And After All
A Fan History of Oasis
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
This oral history documents the story of Oasis as told by the fans who were there. Discover never-before-seen perspectives charting the rise, fall, and rise again of Liam and Noel Gallagher and the British rock band whose music defined a generation.
A few years after Definitely Maybe topped the charts, with “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” established as one of the UK’s bestselling albums of all time, and Oasis the reigning rulers of British rock, Noel Gallagher did the unthinkable: he broke up the band. After a string of public spats, Noel announced that he “simply could not go on working” with his brother Liam “a day longer.”
Fifteen years later, the brothers announced a truce. The news sent fans into a frenzy, ticket prices soared, and Definitely Maybe was back on the top of the charts. That’s because for a generation of music lovers around the world, Oasis really mattered. Their combination of earthy lyrics, brazen attitude, and earworm-worthy tunes set against a backdrop of working-class experience made them relatable, memorable, and important.
And After All gives the mic to the fans that launched Oasis to stratospheric fame and takes a deep dive into the band’s formation, history, and reunion. Through the lens of the fans who were there for all the songs, feuds, and incredible shows, journalist Melissa Locker examines the path Oasis charted as they cemented their place in modern rock history.
Voices in this fan history include the band’s earliest PR person, superfan memorabilia collectors, musicians who toured with Oasis in the early days, concertgoers from some of the band’s most legendary performances, official Fan Club leadership, couples who met because of the band, the DJ who inspired Noel to dare Liam to call him and may have kick-started the reunion, among many others. Their personal stories about the music, the concerts, and the band come together in a mosaic that depicts Oasis’s enduring legacy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Music journalist Locker debuts with a flimsy history of Oasis's fan base. Spanning the band's rise from performing in front of 50-person audiences at Manchester clubs in the 1990s to its upcoming reunion tour of stadiums around the world, the author spotlights musicians who were inspired by Oasis, merch collectors turned professional memorabilia evaluators, and couples who met because of their shared passion for the group (and in several cases gave their children Oasis-inspired names). "I think it's fair to say my life was kind of changed by this," one fan comments about her first Oasis show. Others conjure the excitement of sneaking out of the house to go to concerts as teens, forming cover bands with work friends, and even loitering outside Liam and Noel Gallagher's houses. Though Locker offers some glancingly intriguing insights into the intimacy of the fan relationship—including how early fans can react in averse ways to a band becoming famous—she fails to make a larger point about fandom. As a result, the parade of anecdotes soon begins to feel stale, sentimental, and unlikely to appeal to all but the most devoted Oasis obsessives. Fans who need something to hold them over until the reunion tour may find this worth their while, but others can skip it.