This morning, what had been rumored for days became official: The reunited Gallagher brothers will reunite as Oasis next summer for a series of concerts in Europe, and there’s at least a hint of dates outside of that continent later on in 2025.
I’ll be honest: I am physically incapable of being cynical about this. Surely, there are more clear-eyed observers who will point out the obvious. This is (probably) happening because Noel Gallagher recently got divorced and he (absolutely) needs a sizeable infusion of that sweet reunion cash. It is (likely) that Liam Gallagher’s voice will sound (very) dodgy after howling over so many stadium crowds. There is (certainly) no “true” Oasis lineup at this point — it’s all about casting the right grizzled rock guys in Rod Stewart haircuts that can stand (sort of) credibly behind Noel and Liam. And there is a (fairly decent) chance that the shows won’t be great.
I get all of that. But I don’t care. I just don’t. I have been too busy contacting everyone I know in London and asking them to save a couch for me. (I guess they call it a “settee” over there.) I am looking into flights. I am concocting the precisely right excuse that will persuade my wife to sign off on me buying tickets to a stadium rock gig on a different continent. (Maybe more than just one?) That’s because — in spite of everything — I am excited. I am as excited as a person who has been speculating on the possibility of a reunion for at least two years can be.
And that has a lot to do with Definitely Maybe, Oasis’ debut album that came out 30 years ago this week. If you’re a music fan, you probably have a handful of “I remember exactly where I was when I heard it” albums. Definitely Maybe is that for me. I can recall being in the 10th grade and buying Definitely Maybe on cassette after reading about Oasis in Rolling Stone. I can envision putting the tape in my mother’s car, hearing “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” and deciding instantly that this was my new favorite band. And that’s what they were until I entered college and Oasis discovered cocaine and nine-minute songs.
What Oasis haters never quite understand is that loving Oasis is a holistic experience. Yes, you love them because you love the songs. But you also love them for the interviews. And the documentaries. And the lore that comes from seemingly countless other sources. You love Oasis in their totality, in a way that’s not common these days, particularly for rock bands. There are countless artists now making great music. But most of them are boring. They can’t crack a good joke at your expense or their own. So your admiration can only be one-dimensional. That has never been the case with Oasis. They are the rare band that can still entertain you even their music isn’t up to snuff. (On the other hand, their catalog is much deeper than their “only the first two albums are great” reputation suggests, which I made the case for in this column.)
I still love Definitely Maybe. (And I love Be Here Now and all the rest.) To celebrate the album’s 30th birthday — and these new reunion dates — here is my ranking of all the songs on Definitely Maybe.
11. “Digsy’s Dinner”
I put Definitely Maybe on this weekend for the first time in a long while and realized that this is one of those albums that disables my critical faculties. I just don’t have much distance or perspective from Definitely Maybe. I am not blind to the flaws but they don’t detract from my adoration. I love Definitely Maybe like a problematic uncle or a geriatric incontinent dog. And I always will.
Having said that, there is a clear separation on Definitely Maybe between the undeniable bangers (slots one through six on this list) and the second-tier material (seven through 11). And I think any Oasis fan — unless you are a contrarian undoubtedly planning to hit my mentions in about 30 seconds — will agree on what those songs are. “Digsy’s Dinner” is one of the latter songs. For years, us Americans knew it as “Digsy’s Diner,” because it was misprinted in the liner notes. That’s how well esteemed this song is. Oasis stopped playing it live after 1995 because they no longer had to perform every track in their discography to fill out a concert set. Nothing against “Digsy’s Dinner” — there are worse things than being the weakest track on an all-time classic. But that’s what “Digsy’s Dinner” is.
10. “Married With Children”
Definitely Maybe is Oasis’ pub-rock record. It’s the band playing in the same room, amps cranked to 11, with none of the orchestral pomp and circumstance that entered the pictured on the second and third records. There are barely even any acoustic guitars on Definitely Maybe, which immediately sets it apart from the next LP, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? The exception is “Married With Children.” It’s the mellowest and most modest-sounding track on the record, which is what I like about it. It also has one of the more memorable lines on the record: “Your music’s shite, it keeps me up all night.” And the TV sitcom allusion in the title is appropriate for the crudely hilarious Al Bundy’s of Britpop.
9. “Bring It On Down”
The most common critical cliché about Oasis is that they are derivative of The Beatles. But if you get past the haircuts and the occasional clunky Fab Four reference in the lyrics, Oasis doesn’t actually sound all that much like The Beatles. They in fact sound way more like the Sex Pistols, particularly on this record. Liam Gallagher aspired to sound like John Lennon, but he actually nailed down Johnny Rotten’s sneer. And then there’s Oasis’ overtly obnoxious working-class persona, which is manifested on the rampaging “Bring It On Down” by the loudmouth houseguest who won’t leave the party.
8. “Up In The Sky”
OK, I admit this sort of sounds like The Beatles.
