A new sound, made at speed
Oasis released (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? on 2 October 1995. Noel Gallagher and producer Owen Morris recorded it at Rockfield Studios in Wales, finishing in June after a swift series of sessions. Alan White had replaced Tony McCarroll as drummer, although McCarroll still played on “Some Might Say.” Compared with the rougher Definitely Maybe, the new album leaned into ballads, string arrangements and choruses designed to fill large spaces. Paul Weller contributed guitar, harmonica and backing vocals.
Britpop’s biggest moment
The album sold a record-breaking 345,000 copies in its first UK week and spent ten weeks at number one. Four major singles followed: “Some Might Say” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” reached number one, while “Roll with It” and “Wonderwall” peaked at number two. “Wonderwall” became Oasis’s biggest-selling UK hit and helped open doors in the United States, where it and “Champagne Supernova” topped the alternative chart.
The record’s rise coincided with the media-fuelled “Battle of Britpop,” as Oasis’s “Roll with It” faced Blur’s “Country House” in a chart showdown. Oasis then took the songs around the world, culminating in landmark 1996 UK concerts, including two nights at Knebworth before 125,000 people each night.
From doubts to landmark status
Early reviews often called the album a weaker, less original successor to the band’s debut. Critical opinion shifted as listeners embraced its familiar musical echoes, emotional vocals and broad appeal. It is now widely treated as a defining Britpop and 1990s record, though some critics—and Noel Gallagher himself—have questioned its reputation. With more than 22 million copies sold worldwide, its scale is undeniable; whether it is a masterpiece remains a lively argument.