaz Coombes knows no bounds. Oasis were okay that night.
Although I live about a 10-minute walk from Croke Park, I won't be there to see them this month. To be honest, I wouldn't mind going, just for the craic. And in fairness, the footage of the tour so far looks pretty good. The dynamic pricing hoopla has been discussed to death at this stage, but it sticks with me. Dynamic pricing is like buying a house. Initially the price is determined based on market conditions and when the property goes on sale, the price is solely determined based on demand. Basically, how much the buyer(s) will pay.
I suppose that is fine when buying a house, but when buying a concert ticket, I can't engage. I thought artists' might be above it when giving their "fans" a show.
Also, you cannot transfer that Oasis ticket that you purchased on Ticketmaster. This isn't uncommon but it is always the artist's decision when it does happen, it prevents 'touting' … apparently.
30-plus years down the road from the release of Definitely Maybe, Oasis are making millions as a good 'greatest hits' band and their audience will be treated to such in Croke Park in a few weeks time, and will no doubt love it. My morals aren't sufficiently high enough not to sit in my back garden and have a listen, and who knows? It might even inspire me to rustle up a banging Oasis playlist on Spotify for my wife. The TV show being the only mix tape that she will see these days.