The Only Oasis Album Noel Gallagher Thinks Is “Perfect”—and the One He Absolutely Hates

Of the seven albums the Britpop giants from Manchester released in their relatively short and controversial reign over the Y2K music world, there’s only one Oasis album guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher thinks is “perfect.” (It’s hard to say whether his brother, Liam, would agree.)

After all, differing opinions and Oasis go together like romance trouble and Fleetwood Mac—one seemingly doesn’t exist without the other. Noel’s take on the best and, conversely, the worst Oasis albums perfectly encapsulates the difference in artistic vision between the Gallaghers.

Noel Gallagher Said Only One Oasis Album Was Perfect

In a 2023 interview with NME, Oasis songwriter and guitarist Noel Gallagher went through his band and solo discography one by one, revealing what he thought about each record in hindsight. “I think the only [Oasis] album that is perfect would be Definitely Maybe,” Gallagher admitted. “I don’t like the sound of Morning Glory at all; I f***ing hate the sound of that record,” he added, mimicking a crunching sound.

“Be Here Now,” Gallagher continued, “the songs are too long. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, not enough good songs. A lot of filler on that. Heathen Chemistry, a couple of good tunes, “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” and “Little by Little.” Don’t Believe the Truth is pretty good. Dig Out Your Soul kind of trails off towards the end. So, they’re all flawed in some way.”

Definitely Maybe was Oasis’ debut album, which they released on August 29, 1994. Featuring tracks like “Live Forever” and “Cigarettes & Alcohol,” sales for the album took off meteorically. With 100,000 copies sold in its first four days, Definitely Maybe became the fastest-selling debut album in British musical history. Even the album’s opening track, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” seemed to predict the massive rise to fame the Britpop band would experience over the next several years.

Liam Gallagher Would Agree (Kind Of)

The impact Definitely Maybe had on Oasis’ career (and the music industry) is undeniable. And while it’s possible that sentimentality around the early days influenced Noel Gallagher’s opinion about which Oasis album was the best, it would appear that his brother agrees with him. Liam Gallagher ranked all the Oasis albums out of 10 for NME in 2017 and gave his band’s debut a perfect 10/10 score.

“Mega,” Liam said of the album. “Absolutely biblical. I don’t remember much about it. But obviously, it’s stood the test of time. I f***ing love that record. I still play some of the songs. A f***ing mega album, that was. That’s exactly what made us. For a lot of the kids, it means a lot to their generation.” However, unlike his brother, Liam has a soft spot for the band’s sophomore release, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

“Another big album,” Liam said. “I loved it. A lot of great songs on there. That turned us into proper, like, global, worldwide f***ing idiots or whatever.” The Gallagher brothers’ opinions split further regarding their memories of their 1997 release, Be Here Now, which Noel Gallagher said was his “least favorite of the albums I wrote, for sure,” in a 2015 Q&A with Guitar World. “I meet people regularly who say, ‘That’s your best album.’ And I say, ‘Really?’ But I think, ‘You f***ing moron. You don’t know what you’re talking about.’”

Liam Gallagher, on the other hand, considers it a “top record.” Speaking to NME in 2006, the Oasis vocalist said, “If [Noel] didn’t like the record that much, he shouldn’t have put the f***ing record out in the first place.”

Photo by Michael Hurcomb/Shutterstock