Oasis

Manchester became the center of the mid-90s Britpop movement thanks to the incredible success of Oasis. Their first two albums, Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, were multi-million sellers that made the swaggering Gallagher brothers the biggest rock stars in the land.

Formed by brothers Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher, they built a formidable live reputation locally after forming in 1991. After impressing at a small gig in Glasgow, they were signed to Creation Records and released their debut album Definitely Maybe in 1994. It went straight to No.1 in the UK Album charts, becoming the fastest-selling debut album in Britain ever at the time.

In 1995, Oasis had their first No.1 single when Some Might Say topped the charts. In August, the media created a frenzy when Oasis released their next single in the same week as London rivals Blur. It was Blur who won the “Battle of Britpop” as their single, “Country House”, beat “Roll With It” to the No.1 spot. In terms of overall sales, Oasis would go on to win the war, following the success of second album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?. It sold almost 350,000 copies in its first week, and went on to sell over four million in Britain and 18 million worldwide. Two further singles became huge: Wonderwall reached No.2, and became one of the most radio-played songs of the decade, and Don’t Look Back in Anger later hit No.1. In 1996, the band performed two massive outdoor concerts at Knebworth in front of a total of a quarter of a million fans.

At that time Oasis were easily the biggest band in Britain, although they had made less impact elsewhere in the world. Their third album Be Here Now (1997) was hugely anticipated, and the lead single D’You Know What I Mean? became their third No.1. The album sold nearly half-a-million copies on the day it was released, and even reached No.2 in the US chart. Although it spawned three more huge hit singles, it was criticised by the press for being self-indulgent and inferior to their previous two albums. The disappointment of Be Here Now marked the beginning of the end of the Britpop era, and as the memory of Britpop receded, Oasis’ favour with the music press faded too.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (2000), Heathen Chemistry (2002) and Don’t Believe the Truth (2005) were all commercially successful, and each produced more hit singles for the band and satisfied their keenest fans. However, none have inspired the kind of reaction that once made Oasis such a phenomenon, and it seems doubtful they will achieve that again. In October 2008 Oasis released their seventh studio album, Dig Out Your Soul.