Oasis (band)

Lore & Background

Oasis signed to independent record label Creation Records in 1993 and released their record-setting debut album Definitely Maybe (1994), which topped the UK Albums Chart and quickly became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time. The following year, they released follow up album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) with new drummer Alan 'Whitey' White in the midst of a highly publicised chart rivalry with peers Blur, dubbed by the British media as the 'Battle of Britpop'. Spending ten weeks at number one on the British charts, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? was also an international chart success and became one of the best-selling albums of all time, the UK's third-best-selling album, and the UK's best-selling album of the 1990s by a band. The Gallagher brothers featured regularly in tabloid newspapers throughout the 1990s for their public disputes and wild lifestyles. Founding members Arthurs and McGuigan left in 1999 during the recording of the band's fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000). They were replaced by former Heavy Stereo guitarist Gem Archer on guitar and Ride guitarist Andy Bell on bass guitar. White was asked to leave the band in 2004 and replaced by touring member Zak Starkey the same year. After Noel Gallagher left Oasis in 2009, the remaining members formed Beady Eye, which disbanded in 2014. Both Gallagher brothers have since had successful solo careers. The band consists of Liam and Noel Gallagher, Bonehead, Archer and Bell.

Reader's Guide

Oasis are among the most successful acts in the history of the UK singles chart and the UK Albums Chart, with eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums. They were also nominated for three Grammy Awards. Their legacy is defined by their record-breaking album sales, iconic live performances, and central role in the Britpop movement.

Did You Know?

• Oasis's debut album Definitely Maybe (1994) became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time.

From the Rain to a Manchester Storm

In 1990, a Manchester group—bassist Paul McGuigan, guitarist Paul Arthurs, drummer Tony McCarroll, and singer Chris Hutton—formed a band called the Rain. When Arthurs lost patience with Hutton, he brought in Liam Gallagher to audition as a replacement. Liam also proposed a new name, inspired by an Inspiral Carpets tour poster in the bedroom he shared with his brother Noel, which listed the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon. The band played their first gig on 14 August 1991 at the Boardwalk club in Manchester, opening for the Catchmen and Sweet Jesus. Noel, then a roadie for Inspiral Carpets, was in the audience and was struck by what he heard. He offered to join on one condition: he would become the sole songwriter and de facto leader, and the group would commit fully to commercial success. Arthurs later recalled that before Noel arrived they had four songs; after he walked in, a flood of ideas followed. The musical philosophy that emerged was deliberately stripped back—barre chords, root-note bass lines, basic drum patterns, and amplifiers cranked until everything blurred into distortion. The resulting sound was described as so devoid of finesse that it came across as almost unstoppable.

Britpop Supremacy and the Knebworth Era

After a year of gigging and demo recordings, Oasis caught the eye of Creation Records co-owner Alan McGee during a 1993 show at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. The band had hired a van for the trip and were initially refused entry because they were not on the bill, but were given the opening slot and impressed McGee enough to earn a recording offer. They signed a worldwide deal through Sony, licensed to Creation in the UK. Their debut, Definitely Maybe (1994), topped the UK Albums Chart and became the fastest-selling debut album in British history. The following year brought (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, recorded with new drummer Alan "Whitey" White, amid a fiercely publicised chart rivalry with Blur that the British press dubbed the "Battle of Britpop." That album spent ten weeks at number one and became the UK's best-selling album of the 1990s and the third-best-selling of all time.

Lineup Shifts and the Road to Disbandment

The band's original lineup began to fracture in 1999, when founding members Paul Arthurs and Paul McGuigan departed during the recording of what would become Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000). They were replaced by Gem Archer, formerly of Heavy Stereo, on guitar, and Andy Bell, a guitarist from Ride, on bass. Drummer Alan White was asked to leave in 2003 and was succeeded the following year by touring member Zak Starkey. The final two releases of their original run were widely regarded as a return to form, recapturing the raw energy that had defined their early work. Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, the Gallagher brothers had been regular fixtures in tabloid newspapers, their public disputes and wild lifestyles fueling endless headlines. The remaining members carried on under the name Beady Eye until 2014, while both brothers pursued successful solo careers.

Legacy, Reunion, and a Place in History

They are among the most successful acts in the history of both the UK singles and albums charts, with eight number-one singles and eight number-one albums to their name. In the United States, they earned three RIAA-certified Platinum albums. They were also nominated for three Grammy Awards. The current lineup consists of Liam and Noel Gallagher, Bonehead, Gem Archer, and Andy Bell.