Music & Popcorn

Oasis - Definitely Maybe (Epic)

As Oasis fans await the next opus from the Gallagher brothers, a documentary look at the making of their debut album Definitely Maybe is offered to take fans back 10 years to when the band was on their way to declaring themselves the proper fookin' Best Band in the World. But who's to say that Noel and Liam Gallagher don't still feel that way today?

There is an extensive track-by-track look at the recording of the album which includes comments from those involved ranging from producers to publicists, original members Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and Tony McCarroll (missing is Paul McGuigan), outside perspectives on the album by current Oasis members and archived live footage; most notably the best quality and most often used footage comes from the band's October 1994 debut at the prominent Chicago club Metro. No topic seems to be off limits and the interviews are blunt; no surprise when Noel and Liam are the ones doing the talking. Cocky and arrogant the Gallaghers may be, but they will be the first to admit it. You can't help but laugh along with Noel Gallagher's honesty when he points out the ridiculousness of some of his lyrics. As he phrases it, "I wasn't trying to impress anybody with my lyrical prowess, I didn't give a fuck about that...I was writing about things that were true to me and that's about shagging, drinking and taking drugs."

Much is made about the album's timing coming just month's after the suicide of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, placing heavy emphasis on the impending void in rock music left by his death. There's no question the impact the album had in the U.K.--it was the fastest selling debut album beating out the Beatles. Was it the sound of 1994? Probably not. Did it conquer America and the rest of the world? Not really. But it certainly has cemented Oasis in the hierarchy of British rock bands. At the same time, Definitely Maybe remains the measure of the band's greatness that fans and critics often look back to whenever a new release does not live up to the band's past. It's become a double-edged sword for the band when you take in account what Definitely Maybe and their second album (What's The Story) Morning Glory? accomplished; they are recognized as the artistic and commercial peaks the band has never seemed to reproduce on a consistent level.

The documentary does succeed in providing a different look at Definitely Maybe and Oasis. Before the fame and the excess, this was a band like any other band trying to make music and filled with the dreams of reaching the heights of their musical heroes. The album went through several re-recordings before Oasis was teamed up with producer Mark Coyle. The rest is simply chance; a chance that any band would wish they could have--the right album at the right time.

The extra features make this DVD a great package. There are added bonus interviews along with the promo videos for Definitely Maybe and live perfomances of each track either as television or concert appearances.

With 10 years now under its belt, Definitely Maybe remains a fresh album that doesn't sound like 1994 but sounds like a great rock album that you want to blast on the stereo and shred your vocal cords trying to imitate Liam Gallagher's viper like vocals. To some, it's the album that has sustained their career, their 15 minutes of popularity that they've managed to squeeze out and have tried to recreate on subsequent albums without much success. To others, it's the album and attitude that no band today can ever match; it's the album that makes them feel like they are rock and roll stars.