7. “Shakermaker”
I love every song on Definitely Maybe. But I would have swapped out any of the preceding tracks for the best B-sides of this time. I refer to “Fade Away,” “Listen Up,” and the live cover of “I Am The Walrus.” (And then there’s “Acquiesce,” one of my top three favorite Oasis songs of all time, which was written during the making of Definitely Maybe but didn’t come out until the Morning Glory era as the B-side to “Some Might Say.”) All the other tracks I just mentioned appear on the “Cigarettes And Alcohol” single, which is possibly the single greatest thing ever Oasis created, including Definitely Maybe.
But I digress: “Shakermaker” without question belongs on Definitely Maybe, if only because it epitomizes Noel’s flair for writing singalongs that don’t make a lick of sense. “I’ve been driving in my car with my friend Mister Soft / Mister Clean and Mister Ben are living in my loft / Ah, shake along with me.” Hell yeah, dude.
6. “Columbia”
We are entering the “undeniable bangers” section of this list. Here is where ranking starts to get really brutal. Of the songs that are left, “Columbia” is the only one that didn’t become a band-defining hit. But anyone who loves Oasis has a special place in their for “Columbia.” No. 1, it’s an absolute killer live. (The Knebworth ’96 live album and documentary opens with “Columbia” and they never quite recapture the energy packed into those opening minutes.) No. 2, Liam really sells the chorus. In this era, he knew how to utilize his falsetto — or, rather, he still had a falsetto to utilize. And he utilizes the hell out of it on “Columbia.”
5. “Live Forever”
You know an album is overstuffed with rock anthems when you can semi-credibly put “Live Forever” in the No. 5 slot. On a different day, I might put this at No. 1 — that’s how close the top six songs on this record are. But this is definitely one of the songs that makes me want to fly to London and hear Oasis play for tens of thousands of drunk Britons in a stadium. Hard to imagine any band that could play loud enough to drown out the audience participation on a reunion tour rendition of “Live Forever.”
Also: Shoutout to Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, the one man in the Oasis camp who seems to have stayed friends with everybody no matter how bitchy things got. That’s him playing piano deep in the mix of “Live Forever.” Bonehead surely was the only guy in the room who didn’t insist on his part being turned up. That’s why everyone loves Bonehead.
4. “Supersonic”
The finest moment for Tony McCarroll, Oasis’ first and least effective drummer. (I hope they rehire Ringo’s kid for the reunion.) Producer Owen Morris described McCarroll’s style as “extremely basic” with timing and tempo that was “almost autistically perfect.” I think that about sums up the drum part on “Supersonic,” which is definitely basically and unmistakably perfect.
“Supersonic” also has the definitive Oasis lyric: “I’m feeling supersonic / give me gin and tonic / you can have it all but how much do you want it.” It’s all there — one part nonsense, one part bravado, and one part class-conscious striving. It’s textually incoherent and spiritually inspirational. That’s Oasis.
3. “Slide Away”
Right before the reunion rumors surfaced, a video was posted on Oasis’ YouTube page featuring Noel speaking with the music journalist John Robb about the 30th anniversary of Definitely Maybe. An immediate takeaway by many viewers concerned Noel’s effusive praise for Liam’s vocals. I’ll paraphrase what Noel said, which was basically this: “Liam’s swagger elevated my songs and took them to a different place.” Now, this is an extremely obvious observation already made by pretty much everyone who has ever liked this band. But it was still surprising coming from Noel, and when the rumors then started circulating, it was hard not to make a connection.
Definitely Maybe is the only Oasis record in which Liam sings lead on every track. On stage, however, Noel often has sung “Slide Away.” And he does a really good job. But it doesn’t come close to approximating what Liam does on the record. “Slide Away” is Liam’s “vulnerable scoundrel” moment, the part where he gets to be Han Solo showing you his tender side. It’s an incredibly effective manuever, and Liam is better at than most.
2. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”
I have written hundreds and possibly thousands of words about this song. I think it’s one of the best side 1’s, track 1’s in rock history. I think it’s one of the best “called shots” ever. I think it’s one of the greatest expressions of working-class “we gotta get out of this place!” capitalist desire ever committed to tape. It’s one of my favorite rock songs of all time. I’m actually surprised by that I’m not putting it at No. 1. But alas …
1. “Cigarettes And Alcohol”
I’m calling an audible on this one. As of right now, this is my favorite song on Definitely Maybe. I love that it blatantly rips off T. Rex and is somehow better than any T. Rex song. I love that it perfectly describes what I wanted to be at 16, what I was at 26, and what I tried to stop being at 36. I love that I once wrote that “Cigarettes And Alcohol” is better than The Who’s “My Generation” and I was right. I love that I got to see Oasis play this song live on the Be Here Now tour and it was a complete and utter glorious mess. And I love that I just might get to hear Oasis play it live again.