Don’t Look Back in Amber: The Instant Nostalgia of the Oasis Reunion Announcement

Friday is fun because it’s music. Links, playlists. Etc. Today, the music news that was biggest this week: Oasis — the return…

As you read this it is the 30th Anniversary of the debut album by Oasis. The Manchester band that came to symbolise Britpop at its Pub-iest, and was one half of a media ‘war’ with Blur, formed in 1991 with Liam Gallagher initially setting it up, then calling on big brother Noel to come into the fold. Noel became the de facto leader, the songwriter, and, well, it was still very much a blast of overnight success really, three years later when, after signing to Creation Records, the band dropped Definitely Maybe.

First I knew about them was the album, and only via everyone else that was gassing on about it. I liked the swagger of the opening three songs, and the anthemic quality of the three songs that seemed to hinge the record into manageable sections (Live Forever, Supersonic, Married with Children, still the highlights frankly).

It was no baptism overnight for me. I’d revisit Definitely Maybe the year later, when second album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? was A) everywhere, and B) I was in a covers band that was a tiny part of the problem in ensuring that the songs were everywhere. We played giant singles Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back in Anger, and Champagne Supernova. We also played a few songs off the first album. Sometimes it felt like we played them as much as the lads in the actual band Oasis did. But that’s the comedy-dramatics of youth talking. (I’ve got a similar line claiming I played 500 Miles as much as The Proclaimers — because at one point I was in two bands that played it multiple times per gig).

For a lot of fairweather Oasis fans, the wheels fell off with the third album, or because of, or after the tour that supported it.

It was my great pleasure to write the foreword for a book about when Oasis toured New Zealand:

Writer, archivist, and Oasis Fanatic, Karamdeep Sahota — who introduced himself to me via email as, simply “Kazz” — spent years assembling his passion project. He created an oral history of what amounts to a weekend. The finite amount of time that Oasis crashed down into New Zealand, played two chaotic shows, barely survived, practically imploded, and left fans variously bemused, elated, confused, deflated, or some combination of such feelings and moods.

I kinda loved the gig in Wellington. I thought they sounded incredible — in the moments they were on stage. And the book has my review of the gig from the time. Which is, of course, pretty embarrassing. A shoddy piece of writing from a know-it-all/know-nothing student barely even doing his best to flex for the university paper. But hey, you have to start somewhere.

It’s unlikely that I could tell you a single song off any Oasis album after the first three. I remember hearing some of them, and possibly even not hating a few of them, but after I saw that gig, and after I played a bunch of their songs in a covers band far too often, and after that third album was deemed by most of the world to be a monumental failure, I was done. I haven’t really cared to see Liam in concert solo, nor Noel. I’ve listened to some of their music from their facsimile bands and solo recordings, and again, some of it sounds fine enough. But it’s just not really for me.

Most of what was either passed off as Britpop, or paraded around, or both, hasn’t really aged all that well to me. Side-note, but for example, I think The Stone Roses are quite possibly the world’s most overrated band. I like some Suede, and some Blur, and some Pulp, and even some of the lesser things — but most of it belongs in the 90s and doesn’t need a revival. I’m weary of anyone that champions that era too often, too loudly, for they, like Flying Nun fanatics, like Buzzcocks/Joy Division/Sex Pistols tragically, like any “club” that forms around a hint of a ‘movement’, sorta pretty much give me the shits, eh.

I’m no lone wolf. I’ve never been hip. I’m not particularly ‘out there’ with most of my listening and tastes, and I’m not trying to be congratulated for walking alone, but fan-clubs aren’t really for me.

Still, I say all of that, and I was a tiny bit excited about this week’s news that Oasis is reforming. Anyone else notice that it’s really just about the brothers? No need to say that it is, or isn’t, the “original” lineup. No one cares mate. It’s all about the Noel and Liam show after all…

I instantly wanted to be in the UK next year to see the gig. Which would cost thousands to get to there, and then thousands more just to buy a ticket to the show on English soil, apparently. So it’s never going to happen. And that’s okay. But for a day or two I was there. I was an Oasis fan again. For the first time in over 20 years, really. I mean, you know. Give or take. Which is also to say that I never really hated them, they always had their charms. There are some deeply resonant hooks in those early tunes. And they were worldbeatingly good — never twee and soft like Coldplay, not relentlessly arty like Radiohead (not even actually arty at all). I mean, in a way, if we’re thinking of stadium acts, for the masses, they were the pop-band version of AC/DC. Every song the same. And just only ever different enough to be justified. And hey, even those songs you claim to not really like, they sneak up on ya and next thing you’re singing along.

There’s something powerful about such community within music. To be in the space and celebrating it. I’d be at an Oasis gig to watch the actual fans going mental. To watch the diehards nearly fainting with excitement. To hear the hits and hope they were good enough 30 years on.

Someone asked me for my dream Oasis setlist. And you know what? I don’t exactly have one. I’d hope they’d just play the first two albums, back to back and right through. After that they could encore with anything. A lesser Liam song. One of the snore-fests from album album three’s most indulgent moments, or some dreaded “brand new” material. It wouldn’t matter. Because to me, Oasis was and still is Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory.

But what, if anything, did they mean for you? And did you have any reaction to this week’s news?

I think we’re all here these days — whether we instantly acknowledge it, or even realise it straight away — for the memes, right? There were some gems!

---

Alright, you came here for more than just Oasis, right? Don’t worry, I have some tunes for you, as always. Here’s the latest edition of the weekly playlist. This one starts off super lowkey, but I reckon it builds in a really nice way. And hey, no Oasis…that’s gotta be something for people that read this far and are definitely not fans of the Britpop kingpins eh…

Happy Weekend all!