New posts on Oasis’ official social media accounts are sending fans into a frenzy with speculation that the Manchester band will reunite this week. However, a new announcement made today may provide some answers to encrypted shares.
A video posted on Oasis’ Instagram account on Monday night sent fans into a frenzy, showing Sawmill Studios where the band recorded their breakthrough debut Definitely Maybe 30 years ago.
This post was followed on Wednesday night by a video showing the iconic Oasis logo and video clips of Liam and Noel Gallagher talking about the album.
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The clips sparked huge speculation that the brothers would reunite and reunite Oasis for the first time since their acrimonious split in 2009. Fans are flooding social media with calls for answers and begging the band to get back together.
However, a new statement from the group on Thursday morning explained the reason for this week’s cryptic posts. And it’s all about a new album from the band to celebrate Definitely Maybe’s 30th anniversary.
In a statement, the band’s staff said: “Today, details of new album formats have been announced to celebrate Oasis’ iconic 1994 debut, three decades after its original release.
“Available in 30he August 2024, Definitely Maybe (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) formats feature tracks from the original recording session laid out at Monnow Valley Studios, as well as outtakes from the final album, recorded at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall and 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 alternate version features vocals from Liam Gallagher.
“The package also includes brand new artwork for Microdot by original art designer Brian Cannon and original sleeve photographer Michael Spencer Jones, as well as new sleeve notes by Creation Records boss Alan McGee and journalist Hamish MacBain.”
Fans were quick to notice that the album’s new cover features the iconic scene of a house in Didsbury featured on the original album, but does not feature any of the band members.
The statement continued with more details about the album: “In August 1994, the release of Definitely Maybe marked a critical moment in British youth culture, where Noel Gallagher’s songwriting and Oasis’ assured cacophony of sound heralded a new beginning. It embodied a new mood of rock and pop: hedonistic, guitar-driven and optimistic.
“With the UK soon to be thrown off the shackles of 18 years of Tory rule, there was a growing sense of change and hope in the air, and Oasis captured this mood.
“After signing a global 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.
“Early recordings at the time were overly technical and flashy, failing to capture the essence of the band. Ultimately, the sessions were canceled and the band moved to the remote reaches of Sawmills Studios in Cornwall to re-record the album. Eventually, with Owen Morris joining to complete the definitive mixes, Strictly Maybe it was established.
“The Monnow Valley records and the Sawmill records unearthed for the first time offer a compelling new understanding of the process that led to the completion of the paper.
“With its rawness and restless energy, Definitely Maybe has always seemed like a fully formed album – but the newly revealed versions provide fans with a fascinating new perspective on the album, showing the confidence that guided Oasis’ early years and the determination required to create their debut.
“Revisiting the hitherto shelved archive 30 years later demonstrates the importance of the recording process in telling the compelling story of the creation of one of the most vital albums of all time.”
Definitely Maybe peaked at the top of the Official UK Album Charts when it was released in 1994 and became the fastest-selling debut album of all time. This album featured hit singles such as Supersonic, Shakermaker, Live Forever and Cigarettes & Alcohol, while tracks such as Rock ‘n’ Roll Star and Slide Away became ubiquitous global anthems.
The album is now certified 8x platinum in the UK, selling over 6.1 million copies worldwide and becoming the second Most Streamed Official Album of the 90s in the UK, surpassed only by its successor (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? was left behind by.
Here is the full track list announced today with the album, which will be available on August 30th.
Definitely Maybe (30he Anniversary Deluxe Edition) – track listing:
Volume 1
1. Rock ‘n’ Roll Star (Remastered)
2. Shakermaker (Remastered)
3. Live Forever (Remastered)
4. In the Sky (Remastered)
5. Columbia (Remastered)
6. Supersonic (Remastered)
7. Get It Down (Remastered)
8. Cigarettes and Alcohol (Remastered)
9. Digsy’s Food (Remastered)
10. Swipe Away (Revised)
11. Married with Children (Re-edited)
Volume 2
1. Rock ‘n’ Roll Star (Monnow Valley Version)
2. Shakermaker (Monnow Valley Version)
3. Live Forever (Monnow Valley Version)
4. In the Sky (Monnow Valley Version)
5. Columbia (Monnow Valley Version)
6. Bring It Down (Monnow Valley Version)
7. Cigarettes and Alcohol (Monnow Valley Version)
8. Digsy’s Food (Monnow Valley Version)
9. Rock ‘n’ Roll Star (Exit the Sawmills)
10. In the Sky (Out of the Sawmills)
11. Columbia (Out of the Sawmills)
12. Bring It Down (Out of the Sawmills)
13. Cigarettes and Alcohol (Exit from the Sawmill)
14. Digsy’s Food (Exit from the Sawmill)
15. Slide Away (Exit of the Sawmills)
16. Sad Song (Mauldeth Road West Demo, November ’92)