Maps of Music

Definitely Maybe (1994)

Where the lyrics of Definitely Maybe take you, and where it was really made.

The first recording sessions were scrapped and the producer was fired, yet the album went straight to number one in the UK Albums Chart.

Key places

First sessions at Monnow Valley (1994)

Recording site Monnow Valley Studio — The band booked Monnow Valley Studio near Rockfield in January 1994 to record the album. The sessions with producer Dave Batchelor were unsatisfactory, and he was later fired. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Supersonic recorded in Liverpool (1993)

Recording site Pink Museum Studios — The band recorded Supersonic at the Pink Museum Studios in Liverpool in December 1993, before the album sessions began. The point marks the city, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Re-recording at Sawmills in Cornwall (1994)

Recording site Sawmills Studios — In February 1994 the group began re-recording the album at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall. Noel Gallagher produced these sessions alongside Mark Coyle. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover shot at Bonehead's house (1994)

Album cover Bonehead's house in Didsbury — The front cover photograph was taken by Michael Spencer Jones at guitarist Bonehead's house in Didsbury, Manchester. The house location is the shoot site. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Definitely Maybe: debut studio album by the English rock band Oasis
• Released 29 August 1994 by Creation Records
• Line-up: Noel Gallagher (lead guitar, backing vocals, chief songwriter), Liam Gallagher (lead vocals), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (rhythm guitar), Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan (bass), Tony McCarroll (drums)
• Sold over 15 million copies worldwide
• Only Oasis album to feature all five original members completely

Background

• Band formed in 1991 as the Rain, by Bonehead, Guigsy, McCarroll and Liam; Liam soon asked Noel to join
• Noel wrote all the songs on the album
• Oasis signed to Creation Records in 1993
• Limited-edition 12-inch single "Columbia" (1993) served as a teaser for journalists and radio; BBC Radio 1 played it 19 times in the fortnight after release
• Singles before the album: "Supersonic" (11 April 1994, debut at No. 31), "Shakermaker" (June 1994, No. 11, Top of the Pops appearance), "Live Forever" (8 August 1994, first top 10 single)
• Creation was still £2 million in debt, so promotion of the album had a budget of only £60,000

Recording

• First attempt at Monnow Valley Studio near Rockfield in January 1994 with producer Dave Batchelor, who was later fired
• Monnow Valley sessions cost £800 a day
• Second attempt at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall from February 1994, with Noel producing alongside Mark Coyle
• Owen Morris mixed the album at Loco Studios in Wales and at The Matrix in London
• Mastering at Johnny Marr's studio in Manchester

Cover

• Photograph by Michael Spencer Jones at Bonehead's house in Didsbury, Manchester
• Inspired by the back cover of the Beatles' 1966 compilation A Collection of Beatles Oldies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Oasis are an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991.
• The original line-up was Liam Gallagher, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll; Noel Gallagher joined a few months later as the fifth member.
• Noel became the de facto leader and wrote the songs for the band's first four albums.

Members

• Current members are Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher, Bonehead, Gem Archer and Andy Bell.
• Former members include McGuigan, McCarroll and Alan "Whitey" White.

Career

• The band signed to Creation Records in 1993 and debuted with Definitely Maybe (1994), which topped the UK Albums Chart.
• (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) became the UK's best-selling album of the 1990s.
• Be Here Now (1997) became the fastest-selling album in UK chart history.
• The band disbanded in 2009 after Noel left, and reformed in 2024.
• They have sold over 100 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Received widespread critical acclaim on release
• Critics embraced its optimistic themes and its rejection of the negative outlook of much grunge music of the time
• NME critic Keith Cameron called Noel Gallagher a pop craftsman in the classic tradition and a master of his trade
• Melody Maker gave the album its star rating signifying a bloody essential purchase
• Mixmag, which usually ignored guitar-based music, gave the album a five-star review
• Q critic Stuart Maconie called it an outrageously exciting rock/pop album
• Mojo critic Jim Irvin wrote that the album spat feathers next to the flimsy music of most new British bands
• Rolling Stone included it in its end-of-year round-up of 1994's most important records

Reappraisal

• Regarded as a cornerstone of the Britpop genre
• Has appeared on many publications' lists of the greatest albums of all time
• NME readers' poll in 2006 voted it the greatest album ever
• Spin included it in its 2015 list of the 300 Best Albums of 1985-2014
• Q and HMV's 2008 poll of the greatest British albums placed it at No. 1
• Rolling Stone ranked it at No. 217 on its 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

Records

• Debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart
• Was the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time
• Sold 100,000 copies in its first four days
• Certified 10x platinum by the BPI for sales of over 3 million units
• Certified platinum by the RIAA in the United States
• Single "Cigarettes & Alcohol" peaked at No. 7 in the UK
• Definitely Maybe box set (1996) charted at No. 23 on the UK Albums Chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Noel Gallagher refused to release "Slide Away" as a fifth single, saying you cannot have five singles off a debut album.
• Bonehead's Epiphone Riviera, which he used on every Oasis recording and gig during his time in the band, is propped against the wall on the cover.
• The wine glass on the cover is filled with diluted Ribena; Spencer Jones explained that red wine often turns out black in photographs.
• The 2024 30th anniversary reissue adds a disc of the discarded original recording session from Monnow Valley along with Sawmills outtakes.
• In October 2023 Liam Gallagher announced plans to tour and perform the album in full for its 30th anniversary.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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