Songbook: A Guide To Oasis’ Genre-Defining Albums In Honor Of Their Reunion Tour

"The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised."

Yes, Oasis may have appeared to have joined the Smiths and the Jam on the list of bands who'd only reform once hell freezes over. However, last year, the Britpop legends announced — in typically cocksure style, obviously — that they'd be reuniting for a series of summer 2025 shows.

As you'd (and perhaps they'd) expect, the news was greeted with fever pitch excitement. A reported 1.4 million tickets were sold domestically for the Mancunians' first live gigs since 2009. In fact, the demand was so high that international dates across America, Australia and Asia were quickly added too. And the U.K. charts also became flooded again with the Gallagher brothers' most iconic works, including a well-timed 30th anniversary release of seminal debut, Definitely Maybe.

We might not yet know which other members of the ever-changing Oasis will be joining the two siblings on stage, or which of their countless sing-along hits they'll be treating fans to. But we can take a look back at why the group's return has caused such a fuss.

From the first time Liam and Noel swaggered into view, to their world-conquering, flag-waving heyday, to their transition into indie-rock's elder statesmen, here's a crash course in their supersonic discography.

The Breakthrough: Definitely Maybe

After issuing "Columbia" on limited release, Oasis stormed into the U.K. Top 40 with their debut single "Supersonic," a tour-de-force of feedback-drenched guitars, sing-along melodies and vocals dripping in attitude that essentially laid the blueprint for the Mancunians' entire career.

Follow-up "Shakermaker" also showcased Noel's tendency to lift a hook from elsewhere, on this occasion the chorus from Coca-Cola anthem "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." "Live Forever," a direct riposte to the abject nihilism favored by the grunge scene, further whetted the appetite for a full-length album in anthemic style — and became their first Top 10 hit.

Still, even Creation Records’ most optimistic execs were left stunned when Definitely Maybe, a record that went through three painstaking incarnations, shifted 100,000 copies in its first four days to become the fastest-selling debut in U.K. chart history in 1994.

Final single "Cigarettes and Alcohol" then perfectly embodied the rock and roll lifestyle that saw the Gallaghers routinely grace the tabloid front pages (Noel temporarily quit after being hit on stage by Liam with a tambourine; their first European tour was cut short following a drunken scuffle on an Amsterdam-bound ferry). Meanwhile, orchestral standalone single "Whatever" and its acoustic B-side "Half the World Away" both showed another string to the band's bow. By the time they accepted Best Newcomer at the BRITs in early 1995, Oasis had become the biggest band in Britain.

The Imperial Phase: (What’s The Story) Morning Glory

Oasis scored the first of seven U.K. chart-toppers in May 1995 with "Some Might Say," and after replacing McCarroll with the Paul Weller-recommended Alan White, returned to the studio to record its parent album. While its predecessor had been a raucous rock and roll affair that spoke solely to the youth, 1995's (What's the Story) Morning Glory appeared designed for the masses, hence a stronger emphasis on strings, classicist melodies and their affinity for the Beatles.

The Mancunians suffered a setback when their chart battle with Britpop enemies Blur — a rivalry that gripped the general public so tightly it made the BBC News — ended surprisingly in defeat. However, neither the former's "Roll With It," nor the latter's No. 1 "Country House" presented the bands at their best.

Indeed, there was much stronger to come from Morning Glory, which once again broke all kinds of sales records upon its much-anticipated release. And this time around, America took notice, too, sending "Wonderwall" to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and, like nine-minute epic "Champagne Supernova," to the top of Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.

The Gallaghers capped off their imperial phase in 1996 with sold-out shows at their favorite soccer team Manchester City's home ground Maine Road and Knebworth. The fact that more than 2.5 million people applied for the latter only confirmed just how effectively Oasis had unified the nation.

The End Of An Era: Be Here Now

Oasis also unified the nation with their third LP, although on this occasion it was in disappointment. The campaign for 1997’s Be Here Now had started promisingly: lead single "D'Ya Know What I Mean" became their third U.K. No. 1; its record-breaking first-week domestic sales of 424,000 wasn't surpassed until Adele's 25 nearly 20 years later; and it even came within a whisker of topping the Billboard 200. Afraid to once again be at odds with the general consensus, the critics who'd given What's the Story a muted response also fell over themselves to shower it with praise.

But buyers', and indeed reviewers', remorse kicked in “faster than a cannonball.” In a blatant case of The Emperor's New Clothes, listeners realized they'd been sold a bunch of overlong ("All Around the World" clocks in at nearly 10 minutes), overproduced, and overdubbed rehashes of former glories. Even Noel himself admitted it was a dud, describing it as the "sound of ... a bunch of guys, on coke, in the studio, not giving a f—."

