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Oasis biography

Oasis are an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as "The Rain", the group was formed by Liam Gallagher (vocals), Paul Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan (bass) and Tony McCarroll (drums), who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher (guitar and vocals). Oasis have sold over 50 million records worldwide, have had eight UK number-one singles and have collected 15 NME Awards, 5 Brit Awards, 9 Q awards and 4 MTV Europe awards. In February 2007, Oasis received the BRIT Award for outstanding contribution to music. The Gallagher brothers are the band's leading songwriters and the only continual members. The present lineup is completed by guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell, as well as unofficial drummer Chris Sharrock.

The band initially gained prominence performing on the Manchester club circuit. They were signed to independent record label Creation Records and afterwards released their debut album Definitely Maybe in 1994. The following year, the band recorded (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) with their new drummer Alan White in the midst of rivalry with Britpop peers Blur in the charts. The Gallagher brothers featured regularly in tabloid newspapers for their sibling disputes and wild lifestyles. At the height of their fame, Oasis released their third album, Be Here Now (1997), which was the fastest-selling album in UK chart history. The band lost two long-time members Paul McGuigan and Paul Arthurs between recording and releasing Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000) and Heathen Chemistry (2002) and went on to record Don't Believe the Truth (2005) and Dig Out Your Soul (2008).

History

Formation and first years: 1991-1994

Oasis are a rock and roll band who evolved from an earlier band called The Rain, composed of Paul McGuigan (bass guitar), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Tony McCarroll (drums) and Chris Hutton (vocals). Unsatisfied with Hutton, Arthurs auditioned acquaintance Liam Gallagher as a replacement. Liam suggested that the band name be changed to Oasis. This change was inspired by an Inspiral Carpets tour poster which hung in the Gallagher brother's bedroom. One of the venues the poster listed was the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon. Oasis played its first live gig in August 1991 at the Boardwalk club in Manchester. Noel Gallagher, who was a roadie for Inspiral Carpets, went with the band to watch his younger brother's band play. Whilst Noel Gallagher and his friends did not think Oasis sounded particularly spectacular, he did begin to consider the possibility of using his brother's group as a possible outlet for a series of songs he'd been writing for several years. Noel approached the group about joining with the proviso that he would become the band's sole songwriter and leader, and that they would commit to an earnest pursuit of commercial success. "He had loads of stuff written," Arthurs recalled. "When he walked in, we were a band making a racket with four tunes. All of a sudden, there were loads of ideas." Oasis under Noel Gallagher crafted a musical approach that relied on simplicity, with Arthurs and McGuigan restricted to playing barred chords and root bass notes, respectively; McCarroll playing basic rhythms, and the band's amplifiers turned up as to create distortion, Oasis created a sound "so devoid of finesse and complexity that it came out sounding pretty much unstoppable."

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