Definitely Maybe Tour

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The tour promoted an album that went straight to number one in the UK Albums Chart and became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history at the time, later certified 10× platinum by the BPI for sales of over 3 million units. It was also successful in the United States, being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and went on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide. This is the only Oasis album to feature all five original members completely; drummer Tony McCarroll was ejected from the band in early 1995, but he would still partially appear on their second album on the track "Some Might Say".

In Their Own Story

The album's recording was a difficult process. The band booked Monnow Valley Studio near Rockfield in January 1994 with producer Dave Batchelor, whom Noel Gallagher knew from his time working as a roadie for the Inspiral Carpets. Sessions were unsatisfactory, and Batchelor was fired. In February 1994, the group began re-recording at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall, where Noel produced sessions alongside Mark Coyle. The results were still deemed unsatisfactory; in desperation, Creation's Marcus Russell contacted engineer and producer Owen Morris, who eventually worked on mixing the album at Johnny Marr's studio in Manchester. Morris added eighth-note tape delays on the drums, which lent additional groove to McCarroll's basic beats, and heavily compressed the final mix to an extent he admitted was "more than would normally be considered 'professional'". He completed his final mix on the vintage Neve console during the bank holiday weekend in May in Studio 5 at Matrix Recording Studios in London's Fulham district.

Reader's Guide

The album's front cover photograph was taken by rock photographer Michael Spencer Jones in guitarist Bonehead's house in Didsbury, Manchester. The image was inspired by the back cover of the Beatles' 1966 compilation LP A Collection of Beatles Oldies, and, in the positioning of Liam on the floor, by a visit Spencer Jones had made to the Egyptology section at the Science and Industry Museum. Spencer Jones said that the idea to photograph the band at Bonehead's house came from Noel, who originally wanted the band to be seated around Bonehead's dining table; Spencer Jones instead suggested shooting in the lounge, facing a bay window. The wine glass to Liam's right was filled with diluted Ribena.

Did You Know?

• The album was recorded at three different studios: Monnow Valley Studio, Sawmills Studios, and mixed at Johnny Marr's studio in Manchester.
• Producer Dave Batchelor was fired after unsatisfactory sessions at Monnow Valley Studio, which cost £800 a day.
• Engineer Owen Morris used a technique he learned from Bernard Sumner, routing the bass guitar through a Minimoog and using filters to remove the high end.
• The wine glass on the album cover was filled with diluted Ribena, not wine.
• The album went straight to number one in the UK Albums Chart and became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history at the time.