Although Be Here Now was dismissed by many as the death knell for the Britpop scene, the appetite for Oasis remained strong. The Masterplan, a 1998 collection of B-sides that showed how Noel could once afford to toss away gems like "Acquiesce" and "Talk Tonight," sold three million copies worldwide. Still, having defined the cultural zeitgeist throughout the mid-'90s, the Gallaghers undoubtedly ended the decade playing catch-up.

The Comeback: Standing on the Shoulder of Giants

In the three years it took to drop their fourth studio effort, Oasis had swapped original members Bonehead and Guigsy for ex-Heavy Stereo guitarist Gem Archer and former Ride bassist Andy Bell, respectively, formed their own Big Brother label following the collapse of Creation Records, and watched more sensitive souls such as the Verve and Travis take over the indie world they once dominated.

The changes in the quintet's sound, though, weren't quite as dramatic. Named after a misquoted Isaac Newton expression, 2000's Standing on the Shoulder of Giants is still an unmistakably Oasis record. Nevertheless, from the looped psychedelia of first single "Go Let It Out," to the Middle Eastern mysticism of "Who Feels Love," to the first Liam-penned ditty "Little James," there are subtle signs of progression, even if they sonically still owe a lot to the Fab Four.

Ultimately, Oasis were by this point more enticing on stage than they were in the studio, as highlighted on live album Familiar to Millions, a recording of a Wembley Stadium summer date where both Liam and Noel once again sound like they're ready to take on the world.

The Return to Form: Heathen Chemistry

Although Liam ranks 2002's fifth LP Heathen Chemistry as Oasis' weakest, the general consensus is that it signaled a vast improvement. Well, certainly as a back-to-basics rock and roll affair, anyway. Indeed, despite chief hitmaker Noel allowing all other members (bar White) to flex their songwriting muscles, the band's first entirely self-produced affair is an impressively cohesive listen that, at times, reaches the heights of their imperial phase.

"Stop Crying Your Heart Out," a mournful ballad that, thanks to a memorable BBC montage, has since become synonymous with the England soccer team's misfortunes, is perhaps second only to "Wonderwall" when it comes to their uber-ballads. Elsewhere, "Little By Little" and "Songbird" provide clever role reversals, the latter deploying Noel's world-weary vocal delivery to melancholic effect and the latter utilizing Liam's simple yet effective way with words.

The Band Favorite: Don’t Believe the Truth

Arriving amid the second wave of Britpop that spawned the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight, Oasis' sixth LP reminded everyone of the originators. Of course, by this point, the Gallaghers were the only members who were there the first time around, the lineup merry-go-round continuing with drummer White being switched out for Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey.

Ironically, despite their new addition, 2005’s Don't Believe The Truth owes more to the Beatles' counterparts. The fuzzed-up Velvet Underground-esque "Mucky Fingers" proved Oasis' frame of '60s reference had now widened far beyond British guitar pop. Swaggering lead single "Lyla" was described by Noel as "a bit like… The Soundtrack of Our Lives doing the Who on Skol in a psychedelic city in the sky." And, accompanied by a memorable black-and-white promo starring Rhys Ifans, second consecutive U.K. chart-topper, "The Importance of Being Idle," echoed the traditional music hall leanings of the Kinks.

An admission of their own laziness, the latter also signified how the Gallaghers were acknowledging their advancing middle ages. What's more, "Part of the Queue" finds the eldest fully embracing his “grumpy old man” reputation ("The names on the faces in places/ They mean nothing to me"); "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel" sees the youngest valiantly, but perhaps a little too prematurely, attempt to bury the hatchet with his brother for good. Noel, who penned just five of the 11 songs, has since hailed the record as Oasis' best since their debut due to its collaborative nature. While that may be a little hyperbolic, it undeniably showed they could still compete with the generation they inspired.

The Swansong: Dig Out Your Soul

"For the next record I really fancy doing a record where we just completely throw the kitchen sink at it," Noel claimed ahead of Oasis' seventh and final LP. And with 2008’s Dig Out Your Soul embracing everything from drone rock ("To Be Where There's Life") and freakbeat ("Bag It Up") to Middle Eastern psychedelia ("Falling Down") and krautrock ("The Shock of the Lightning"), it's fair to say he stayed true to his word.

In stark contrast, the general response to the album was relatively muted. "I'm Outta Time," whose sampling of John Lennon's final radio interview proved the Beatles love-in was still strong, became their first single in 14 years to miss the U.K. Top 10. Naturally, Noel insisted it needed to be heard live to be truly appreciated. But that became mission impossible for some when after several troublesome shows, he quit its accompanying tour.

"People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer," Noel remarked about the departure that ultimately led to his band's split. Although the remaining members ploughed on for two further albums under the guise of Beady Eye, things were never quite the same again. And once Liam followed in his older brother's footsteps by launching a solo career, Oasis appeared to have betrayed their “Live Forever” mantra once and for all.

In fact, the brothers remained estranged for a total of 15 years. Of course, as we now know, Mancunian blood — alongside the lure of several million dollars and adulation of several million fans — is thicker than water.