Oasis
United Kingdom, 1991–2009
Manchester band of Noel and Liam Gallagher, formed in 1991. Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? built layered guitars under direct melodic writing and defined much of Britpop.
MusicRoots documents 3 artists who influenced Oasis and 8 artists Oasis influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.
Who influenced Oasis?
- The Beatles — Noel Gallagher's Beatles obsession is Britpop's most documented fact — 'they are the reason I do this, full stop'.
- The Smiths — Noel has called seeing Johnny Marr's Smiths the moment he took the guitar seriously — 'The Smiths changed my life'.
- Sex Pistols — The Pistols' arrogance and directness are the other documented half of the Oasis formula Liam has claimed.
Which artists did Oasis influence?
- Arctic Monkeys — As teenagers the band were steeped in Oasis alongside The Strokes and The Libertines — the Britpop swagger that first pulled Alex Turner and Jamie Cook towards guitar bands.
- Nelly Furtado — Her brother's records. The guitar and the singalong choruses under the trip-hop on Whoa, Nelly! come from Britpop rather than from R&B.
- Travis — Travis came up directly in Oasis's wake — Healy lifted the chords of 'Writing to Reach You' from 'Wonderwall', and placed Oasis at the head of the family tree Travis descend from.
- Keane — Oasis's Britpop anthems were a formative influence and part of Keane's early cover repertoire.
- Stereophonics — Oasis's mid-'90s Britpop success paved the way for Stereophonics, sharing that anthemic, lad-rock directness.
- Embrace — Embrace's grand, anthemic Britpop sits squarely in the lineage Oasis opened.
- Robbie Williams — Williams's mid-'90s reinvention leaned on the Britpop swagger of Oasis, whom he famously partied with while going solo.
- Louis Tomlinson — Tomlinson is explicit that the solo records come from the guitar bands he grew up on rather than from the pop he had been making.