Oasis: The Masterplan

Includes written contribution from Noel Gallagher “in his own words”. ‘All bands have a different style. I never thought Oasis had a look. Other people did and that’s cool. But I’ll put tunes over trainers every day. Trainers last for six months. The melodies live forever.’ – Noel Gallagher ‘As iconic photographer, adventurous fan and inside eye-witness, Kevin Cummins has always been where the cultural action is.’ – Paul Morley ‘Cummins, typical Manc, combining art with a good time, a sense of beauty, which explains the iconic shots of Liam and Noel in Man City shirts: memorable, defining images.’ – Miranda Sawyer, Observer ‘No one has captured the look of alternative UK music over the past half a century more tellingly than Kevin Cummins.’ – Simon Armitage How does a band come into being What are the myriad forces that shape their sound, look and identity In 1993, Oasis signed to Creation Records and were shortly to begin recording their first album. The following year began with a masterplan – the creation of Oasis. At the centre of this enterprise was celebrated photographer Kevin Cummins, brought on board to help the band find a look that fitted their sound. In Oasis: The Masterplan we follow Cummins as he photographs the band as they cement their identity. Noel Gallagher’s thoughts on football, fashion and music and his recollections of that formative year sit alongside those of Cummins himself. Throughout, we see how Oasis played with fashion and were taught how to pose and present themselves as they approached the summer when their first album, Definitely Maybe was released. The story from that moment on is well-known. Featuring 75% previously unseen images, the book reveals just how effective the masterplan was to get them to that point.