(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is the second studio album by the English rock band Oasis, released on 2 October 1995 by Creation Records. It was produced by Owen Morris and the group’s guitarist Noel Gallagher. The structure and arrangement style of the album were a significant departure from the group’s previous record Definitely Maybe. Noel Gallagher’s compositions were more focused in balladry and placed more emphasis on “huge” choruses,[1] with the string arrangements and more varied instrumentation on the record contrasting with the rawness of the group’s debut album.
The record propelled Oasis from being a crossover indie act to a worldwide rock phenomenon, and according to various critics, was a significant record in the timeline of British indie music.[2] The band’s most commercially successful release, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? sold a record-breaking 347,000 copies in its first week on sale, spent 10 weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and reached number four in the US Billboard 200. Singles from the album were successful in Britain, America and Australia: “Some Might Say” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” reached number one in the UK; “Champagne Supernova” and “Wonderwall” reached number one on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart; and “Wonderwall” topped the Australian and New Zealand singles charts.[3]
Although a commercial smash, the record received lukewarm reviews from mainstream music critics, with many contemporary reviewers deeming it inferior to Definitely Maybe. In the ensuing years, however, critical consensus towards the album generally turned, and it is now considered by many to be a seminal record of the Britpop era. The band did an extensive world tour in support of the album over several months in 1995 and 1996. The most notable of the band’s concerts were two performances at Knebworth House in August to a combined crowd of 250,000 people. The album was honoured as the Best British Album at the 1996 Brit Awards. It has sold approximately 22 million copies worldwide. It won the award for the best British Album o
