Oasis is a British rock band, the absolute leader of the Brit-pop genre. One of the most influential and commercially successful bands of the 90s.
The band was founded in 1991 in Manchester by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher. Noel is the guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and ideologist of the band. His younger brother, Liam, is the main vocalist and songwriter. The Gallagher brothers regularly hit the tabloid pages and have gained a reputation as "bad guys."
The band was particularly influenced by The Beatles. Also in the music of Oasis can be guessed the influence of The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Sex Pistols, Stone Roses, The Jam, The Smiths and The Kinks. The debut album Definitely Maybe 1994 became a classic of the genre of Brit-pop/Brit-rock. The band gained international fame in the mid-1990s after the release of the super-successful album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? and, heated by the media, British Pop War with rival band Blur.
Thanks to the success of their debut album Definitely Maybe, 19 million sales (What's the Story) Morning Glory? and the victory in the British Pop War over Blur, Oasis became one of the most successful and influential bands of the 1990s. The peak of the group’s success came in 1997, when the third album, called by the press, “contemporary The Beatles” Be Here Now reached number one in the charts of more than 12 countries and became the fastest-selling album in the history of world recording: for the first day of sales it sold about 600,000 copies. The album's initial ratings were very enthusiastic, but as soon as the hysteria subsided a little, the album was criticized for its long songs, heavy sound and excessive arrangements. After the hysteria around Be Here Now, interest in the band faded and the next 2 albums, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants and Heathen Chemistry, had more modest success. Despite the fact that the band’s performances were still full, articles appeared in the press that Oasis had peed and would never rise to the previous level. However, after the release in 2005 of the sixth album Don't Believe the Truth and a very successful tour, everyone talked about the revival of popularity. The public and the press again showed interest in the work of Oasis, released in 2006, the collection of the best songs Stop The Clocks is still in the hit – parades of some countries. Between 2005 and 2008, the band received numerous awards for their contributions to contemporary music.
While most bands – Oasis’s rivals in the 1990s – have disbanded or record albums very rarely, Oasis, having gone through several member departures and a creative crisis, regularly release new works, and their concerts continue to be a huge success. On October 6, 2008, the band released their last studio album, Dig Out Your Soul, which was widely regarded as the band’s best album of the past decade.
Over the 18 years of its existence, Oasis released 7 studio albums, each of which became No. 1 in the hit UK parade and received multi-platinum status. To date, the total circulation of Oasis albums sold exceeds 60 million copies. The band has received NME Awards 15 times, Brit Awards 5 times, Q Awards 9 times, MTV Europe Awards 4 times, Ivor Novello 2 times and Grammy nominations three times. Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? are regularly voted the best albums of all time. In 2005, Oasis was named by Giunness as “the most successful artist in the British industry of the last ten years.” The influence of Oasis is clearly visible in the works of many modern bands: Coldplay, Travis, Stereophonics, Kasabian, the Killers, the Libertines, the Enemy, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. In February 2009, Oasis were once again recognized as the best group in the UK by the NME Awards.
On August 28, 2009, Noel Gallagher announced his departure from the band. The future of Oasis is in doubt.