(What's the Story) Morning Glory? Review

Most of what is wrong with it was pointed out at the time. The words are largely nonsense, the melodies borrow freely from the Beatles and seventies glam, and the mastering is so loud that the guitars merge into one enormous wall. Almost none of it matters. Noel Gallagher had written a run of songs that crowds could sing back the first time they heard them, and Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger and Champagne Supernova have been sung back ever since, in stadiums, pubs and school corridors.

Liam's voice, all sneer and nasal swagger, carries the rockers, while Noel takes the lead on Don't Look Back in Anger and finds a warmth his brother never reached for. Some Might Say and Cast No Shadow are nearly as good, and the brief instrumental interludes stop the record feeling like a greatest hits set. The lyrics sit two grades below the overall because they are mostly sound rather than sense, lines that rhyme because they rhyme. The record wins anyway on melody, nerve and a sense of occasion. Few albums have captured a country's mood so completely.