What was the first song Oasis ever recorded?
As Oasis announce their comeback, there has never been a better time to revisit their beginnings. Their story is deeply intertwined with the history of British music, as the 1990s duo burst out of their Manchester hometown and onto the world stage, leading the charge during the Britpop wave. Like all great bands, their journey began with one great song.
When Oasis emerged, it felt like, for the first time since The Beatles, British guitar music was the world’s business again. As they quickly gained a level of hype and interest that hadn’t been seen since the British invasion of the 1960s, the northern troupe, along with their class of other Britpop noise makers, were reclaiming rock and roll for their home country. As the decades have rolled on, even well beyond the group’s split, their hits like ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Roll With It’, ‘Champagne Supernova’ and beyond have endured as timeless classics, written into the UK’s shared songbook as some of the most beloved tracks the nation has ever been gifted.
But it takes a while to hit those dizzying heights. It would be an incredibly rare thing to emerge and already have your biggest hits under your belt. For most acts, it takes time and development, with a string of earlier tracks, drafts and demos paving the way to glory. So, while the band’s debut album, Definitely Maybe, instantly made them a sensation, that wasn’t the first thing they ever recorded.
Instead, it began with Live Demonstration, a demo tape the band made in 1993. Ahead of their rise to fame, this eight-track tape was a key to a future. It was a golden opportunity and a slice of rare potential that unlocked everything when it eventually got into the right hands. Produced with the help of Chris and Tony Griffiths from The Real People, the band, in their infancy, headed to Dock Road in Liverpool during the spring of 1993 for their first-ever session.
Of the eight tracks that made it onto the demo tape that eventually landed them their record deal, four made the cut for their debut album. The tape featured early versions of ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’, ‘Married with Children’, ‘Bring It On Down’, and the track that started it all, ‘Columbia’.
‘Columbia’ was the first song they recorded. It also happens to be one of the first songs Noel Gallagher wrote for the group, dating back to 1991, right as they formed. It got its live debut on January 15th, 1992, at Oasis’ second-ever gig, so it was a song that stuck around, becoming instrumental in establishing the band’s sound.
It was the song they began with when making their Live Demonstration tape. They’d later re-record it for a promotional single designed to gather early attention for the group and then again for their debut album.
But what was the first-ever Oasis single?
As well as being the first song they ever recorded, ‘Columbia’ was also technically their first single. In 1993, a demo take of the track was released. Plucked from the original demo tape, the track was the spearhead of their campaign for attention as a limited vinyl released furthered their mission to get signed and got them their first ever radio play.
But their official debut single came when the contracts were signed, and their first record was ready. In 1994, ‘Supersonic’ was their official launch into the world as the first single to promote the album and establish them as the next big thing.
