(What's the Story) Morning Glory?

Infobox Album
Name = (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
Type = Album
Artist = Oasis


Released = 2 October 1995
Recorded = March 1995, May–June 1995, Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales
Mixed = Miloco Studios, London
Genre = Rock, Britpop
Length = 50:03
Label = Creation/Big Brother (U.K)
Epic (U.S.)
Producer = Owen Morris
Noel Gallagher
Reviews =
* Allmusic rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Ailf1zfd8ehak link]
* "Q" rating|3|5 [http://www.q4music.com/nav?page=q4music.artist.review&fixture_review=118179&fixture_artist=141592 Nov 2000]
* "Rolling Stone" rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/oasis/albums/album/213321/review/5946311/whats_the_story_morning_glory link]
Last album = "Definitely Maybe"
(1994)
This album = "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?"
(1995)
Next album = "Be Here Now"
(1997)
Misc = Singles
Name = (Whats the Story) Morning Glory?
Type = studio
single 1 = Some Might Say
single 1 date = 24 April, 1995
single 2 = Roll with It
single 2 date = 14 August, 1995
single 3 = Morning Glory
single 3 date = 15 September, 1995
single 4 = Wonderwall
single 4 date = 30 October, 1995
single 5 = Don't Look Back in Anger
single 5 date = 19 February, 1996
single 6 = Champagne Supernova
single 6 date = 13 May, 1996

"(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" is the second album by the English rock band Oasis. Released on 2 October 1995 in the UK, the album was Oasis' most enduring commercial success, charting at number one in the UK (staying there for 10 weeks) and number four in the U.S.. The album sold 347 thousand copies in its first week in the UK and has so far sold over 18 million copies worldwide. It is the third biggest-selling album in UK chart history (with 4.3 million copies sold), behind Queen's "Greatest Hits" and The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" respectively. The album has gone 4x platinum in the United States (4 million+ sales). [ [http://www.bpi.co.uk/stats/content_file_126.shtml The BPI's Top Ten UK Album Bestsellers] ] [http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-o/oasis_main.htm Rock The Net:Oasis] ]

Album singles "Some Might Say", "Roll with It", " Wonderwall", and "Don't Look Back in Anger" were hits in the UK, with "Some Might Say" and "Don't Look Back In Anger" both reaching the number one spot in the UK singles chart. "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova" went gold in the United States. [ [http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Oasis&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25 RIAA - Gold & Platinum - OASIS] ] The cover photo was taken on Berwick Street in Soho, London, [ [http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ukcorrespondents/christopherhowse/march2007/londonwashandbrushup.htm London's wash and brush-up] ] a London street known for its independent record shops. The two men on the cover are Sean Rowley and Owen Morris.

History

The success of "Morning Glory" catapulted Oasis from being a successful Britpop band to being one of the biggest bands in Britain, with substantial international fame, and considerable press coverage in the mainstream and music press. The band played several large open air concerts in the UK during 1996, including two nights at Knebworth in front of a combined audience of 250,000 people (125,000 each night) [ [http://www.nme.com/news/oasis/23794 Oasis mark Knebworth anniversary] ] ; at the time, they were the biggest gigs ever held for a single band on UK soil. Over 2.6 million people had applied to buy tickets, meaning theoretically Oasis could have played 20 consecutive sold out nights at Knebworth. [ [http://www.knebworthhouse.com/rock/the90s.htm 90s Rock Knebworth Rock House] ] Noel reflected that it wouldn't be possible to top this. "For a six-week period building up to that gig we were the biggest band in the world," he said "We were bigger than, dare I say it, fucking God." [Q Magazine June 2007 - Pg79]

Reception

Upon its release, "Morning Glory" received mixed reviews from music critics due to its softer sound compared to its predecessor "Definitely Maybe". "NME" gave the album 6/10, whilst "Q" gave it 3 stars out of 5. Despite a negative response from the music press, the success of its two lead singles "Some Might Say" and "Roll With It" – reaching number one and two in the UK singles charts, respectively – helped the album debut at #1 in the British album charts, staying there for a total of 10 weeks, and staying in the top ten for a total of 66 weeks.

In 1997, "Morning Glory" was named the fifth greatest album of all time in the "Music of the Millennium" poll, conducted by HMV, Channel 4, "The Guardian" and Classic FM. In 1998, "Q" magazine readers placed it at number 8, and in 2000 it achieved the same position in "Q"'s "100 Greatest British Albums Ever" list. In 1999, the editors of "Q" declared it the "album of the decade". The readers of "Q" placed it eighth again on the 2006 top 100 greatest albums of all time list. RS500|376 In 2008, a poll conducted by "Q" magazine and HMV to find the best ever British album put the album in second place behind "Definitely Maybe". [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7249473.stm BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Oasis top best British album poll ] ] "Wonderwall" ranked #35 on VH1's "Top 100 Songs of the 1990s".

Track listing

All tracks written by Noel Gallagher, except where stated.

#"Hello" (Gallagher, Gary Glitter, Mike Leander) – 3:23
#"Roll with It" – 4:00
#"Wonderwall" – 4:19
#"Don't Look Back in Anger" – 4:48
#"Hey Now!" – 5:42
#Untitled (aka "The Swamp Song - Excerpt 1") – 0:45
#"Some Might Say" – 5:29
#"Cast No Shadow" – 4:52
#"She's Electric" – 3:41
#"Morning Glory" – 5:04
#Untitled (aka "The Swamp Song - Excerpt 2") – 0:40
#"Champagne Supernova" – 7:30

Notes

Listen
filename = OasisChampagneSupernova.ogg
title = "Champagne Supernova"
description = 30 second sample of "Champagne Supernova"
format = Ogg

* Tracks 6 and 11 are officially untitled. The track listing displays no title for these songs, merely a blank space (although in the Mexican edition of the album they both appear as "The Swamp Song"). The excerpts from "The Swamp Song" are parts of the instrumental B-side to the "Wonderwall" single.
* The vinyl LP edition of the album features a bonus track, "Bonehead's Bank Holiday". This song appears as the seventh track on the album, immediately after the 43-second untitled track.
* "Step Out" had to be removed from the album at the last minute. The song, sung by Noel, was intended to have been the original track 8 (after "Some Might Say" and before "Cast No Shadow"), but was removed because the chorus was similar to that of Stevie Wonder's 1965 track "Uptight (Everything's Alright)". The track was eventually released as a B-side on Oasis' 1996 single "Don't Look Back in Anger", with an amended song writing credit of "Gallagher/Wonder/Cosby/Moy", and was included on the live album "Familiar to Millions".

Personnel

* Liam Gallagher – vocals
* Noel Gallagher – lead guitar, vocals, piano, co-producer, mellotron, E-bow
* Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs – rhythm guitar, mellotron, piano
* Paul McGuigan – bass guitar
* Alan White – drums, percussion

Chart positions

Album

References

succession box
before = "The Memory of Trees" by Enya
title = Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
years = February 4 - March 9 1996
after = "Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morissette