Oasis

Oasis were an English rock band who formed in Manchester in 1991. They were previously known as "The Rain". The group was formed by Liam Gallagher.

The Band members are as follows:
- Liam Gallagher (Vocals and tambourine)
- Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (Guitar)
- Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan (Bass guitar)
- Tony McCarroll (Drums, percussion)
- Noel Gallagher (Lead guitar and vocals)

The beginning of Oasis:

Oasis started as band called 'The Rain'. Liam Gallagher, the creator of the band suggested the band name should change to Oasis. This was inspired from an Inspiral Carpets tour poster that was hung in his room. One of the venues on the poster was the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon, and 'The Rain' then became 'Oasis'. Oasis played their first live gig in 1992 in Manchester. Noel Gallagher, Liam's older brother went to support the band. Noel saw potential and approached the band with the idea that he could become the bands songwriter. Noel changed the way Oasis worked for good. After a year of live gigs, rehearsals and recording of a demo, the big break came in 1993 for the band where they were spotted by Creation Records. The band opened a show in a club in Glasgow and impressed Alan McGee causing him to sign the band to Creation four days later.



Oasis' first single, "Supersonic" was released in April 1993 reaching number 31 in the charts. Their third single "Live Forever" was the bands first song to enter the top 10 in the UK charts. The bands debut album, "Definitely Maybe" was released in September 1994, this entered the charts at number 1, and became the fastest selling debut album in the UK at that moment in time.

Oasis were heavily associated with drugs and alcohol and the lifestyle of Oasis began to take a toll on the band eventually. During a gig in LA in 1994, Liam was under the influence of Crystal Meth and in the performance he made offensive comments towards American audiences and assaulted his brother with a tambourine. This upset Noel who temporarily quit the band. Creation's Tim Abbot tracked him down and persuaded him to reconcile with his brother in which he did so. The band followed their American tour with their fourth single release of "Cigarettes & Alcohol" which reached number 7 in the UK charts. Their Christmas single "Whatever" entered the charts at number 3, being their biggest hit.

The rise of Oasis:

Oasis had their first UK Number 1 in 1995 with "Some might say", the first single from their second album. At this point Tony McCarroll left the band as he felt there was a personality clash with the Gallagher brothers. Londoner, Alan White replaced him, making his debut for the band at a Top of the Pops performance of the number 1 single. The band went head to head with Blur when they released "Roll with it" the same day as Blur released "Country House". Blur outsold Oasis and many believe it was simply because Blur's single was cheaper than Oasis'. Noel Gallagher told the Observer newspaper that he hoped Damon Albarn and Alex James of Blur would "Catch AIDS and die" which caused a lot of commotion in the media. He apologised for this in a formal letter to many publications.

Paul McGuigan (bassist) left the band in 1995 due to exhaustion but was persuaded to return to the band to complete their tour. Oasis took on a sofer sound in their second album "(What's the story) Morning Glory?" which led to mixed reviews from the public. However, it was a commerical success. It became the third largest selling album of all time in the UK with over 4 million copies having been sold. The album contained two of Oasis' biggest hit singles "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger", which reached numbers two and one in the charts. It also contained a single that wasn't released in the UK but reached number 1 in US modern rock charts 'Champagne Supernova'. Oasis' career reached it's peak and they performed back-to-back concerts at Knebworth which sold out within minutes. 2.5 million people applied for tickets and 375,000 were sold. This was recording breaking for an outdoor concert in the UK and is believed to be the largest demand for a show in British history.



Oasis spent the end of 1996 and start of 1997 recording their third album. Arguments between the Gallagher brothers and heavy drug use affected their recording sessions. "Be here now" was released in August 1997 and was very anticipated by the public. It's first day of release sold over 350,000 copies and by Saturday of that week sales reached 696,000, making the album the fastest-selling in British history. Oasis released a compliation album late in the year of 1998 entitled "The Masterplan".

In 1999, the band began to work on their fourth album. Things weren't going well and Paul Arthurs made a shock departure from the band. Arthurs wanted to concentrate on other things and spend more time with his family. Following this, two weeks later Paul McGuigan departed from the band also. The Gallagher brothers held a press conference ensuring the public that the future of Oasis was secure. The three man band continued with the recording of the album. After the recording was finished the band began to search for replacement members. Firstly announced was Colin Archer as the lead/rhythm guitarist. Andy Bell then joined as their new bassist. Creation records folded and Oasis made their own label, "Big Brother" which released all of Oasis records in the Uk and Ireland. The fourth album was released in 2000 and peaked at number 1 on British charts. Three singles were released from the album, these being "Go Let It Out", "Who Feels Love?" and "Sunday Morning Call" which all made it to the top five in the charts. Following the departure of some of the founding members, the band made several changes to their image and sound. This featured a new "Oasis" logo, designed by Gem Archer, and the album featured a song written by Liam Gallagher, named "Little James".

in 2002, Oasis released another album 'Heathen Chemistry, Oasis". The album reached number 1 in the UK charts although critics gave it mixed reviews.Four singles were released from the album, "The Hindu Times", "Stop Crying Your Heart Out", "Little by Little/She Is Love", and the Liam's "Songbird", Oasis' first single not written by Noel.

Following this albums release, the band had a successful world tour. The band's sixth album was record in LA. Producer Dave Sardy took over the lead producer role from Noel who decided he would step back after a decade of production leadership over the band. Their sixth album "Don't believe the Truth" followed the same path as "Heathen Chemistry" as it was a colloborative project yet again. Alan white left the band and the album featured Zak Starkey, previous drummer of 'The Who'. The album had two UK number 1 singles "Lyla" and "The Importance of Being Idle", whilst "Let There Be Love" entered at number 2.

In 2006, Oasis released a compilation double album titled "Stop the Clocks." This featured what the band considered as their "definitive" songs. In 2008, Starkey left the band following the recording of the seventh album and was replaced by former Robbie Williams drummer, Chris Sharrock. The band also resigned with Sony for a three-album deal. The first single from the bands seventh album "Dig out your Soul" was "The Shock of the Lightning" written by Noel Gallagher. The band toured again with support from Reverend and the makers, The Enemy and Kasabian.



The Breakup:
Oasis split up in August 2009 following a row between the brothers backstage at V festival (Weston Park). Supposedly Liam broke Noel's guitar and they quarrelled. They cancelled their performance the following night at V festival (Hylands Park) due to the instant decision of the band splitting.

Success:
- 8 UK number 1 singles
- 7 UK number 1 albums
- 15 NME Awards
- 9 Q Awards
- 4 MTV Europe Music Awards
- 6 BRIT Awards
- Nominated for 3 Grammy Awards
- Listed in Guinness Book of World Records (2010) for "Longest Top 10 UK Chart Run By A Group"
- Hold the Guinness World Record for being the "Most Successful Act of the Last Decade" in the UK (1995-2005)

Record Label:

Members of Oasis were signed to independant record label 'Creation Records'. The band have sold an estimated figure of about 70 million records worldwide.