Oasis was one of the most important bands that emerged from the Britpop music style of the 90s decade. How did the Gallagher brothers reshape their influences to redefine the UK rock music of their time? Find the answer right here below in our visual guide.
Oasis was formed in Manchester in 1991. Their first two albums, Definitely Maybe (1994) and What’s The Story (Morning Glory) (1995), became huge worldwide hits. Here we take a look at some of the influences that made Oasis, as well as the Gallagher brothers, Liam & Noel, the greatest UK band of their time. To understand this, we must take a look at some of their main musical influences, as well as their impact on today’s music scene.
But what about the hype? There has been a lot of speculation about an Oasis reunion, but apparently, it is not going to happen. Songwriter Noel Gallagher seems to be happy releasing music with his band, as he released un 2023 the critically acclaimed Council Skies. On his side, Liam has also been busy on his own, as he released his third solo effort C’mon You Know in 2022, and the live album Knebworth 22 in 2023.
For now, this is all we got. Said all this, let’s dive into some of Oasis’s main inspirations.
Which artists influenced Oasis?
As it is widely known, Oasis’s main musical influences come from classic rock outfits from the sixties, such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. But here we dive a little more in detail about their inspirations that made them unique, as well as other relevant influences on the Manchester band.
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses is perhaps Oasis’s most direct influence, as they rose to popularity just before they became a hit. During the late eighties, the Stone Roses rose to fame, but they quickly fell apart. And the void they left, was filled by Oasis. Liam Gallagher has cited The Stones Roses’ song I wanna be adored as an inspiration.
On his side, his brother and ex-bandmate Noel Gallagher said that Cinamon Girl was the track that turned him into a fan of the band. In fact, Oasis’s first album, Definitely Maybe from 1994, sounds similar to The Stone Roses self-titled debut album from 1989. Both releases feature psychedelic delay guitars, a “quite spacey” sound, and especially, great tunes.
The LAs
Another direct influence on Oasis’ and their mid-nineties sound was The LAs, who released their only hit single There She Goes in 1990. Noel Gallagher has referred to the LA’s leader, Lee Mavers, as a genius of their time.
The Smiths
Another big influence on Oasis’ successful Britpop sound was The Smiths. Many tracks from this eighties band, led by Morrissey, have been covered by Noel Gallagher (There is a Light that never goes out is a good example). The Smith‘s guitarist Johnny Marr is one of Noel’s personal idols, and he even had him as a collaborator on The Ballad of the Mighty I, the final track of his solo album Chasing Yesterday, from 2015. Also, Marr gave Noel a special guitar, which was previously played The Who’s Pete Townshend.
The Who
Speaking about The Who, they are also a big influence on Oasis. Noel has explained that The Who were an inspiration on Oasis’s track Lyla, from Don’t Believe the Truth (2005). The guitarist also commented that this album owes a lot to the British rock sound from the sixties, with The Who being a clear inspiration. Apart from this, Oasis recorded a version of the classic My Generation from The Who, as a B side from their single Little by Little (Heathen Chemistry, 2002). Related to this matter, Pete Townshend also said he admires Liam and Noel.
T. Rex
It is no secret that Noel Gallagher is also a fan of the glam rock movement of the seventies. The vibe, the catchy and pretentious choruses, are something that caught the ear of Oasis’ chief songwriter. Moreover, the classic Oasis track Cigarettes & Alcohol borrows quite a lot from T. Rex’s Bang a Gong hit.
The Rolling Stones
In the documentary Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Britpop, Noel Gallagher explained that the inspiration for Oasis’ classic song Live Forever came from The Rolling Stones’ Shine a Light, originally released on Exile on Main St. (1972). In addition to this, Oasis recorded a version of Street Fighting Man, another Rolling Stone’s stand-out track.
The Beatles
Well, this is quite obvious, but let’s dive into some details about The Beatles’ influence on Oasis. The Beatles’ classic album Revolver (1966) is one of Noel Gallagher´s favorite albums. On his side, Liam Gallagher is such a fan of John Lennon that he even named his son after him. As it is widely known, Oasis has covered The Beatles live and in the studio on several occasions.
Bands influenced by Oasis
Coldplay
One of Oasis’s most popular “alumni” is Coldplay. The band has covered the song Live Forever with Liam Gallagher. Coldplay’s frontman, Chris Martin also mentioned Oasis’ track Cast No Shadow, from (What´s the Story) Morning Glory?, as a big influence on him.
The Killers
Another famous Oasis fan is Brandon Flowers. According to the singer from The Killers, he decided to start his own band after attending an Oasis concert back in 2002, in Las Vegas. The Killers have covered the Britpop titans many times live, performing tracks such as Live Forever, Wonderwall and Acquiesce. For additional information on this band, please visit our post about The Killers’ musical influences.
Arctic Monkeys
Both the drummer and the singer from Arctic Monkeys, Matt Helders and Alex Turner, performed in an Oasis tribute band during their adolescence. Oasis has been an influence on their lyrics about the working class way of life, their neighborhood, and the real situation on the streets.
The Libertines
Last but not least, we have the British successful band The Libertines. Back in 1997, a really young Pete Doherty was filmed on video as he was part of the crowd looking to buy Oasis’ third LP, Be Here Now. At the time he just used this event to make funny comments on camera. Many years later he would clarify that jokes aside, Oasis were one of the bands he listened to the most, even though at the time of the footage he was just pretending to be a fan.
Elliott Smith
Singer and songwriter Elliott Smith enjoyed Manchester’s best 90’s band. As we have seen in Elliott Smith influences diagram, he was fond of Oasis music and went through a Britpop fan phase. He played live their track Supersonic during a few of his live performances.
The Pretty Reckless
Perhaps this sounds a bit like a surprise, but in fact, The Pretty Reckless frontwoman, Taylor Momsen, is quite a fan of Oasis’s work. She even wants to collaborate with Noel Gallagher at some point. You can spot the influence on her band’s more pop-oriented tracks, such as Tame Me Down, and some of their softer songs, such as Got So High. Also, it is worth noting that The Pretty Reckless has covered Champagne Supernova and Wonderwall, two iconic Oasis originals.
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A little extra content here: here you can see Brandon Flowers’s reaction when he was surprised on stage by Liam Gallagher.