Unless you have been hiding under a rock the past few days it will not have escaped your attention that Oasis have annouced they will be touring in 2025 (dates are at the bottom of this post). News of this has had wall to wall coverage on all Social Media platforms, TV & Radio, Newspapers and of course the Music Press.
This announcement came three days before the 30th Anniversary reissue of their Debut Album 'Definitely Maybe' (which is released today) and a couple of days after Liam Gallagher had completed his tour celebrating the album. Coincidence? Possibly. 😏
The album has been reissued a number of times since first coming out on 30th August 1994 and it's probably worth mentioning a few of them before getting stuck into this latest version:
1994 Vinyl had the added track "Sad Song" to make it a 12 track album, the CD, MiniDisc & Cassette had only 11 Tracks.
2005 American DualDisc contained all 11 songs found on normal CD releases but on the DVD side they were in Enhanced Stereo. Also included were the 'Definitely Maybe Documentary' plus "Live Forever (Live at Glastonbury 1994)" and "Columbia (Live From Hammersmith Palais, London 13th December 1994)".
2006 Japanese Limited Edition CD Vinyl Replica included "Sad Song" and "Cloudburst".
2014 CD under the title "Definitely Maybe: Chasing The Sun Edition". This was a 3CD set that included the album Remastered on CD1. CD2 included B-sides and Extra Tracks and CD3 was made up of Unreleased Demos, Outtakes & Live Recordings. The Vinyl version included a Download Code for all the Bonus Material. The Japanese Edition of the CD included "Shakermaker (Slide Up Mix)" and "Bring It On Down (Monnow Valley)".
2015 There were Yellow, Red, and Silver Vinyl versions released on Creation.
2019 Limited Edition 25th Anniversary 2LP Picture Disc exclusive to the Oasis Official Store.
2020 Vinyl Reissue (it was basically the 2014 Remastered Edition)
2020 Japanese Reissue Limited Edition (2000 copies) Ivory Coloured Vinyl
Now we come to the most up to date reissue of the album, 'Definitely Maybe (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)':
2024 The Vinyl is just the 2014 Remastered Edition and the 4LP set also includes the Monnow Valley Studio version of the album on LP 3 recorded in late 1993 in Wales that was rejected by both the band and label. Back into the studio, Sawmills Studio in Cornwall, in February 1994 where seven of the eight tracks on LP 4 are Outtakes from these sessions recorded between February - April 1994. Links to all the songs on this new reissue are included below. The 2CD set brings the Monnow Valley and Sawmills Studio sessions on the second CD and the 2014 Remastered album on CD1 doesn't include "Sad Song" as part of the album (as the Vinyl version always has done) rather than as an extra track (only the 2006 Japanese version had done this previously) and on this set only a 1992 demo version of the song is included as the final track.
From a personal perspective I think Oasis could have done better on the CD set by including a complete live show from 1994. It's not as if none exist because they have used songs from various live performances on a couple of the previous reissues (2005 American DualDisc and the 2014 CD set for example). That would have piqued my interest into possibly buying a copy.
My overall impression of 'Definitely Maybe (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)' is that it is aimed at those who are "the completists", who must have everything ever released by the band. To add to their collection with this new reissue they are also going to have a healthy bank balance (and that's not even thinking about the cash needed to grab a ticket for one of the reunion shows, which are pretty pricey as well)! 😉 I have included below some of the prices I've found for the various formats down below also just incase you are counting the pennies and pounds and fancy grabbing a copy.
Definitely Maybe (30th Anniversary Edition)
Big Brother
Released 30th August 2024
Formats:
4LP Boxset (£64.99 HMV & Amazon UK, £62.99 Rough Trade UK)
2LP £35.00 Exclusive Limited Edition Coloured Vinyl Numbered 15,000 from Blood Records
2LP £37.99 Strawberries & Cream (Rough Trade UK, Amazon UK and HMV)
2CD (£17.99 Rough Trade UK, £19.99 Amazon UK & HMV)
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(Liam & Noel Gallagher Photo by Simon Emmett)
In a joint statement, the band said: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”
The dates for the 2025 UK and Ireland tour are:
4, 5 July, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
11, 12, 19 and 20 July, Heaton Park, Manchester
25, 26 July, 2, 3 August, Wembley Stadium, London
8, 9 August, Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
16, 17 August, Croke Park, Dublin.
Tickets Go Sale 9am Saturday 31st August