by Elliot Fogarty

Created on: August 09, 2008

With new album Dig Up Your Soul scheduled for release in October, now is a good a time as any to offer an insight into one of Britain's most successful bands of the past thirty years, the pioneers of Britpop that are Oasis.

Following Noel Gallagher's move to become songwriter and creative hub of a band fronted by younger brother Liam, Oasis' rise was based on a mixture of determination, ability and pure self-belief. Rumblings amidst the indie music scene suggested that this Manchester five piece were going places, and by the time debut single Supersonic was released in April 1994, it was clear that this was a band who would be grabbing the UK's attention. Their first album Definitely Maybe went straight to number one, having been hailed as one of the great debut British albums alongside The Stone Roses' self-titled effort.

Iconic singles soon followed, from boozy lads anthem Cigarettes & Alcohol to the reflective yet epic Live Forever. It wasn't until Some Might Say however, that the group were celebrating their first Number One single. It served as an appetizer for what was to become an album that earned the group worldwide fame, 1995's (What's The Story) Morning Glory. In a time where Britain was enduring somewhat of an renaissance in terms of culture, Oasis grabbed the zeitgeist. They along with Blur became the faces of Britpop, and the bands' chart battle and subsequent feuding generated story after story.

At the focal point of it all were the Gallagher brothers. If Noel was viewed as the brains of the outfit having penned all Oasis' efforts himself, it was Liam who was grabbing the headlines, from dating actress Patsy Kensit, to his numerous altercations with the press. Thankfully, the band were making the headlines just as much for their music as they were for extra-curricular activities, as the likes of Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger became staples of 1990s music.

Arguably, Oasis' peak was playing in front of a then record crowed at Knebworth in 1997. Some might say (excuse the pun) that it couldn't get much better then that anyway, and so it proved to be. The highly anticipated Be Here Now was released to widespread publicity, but to little acclaim. 2000's Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants was the antithesis to Be Here Now's bombast, replaced instead with more thoughtful, low-key efforts. (Although lead single Go Let It Out remains one of their most underrated upbeat pieces) Still however, criticism was aimed at the group. Indeed, 1998's The

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