Definitely Forever - Oasis

Oasis always had more music than any major label was ever going to allow them to put on a full-length CD. Which was a good thing, allowing them to unroll a steady stream of CD singles throughout their early years, which rocketed them into the British chart time and again. The band released five in 1994 alone, loading up each with live numbers, demo versions, and songs not considered suitable for their full-lengths. All of which makes Definitely Forever a definite must-have. The compilation chronologically presents the band's first six singles with all their attendant B-sides intact, beginning with the one that shot them straight to stardom -- "Supersonic." That single laid much of the pattern for its successors, its three B-sides comprising a lovely acoustic number, a live performance, and a demo of a track off of their soon to be released debut album. Intriguingly, considering what a powerhouse Oasis would become, the band's earliest live recordings only hint at what they would eventually bring to the stage. By the time of the release "Live Forever," their third single, that was already changing, as the strength of their performance of "Supersonic" clearly illustrates. "Live Forever" took the group simultaneously into the British and U.S. Top Ten for the first time. "Some Might Say," the first of another five singles released in 1995, would give them their first U.K. chart topper, a feat the band wouldn't repeat in the U.S. until the release of "Wonderwall." In just over a year, Oasis had leaped from unknown newbies on the block to international superstars, and Definitely Forever illustrates the story of their rise to fame and fortune via six peerless singles and 24 classic cuts. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide