Oasis reunion

And they said it'd never happen.

I'm genuinely surprised at how much mainstream news coverage this is getting. Other than "Wonderwall," I don't think the average music listener can even name a single song by Oasis. UK press, understandably, but Oasis still isn't very "mainstream" is the U.S. outside of indie rock and alt-radio.

It’s weird what a huge band Oasis was in some memories of the 1990s, but they were utterly inconsequential to American pop radio. Britpop was definitely a very brief and ultimately unimportant musical moment for American mainstream audiences. (I don't particularly like Oasis, although I saw Suede in concert and was amazed; I also like Sleeper and a few other bands on the periphery of that scene.)

From Billboard:

.@oasis' history on the #Hot100:

No. 8, "Wonderwall" (1996)
No. 55, "Don't Look Back In Anger" (1996)
No. 93, "The Shock of the Lightning" (2008)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2024 08:50AM by zwirnm.

What? "Champagne Supernova" didn't chart in the U.S. at all? That surprises me. I remember hearing that one on American mainstream radio nearly as much as "Wonderwall."

Did "Champagne Supernova" come out during the period where singles had to be released commercially to hit the Hot 100? A lot of landmark '90s songs didn't chart as a result.

(What's the Story) Morning Glory? was a genuine hit in the U.S., reaching #4 on the Billboard 200 chart and certified 4x platinum within a year. But that's still dwarfed by their success in the UK where the album is certified 17x platinum, which puts them among the all-time highest sellers there.

They've grown on me, but only for that two-year window from 1994 to 1995, where both albums and the twenty-odd non-LP cuts they released those two years add up to an enjoyable and consistent burst of work (at least to me). Their entry here makes a case for at least two more studio albums though, so I may be underestimating them. I'm much more of a fan of Blur (love at least five of their albums), Pulp (at least four) and even Suede (at least two plus a whole lot of B-sides), but I have nothing against Oasis: they have their faults, but as a casual listener I'd rather focus on their best. My partner loves them so at least we can enjoy the recordings I mentioned above whenever we're on a long road trip.

Plenty of mainstream media this side of the pond, too. Most of it wondering if they'll come here.
The fact that it's just the Gallaghers with Noel's band seems like a bit of a half-arsed cash grab.

Looks like I jumped the gun. Bonehead's on board, too, allegedly.

If you are a fan of the first two albums you should give their last two albums 2005's "Don't believe the truth" and 2008's "Dig out your soul" a listen. They are genuinely good albums with Zak Starky on Drums and Andy Bell from Ride on bass these two albums feel like a band again rather than just Noal and Liam and session players. If you miss Ride, Andy Bell contributes some solid songs to the project so Noel isn't carrying the whole load.

Of course it is long since past the heady days of Brit Pop so these two albums didn't get all that much attention at the time but it was solid end to their recording career.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2024 07:56AM by jothoma.

Heathen Chemistry also is a worthwhile listen. Andy Bell and Gem Archer are on board, with Alan White (not the Yes drummer) still playing the drums. This one has plenty of good songs; it kind of sets the tableau for the top-notch finish provided by the last two albums, as Jothoma said.

Ride actually just played here in Sydney last week with support from Mercury Rev.

Apparently the bloom has gone off this rose already. Whether by Ticketmaster's doing or by their own, the Gallagher brothers have allowed Ticketmaster to exercise "dynamic pricing" for this tour ... as if the fans were buying airline tickets. Details here.

A truly vile practice that's par for the course with Ticketmaster. Even X's show at Town Hall has a handful of tickets with "dynamic pricing." A small fraction to be fair, the overwhelming majority were a lot more affordable, but it's the first time I've ever seen tickets to one of their shows with a face value of $260 (balcony) or $360 (orchestra)!

(FWIW, if anyone's still looking for tickets to that show and really prefers the center section of the orchestra, go to Stubhub, they have tickets that aren't much more than the original, non-dynamic pricing face value.)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2024 10:11AM by belfast.