From indie act to phenomenon
Released in October 1995, Oasis’s second album marked a shift from the raw-edged rock of Definitely Maybe toward ballads, string arrangements and enormous choruses. Produced by Noel Gallagher and Owen Morris, it was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales after Alan White joined as drummer, though Tony McCarroll played on “Some Might Say.”
Records and anthems
The album sold 345,000 copies in its first UK week and spent ten weeks at number one. “Some Might Say” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” topped the British singles chart, while “Wonderwall” became the band’s biggest-selling UK hit. The record also broke through in the United States and eventually sold more than 22 million copies worldwide.
A legacy still debated
Initially, many critics judged it inferior to Oasis’s debut. Over time, its populist appeal and memorable songs won broader recognition, and it became regarded as a landmark of Britpop and the 1990s. Its continuing acclaim has not silenced dissent: even Noel Gallagher has called the album overrated. That tension is part of its story—a record both monumental and persistently argued over.