Today details are announced of new album formats to celebrate Oasis’ 1994 iconic debut three decades after its original release. Available on 30th August 2024, Definitely Maybe (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) formats feature tracks from the discarded original recording session at Monnow Valley Studios, along with outtakes from the definitive album recorded at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall, newly mixed for the first time by Noel Gallagher and Callum Marinho.
The album also includes an unreleased demo version of Sad Song. Originally released as a bonus track on the LP, this alternative version features Liam Gallagher’s vocals.
The package also features brand new artwork by the original art designer Brian Cannon for Microdot and original sleeve photographer Michael Spencer Jones, plus new sleeve notes from Creation Records boss Alan McGee and journalist Hamish MacBain.
The Definitely Maybe (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) album is available to pre-order now on limited-edition deluxe 4LP and deluxe 2CD formats plus exclusive coloured vinyl – ‘Up In The Sky’ “Learning to fly” lyric inspired blue and white marble 2LP, and ‘Digsy’s Dinner’ “Strawberries and cream” lyric inspired pink and white marble 2LP. It will also be available on limited-edition blue cassette and digital formats. All formats include the 2014 remastered version of the album.
In August of 1994, Definitely Maybe’s release marked a critical moment in British youth culture, with Noel Gallagher’s songwriting and Oasis’ assured cacophony of sound heralding a new beginning. It embodied an entirely new mood of rock and pop – hedonistic, guitar-driven and optimistic. The UK, soon to be unshackled from 18 years of Conservative rule, had a growing sense of change and hope in the air, and Oasis captured that mood.
Following signing a worldwide record deal, Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher, Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, Paul McGuigan and Tony McCarroll decamped to Monnow Valley studios on the Welsh borders of Monmouthshire, to capture the kinetic energy of their live shows on record. At the time, the initial recordings felt overly technical and polished, failing to capture the essence of the band. The sessions were ultimately scrapped, and the band moved to the remote confines of Sawmills Studios in Cornwall to re-record the album. Eventually, with the addition of Owen Morris joining to complete the definitive mixes, Definitely Maybe was formed.
The Monnow Valley recordings and Sawmill outtakes, now unearthed for the first time, offer a new and compelling understanding of the process that led to the finished article. With its raw edges and restless energy, Definitely Maybe always sounded like an album that had arrived fully formed – however the newly revealed versions provide fans with a fascinating new insight into the album; demonstrating the self-belief that drove the early years of Oasis and the determination it took to create their debut. Shelved until now, revisiting the archive 30 years on signifies the importance of the recording process in telling the story of the uneasy creation of one of the most vital albums of all time.
On release in 1994, Definitely Maybe, gatecrashed the Official UK Album Charts at Number One and became the fastest selling debut album of all time, at the time. Sonically defining an attitude of an era, it became a soundtrack to the imminent cultural and political change of Britain in the mid-1990’s.
Thirty years on, Definitely Maybe, remains an unprecedented classic. The 11 songs brim with timeless songwriting complimented by Liam’s snarling youthful and restless desire to escape. As well as the singles Supersonic, Shakermaker, Live Forever and Cigarettes & Alcohol, tracks such as Rock ‘n’ Roll Star and Slide Away have become ubiquitous global anthems. Loved by legions of fans and an inspiration for countless bands, it is as relevant as ever and continues to find new devotees in younger generations.
The album is now BPI certified 8 times platinum in the UK, selling over 6.1 million copies globally and the second Official Most Streamed Album of the ‘90s in the UK, beaten only by its successor (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?. Growing to be one of the most thrilling and successful live acts with multi-million album sales globally, Oasis remain one of the most universally loved British rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time.
Definitely Maybe (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) formats are released on August 30th 2024 on Big Brother Recordings. Follow all the album campaign activity at #Defmaybe30
Definitely Maybe (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) – tracklisting:
Volume 1
1. Rock ‘n’ Roll Star (Remastered)
2. Shakermaker (Remastered)
3. Live Forever (Remastered)
4. Up In The Sky (Remastered)
5. Columbia (Remastered)
6. Supersonic (Remastered)
7. Bring It On Down (Remastered)
8. Cigarettes & Alcohol (Remastered)
9. Digsy’s Dinner (Remastered)
10. Slide Away (Remastered)
11. Married With Children (Remastered)
Volume 2
1. Rock ‘n’ Roll Star (Monnow Valley Version)
2. Shakermaker (Monnow Valley Version)
3. Live Forever (Monnow Valley Version)
4. Up In The Sky (Monnow Valley Version)
5. Columbia (Monnow Valley Version)
6. Bring It On Down (Monnow Valley Version)
7. Cigarettes & Alcohol (Monnow Valley Version)
8. Digsy’s Dinner (Monnow Valley Version)
9. Rock ‘n’ Roll Star (Sawmills Outtake)
10. Up In The Sky (Sawmills Outtake)
11. Columbia (Sawmills Outtake)
12. Bring It On Down (Sawmills Outtake)
13. Cigarettes & Alcohol (Sawmills Outtake)
14. Digsy’s Dinner (Sawmills Outtake)
15. Slide Away (Sawmills Outtake)
16. Sad Song (Mauldeth Road West Demo, Nov’ 92)
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