The Real Reason Oasis Aren’t as Good as The Beatles
No classic rock band from the 1990s has incurred more comparisons to The Beatles than Oasis. While Oasis, gave us great songs like “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” Liam and Noel Gallagher aren’t on the same level as Lennon-McCartney. Here’s a brief overview of why.
The Beatles knew how to do many more things than Oasis
Most bands are lucky to master one genre. What made The Beatles different from other bands is that they managed to make great songs in several different genres. On The White Album alone, they made forays into blues, pop, rock ‘n’ roll, avant-garde music, vaudeville, folk, children’s music, and baroque music. Regardless of your taste, there’s a good chance there is a Beatles song for you just because of the breadth of their catalog.
Oasis, on the other hand, is much less musically diverse. They gave us a lot of songs that sound sort of like The Beatles and sort of like The Kinks. If you listen to “Yellow Submarine” and “Revolution 9” back to back, you won’t feel like you are listening to the same band. Play “Supersonic” and “Champagne Supernova” next to each other, and it’s easy to see that it’s the same band.
The Beatles are also understood in light of the members’ solo careers
The other reason why The Beatles are better than Oasis is because they gave us more top-notch material. The general consensus is that Oasis released two indispensable albums: Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Meanwhile, the Fab Four put out Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, Abbey Road, and the list goes on.
On top of that, each member of The Beatles released classic songs during their solo careers. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds never released a record as beloved as Imagine, Band on the Run, or All Things Must Pass. Judging The Beatles in light of their solo work or Oasis in light of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds isn’t exactly fair, but fans do it, even unconsciously.
Oasis’ Noel Gallagher explained the 1960s influence in his music
Noel has no issue crediting his inspirations. During a 2009 interview from the book The Art of Noise: Conversations with Great Songwriters, he explained why his music has a Beatlesque vibe. “I only listen to music derived or from the ’60s,” he said. “I’m not interested in jazz or hip hop or whatever’s going round at the minute; indie s***. I don’t loathe it but I don’t listen to it. My education as a songwriter was from listening to The Kinks and The Who and The Beatles. I don’t listen to avant-garde landscapes and think, ‘I could do that.’ I’m not a fan of Brian Eno. It’s Ray Davies, John Lennon, and Pete Townshend for me.”
Noel discussed the difference between his early days and his current songwriting. “The only difference was I used to listen to music a lot, ’cause I was on the dole,” he said. “Being on tour, apart from the gig, is really like being on the dole, but you’re just in different cities in the world. I used to sit in my flat on Whitby Street in Manchester staring out of the window listening to The Beatles, writing songs. Now I do it in expensive hotel rooms ’round the world.”
