Maps of Music

(What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)

Where the lyrics of (What's the Story) Morning Glory? take you, and where it was really made.

The album that turned Oasis into a worldwide act was first met with lukewarm reviews, and its critical reputation only reversed in the months and years after release.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1995)

Recording site Rockfield Studios — Oasis began recording the album at Rockfield Studios in Wales after the drummer change. Owen Morris and Noel Gallagher produced the sessions there. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The cover street in London (1995)

Album cover Berwick Street — The cover photograph shows two men passing each other on Berwick Street in London. The street was popular with record shops at the time, which is why it was chosen. The point marks the street, not a precise spot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• (What's the Story) Morning Glory?: second studio album by English rock band Oasis
• Released 2 October 1995 by Creation Records
• Produced by Owen Morris and lead guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher
• Structure and arrangement style departed sharply from the band's debut Definitely Maybe (1994)
• Ballads, “huge” choruses and string arrangements given more weight

Background

• First album with drummer Alan White, who replaced Tony McCarroll
• McCarroll still drummed on “Some Might Say”
• “Some Might Say” was the first track written and recorded for the album, 24–26 February 1995 at Loco Studios in Wales
• The backing track was recorded in one take and was faster than intended, but the take was kept
• Morris mixed the track three times, using delay and other processing to hide the mistakes
• McCarroll's departure was announced on the day the single was released
• Oasis were on the brink of mainstream popularity by mid-1995, before the “Battle of Britpop” in August

Recording

• After finding Alan White, the band began recording at Rockfield Studios in Wales six days later
• Morris claimed the album was recorded in 15 days, at one song a day
• Paul Weller provided lead guitar and backing vocals for “Champagne Supernova” and harmonica for the two untitled “Swamp Song” tracks
• Noel wrote the last song, “Cast No Shadow”, on the train back to the studio, for his friend Richard Ashcroft
• Heavy compression mastering used on the album is linked by some journalists to the start of the loudness war

Cover

• Photograph of two men passing each other on Berwick Street in London
• The two men are London DJ Sean Rowley and sleeve designer Brian Cannon
• Producer Owen Morris appears in the background holding the master tape box
• The street was chosen because it was popular with record shops at the time
• The cover cost £25,000 to produce

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Oasis are an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991.
• The original line-up was Liam Gallagher, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll; Noel Gallagher joined a few months later as the fifth member.
• Noel became the de facto leader and wrote the songs for the band's first four albums.

Members

• Current members are Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher, Bonehead, Gem Archer and Andy Bell.
• Former members include McGuigan, McCarroll and Alan "Whitey" White.

Career

• The band signed to Creation Records in 1993 and debuted with Definitely Maybe (1994), which topped the UK Albums Chart.
• (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) became the UK's best-selling album of the 1990s.
• Be Here Now (1997) became the fastest-selling album in UK chart history.
• The band disbanded in 2009 after Noel left, and reformed in 2024.
• They have sold over 100 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Commercially successful but initial critical reception was lukewarm
• Many reviewers judged it inferior to Definitely Maybe, criticising songwriting and production
• Q magazine's David Cavanagh found the lyrics empty, saying they scan and fill a hole without saying much
• Melody Maker's David Stubbs called the album laboured and lazy, while praising “Some Might Say” as the best single of the year
• NME's John Robinson was enthusiastic, seeing the album pursue a new direction toward understanding the consequences of excess
• Rolling Stone's Jon Wiederhorn described it as more than a natural progression, a bold leap forward
• The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop poll placed it 10th for the year

Reappraisal

• Critical opinion reversed in the following months and years, with critics recognising its “populist appeal”
• Rob Sheffield, in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), called it a triumph and a capstone of a golden age for Britpop
• Some critics later considered it overrated, including Musicradar, which said its place on best-ever lists is unjustified
• Noel Gallagher himself has called it overrated and said some songs are not as great as people think

Records

• Sold a record-breaking 345,000 copies in its first week in the UK
• Spent 10 weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart
• Reached number four on the US Billboard 200
• Certified 4× platinum by the RIAA
• Certified 19× platinum by the BPI for 5.3 million units in the UK as of July 2025
• In July 2026, the Official Charts Company certified it the best-selling studio album in UK history with 6.2 million units
• Sold over 22 million copies worldwide
• Won Best British Album at the 1996 Brit Awards
• Named the greatest British album since 1980 at the 2010 Brit Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's first-week sales of 345,000 made it, at the time, the second-fastest-selling album in British history, behind Michael Jackson's Bad.
• The Daily Express reported that central London HMV stores were selling copies at two per minute the day after release.
• “Step Out” was removed from the album shortly before release because of the threat of legal action over its resemblance to a Stevie Wonder song.
• Noel Gallagher's interview remarks about Blur in September 1995 caused a major controversy, and he later wrote a letter of apology.
• At the 1996 Knebworth concerts, the two nights each drew a record 125,000 people, the biggest gigs ever held for a single band on UK soil at the time.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact