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Post by beentherenow on Jul 23, 2014 3:34:36 GMT -5
Me and the missus, 6 months or so ago started going through my vast CD collection and listening to an album everyday to and from work (it's a 25 minute journey so there and back can fit most albums) and this week was Oasis' turn.
Definitely Maybe has always been my favourite by quite a stretch. I love the swagger, the sheer arrogance of it all. The punk rock of Bring It On Down, the groove of Columbia and sheer majesty of Slide Away. It's perfect
Morning Glory was obviously the next day and I've always had mixed feelings towards this album. It's obviously got some classic songs on it but I never understood how it could be compared with Definitely Maybe. In saying that in the Ipod era when you put Oasis on random whenever an MG track comes on, you think 'wow, they were good', so I was really looking forward to listening to this album again after probably a few years away. Maybe I'll have a new appreciation and finally see what everyone else see's?
I was wrong
I really do not like how this album sounds in it's entirity. The Oasis from Definitely Maybe seem neutered somewhat, it's all too friendly.
Hello is a good opener but Roll With It is as generic and average as rock song as you can find. If Teenage Fanclub or OCS or any other number of generic 'Brit-pop' band had done it, it wouldn't be remembered today. Wonderwall is a classic and I still love it to this day but DLBIA is a song I just do not get. I've never been the biggest fan of Noel's voice, again it's not Oasis for me, it's not got the confrontational beauty that made Liam's voice so memorable. I like a few of Noel's (The Masterplan, TIOBI) but DLBIA isn't one of them. Again it sounds like Dad Rock version of DM Oasis, it now belongs on pub jukeboxes and wedding disco's, if it wasn't for our policy of not skipping any song, this would have gone well before the nearly 5 minute running time. It just doesn't 'feel' like the band that record DM
MG also contains two of my least favourite Oasis songs; She's Electric and Hey Now. I know She's Electric is filling the Digsy's Dinner light relief role but I fucking hate it. The lyrics, the tune, the lot. Hey Now again is boring and coming off DLBIA just completes an utterly dull 10 minutes for me. What infuriates me more is the sheer number of quality b-sides Oasis had instead of these two, Rockin Chair, The Masterplan, Underneath The Sky etc
Side 2 is much better fortunately. Some Might Say is awesome, easily in my top 5 Oasis tracks but you can tell it wasn't recorded at the same time, it still has the vibrancy that DM had not the muffled, sterile sound of MG. Cast No Shadow is beautiful. The mixture of Liam and Noel's voice works better on this track than any other.
Morning Glory and Champagne Supernova are superb tracks and deservedly classics. Can't praise them enough so I won't start.
But with all of that, it leaves half a classic album and half filler IMO which all sounds poorly produced and diluted compared with it's Older Brother. I can see why it sold so well, it's nice, inoffensive and appeals to the supermarket album buying public and also had great songs but it isn't a great album for me.
Not popular I know, but this is my honest opinion. I don't expect many will agree
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Post by Jailbird on Jul 23, 2014 4:05:42 GMT -5
It's a great album, but 'soft' compared to Definitely Maybe. Probably why they sold a fucking ton.
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Post by defmaybe00 on Jul 23, 2014 4:30:07 GMT -5
I personally think it's better than DM Definitely Maybe is amazing because nobody sounded like that at the time, it was the perfect expression of Oasis attitude, it sounds pure and fresh, if you know what I mean, I've always thought it was the 90s Never Mind The Bollocks, plus some of the songs on there like Live Forever, Slide Away or Supersonic are classics But WTSMG is Noel maturing as a composer, the album is soft compared to DM it's true, but those melodies are just brilliant, and there's more variety (?) in it, you go from the most rocky tunes like Hello or Some Might Say, to the poppy ones like She's Electric or Roll With It, to the great ballads like Wonderwall and Cast No Shadow and then you get a closer like Champagne Supernova, maybe one of the best of all times Definitely Maybe it's a statement from the band, and it will always be more important culturally speaking, cause it had a big impact on British Kids, but WTSMG is Oasis at their peak musically, and it's an overall better album imho
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0as1s
Oasis Roadie
Posts: 246
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Post by 0as1s on Jul 23, 2014 4:30:30 GMT -5
Wow the OP sums up my feelings on MG almost exactly, literally the only difference I have when it comes to your summary of the album is Wonderwall/DLBIA. I find both versions devoid of any emotion on the album but for me DLBIA, given the right gig/scenario still stands up live. I loved the toned down version Noel did towards the end of Oasis, that was great. It was almost his own little signal that time was up for the band, gone were the days of the massive sing along electric renditions of the song, replaced with this almost world weary version, it worked beautifully given the context of what was going on with the band at that time.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 4:32:52 GMT -5
Morning Glory was the first Oasis CD I ever bought and ultimately it was the album that introduced me to Definitely Maybe. DM is an outstanding album but for me Morning Glory just tops it - even though Slide Away is my favourite all time song.
