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The
First Biography
The very first time Oasis played together they promised
they were going to be the best, that they'd never settle
for the dull thud of mediocrity. And then they set about
proving it. Right from the off, they resisted the security
of the obvious, of doing things the way they were supposed
to. They never sent a demo to a record company, knew that
supreme self-confidence and a host of classic songs would
be enough to curve destiny their way. When Creation Records
supremo Alan McGee saw them at a club gig in Glasgow they
had no manager, no agent, and no money. Just greatness.
He signed them on the spot. An unsuspecting world was about
to be blown away.
On
April 11th 1994, Oasis released their debut single, 'Supersonic',
an elegantly noisy pop celebration. By now their live shows
were being talked of as something very special and they'd
built an extensive, committed fan base. A trio of classic
singles, 'Shakermaker', 'Live Forever' and 'Cigarettes and
Alcohol' further emphasised Oasis' soaringly assured power.
Their increasingly growing audience began to wonder what
they ever did without them.
More
live shows followed, including a triumphant New York debut
and promoters soon got used to the band breaking all records,
exceeding even the wildest expectations.
With
the release of their debut album, 'Definitely Maybe', it
was time to rewrite the record books once again. The album
was the fastest selling debut in British history, entering
the charts, unsurprisingly, at number one. It's still in
the UK top twenty after a staggering eighteen months, going
way past triple platinum and perhaps more impressively has
sold well over one million copies outside the UK.
They
crowned 1994 with their No.3 Xmas single 'Whatever', swept
the readers' and writer's polls in the music press, and
were, unsurprisingly, winners at the BRIT Awards. Barely
a year between their first single and the stratospheric.
Not bad going.
In
1995 the reputation of Oasis' live shows sky-rocketed. All
around the world gigs sold out in under half an hour, and
telephone exchanges from Dublin to Detroit blew up through
the sheer weight of calls for tickets. Furthermore they
headlined Glastonbury, played two nights in a colossal tent
on Irvine Beach, Scotland, and staged the two biggest ever
indoor gigs in Europe, at a specially-expanded Earls Court.
So loud were the latter that serious earth tremors were
reported in the Kensington and Chelsea areas. The shows
themselves were astounding, emotional, and proof, if any
was needed, that Oasis were undoubtedly the biggest and
best band in the country.
On
record, too, the band had progressed, in April 'Some Might
Say' provided them with their first No. 1 single, selling
over 300,000 copies. The follow-up 'Roll With It' reached
400,000, and 'Wonderwall' is Platinum (600,000) and rising
after 12 weeks in the Top Ten, and inspired an almost instant
cover version by Mike Flowers.
Their
second album '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?' went straight
in at No. 1, and became the fastest-selling album since
Michael Jackson's 'Bad' in 1987. By the end of 1995 it was
certified 6 times Platinum, and, apart from Robson & Jerome,
by far the biggest-selling album of the year. This success
is being mirrored world-wide, with the album hitting No.
1 in France, Sweden, Ireland and New Zealand, as well as
reaching gold in most other countries.
If
last year was magnificent, their future looks better still.
Edging into 1996 , there's 4 BRAT Awards, 6 BRIT nominations,
and 'Don't Look Back In Anger' their ninth single in less
than 2 years. Significantly, at time of writing '...Morning
Glory?' had just jumped to No. 5 in the US Billboard charts.
How
much more do they want? How much have you got'?
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