Oasis was built to burn out. The band quickly (and, Blur notwithstanding, rather easily) established itself as the face of Britpop as the movement came into its own in the mid-90s, on the strength of its propulsive 1994 debut, Definitely Maybe, and the loud personalities of its fraternal crown prince assholes, Noel and Liam Gallagher. By 1997, an excess of ego and cocaine had bloated the band into a garish imitation of its original form that left many disappointed, but few surprised. The period in between, though, saw the release of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, a follow-up that fulfilled all of Oasis’ promise even as the group continued to careen out of control. Like its predecessor, Morning Glory was built primarily on the age-old tradition of stealing from one’s forebears, and just as before, even if the boldfaced grafting made the band seem less than original – “Don’t Look Back In Anger” actually does begin with John Lennon’s intro to “Imagine,” after all – one had to admire the panache with which they pulled it off. Similarly, the unadorned rock of Definitely Maybe was every bit as evident the second time around (“Some Might Say”), as were the able turns of phrase and the sense of humor responsible for much of the Gallaghers’ inscrutable charm ( “She’s Electric”). What had changed was an added degree of emotional frankness that revealed a greater depth to the Gallaghers as both songwriters and vocalists, from the searing malice of “Morning Glory” to genuine affection, and even dependence, on the eternal “Wonderwall.” The band also imbued the album with an anthemic quality that they would never again achieve – one that lends its epic closer, “Champagne Supernova,” both a sweetness and a celestial force that exceed the power of suggestion. These were all qualities that came effortlessly to Oasis in 1995, and as much as anything, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? stands as a monument to that brief period when the Gallagher brothers were every bit as remarkable as they claimed to be.
