Definitely Maybe

by Oasis

Overview

Definitely Maybe begins with a statement of aspiration, as Liam Gallagher sneers that "tonight, I'm a rock & roll star" -- the words of a bedsit dreamer hoping he'd break out of those four walls and find something greater. Maybe all he could muster is a fleeting moment of stardom as he sings in front of a fleet of amps pushing out power chords, or perhaps he'd really become a rock & roll star; all that matters is he makes the leap. This dream echoes throughout Oasis' debut, a record which takes the dreams of its listeners every bit as seriously as those of its creators. Both the artist and audience desire something greater than their surroundings, and that yearning gives Definitely Maybe a restlessness that resonates. Certainly, Oasis aren't looking to redefine rock & roll here; they'd rather inhabit it. They scour through the remnants of the past three decades to come up with a quintessentially British rock & roll record, one that swaggers with the defiance of the Rolling Stones, roars with the sneer of the Sex Pistols, thieves from the past like the Happy Mondays, and ties it all together with a melodicism as natural as Paul McCartney, even if Definitely Maybe never quite sounds like the Beatles. All the Fab Four comparisons trumpeted by the brothers Gallagher were a feint, a way to get their group considered as part of the major leagues. Soon enough, these affirmations became a self-fulfilling prophecy -- act the way you'd like to be and soon you'll be the way you act, as it were -- but that bravado hardly diminishes the accomplishment of Definitely Maybe. It is a furious, inspiring record, a rallying cry for the downtrodden to rise above and seize their day but, most of all, it's a blast of potent, incendiary rock & roll. Soon after its release, Noel Gallagher would be hailed as the finest songwriter of his generation, an odd designation for a guy drawn to moon/June rhymes, but his brilliance lies in his bold strokes. He never shied away from the obvious, and his confidence in his reappropriation of cliches lends these bromides a new power, as do his strong, sinewy melodies -- so powerful, it doesn't matter if they were snatched from elsewhere (as they were on "Shakermaker" or the B-side "Fade Away"). The other secret is of course Noel's brother, Liam, the greatest rock & roll vocalist of his generation, a force of nature who never seems to consider either the past or the present but rather exists in an ever-present now. He sometimes sighs but usually sneers, shaking off any doubt and acting like the rock & roll star Noel so wanted to be. This tension would soon rip the group apart but here on Oasis' debut, this chemistry is an addictive energy, so Definitely Maybe winds up a rare thing: it has the foundation of a classic album wrapped in the energy of a band who can't conceive a future beyond the sunset. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	08/23/1994
Label:	Creation
UPC:	5099747731822

Tracks

1. Rock 'n' Roll Star
2. Shakermaker
3. Live Forever
4. Up in the Sky
5. Columbia
6. Supersonic
7. Bring It on Down
8. Cigarettes and Alcohol
9. Digsy's Dinner
10. Slide Away
11. Married with Children

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Oasis   Primary Artist
Liam Gallagher   Vocals
Paul McGuigan   Guitar (Bass)
Noel Gallagher   Guitar,Vocals,Lead Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Anthony Griffiths   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Tony McCarroll   Drums
Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)

Technical Credits

Dave Batchelor   Producer
Brian Cannon   Cover Design,Art Direction,Design,Concept
David Batchelor   Producer
Paul McCartney   Composer
David Scott   Engineer
Liam Gallagher   Group Member
John Lennon   Composer
Roger Cook   Composer
Roger Greenaway   Composer
Neil Innes   Composer
Paul McGuigan   Group Member
Noel Gallagher   Composer,Producer,Group Member,String Arrangements
Oasis   Producer,Performer
Owen Morris   Mixing,Producer,Mastering,Production Concept,Additional Production
Anjali Dutt   Engineer
William Backer   Composer
Roquel Davis   Composer
Roy Spong   Engineer
Mark Coyle   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Dave Scott   Engineer
Tony McCarroll   Group Member
Michael Spencer Jones   Photography
Billy Davis   Composer
Roy Sping   Engineer
Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs   Group Member