Music : (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

Rating: - British doesn't make it good
Guitars and drums drone on on this album with little sense of rhythm or definite melody. Oasis are clearly ambitious artists, as they laquer synthesizers and orchestras on top of endless layers of guitars. Instead of a wall of sound, however, we get an album that sounds like mud and makes me question whether my speakers are broken. They aren't, but my taste was when I purchased this album.

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Rating: - Best album of all time
In my mind, this is what music is all about. If there ever was a definition of great music, a picture of What's the Story Morning Glory would be right underneath it.
It's not even about one particular sound or one particular moment. The whole album is an incredible experience. It makes you so glad to be where you are and doing what you're doing, listening to it. It's one of those albums that you wish you could hear everyday for the first time.

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Rating: - Best Album Ever
Despite the Gallagher brother's being total prats with all their antics, you can't deny that their music is superb.
Whats the story Morning Glory is one of those rare albums you will hear, where all the tracks are great. Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova, Don't look back in anger, Roll with it, Some might say, She's Electric and my personal favourite Morning glory, all are really great tracks and sum up the greatness of British Music.
It's a shame some of the later music is not as good as this masterpiece. However I believe, after the release of Heathen Chemistry, is does seem that Oasis are on the right path and are almost back to producing the music their reknown for.
Anyway I urge you all to buy this CD, as frankly it really is one of those great albums that will never be forgotten.

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Rating: - REALLY REALLY GOOD
This CD makes me feel wonderful. If you're a new Oasis fan, this one is a necessity to own-buy it first. Personal favourite songs: She's Electric, Wonderwall, and Some Might Say. Great music for speeding on the highway with the windows rolled down and the wind in your hair. BUY IT.

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Rating: - "He's got morning glory and life's a different story"
By the end of the '90s, and living right across the sea from Britain, avoiding Oasis was virtually impossible. Not that I would've bothered trying at the time, but still. Their fame had reached astronomical proportions and it wasn't unusual to have heard of most songs on '(What's the Story) Morning Glory' without having even listened to the album. Now I had a preconceived notion that Noel and Liam were a pair of no-good philandering jerks with inflated egos who performed in a state of drunkenness, swore and even fought with their audiences, and worst of all, were highly disrespectful of their fellow artists(most notably, they publicly hoped that Blur would 'catch AIDS'). None of this was far from the truth. However I had decided by then that all of these acts justified my dislike for them. It seemed perfectly fair at the time, considering I had also picked up accusations of ripping off the Beatles, which seemed like a gross violation of the dignity of the Beatles. Of course none of these opinions were really quite valid, considering that I hadn't actually listened to their music, other than a few songs which had unconciously lodged themselves in my memory.

So a few years later, my memories and vision partially clouded by rose-tinted nostalgia, I borrowed 'Morning Glory' off a friend of mine. I was not disappointed. It is after all a little difficult to be disappointed when one has no expectations. There were a handful of catchy tunes. There was an even greater part however, that was deeply forgettable. The truth is, I listened to 'Morning Glory' to gain some understanding as to why it is considered to be one of the greatest records of the '90s, and maybe even share a bit in that greatness. As of now I am still no wiser than I was previously. All the songs sound instantly familiar. This is not because of any great songwriting skills on Noel Gallagher's part, but because all the tunes have been ah - taken from some other band. Oh well, that doesn't quite render them any less appealing, although it's almost like a puzzle(like, "Hey, isn't that the piano intro to 'Imagine'on Don't Look Back In Anger?"). The lyrics are average at best, and also stolen for the greater part("So I'll start the revolution from my bed/'Cos you said the brains I had went to my head" from the aforementioned Don't Look Back in Anger). Mostly, they are merely cringeworthy, as in the track She's Electric. Even the catchiest tunes annoy after 4 or 5 listens. This is not in the last place to blame on Liam Gallagher's voice, who tries too hard(and fails) to emulate John Lennon. His vocals are nasal, raspy, grating and in short just plain irritating. Liam seems clueless to subtle differences in emotions such as anger, tenderness, joy. He bellows every song with the same amount of bravado. Is this the voice of a generation? I should hope not.

Not that there aren't some tracks which are commendable. The stand-out ones are Hey Now!, Champagne Supernova and of course Wonderwall. For nostalgia's sake, also give Don't Look Back in Anger and Some Might Say a listen. The rest isn't actually worth the trouble. The 3 stars rating is actually a result of my own sentimentality about the Britpop-generation and therefore not quite representative of the actual grade this album should receive. Now I'm bound to receive a lot of negative votes but this is just my opinion after all, which won't matter in the larger scheme of things. One has to feel a tad sorry for the Gallagher brothers. They DO genuinely believe that they were and still are the greatest band to walk this earth. So all the more tragic is their stubbornness to let go of 1963 as their focal year as they continue to slide down the list of B-grade celebrities. They are the only band of the Britpop giants to musically remain exactly the way they were in 1995; what with Damon Albarn experimenting with hip-hop and African folk music, Suede and the Verve breaking up and Pulp having released nothing notable for a few years(although Jarvis is set to appear in the 4th Harry Potter movie). Only Oasis's line-up has altered in the course of time; it's usually just the Gallaghers and 3 other guys. In fact, they've practically fossilized. There used to be a time when Noel and Liam's perpetual bickering, between themselves and with other artists, used to be splashed all over tabloid frontpages. Now all we do is smile affectionately and think of the good old days. It is up to you to make up your mind about this album; I'm just an opposing voice in an endless array of positive reviews.

P.S. Liam Gallagher does not have a cockney accent, unlike what some reviewers on this site claim. Cockneys are Londoners. Liam is from Manchester. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, the title of this review is taken from Blur's Country House.