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There doesn’t exist an album which I would rate 10.0/10.0, because there is no album in which I would give every song a perfect 5-star rating. (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is one of a handful of albums which comes close. All but one song is a five-star masterpiece of musical greatness. The song I’m talking about is Hey Now!, a track which fails to be catchy or memorable, and should have been replaced by one of Oasis’s many excellent B-sides but why am I beginning this review by focussing on the only negative aspect of what is otherwise one of my top 5 favourite albums of all time. The remaining nine songs are masterpieces of lyrical and musical composition craftsmanship, in other words, each track is one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard.
Roll With It; damn, talk about a catchy uplifting song. Possibly the happiest Oasis song and one I always turn towards to lift my spirit and to remind myself not to care what naysayers think. Why is Wonderwall considered Oasis's signature song? It’s a great song but why it? It’s become the cliché song of choice for guys with acoustic guitars at parties. Even the choir at my sister’s school sings it; I don’t deny it’s an amazing song but with a band with an amazing back catalogue as Oasis, choose another one to play on the radio. Some Might Say is the song which started my Oasis journey. I feel it’s the perfect introductory Oasis song, summing up what the band is all about. Cast No Shadow strikes such powerful imagery, however, the title track Morning Glory is my choice for the centrepiece of the album. The lyric “another sunny afternoon walking to the sound of my favourite tune” describes many an afternoon to me; it’s kind of depressing actually. The song is about drug use and that is what this album is, a drug. You can’t stop listening to it, even when you think you’ve had enough of it you keep coming back for more. Even the two brief instrumental interludes are amazing. Heck, even the novelty song She’s Electric is amazing.
Closing the album is a song with lyrics which are total gibberish but it doesn’t matter. With Champagne Supernova it feels like Noel took every memorising phrase he could think of (“Slowly walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball” or “Caught beneath a landslide in a champagne supernova in the sky”) and put them all into one song and somehow made it all work. Even the title is memorising, Champagne Supernova: what does that even mean? Who cares! It’s an amazing title. Ok, I know I’ve said amazing about a million times in this review. Allow me to place (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? on top of a pedestal and worship its greatness.
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Era B-Sides and Rarities
With all these incredible B-sides it makes me think Oasis could have possibly made a whole album out of them or even make Morning Glory a double album. But nope, they made them B-sides.
Why is Acquiesce considered their best B-side? It’s a great song but like Wonderwall, I don’t get why it’s singled out so much. In my opinion, it’s the most overrated Oasis song. Talk Tonight, on the other hand, sends shivers down my spine on every listen; it has the most vulnerable lyrics Noel has ever written with the story behind the song seems too incredible to be true. Conversely, I like to think of Bonehead’s Bank Holiday as Oasis’ attempt at a Blur song (a track previously only included in the vinyl editions of Morning Glory). Is it just me or did the songs which not make it to the B-side compilation The Masterplan are even better than those which didn’t? It’s Better People, Step Out (sounds like an early 2000’s pop-punk song) and Round Are Way, in my opinion, are better than most of the songs on The Masterplan. Speaking of the actual song The Masterplan, a tune which sums up the journey of life within five minutes: that we are all part of a masterplan which we can’t understand, so we should just make the best of it. It contains some of the best, no, most incredible lyrics Noel has ever written. I love Noel’s comments regarding the song being a B-side, “Well, I don’t write shit songs!”
