Definitely Maybe is not a subtle record. It does not creep up on you or reveal hidden layers over repeated listens. It arrives at your door at full volume, kicks it open, and announces itself with the kind of swaggering self-belief that only a band from a Manchester council estate could carry off without sounding ridiculous. From the opening salvo of "Rock 'n' Roll Star" — all windmilling guitars and Liam Gallagher's impossibly nasal sneer — this album operates on pure, undiluted conviction.
The guitar sound is enormous. Noel Gallagher's approach to layering is essentially architectural — he stacks guitar upon guitar upon guitar until the sound is so thick you could build a house on it. "Columbia" features what sounds like about eight different guitar tracks, all slightly detuned from each other, creating a wall of sound that is both chaotic and oddly beautiful. Bonehead's rhythm playing provides the bedrock — solid, unwavering power chords that give Noel's lead lines something to push against.
What elevates Definitely Maybe above mere bluster is Noel's gift for melody. "Live Forever" contains a chorus so transcendent it could make a grown man weep into his pint. The chord progression borrows liberally from the classic rock playbook — there are echoes of the Beatles, the Stones, T. Rex — but the melodic line Liam sings over it is genuinely original, soaring upward with a conviction that turns a simple sentiment into something approaching the spiritual.
The rhythm section is often overlooked. Tony McCarroll's drumming is rudimentary but perfectly suited to the material — he hits hard and keeps time with the kind of no-nonsense reliability that these songs demand. Paul McGuigan's bass lines anchor everything with a warmth that prevents the wall of guitars from becoming oppressive.
"Slide Away" is the album's secret weapon — a seven-minute epic that builds from a delicate, reverb-laden intro to a climax of screaming guitars and Liam's most passionate vocal performance. The guitar solo, played through what sounds like a cranked Marshall on the edge of feedback, is the sound of a band that truly believes they are the greatest in the world. For the duration of this album, they might just be right.
