Oasis is a british pop
band, whom I absolutely
hate. However, I love their music. They have a lot of
influence from the
Beatles, with a blues-rock guitar
background and crooning vocals. And they
hate each other. A lot. They're
cocky assholes. But, they've got the whole Beatles influenced
brit pop thing down.
Oasis was originally Liam Gallagher on vocals, Paul Arthurs on guitar, Paul McGuigan on bass, and Tony McCarroll on drums. Noel and Liam have always been the driving forces in the band. They were raised in Burnage, a Southern suburb of Manchester. At the age of 11, Noel's father had bought him a guitar and he became interested in the English punk scene. In 1989, Noel took his younger brother Liam to see Inspiral Carpets. The concert really got Liam interested in music, and also provided Noel with a job as a guitar technician with the band. In 1992, Noel called home and learned that his brother had started a band. He went to see them play, and agreed to join the band only if he was the lead guitarist and if they only played his songs. Liam, recognizing that their main lacking was in good songwriting, which Noel could provide, agreed.
In may 1993, Oasis was discovered by Creation Records (who at the time was strapped for cash thanks to My Bloody Valentine) when they forced themselves onto the bill at a concert in Glasgow that was attended by Creation head Alan McGee. They released several singles which met with a positive response in England, and in late 1994, they released their first album, Definitely Maybe. The album was the fastest selling release in English history, and debuted on the charts at number one. The band, however, was not getting along too well and Liam and Noel refused to be interviewed together because they kept getting into fights. During a US tour, Noel dropped out of the band leaving Liam to finish up alone, however he rejoined the band at the end of the tour.
In early 1995, Oasis gained popularity in the US with the song Live Forever going to number 2 on the US pop charts, and Definately Maybe going gold. Drummer Tony McCarroll left the band (he was probably sick of listening to Liam and Noel) and was replaced by Alan White. Oasis headed back to England, and began work on their second album. (What's the Story) Morning Glory was released in October of 1995 to critical acclaim, quickly shooting to the top of the British pop charts. It became the second biggest selling album in british history and launched Oasis to international fame. The album was very much in the spirit of the Beatles, with strong melodies and vocals. It was, in my opinion, a kick ass album. A supporting US tour was cancelled due to more fighting between Liam and Noel.
Oasis then began recording their third album, Be Here Now, which I thought sucked but the world at large disagreed... It was released in August 1997, and sold relatively well, although it quickly dropped off the charts as people started to realize I was right (or something like that). Again, another tour was cancelled due to more fighting within the band.
As Oasis was working on their fourth album, bassist paul McGuigan left the band. Noel, the ass that he is, was quoted as saying "It's hardly Paul McCartney leaving the Beatles." Gem Archer joined the band, and they released their fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, which didn't suck quite as much as the last album, but didn't rock as much as the first two either. In 2000, Oasis actually managed to complete a world tour and released a live cd from the tour called Familiar To Millions which was ok, but I wouldn't spend money on it.
Currently, I believe Noel is once again not with the band, but that probably won't last long. They're hard to like, but they do make some good music when they can tolerate each other. Sure, they may think that they are the greatest band since the Beatles, but in some ways, they might not be too far off.
Information for this writeup was compiled from the Allmusic Guide, various fan websites, and the VH1 Behind the Music Special