On This Day In Oasis History...
By
Stop Crying Your Heart Out
on
August 30, 2013
Definitely Maybe is the debut album by English band Oasis, released on August 30th 1994. It was an immediate commercial and critical success in the UK, having followed on the heels of singles "Supersonic", "Shakermaker" and particularly the popular "Live Forever".
Definitely Maybe went straight to number one and 7x platinum in the UK Album charts on initial release. It was the fastest selling debut album of all time in the UK when released. Definitely Maybe marked the beginning of Oasis' success in America, selling over 1 million copies there, although only reaching #58 on the Billboard 200. The album went on to sell over 7.5 million copies worldwide.
In 1997 Definitely Maybe was named the 14th greatest album of all time in a 'Music of the Millennium' poll conducted by HMV, Channel 4, The Guardian and Classic FM. In 2005 Channel 4's '100 Greatest Albums' countdown placed the album at number 6. In 2006 NME placed the album third in a list of the greatest British albums ever, behind The Stone Roses and The Queen Is Dead. In a recent British poll, run by NME and the book of British Hit Singles and Albums, Definitely Maybe was voted the best album of all time with The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band finishing second and Revolver third. Q magazine readers placed it at five on their greatest albums of all time list in 2006 and in that same year NME hailed it as the greatest album of all time. It is frequently referred to as the greatest debut album of all time.
Album History
In 1994, Oasis were seen as a distant echo of the moribund 'Madchester' scene which had exploded in the early 1990s. Unlike other Madchester bands who indulged in experiments with funk, dance or hip-hop, Oasis presented themselves as a relatively straightforward rock and roll band. Along with bands like Blur and The Verve they seemed to encapsulate a new wave, one which did not yet have a name. By the end of the year the media coined the term Britpop, of which Definitely Maybe retrospectively became one of the pivotal albums.
Many of the songs had originally appeared on Oasis' "Live Demonstration" demo recorded in Liverpool the year before with Chris and Tony Griffiths of The Real People. The main recording sessions took longer than expected, with the bulk of the album having to be recorded three different times with Mark Coyle producing, before Owen Morris came up with a mix that everyone was satisfied with. The album cost nearly £85,000 to produce, a huge amount of money for a debut album at the time.
The album title, according to Noel Gallagher, comes from a poster he saw in a pub, although he cannot remember what the poster was advertising.
Track Listing
All tracks written by Noel Gallagher.
01: "Rock 'n' Roll Star" – 5:22
02: "Shakermaker" – 5:08
03: "Live Forever" – 4:36
04: "Up in the Sky" – 4:28
05: "Columbia" – 6:17
06: "Sad Song" (extra track on the UK LP version, and the original Japanese version of the album) – 4:27
07: "Supersonic" – 4:43
08: "Bring It on Down" – 4:17
09: "Cigarettes & Alcohol" – 4:49
"Digsy's Dinner" – 2:32
This was misspelt as "Digsy's Diner" upon its North American release.
10: "Slide Away" – 6:32
11: "Married with Children" – 3:11
Singles
"Supersonic"
Released: 11 April 1994
Writer: Noel Gallagher
Producers: Oasis & Mark Coyle
Video Director: Mark Szaszy (UK) / Nick Egan (US)
Chart positions: # 31 (UK)
Watch the music video here, or a live performance here.
"Shakermaker"
Released: 13 June 1994
Writer: Noel Gallagher
Producers: Oasis, Mark Coyle & Owen Morris
Video Director: Nick Egan
Chart positions: # 11 (UK)
Watch the music video here, or a live performance here.
"Live Forever"
Released: 8 August 1994
Writer: Noel Gallagher
Producers: Oasis, Mark Coyle & Owen Morris
Video Directors: Carlos Grasso (UK) / Nick Egan (US)
Chart positions: # 10 (UK) # 2 (US Modern Rock)
Watch the music video here, or a live performance here.
"Cigarettes & Alcohol"
Released: 10 October 1994
Writer: Noel Gallagher
Producers: Oasis, Mark Coyle & Owen Morris
Video Director: Mark Szaszy
Chart positions: # 7 (UK)
Watch the music video here, or a live performance here.
Personnel
Liam Gallagher – vocals
Noel Gallagher – lead guitar, vocals
Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs – rhythm guitar
Paul McGuigan – bass guitar
Tony McCarroll – drums
Additional Personnel
Anthony Griffiths – vocals
David Batchelor – producer
Mark Coyle – producer, engineer, mixing
Anjali Dutt – engineer
Owen Morris – producer, mastering, mixing, production concept
Roy Spong – engineer
Dave Scott – engineer
Brian Cannon – art direction, design, concept, cover design
Michael Spencer Jones – photography