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Post by freddy838 on Jul 23, 2014 5:06:22 GMT -5
I don't think it's dated that well, but I can still remember the day I got it, it was the day I got braces for the first time and I felt like shit but my Mum let me take the rest of the day off school and took me into town instead and I bought it. I sat on my bedroom floor and thought every song was the best thing I ever heard and reading the lyrics at the same time. As vomit-inducing as that sounds, it is a special album probably for millions of people and DM's equal in my opinion.
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Post by asimarx on Jul 23, 2014 5:38:41 GMT -5
Morning Glory was the first Oasis CD I ever bought and ultimately it was the album that introduced me to Definitely Maybe. DM is an outstanding album but for me Morning Glory just tops it - even though Slide Away is my favourite all time song. This. And one thing's for sure. If it hadn't been for (What's The Story) Morning Glory? I wouldn't be surfing this forum right now and wouldn't be typing this. I would have also saved ridiculous amounts of money and time that I invested in this band.
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Post by allingoodtime on Jul 23, 2014 6:25:57 GMT -5
Cast No Shadow Champagne Supernova Wonderwall Don't look back in anger Some Might Say Morning Glory
All in one album..its scary. It's their best album imo and i'm also a big fan of She's electric. Hey now and Hello are both good but I won't listen to either on repeat..Roll with it is ok but should have been a b-side imo
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Post by beadyeyeblade on Jul 23, 2014 18:05:12 GMT -5
I think as an album DM is by far the better ! I love it because it has urgency and makes you wanna walk with a swagger. WTSMG is more mainstream and radio friendly and is a great album that has more a variety of music but it doesn't have the sheet arrogance of DM.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Post by stevemeister on Jul 23, 2014 22:09:59 GMT -5
I think what might as well be happening is that we've all fucking thrashed our ears listening to that album and just can't stand the shitty sonic approach....Brickwalling might suit DM but not WTSMG. So many hidden instruments, guitar takes bla bla bla.....and yeah the intro to Hey Now kills the song but it has an up lifting feeling, Roll with it should have been a b-side and Step Out should have been in....
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Post by beentherenow on Jul 24, 2014 2:42:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses, I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't think it's flawless (I was thinking there must be something wrong with me!) What has struck me though is how Roll With It is viewed. I've never liked it, I think its utter bollocks but I thought I was in the minority however that seems to be the general concensus on here. Which if we as the 'hardcore' if you like don't like it, who are these fans that Noel talks about when he describes RWI as a 'fan favourite'?? I think that is just bollocks as well, Without turning it into a remaster thread, I think I will buy this one (I didn't get the DM one) because I think it need some serious work soundwise (not that I'm expecting much). Still wish they could take RWI, HN and SE off for Rockin Chair, Underneath the Sky and The Masterplan but hey you can't have it all, I guess me ipod could do that for me
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Post by globe on Jul 24, 2014 2:47:44 GMT -5
WTSMG is perfect, wouldn't change a single thing about it. Spirit of 95.
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Post by andymorris on Jul 24, 2014 2:52:54 GMT -5
WTSMG is perfect, wouldn't change a single thing about it. Spirit of 95.
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Post by Elias on Jul 24, 2014 3:46:49 GMT -5
Morning Glory will always be a special album for me because it was listening to my sister's tape of it at 13 that started an obsession with Oasis and subsequently with music in general ever since. However, I don't think it's just sentimentality which makes it still one of my very favourite albums. Morning Glory is infectious in a way that no other album I've ever listened to is. I can still recall listening to that tape whilst walking to school, and finding myself being flooded with the confidence and joy which is locked up forever in the record. I'd arrive in a better frame of mind, ready to face the day. I still get a sense of that whenever I revisit it now.
There's no doubt when in context with Definitely Maybe of only around a year earlier that it represented a very rapid move into radio friendly stadium rock, but I hear the power and passion of that debut retained in MG - things which I don't hear in other 'stadium' albums from bands like Coldplay, U2 etc.
MG has chinks in the armour undoubtedly, especially with the way it sounds, but as with anything it's those imperfections which contribute to its charm. And I'll defend the production any day - it might be just plain old turn everything to 10, Owen Morris brick-walling, but I think that path is the only one which ever made Oasis sound right in the studio.
Due to the nature of Noel's songwriting, so much of MG is familiar, has to some extent already been done. Yet I see MG as being unique, unlike anything else out before or since. I've never been able to quite put my finger on why that is, and I hope I'll never be able to.
