Don't Look Back In Anger (Are Oasis's days numbered?)

Member Name: Tcraze84

Product:	Are Oasis's days numbered?
Date:	17/01/01 (36 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One of the greatest British bands ever...

Disadvantages: ..But their reputation and past work has virtually been ruined by their decline.

Once upon a time, Oasis were arguably Britain's, possibly even the World's biggest and best band.

Most people remember the chart battle between Blur and Oasis as they fought out for the number one spot with their singles "Country House" and "Roll With It", with the face of Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker popping up every now and again just to add a third party to this war; although generally Jarvis and Blur's Damon Albarn were allied against the Gallagher twins, Noel and Liam. Eventually, Blur's "Country House" was superior in that battle and perhaps even then signalled the end of Oasis.

In 1995? Yes, I know, it does sound premature, but this was around the time when Oasis' classic "What's The Story? Morning Glory" album was released to critical acclaim and was undoubtedly winning the album war against Blur's relatively tame "The Great Escape", which was incidentally, a great step down for the award-winning "Parklife". But the victory in the singles war for Blur undeniably dented Noel and Liam's egos.

So, therefore look at the picture today. Blur release a huge-selling "Greatest Hits" album - well, so do Oasis, but their live recording entitled "Familiar To Millions" is regarded as a major, major letdown and possibly the final straw in losing to Blur - again.

Undeniably, the Gallaghers have an abundance of talent. Noel is arguably the greatest songwriter of his generation, and a more-than-capable frontman/vocalist (as proved on many songs), and Liam fits the bill perfectly for anybody requiring a cocky, unpredictable, outspoken face for their band.

Combine the two and you create, essentially, what came to be known as Oasis. As I mentioned above, their second album "..Morning Glory" has, on many occasions been voted as one of the best ever, and I for one would not argue. Filled with classics, this album
did define the Brit-Pop genre, and classic Rock n' Roll in one fell swoop. The emotive "Wonderwall" is arguably their best song, when sung by either Noel or Liam, and "Don't Look Back In Anger" is regarded as one of the anthems of the 90's.

But unfortunately, their work has declined rapidly since their masterpiece work and I see it as very, very unlikely that they will produce another great song. It's doubtful that they'll even produce another song altogether.

Britpop died many years ago - Oasis then had to evolve to classic Rock work, a change which I believe they found hard looking at their attempts since the "..Morning Glory" album.

Many a time an Oasis comeback has been hyped and hyped by the press and media, for their single to reach number one, then disappearing without trace for another nine months before returning with more new material and succeeding again.

Sibling rivalry, marital problems and the constant pressure and controversy surrounding the band for all these years has undoubtedly taken it's toll, and perhaps the loss of their influential member Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, who was renowned for cooling down the arguments between Noel and Liam, was indeed the straw that broke Oasis' back.

Oasis' legacy has undoubtedly been tarnished, and like the mass of 1990's bands splitting (ie. All Saints, Prodigy, and even the Spice Girls), I fear Oasis are next.

But perhaps they don't know when it's time to go.

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