The five classic tracks Oasis recorded in five days
Oasis probably isn’t the first band that comes to mind when thinking about productivity. The Gallagher brothers are best known for their Britpop sound and infamous in-fighting, but back in 1995, the band was on fire.
After their breakout in 1994 with ‘Supersonic’, the Manchester duo shot to the top of the cultural conversation. Following it up with ‘Shakermaker’ and then the anthemic ‘Live Forever’, their third single saw them get a top ten hit.
As Britpop was blossoming, Oasis always stood out as the working-class antidote to middle-class acts like Blur. It was a class divide that the press quickly cottoned onto, creating a rivalry between the acts. So after their debut album Definitely Maybe caught the world’s attention, the pressure was on for the hotly anticipated follow-up.
They wasted no time. Just over a year later, their second album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? was out. It was a quick turnaround to try and level up the hype that was built by their debut. But the process of recording the album was even quicker.
The album’s producer, Owen Morris, claims they recorded the record in only 15 days. Relocating to Rockfield Studios in Wales, the band were apparently in high spirits and on top form during the album sessions. “The sessions were the best, easiest, least fraught, most happily creative time I’ve ever had in a recording studio,” Morris said in 2010, reflecting on the process.
Maybe the good energy was down to the speed of it all. With only 15 days to can the album, the band moved at a lightning pace. Working at an average of one song per day, the first five days deserve to be marked in music history as some of the Britpop era’s biggest hits were put to tape.
In the first five days of the recording process, the band finished five classic Oasis tracks. ‘Roll With It’, ‘Hello’, ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’ were laid down in consecutive days. Making hit after hit, the Gallagher brothers were running riot.
After a two-day break, they came back for more. Next up, they finished ‘Morning Glory’, ‘She’s Electric’, ‘Cast No Shadow’, ‘Step Out’, ‘Hey Now!’ and then ‘Bonehead’s Bank Holiday’. The only song that really caused them any issue was ‘Some Might Say’, which was decided to be too fast, so it was totally redone over one drunken night.
By the end of the 15 days, one of the most iconic albums of the 1990s was complete. For Morris, it not only marks the sound of a generation but holds great memories, adding, “I believe people can feel and hear when music is dishonest and motivated by the wrong reasons. Morning Glory, for all its imperfection and flaws, is dripping with love and happiness.”
Once the record was done and the band, their producer and their wider team took a step back to listen to it all, they immediately knew it would be a hit. Morris said it would “wipe the field with any competition,” adding, “It’s astonishing. It’s the [Never Mind the] Bollocks for this decade.”
Their label boss Alan McGee already saw the vision of putting Oasis head to head with their upper-class rivals, stating, “You just cannot slag this record. It’s gonna speak to real, working class lads in a way that a Suede or Radiohead could only dream of doing.” They put that theory to the test when they decided to release (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? at the same time as Blur released The Great Escape, putting the singles ‘Roll With It’ and ‘Country House’ head to head in the ‘Battle Of Britpop’.
While Blur won the battle as they bagged the number one single, Oasis definitely won the war. As (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? has gone down in history as one of the most iconic indie albums ever made, its sound is totally timeless despite its lightning-fast creation.