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Post by allingoodtime on Jul 24, 2014 4:14:12 GMT -5
DM isnt perfect..Bring it on down and up in the sky should have been taken out. Cloudburst and Listen up are miles better
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Post by beentherenow on Jul 24, 2014 4:18:59 GMT -5
Morning Glory will always be a special album for me because it was listening to my sister's tape of it at 13 that started an obsession with Oasis and subsequently with music in general ever since. However, I don't think it's just sentimentality which makes it still one of my very favourite albums. Morning Glory is infectious in a way that no other album I've ever listened to is. I can still recall listening to that tape whilst walking to school, and finding myself being flooded with the confidence and joy which is locked up forever in the record. I'd arrive in a better frame of mind, ready to face the day. I still get a sense of that whenever I revisit it now. There's no doubt when in context with Definitely Maybe of only around a year earlier that it represented a very rapid move into radio friendly stadium rock, but I hear the power and passion of that debut retained in MG - things which I don't hear in other 'stadium' albums from bands like Coldplay, U2 etc. MG has chinks in the armour undoubtedly, especially with the way it sounds, but as with anything it's those imperfections which contribute to its charm. And I'll defend the production any day - it might be just plain old turn everything to 10, Owen Morris brick-walling, but I think that path is the only one which ever made Oasis sound right in the studio. Due to the nature of Noel's songwriting, so much of MG is familiar, has to some extent already been done. Yet I see MG as being unique, unlike anything else out before or since. I've never been able to quite put my finger on why that is, and I hope I'll never be able to. Really nicely put, I do love how much this album means to so many people, it's what music should be I just wish I was one of them As I mentioned in the OP I really feel like I'm missing something with this album, I've never felt any real connection with it the way other people seem to. This sounds like a weird thing to say but in my living room I have a massive canvas print of the DM front cover, a framed BHN Vinyl and a framed long SOTSOG poster but I would feel hypocritical getting the iconic MG cover in my room because I really feel nothing special for it, it doesn't feel like one of 'my' albums
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Post by theyknowwhatimean on Jul 24, 2014 4:46:41 GMT -5
Pretty much the best album ever written, along with Abbey Road by the Beatles for me. And it could have been even better, personally I have a playlist on my iTunes as follows:
01 Hello 02 Underneath the Sky 03 Wonderwall 04 Don't Look Back In Anger 05 Acquiesce 06 [Swamp Song #1] 07 Some Might Say 08 Cast No Shadow 09 The Masterplan 10 Headshrinker 11 She's Electric 12 Morning Glory 13 [Swamp Song #2] 14 Champagne Supernova
Give it a listen, it's a great listen. To be fair, if that had been the release, it would have been a touch on the long side at 59 minutes, perhaps resulting in them taking a bit of flak from the critics, but you can just see the potential there with songs like Rockin' Chair, Talk Tonight and of course Roll With It and Hey Now! all left off. Morning Glory as it is today without The Masterplan and Underneath The Sky etc. encapsulates one of the finest bandsBritain has ever produced at the absolute peak of their powers and so that's why for me, Morning Glory is a very, very special album.
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Post by defmaybe00 on Jul 24, 2014 5:14:03 GMT -5
I think it's one of the few albums without a bad song on it
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Post by oasisserbia on Jul 24, 2014 6:14:33 GMT -5
DM isnt perfect..Bring it on down and up in the sky should have been taken out. Cloudburst and Listen up are miles better no.
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Post by mimmihopps on Jul 24, 2014 7:36:16 GMT -5
Every song from this album could have been a single and that means something.
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Post by beentherenow on Jul 24, 2014 8:14:46 GMT -5
Every song from this album could have been a single and that means something. Yeah I totally agree (maybe apart from Hey Now) that each song in it's own right could have been a single (in fact 6 out of the 10 were) and it is very impressive to have a collection of songs like that. Also I'd argue especially in Britain that if you stopped 50 people in the street, even people claiming not to like Oasis that much, 20 would know at least 8 of the songs on that album. That speaks volumes about what an achievement their 2nd album was, I just wished I liked it more as an collective album rather than loving 4 or 5 of the songs
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Post by morning_rain on Jul 24, 2014 8:39:32 GMT -5
Every song from this album could have been a single and that means something. I'd add that almost every song from the album could have been a hit single.
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0as1s
Oasis Roadie
Posts: 246
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Post by 0as1s on Jul 24, 2014 10:04:48 GMT -5
There's no doubt when in context with Definitely Maybe of only around a year earlier that it represented a very rapid move into radio friendly stadium rock, but I hear the power and passion of that debut retained in MG - things which I don't hear in other 'stadium' albums from bands like Coldplay, U2 etc. Yeah and I think that's half my problem with it, to me there are certain songs contained in the album which are just a little too diluted to be Oasis. Sure Noel was always about having strong melodies in the songs but when they were at their best, for me they still contained a lot of their raw edge. Songs like Cigarettes and Alcohol, Columbia, Live Forever etc, these were songs that were instantly easy to sing but stood out from the shit in the charts at the time like a sore thumb. The likes of Roll With It and She's Electric, I'm not being funny but they could have been written by Gary Barlow or some other 90s boy band prick.
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Post by Gas Panic on Jul 24, 2014 10:32:16 GMT -5
DM isnt perfect..Bring it on down and up in the sky should have been taken out. Cloudburst and Listen up are miles better no. An edited version of Listen Up probably should have been on Definitely Maybe, perhaps as the vinyl bonus track instead of Sad Song?
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Post by oasisserbia on Jul 24, 2014 11:58:43 GMT -5
An edited version of Listen Up probably should have been on Definitely Maybe, perhaps as the vinyl bonus track instead of Sad Song? That is different thing. Instead of Bring It On Down? No. Well, maybe if... No
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