(What's The Story) Morning Glory?/Comments - Reception

Reception

What's the Story was released to lukewarm reviews from the mainstream music press. Many contemporary reviewers expressed disappointment at the album's inferiority to Definitely Maybe, taking aim at the 'banal lyrics' and the unoriginal nature of the compositions. David Cavanagh of Q magazine said of the lyrics "They scan; they fill a hole; end of story. They nothing much about anything." Andy Gill of The Independent commented that "She's Electric" is laddism of a tiresomely generic kind "Roll With It" is drab and chummy." Perhaps the most damning review came from David Stubbs of the now-defunct Melody Maker. Despite stating that "Some Might Say" was "the best single of the year", Stubbs went on to be critical of the album as a whole; "What's the Story laboured and lazy. On this evidence, Oasis are a limited band ... they sound knackered."

In a positive review, Rolling Stone's Jon Weiderhorn wrote that "What's the Story is more than a natural progression, it's a bold leap forward that displays significant musical and personal growth." Weiderhorn went on to note that the 'stormy' relationship between Liam and Noel proved to be one of the album's strengths; "tension and instability have been inherent traits of great rock teams...for Oasis, the addition of shared genes gives their songs extra impact and dimension." NME said that the album shows Oasis pursuing "an altogether different direction; away from the conscience-free overloaded hedonism towards an understanding of its consequences". Robert Christgau gave it a two-star honorable mention, indicating a "likable effort that consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy." He cited "She's Electric" and "Roll with It" as highlights and quipped "give them credit for wanting it all—and (yet another Beatles connection!) playing guitars".

In his book Britpop!, John Harris concluded that the initial negative reviews of the time missed the album's universal strengths. "Those who fussed about the music's more artful aspects were missing the point. The fact that songs contained so many musical echoes seemed to couch the album in an air of homely reassurance." Harris believed that the "ordinary" nature of some of the album's songs "turned out to be part of its deeply populist appeal". Rob Sheffield, writing in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), called the album "a triumph, full of bluster and bravado but also moments of surprising tenderness".