Today, Aug. 29, marks the 20th anniversary of Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe, and though it wasn't the first album of the Britpop movement, it did become one of its defining documents. The album would become the fastest selling debut of all time in the UK (a record later broken by Elastica and then Arctic Monkeys), and in celebration of its 20th birthday, here are the album's 11 songs ranked, from worst to best.
11. Slide Away
My biggest gripe with Definitely Maybe is that it's a 52-minute album that could have easily come in at 40 minutes, and the six-and-a-half minute "Slide Away" is the biggest offender. There's not really a hook here, and since it comes near the end of the album, it simply sounds like a retread of the much better songs that came before it.
10. Bring It On Down
"Bring It On Down" is the most "rock 'n' roll" song from Definitely Maybe (yes, even more than "Rock 'n' Roll Star," which we'll get to later), and that's largely where it goes wrong. As boneheaded (pun somewhat intended) and simplistic as Oasis may have seemed sometimes, their best songs had an effortlessly melodic quality to them that isn't found here.
9. Columbia
"Columbia" has largely the same problem as "Slide Away," being longer than six minutes for no good reason, but its saving grace is its wonderful chorus melody. Still, three chords with no dynamic changes for six minutes straight is a little too much for me.
8. Up in the Sky
Though Noel Gallagher tends to write songs based around chord progressions rather than riffs, he busts out a pretty excellent, George Harrison-esque riff to build "Up in the Sky" off of, not to mention an appropriately soaring melody for his brother to sing on top of it.
7. Married With Children
Though Oasis would end its second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory with the massive, anthemic "Champagne Supernova," they took the opposite approach for Definitely Maybe, closing it out with the relatively brief acoustic number "Married with Children." It's a charming little song and a refreshing way to finish the album after 45+ minutes of huge guitar fuzz, but I wish it wasn't recorded with those totally dry, direct injection guitars, which feel like guitar picks poking at your brain.
6. Digsy's Dinner
"Digsy's Dinner" is the only song from Definitely Maybe that comes in at under three minutes, and it makes me wish that all of the other songs were this concise. It's also the album's most unique song, taking inspiration from quirky '60s pop from artists like the Zombies and Syd Barrett.
5. Shakermaker
Sure, the verse melody for "Shakermaker" was absolutely, undoubtedly stolen from "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)," but that doesn't change the fact that it's a great melody. The song is one of Oasis' finest psych-pop moments, and all it cost Noel Gallagher was $500,000 in damages.
4. Rock 'n' Roll Star
Oasis had no choice but to become the biggest band in the world. When you name the first song on your first album "Rock 'n' Roll Star," there's no way you can make it anything less than an explosive mission statement worthy of its title, and luckily Noel Gallagher was a talented enough songwriter to make that happen.
3. Supersonic
"Supersonic" was the lead single from Definitely Maybe and the song that set them on the path to superstardom, and it's not difficult at all to see why. It's by far the coolest song on the album, with a mid-tempo swagger that gave off the impression that Oasis simply didn't care what you think of them (even though they probably did). It's also the rare example of a song that opens with an incredible riff and then carries that promise and momentum over to its chorus. Every part of the song works.
2. Live Forever
A year before "Wonderwall" became Oasis' defining ballad (and their defining song, period), they gave us "Live Forever," which is arguably even better. At a time when the nihilism of grunge was running rampant (Kurt Cobain had killed himself just months earlier), it must have been incredibly refreshing to hear such a beautiful song with a simple, optimistic message.
1. Cigarettes & Alcohol
Like "Shakermaker," "Cigarettes & Alcohol" is a product of blatant plagiarism (this time it was T. Rex's "Get It On"), but that's part of what makes it the definitive Oasis song for me. It's built off of a stolen guitar riff, and has lyrics about a working class guy who wants to make it big, which is pretty much the basic formula for an Oasis classic. I've never been a fan of Noel Gallagher's lyrics (they're usually meaningless), but the decision to change the first verse's "All I found were cigarettes and alcohol" to "All I need are cigarettes and alcohol" is completely brilliant.
What's your favorite song from Definitely Maybe? What did I get wrong? Let us know down in the comments section!
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