Oasis: Definitely Maybe (30th Anniversary Edition) review: Oasis masterpiece gets a supersonic reboot, writes ADRIAN THRILLS
Oasis: Definitely Maybe (Big Brother 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
Verdict: Timely renewal of a classic
Sabrina Carpenter: Short n' Sweet (Island)
Verdict: Clever n' catchy
This week was always going to be a significant one for Oasis fans, with yesterday marking the 30th anniversary of the band's 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe.
But what had been shaping up as a big week became a truly momentous one on Tuesday morning with the confirmation that Liam and Noel Gallagher were reuniting for a money-spinning series of stadium shows next summer.
With tickets on sale tomorrow morning, the tour is huge news. The Manchester group — an era-defining force in the Britpop boom of the 1990s — split after a backstage row between the Gallaghers in 2009, and the pair have since spent an inordinate amount of time publicly slating one another while pursuing successful solo careers.
But the prospect of frontman Liam and chief songwriter Noel returning to the stage together is setting pulses racing — and sending hotel prices soaring.
What had been shaping up as a big week became a truly momentous one on Tuesday morning with the confirmation that Liam and Noel Gallagher (pictured) were reuniting
Oasis, back in their prime, played with a style and panache that elevated them above their peers. Left to right: Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell, Liam Gallagher, Gem and Alan White
Today's deluxe reissue of Definitely Maybe is a timely reminder of that singalong swagger: 30 years on, it remains their masterpiece
Oasis, back in their prime, played with a style and panache that elevated them above their peers — and today's deluxe reissue of Definitely Maybe is a timely reminder of that singalong swagger: 30 years on, it remains their masterpiece.
The new package was announced three months ago, long before reunion rumours started to swirl, and it's out as a double CD (£16), quadruple vinyl LP (£60), cassette (£12), and digitally. In addition to a 2014 re-master of the original LP, it includes new artwork and a slew of previously unheard out-takes.
It's an album that doesn't try to hide its influences. The tune of Shakermaker is lifted from The New Seekers' 1971 hit I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony), and the psychedelic Up In The Sky is indebted to The Beatles' 1966 LP Revolver. The guitar intro to Cigarettes & Alcohol recalls T. Rex's Get It On, and there are echoes of Slade and the Sex Pistols.
But the magic lies in how Oasis used those influences. With Liam's vocal snarl adding an aggressive optimism to his brother's nostalgic melodies, Definitely Maybe is a viscerally exciting record. It's arguable that 1995's (What's The Story) Morning Glory? had marginally better songs in Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger and Champagne Supernova, but Definitely Maybe is the definitive Oasis release.
The newly unearthed out-takes provide insights into how these youthful anthems came into being. Oasis began the album at Monnow Valley studio in Wales, but shelved those recordings and finished the job at Sawmills studio in Cornwall. Out-takes from both sessions feature here.
Liam Gallagher (left) and Noel Gallagher pictured together after announcing they will reunite for Oasis's long-awaited reunion with a worldwide tour in 2025
Liam and Noel Gallagher on the 'Che Tempo Che FA' TV programme in Milan in 2008
The group binned the Welsh tapes because they felt they were too polished and didn't capture the energy of their live gigs, but that explanation doesn't really hold water. There's nothing glossy about the raw, road-hardened versions of Rock 'n' Roll Star, longer than on the final LP, and Shakermaker. They are simply works in progress.
The Sawmills sessions feel closer to the finished article, though there are departures, too. There's a sprawling, seven-minute version of Columbia and an unreleased demo of Sad Song, a bonus track on the original 1994 vinyl LP. This alternative take, from 1992, features Liam rather than Noel on vocals.
Hits such as Supersonic and Live Forever are sure to feature heavily when Oasis hit the road next year, maybe even igniting a fresh appetite for new, younger guitar groups.
Definitely Maybe brought plenty of good cheer when it first lit the fuse for Britpop. Three decades on, it's a perfect primer for the band's return.
Sabrina Carpenter looked to her friend Taylor Swift for inspiration ahead of her sixth album, Short n' Sweet. The American singer, born an hour's drive from Taylor's hometown in Pennsylvania, supported Swift on the Eras tour in Latin America and Australia. She also works with Taylor's producer, Jack Antonoff, and specialises in smart, lyrical songs about the dating game.
But any suspicions that the 25-year-old was merely a mini Taylor were dispelled by her massive summer hit Espresso. A slice of breathless daytime disco, the song playfully suggested that Carpenter was such a catch that she kept her lover awake at night like a shot of strong coffee. It topped the UK charts for seven weeks and has reached a billion streams on Spotify.
There's nothing as addictive as Espresso on Short n' Sweet, but it's an album that confirms Sabrina's star status. She emerged in 2013 as a teenage actress in the Disney Channel comedy series Girl Meets World. Like Miley Cyrus, she's taken that family-friendly Disney training and added a rebellious, grown-up edge.
Sabrina Carpenter looked to her friend Taylor Swift for inspiration ahead of her sixth album, Short n' Sweet
Carpenter (pictured) emerged in 2013 as a teenage actress in the Disney Channel comedy series Girl Meets World
As the title implies, Short n' Sweet is bright and breezy. Its 12 songs fly by in 36 minutes, taking in new wave guitar-pop (Taste), slinky R&B (Bed Chem), acoustic folk (Slim Pickins) and American soft-rock (Juno). It feels as if she's trying to cram all her Eras onto one album, yet she's still come up with a clever, cohesive record.
Her love isn't unconditional. Her lyrics can be acerbic and — on Bed Chem — downright rude.
On Dumb & Poetic, she skewers a potential suitor for his phoney love of self-help books, and the main character in Slim Pickins comes off even worse. 'This boy doesn't even know the difference between 'there', 'their', and 'they are',' she sighs. In a year of pithy female pop, Sabrina has added to the fun.
The Oasis Live '25 tour starts on July 4, 2025, at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff. Tickets are on sale from 9am tomorrow (ticketmaster.co.uk; gigsandtours.com; seetickets.com). Sabrina Carpenter starts her UK tour on March 6, 2025, at Utilita Arena, Birmingham (ticketmaster.co.uk).
