A while back I was walking down Berwick Street when I happened to notice this in the window of Revival Records, one of the many fine record shops in Soho: it’s a copy of the 2nd Oasis album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? with a YOU ARE HERE post-it note on it. It made me chuckle as anyone who knows their Oasis folklore will know that the cover shot was taken on Berwick Street – the two men shown are Owen Morris, who produced the album, and Sean Rowley, a friend of the band more famous for his Guilty Pleasures series.
I seem to remember reading once that it was taken in the early hours of the morning after the band had put the finishing touches to the album and that, already sure they had a smash hit on their hands, they decided to hit the streets of Soho. I also seem to remember reading that Noel thinks it’s a shite cover. He’s right.
I’ll leave you with Champagne Supernova, the track which, more than any other on Morning Glory, seemed to represent the sense of endless possibilities and open doorways that existed at the time, just 18 months before Tony Blair entered Downing Street. Of course both Blair and Oasis would disappoint us, constantly rehashing their greatest hits, but for the moment let’s revel in the nostalgia.