You know what I mean? Anyone familiar with music magazines will notice a common method used by most music critics: comparing artists to one or more of their peers. In most cases this method is essential to the review, especially if readers have never heard the artist reviewed. It gives them a point of reference, and if they like artists being compared, they might buy the album. Such comparisons can work for or against an artist, but for one band in particular they have been incorporated into almost everything written about them. Oasis have been in the hands of the media since the beginning. In a review of their first album, Definely Maybe, Stuart Maconie called them "manna from heaven in a slow newspaper week". He paid almost as much attention to the rivalry between the two brothers and core band members, Noel and Liam Gallagher, as to the music itself. He emphasized that the music was nothing new and cited the Sex Pistols, T. Rex, the Stooges and the Beatles as influences (Maconie). This last influence proved to be the most significant, as one critic after another used the Beatles as a focal point when describing Oasis. There were several reasons for the fixation on the Beatles and the social behavior of the Gallagher brothers when it came to Oasis. Oasis never strayed from the reality that they adored the Beatles, and that this showed in their music. In fact, the Beatles sometimes seemed to be their favorite topic of conversation in interviews. Noel said he wanted to introduce them to a new generation. They covered Beatles songs, including "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" and "I Am The Walrus", the latter becoming a staple in their live shows. They even talked about it in their... middle of paper... they deserved every accusation that was ever thrown at them. It's still just a matter of opinion, and none of that matters if you like the music. Works Cited Baker, Trevor. “Have Oasis become a joke?” Melody creator. December 20, 2000 - January 2, 2001: 8-9pm.Capobianco, Ken. “Oasis: Open Your Ears America.” Boston Globe. June 8, 2001: D15. "In short: Oasis Star in the 'Assault' issue." The Guardian. January 18, 2001: 14.Maconie, Stuart. Rev. of Definitely Maybe by Oasis. Q 4 Music (October 1994). online.June 28, 2001 < http://www.q4music.com/q4musicstore/DisplayProductDetails. cfm?ObjectUUID=A6DA73A2-9EBC-11D4-84460002553035E0>.Mirkin, Steven. “Brotherly Love Tour, a Study in Contrasts.” Variety. 21 – 27 May 2001: 26.Oasis. "You know what I mean." Be here now. Sony, 1997. Schoemer, Karen. “Derived and damn proud of it.” Newsweek. January 9th. 1997: 12.