Album of the Week: Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?
Staff Review
This week marks the 30th anniversary of Oasis’ second album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?. To celebrate, the record has been reissued in special vinyl and CD editions.
While the Manchester band’s 1994 debut Definitely Maybe is often considered the essential Oasis album for longtime fans, it was Morning Glory, released on October 2nd, 1995, that launched the group into genuine superstardom. Featuring two colossal hits, Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back In Anger, the album became inescapable between 1995 and 1997. Whether in shops, pubs, or school discos, those songs were everywhere, turning Oasis into a pop culture phenomenon. This was the record that elevated them from indie crossovers to headliners of sold-out arenas, Knebworth, and Top of the Pops. It was exactly the kind of global fame Noel Gallagher and his brother Liam had always blatantly pursued.
Listening back three decades later, it’s striking how different Oasis were from their Britpop contemporaries. Movements, usually concocted by critics and marketing folk, often lump together disparate acts under one banner, but Oasis didn’t really share much sonically with Blur, Pulp, or Suede. They lacked Blur’s cheeky-chappie Englishness, Pulp’s witty lyricism, and Suede’s art-school flair. Even their Beatles influence is overstated, certainly less pronounced than in other Manchester bands before them. Instead, Oasis recalled the bombastic, hedonistic spirit of the early 1970s more than the swinging ‘60s. Their music was big, bold, and unapologetically brash with songs built on swagger, volume, and sheer conviction.
Morning Glory remains, in many ways, the sound of 1990s optimism, blind or otherwise, at its peak. The lyrics often say very little, yet through attitude and delivery, these often nonsensical verses and choruses replete with non-sequiturs became anthems for millions. By refusing to be personal or overtly biographical, Oasis made music that belonged to everyone. For the most part, the album has aged remarkably well. It’s also a reminder of an era when a working-class band could rise from rehearsal rooms to global stadiums. In today’s far harsher economic climate, that pathway feels far less attainable, which makes Oasis’ sense of ambition and possibility feel even more romantic.
The songs themselves are still, for the most part, exhilarating. The explosive opener Hello, the brash title track, and Hey Now! remain unapologetically in-your-face. Some Might Say, the album’s original lead single, is often dismissed as dad rock, but its swaggering rhythm, Liam’s feral delivery, and those famously nonsensical “dishes/fishes” lyrics distill everything that made Oasis irresistible. You can even hear the band’s joy in the studio when a member, likely Noel, lets out an ecstatic “woo” during the outro.
Of course, Don’t Look Back In Anger needs no introduction. In the years since, especially after the Manchester Arena bombing, it has taken on an even greater cultural weight, but musically it still delivers thrills, particularly Alan White’s drum fill after Noel’s soaring solo. It may well be the very moment Britpop peaked. Fan favourite She’s Electric remains Oasis’ cheekiest nod to their Beatles heroes, though it still hasn’t reappeared in reunion setlists despite persistent fan requests. The fact that Oasis regularly perform seven of the album’s 10 tracks shows that they know just where their legacy truly lies.
Roll With It, however, still feels weak and the fact that B-sides like Acquiesce, Talk Tonight, and The Masterplan, were overlooked remains baffling. But elsewhere the record is stacked with classics. And then there’s the finale: the sprawling, euphoric Champagne Supernova, an anthem of psychedelic optimism that still resonates with listeners who want music that reflects an idealistic view of life’s limitless possibilities.
Thirty years on, Morning Glory remains more than just the best-selling Britpop album. It captures a moment when possibility seemed endless and music could feel like pure escape. Oasis weren’t just the biggest band of the era because they sold more records, they mattered because their songs still mean something to people today. They are powerful memories of pride, joy, and reminders of simpler times, when dreams, however fleeting, seemed within reach.
This special 30th anniversary edition of the album also includes a bonus disc of ‘Unplugged’, largely acoustic versions of five tracks from the era. Remarkably, these songs retain their anthemic power with the use of electric amplification, and Liam arguably sings both Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova better, and with as much gusto, as he does on record.
(What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition) featuring newly unplugged versions of five classic tracks ‘Cast No Shadow’, ‘Morning Glory’, ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Acquiesce’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’, all newly mixed by Noel Gallagher.
