The band that started it all

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is from my first site that went under.

Note: this will be the first part of a series of artists that helped mold my musical tastes.

I remember the day like it was yesterday. Well, I don't remember the actual date, but still, it was a pretty significant time for me.

It all started after a deep bout of depression back in Feb. 1996. I was a pretty shy and quiet kid during my high school days, but started to slowly creep out of that shell right after a key moment in my life.

The majority of my art classes at Archbishop Quigley during this month was spent listening to my friends talk about the Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, R.E.M., Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters, etc. And me already being the outcast, I added to my problems by chiming in that I never heard of these bands because I was too busy listening to sports talk radio, the only band I knew at that time, Hootie andd the Blowfish, or the music my parents were listening. Shocking as it might be, it was the life I led during the early portion of my high school days.

Then one day, I decided to give in.

I was sitting in front of the TV in the dining room at my old house in Chicago playing Coach K Basketball for the Genesis, listening to The Score 820-AM (yes, the original station, not the third generation station we have now) with my walkman. After a lengthy discussion about the Bulls, I decided to turn over to the FM side to see what was on. I shifted through the stations that I used to listen to, one station being B96, an old staple when I was in a Top 40 phase in the early 90s, where I was exposed to bands like Naughty By Nature, Boyz II Men, 2Pac and Biggie just to name a few.

After changing the channels on my digital walkman in hopes of finding something that would peak my interest, I stumbled upon music that I just couldn't say no to. It was Q101's Top 5 at 5 with James VanOsdol (a great half hour segment the station had. I'd say maybe second to the half hour with Pearl Jam at 7 p.m.). And the first three songs blew me out of the water.

First was Foo Fighters' Big Me. Then Seven Mary Three's Cumbersome. Not a bad start, but it wasn't until the third song that had me hooked. As the simple yet sweet acoustic sounds from Noel Gallagher's guitar, as Liam Gallagher's young voice played through my headphones, I was instantaneously falling in love. And as the final chords of Wonderwall finished, I knew I was going to be in for an amazing ride.

I listened to Q101 so much that first week, I recorded tapes of the songs I was listening to for the first time. In fact, I think I still have some, if not all of those tapes, with me right now. I need to break them out and listen to some of those. It be interesting to see exactly what I was listening during that time.

Anyway, I digress. I ended up buying What's the Story Morning Glory two weeks after my second venture into the world of "alternative," with my first failed attempt coming in 1992. I went out to a record store near Old Orchard Mall after my parents went shopping on a Friday so I can look around and capitalize on the new music I stumbled upon. I didn't know what to get, seeing that I was brand new to this.

Then I realized why I was there in the first place: Oasis.

I didn't know what I was in store for. The only songs I knew from this wonderful band from across the pond was Wonderwall, which ruled the airwaves for numerous months, and Champagne Supernova.

As I popped the cassette into my walkman, I sat in anticipation in hopes of something great. I looked over the cover to read the track listing. My head raised as the opening guitar licks of Hello popped through my headphones. Then Liam's voice chimed in.

I don't feel as if I know you
You take up all my time
The days are long and the night will throw you away
Coz the sun don't shine

Hello indeed.

Then it was Roll With It, Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger. At the tender age of 15, I was thinking, "Can it get any better than these first four songs for an album." I felt like I was experiencing something no one else would understand.

Then it continued. Hey Now, Some Might Say, Cast No Shadow, Morning Glory, and the epic anthem Champagne Supernova. There was no turning back after that. My walkman never left my side after buying that cassette. From the moment I left home until I got to school (a good 45 minute bus and train ride), during lunch, then on the trip home and the entire time I'd stay in my room doing home work, Oasis was the only thing playing.

That would eventually change three months later after I finally realized Oasis had an album prior to their modern classic. And when I finally listened to Definitely Maybe, Oasis was permanently etched into the books as the only band that mattered.

Needless to say, Oasis never left my ears for two and a half years. The first concert I ever saw was Oasis, sans Liam, in 1996 after their unbelievable showings at Knebworth and the MTV Unplugged. I saw them again in 1998 as they toured behind the underrated Be Here Now album. In all, I have been lucky to see Oasis four times in my life, and all four shows were spectacular.

My Oasis listening pleasure would continue all the way until my second year at Northern Illinois in 2000. I went nearly over four years with Oasis in the forefront of my musical collection.

However, as the days of Oasis dominating my cd player continued to diminish, the Manchester band would play a huge role as I opened my eyes to the world of music. The Gallagher brothers have been linked to a lot of bands I listen to today. I would not have the massive collection of music if it wasn't for them. I defintely would not have known about bands like Doves, Elbow, Kasabian, Charlatans UK, Arctic Monkeys, etc.

And if it wasn't for Oasis, the next phase of my musical life would never had seen the light of day.