As a young teenager living in Manchester, Noel Gallagher was often confined to his home as punishment for partaking in petty crimes. Out of sheer boredom, he picked up a guitar and started messing about with it. Little did he know that this humble start would lay the foundation for one of the most successful rock bands in history.
In August of 1991 Noel’s Brother Liam and three friends started a band. Noel eventually also joined, and took over creative control. And so, Oasis was born. They slowly gained a small but loyal following, and in 1993 they had their sights set on a record deal. They travelled to Glasgow to try and impress a record executive who was scouting bands in a local club, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut. After bullying their way into a 20 minute slot, they duly wowed Alan Mcgee, head of Creation. Soon afterwards he offered them a contract.
In February of 1994, before their debut had even hit the shelves, the members of Oasis already started getting into the kind of trouble that would become a continued trademark of the band. Following a fight on a ferry, the band was deported from Holland, leading to the cancellation of their first gig abroad. Despite this early setback, Oasis went on to release their first three singles (Supersonic, Shakermaker, and Live Forever). All three made an impression on the UK charts, landing at numbers 31, 11 and 10 respectively. In August of the same year, Definitely Maybe was released. Critics hailed it as a breath of fresh air for the choking UK music industry. The album went on to become the fastest selling debut in UK history, surpassing the band’s icons, the Beatles. The album’s raw sound and uplifting anthems were an instant hit with the public.
By 1995 Oasis had been firmly established as one of Britain’s biggest acts, and they experienced the first of what would be many line-up changes, replacing drummer Tony McCarroll with Alan White. Following an exhausting touring schedule for Definitely Maybe, Oasis headed back into the studio that summer. The result, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, was a fantastic success. Critics again praised the album, and it shot straight to the UK number 1. It also sold exceedingly well in the US, cementing Oasis’ position as the biggest transatlantic export since the Beatles.
In 1996, Oasis’ gig at Knebworth saw the largest gathering of people to see a single act in UK history. Following that, Oasis played an acoustic set on MTV’s Unplugged. Liam bailed on the band minutes before they were scheduled to perform, leaving Noel to take over lead vocals. This signalled the start of an extended row between Liam and Noel. On August 26, 1996, nearly two years after the release of Definitely Maybe, Liam refused to join the band on tour. Noel, fed up with Liam’s antics, decided to forge ahead with the tour regardless of his absence. A week later Liam rejoined the band, calming fears of Oasis’ instability. On September 11, Noel quit the band. The frantic press questioned whether Oasis was done. He soon returned, however, and the band went ahead to record their 3rd album.
Be Here Now broke the spell Oasis had cast on critics. They widely disliked the record, calling it overly indulgent and too long. Fans shunned the critics and rushed out in droves to buy it. It went on to sell more than 7 million copies. Some time after its release, Noel revealed he himself didn’t like it. In later concerts material from Be Here Now very rarely made the set list.
Over the next three years Oasis received much attention from the tabloids, but not because of their music. Both Noel and Liam were married in 1997, and both later divorced. Liam divorced actress Patsy Kensit in 2000, while Noel divorced Meg Mathews in 2001. In 1998 Liam was banned from Cathay Pacific Airlines after an incident on a flight, to the delight of the press.
Although Oasis didn’t release any new material during this period, they put out The Masterplan, a collection of B-Sides. Fans were delighted with it, as Oasis is notorious for producing B-Sides that rival any A-Side released by other bands.
In early 1999, Noel wanted to return to the studio to record the band’s fourth album. He had kicked the drug habit he had nourished for years, and demanded his little brother Liam do the same before recording began. Liam eventually agreed, and Oasis was clean sober for the first time since they started.
In an unexpected move, both Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs (Rhythm guitar) and Paul McGuigan (Bass) left the band. They were promptly replaced. Gem Archer (Guitar) and Andy Bell (Bass) joined the band, and shortly thereafter Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants was released. It received mixed reviews, but many critics saw it as a return to old form for Oasis. During the tour for Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants, the band also recorded a double live album, Familiar To Millions. The tour was their most successful up to that point, showing the world that Oasis was still very much in the game. Standing on the Shoulder Of Giants also saw Liam penning his first track to appear on a record, Little James.
For the next two years the band continued to tour, and in early 2002 they were finishing up their fifth studio album, Heathen Chemistry. It reached number 1 in the UK albums chart, and every single released from the disc reached the top 5. Another milestone for Liam was seeing Songbird, one of his songs, being released as a single. Heathen Chemistry was the first Oasis album that wasn’t almost solely written by Noel. Liam contributed three tracks, with Gem Archer and Andy Bell each adding one. Fans were delighted to see the band as a whole contributing to the album.
Although the band was apparently drug-free, that didn’t stop Liam from getting in a bar fight in late 2002. He spent the night in prison, and made good use of the time by writing a song about it.
Oasis has kept very busy during the last couple of years, constantly touring and promoting Heathen Chemistry. Liam and Noel also both collaborated separately with several artists. Liam teamed up with acts such as Death In Vegas and Prodigy while Noel worked with Ian Brown.
In early 2004 Oasis started work on their sixth studio album, recruiting Death In Vegas as producers. However, Noel didn’t like the material the band was coming up with. Time ran out in the studio, Death In Vegas had to leave because of other commitments, and Noel was stuck with a half-finished album he wasn’t happy with. He eventually scrapped the entire project and decided to start over. This was the second setback the band had been faced with in 2004, after having been forced to sack drummer Alan White. Reportedly, he hadn’t been pulling his own weight.
In June Oasis headlined Glastonbury. They revealed two new songs amidst a stellar best-of set. The performance received mixed reviews, with the bulk being negative. Loyal fans stuck to their guns, however, proclaiming the set as triumphant.
The band is currently back in the studio, with new drummer Zak Starskey, and hopes to have some new songs out by the end of the year. The 10 year anniversary of Definitely Maybe was also marked with the recent release of a DVD.
Although Oasis has had more than their fare share of trouble during their career, they seem determined to keep on doing their thing. With a new album on the horizon and the band in a seemingly stable condition, it seems that they might remain a significant force in the world of rock for years to come.
/ my profile 
well done
