Definitely Maybe is the debut studio album by the English rock band Oasis, released by Creation Records on August 29, 1994. The album features Noel Gallagher on lead guitar, backing vocals and as chief songwriter, Liam Gallagher on lead vocals, Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs on rhythm guitar, Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan on bass guitar and Tony McCarroll on drums.
The band booked Monnow Valley Studio near Rockfield in late 1993 to record the album and worked with producer Dave Batchelor, whom Noel Gallagher knew from his time working as a roadie for the Inspiral Carpets, though sessions were unsatisfactory and Batchelor was subsequently fired. In January 1994, the group set about re-recording the album at Sawmills Studio in Cornwall, where sessions were produced by Noel alongside Mark Coyle.
The results were still deemed unsatisfactory; in desperation, Creation’s Marcus Russell contacted engineer and producer Owen Morris, who eventually worked on mixing the album at Johnny Marr’s studio in Manchester.
Definitely Maybe was an immediate commercial success in the United Kingdom, having followed on the heels of the singles “Supersonic”, “Shakermaker”, and the UK top-ten hit “Live Forever”, which was also a success on US Rock Airplay.
It went straight to number one in the UK Albums Chart and became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history at the time; it went on to be certified 8× platinum by the BPI for sales of over 2.4 million units. It also was successful in the United States, being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The album went on to sell over 8.5 million copies worldwide. It is the only Oasis album to completely feature all five original members; drummer Tony McCarroll was ejected from the band in early 1995, but he would still partially appear on their second album on the track “Some Might Say”.
Upon release, Definitely Maybe received widespread critical acclaim and helped to spur a revitalization in British pop/rock music in the 1990s. It was embraced by critics for its optimistic themes and rejection of the negative outlook of much of the grunge music of the time, and is regarded as a cornerstone of the Britpop genre, having since appeared in many publications’ lists of the greatest albums of all time.
In October 2023, Liam Gallagher announced plans to tour and perform Definitely Maybe in full, marking the album’s 30th anniversary.
Tracklist:
- Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
- Shakermaker
- Live Forever
- Up in the Sky
- Columbia
- Supersonic
- Bring It On Down
- Cigarettes & Alcohol
- Digsy’s Dinner
- Slide Away
- Married with Children
Oasis
Liam Gallagher: vocals, tambourine, production
Noel Gallagher: lead guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals, piano on “Digsy’s Dinner”, production
Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs: rhythm guitar, piano on “Live Forever”, production
Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan: bass guitar, production
Tony McCarroll: drums, production
Additional personnel
Anthony Griffiths: backing vocals on “Supersonic”
Mark Coyle: production, mixing on “Supersonic” and “Married with Children”, engineering
Owen Morris: additional production, mixing
Barry Grint: mastering at Abbey Road Studios, London
David Batchelor: production on “Slide Away”
Anjali Dutt: engineering
Dave Scott: engineering, mixing
Roy Spong: engineering
Brian Cannon for Microdot: sleeve concept, design, art direction
Michael Spencer Jones: photography
