Definitely Maybe
Oasis
Creation/Epic,
1994
Reviewed by
Troy Carpenter
This brash blast of defiant British rock sprang forth from Manchester in
1994, reaffirming rock and roll's identification with the common man, and the salvation at
the heart of a pop melody. Though Definitely Maybe's 11 songs don't add any new
colors to the rock and roll palate, they do paint some pretty pictures with the ones
already kickin' around.
Noel Gallagher cut his teeth as a roadie for the Inspiral Carpets, while he studied the
rock guitar a la Stones, Stone Roses, Nirvana and Beatles. When he returned home from a
U.S. tour, and found his kid brother Liam had a powerful set of pipes and a passable
backing band already assembled, Noel agreed to join the band as long as he could write all
the songs and have complete control: Oasis was born.
Their debut's opening track, "Rock And Roll Star", is all that is righteous
about being in a band - a swirling wall of guitars (rhythm guitarist Paul
"Bonehead" Arthurs keeps the simple progression in place, Noel leads the brash
melody) behind Liam's exalted sneering: "In my mind my dreams are real / I know
you're concerned about the way I feel / Tonight, I'm a rock and roll star!!" It's not
all that original, but it sure feels good.
Song after song keeps that classic feel, with simple but memorable tunefulness (in some
cases, because Noel would rather nick an already-proven-to-rock riff than come up with his
own) and a fistful of U.K. attitude. The raucous "Cigarettes & Alcohol" is a
T.Rex rave-up about the Gallagher brothers' dearest chemical pastimes (you could wait for
a lifetime / to spend your days in the sunshine / might as well do the white line").
But "Live Forever" is a luminscent example of Noel's irresistably melodic
songwriting and Liam's knack for singing that can turn vapid, idealist lyrics into an
inspiring celebration of life's possibilities.
"Slide Away" is the album's hidden gem, a six-minute-plus opus whose melancholy
progression makes it seem like the band is playing from the top of a high hill in England,
singing into the overcast skies. Liam's choral couplet is one of his best: "Now that
you're mine, we'll find a way of chasing the sun / let me be the one who shines with you,
and we can slide away". Noel's guitar line slides off into the distance in the song's
fade-out, giving way to the album's last track, the acoustic toss-off "Married With
Children".
But the true beauty of Definitely Maybe is in its innocence - the music hadn't
worn itself out yet, and there was still room in an Oasis-less world for the concept of
melody and attitude winning over originality.
The band's immense popularity in England has spawned legions of copy-cats, and since Oasis
itself was already swimming in imitation, there is a tendency to resent the Gallaghers for
their permeation of pop culture. But on Definitely Maybe, the presentation is
fresh, honest, and slightly dirty - pure rock and roll.
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