On the Music Trail of Oasis and Blur - Essay Example

In 1991, Oasis came into existence in the city of Manchester. The group was composed of Liam Gallagher, Paul Arthurs, McGuian, and McCarrol, to be joined later by Noel Gallagher and was earlier known as ‘The rain’. The simplicity of the music, crafted mainly by the Gallagher brothers, was one of the hallmarks of the Oasis band.

Also, the group started its triumph from nearly nothing. However, the group faced several problems in the long run chiefly because of the in-fights and even accusations of plagiarism more than once which they had to pay damages. Especially, the tendency of the Gallagher brothers to bring their petty sibling fights to the tabloid, compounded with their wild lifestyles has eventually led to the gradual erosion of the band’s popularity. Repeated live performances without substantial intervals have also taken a toll on the members of the band.

The hedonistic lifestyle of the team members was a major reason for the group’s downfalls. It is important to note that Oasis’s music style was heavily intertwined with that of The Beatles, up to the extent to be labeled as an obsession by the media. Blur an alternate music band was formed in London in 1989. Their debut album itself was characterized by the incorporation of sounds from a variety of previously unimagined sources such as shoegazing. On the other hand, the Blur was very much part and parcel of the Britpop movement as against the complete lack of association of Oasis with the Britpop movement.

One of the important reasons for it was the fact that BBC’s ‘Britpop Now’ show was introduced by the Blur singer Damon Albarn and the Oasis were never invited to perform. Crucially the very popularization of the Blur itself was through the general popularization of their musical medium, the Britpop movement. Their mass popularity was heavily increased after the celebrated ‘The Battle of Britpop’ with Oasis by both releasing singles on the same day. It was presumably won by Oasis as the result of the Americanization of British music, according to de Oliveira, ‘it goes to show that hitting it big in America is the ultimate goal for any British rock act and arguably reflects the uneasy shift of power between the former colony and its down-at-heel colonizer’ (de Oliveira, 2004, p.9). As opposed to the Oasis, Blur has been observed to be constantly reinventing its music style although without changing the group members.

It was in sharp contrast to the Oasis as they always stick to their original music style even when the old members were replaced by the new. Also, contrary to the Oasis’s lifelong nearly obsession with ‘The Beatles, Blur always was distinct in drawing their influences from a variety of sources ranging from American pop to African folk music. It is also important to note that it still, Blur sticks to and highlighted its British heritage even while experimenting with American lo-fi sonic experimentations.

Conclusion Both the Oasis and the Blur have contributed distinctively to the music culture of Britain. Blur’s lyrics are considered to be more in tune with the realities of the society they live in and more sensitive to societal consciousness as opposed to the individualistic style of Oasis. And, their similarities involve unfortunately the dysfunctional working style and constant feuds between the team members. Contrary to the Oasis, the music of Blur was less Americanized and consequently, they enjoyed less success in the United States.