# Who is the better band, The Beatles or Oasis? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329 "2010-07-11T21:20:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/21 "2010-07-11T23:15:39Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > The OP’s question is stupid, but you honestly have never heard of Oasis? 😕 I honestly never have. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/22 "2010-07-11T23:17:11Z")
Silly question: _both_ were cheap, obvious ripoffs of the Monkees. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/23 "2010-07-11T23:26:50Z")
For those unfamiliar with Oasis, **[Wonderwall](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hzrDeceEKc)** is probably their biggest hit. I am not a fan. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/24 "2010-07-11T23:31:45Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Oasis was much bigger in the UK than they were on this side of the pond. Bigger yes, but to argue that Oasis wasn’t HUGE in the US during their heyday means that you pretty much started taking a nap in 1993 and didn’t wake up until 2000. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/25 "2010-07-11T23:44:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Bigger yes, but to argue that Oasis wasn’t HUGE in the US during their heyday means that you pretty much started taking a nap in 1993 and didn’t wake up until 2000. They were big in the US for a while. But they were never huge. None of their albums ever made it to number one in the United States and they only had two number one singles. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/26 "2010-07-11T23:49:59Z")
Oasis’s big hit even took its title from a George Harrison album. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/27 "2010-07-11T23:58:16Z")
Must you even ask? Much as I truly dig Oasis, the Beatles are the proverbial Alpha and Omega of modern pop/rock music. There is no comparison, full stop. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/28 "2010-07-12T00:06:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Who the heck is Oasis, and why would they even merit comparison to the Beatles? Even to ask “is so-and-so better than the Beatles” is pretty high praise for so-and-so… Do these Oasis folks (whom I’ve genuinely never heard of) deserve even that? [This is a typical Oasis tune.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO7-Mf4fSPQ) As you can see, it’s pretty danged good, but (as you can also, no doubt, see) Oasis wouldn’t exist _without_ the Liverpudlian Fab Four. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/29 "2010-07-12T00:10:51Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Oasis… remind me who they were? They were a Britpop band from the 90s. Similar bands would include Blur, The Verve and Radiohead. It’s like the OP is asking whose the better hard rock band - Nickleback or Led Zeppelin? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/30 "2010-07-12T00:13:33Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > Well, if the question is are the studio honchos hired by Becker and Fagen more proficient instrumentalists than the Beatles, well obviously yes. But a better band? Naw. They’re hardly a genuine band at all. Yeah, that was the general consensus, that SD’s hired guns were far more proficient on their instruments but that Becker and Fagen simply weren’t in the Beatle’s league when it came to melody and variety of style. > [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > But the real reason I responded was to note that I was really grooving on this clip until they got to the chorus, where they totally fucked up the hook by shortening one note, changing it from “get aaa-long…” to “getalooong…” I know what you mean. They have a tendency now to make little alterations to a note or two that IMO don’t always work. For example on _Home At Last_ there is originally a part in the line “and now the danger on the rocks is surely past” where there is a simultaneous bass/drum/symbol beat right after “the” that I just love and which really punctuates the tune right there. For some reason they changed it, at least in the performance I linked to above, to a sort of “doo be doo” sound that almost wrecks the whole damn thing for me. I on’t know why they do this, maybe because of musician or singer limitations (though I doubt it) or maybe just to try to change things up a bit and keep their performances from becoming monotonous. But these little changes can really take you out of the groove when they’re so completely different from what you’re expecting. Other than though, I think they do an excellent job overall of blending the talents of their current lineup with the work of their musicians of the past. Jon Herington’s work on _Kid Charlemagne_ would be a good example of this. He doesn’t copy Larry Carlton’s work note for note but puts his own spin on the song which, while very similar, still sounds great on its own. Another problem is that the sound on that particular clip isn’t very good. There used to be another clip of the same performance that sounded a lot better but I couldn’t seem to find it. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/31 "2010-07-12T00:20:34Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Bigger yes, but to argue that Oasis wasn’t HUGE in the US during their heyday means that you pretty much started taking a nap in 1993 and didn’t wake up until 2000. Nonsense. It just means you didn’t give a fuck about pop music at the time. Pretty much 99% of those over 45 or 50. When the Beatles were together, everyone had heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/32 "2010-07-12T00:30:22Z")
Beatles. Why is your second choice Oasis? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/33 "2010-07-12T00:32:02Z")
I should point out that IMHO, Oasis isn’t even the best band among the other bands I mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/34 "2010-07-12T01:05:17Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’d say Oasis came in fourth place, behind the Beatles, the Who, and the Band. Oasis is one of the four best rock bands ever? I find this puzzling. Do people think they’re a great band because they tried to sound like the Beatles, and therefore assume they must be in some way comparable in quality to the Beatles? I’m asking in seriousness; while folks here seem amused that the comparison was even made, this impression that Oasis was a great band is actually quite widespread. Is Oasis even one of the 50 best bands ever? Top 100? I doubt it. They had some hits, but it would never even cross my mind to suggest they were one of the great bands of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/35 "2010-07-12T01:11:16Z")
OK, I’ve heard “Wonderwall” (just didn’t have a clue as to the name of the artist). It’s a decent enough piece of background music, but it got old pretty quick with as often as it was played, and I don’t think I’d bother to see it in concert. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/36 "2010-07-12T01:27:57Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Oasis is one of the four best rock bands ever? > > I find this puzzling. Do people think they’re a great band because they tried to sound like the Beatles, and therefore assume they must be in some way comparable in quality to the Beatles? I’m asking in seriousness; while folks here seem amused that the comparison was even made, this impression that Oasis was a great band is actually quite widespread. > > Is Oasis even one of the 50 best bands ever? Top 100? I doubt it. They had some hits, but it would never even cross my mind to suggest they were one of the great bands of all time. It was a play on the title of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/37 "2010-07-12T01:35:28Z")
I’ll say Oasis. Nobody has ever taken it personally that I am not particularly familiar with there music and assumed I must be brain damaged because of it. I have had people so react to the fact that I could hardly give a damn about the Beatles either. So Oasis wins. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/38 "2010-07-12T01:47:04Z")
Wow, _there’s_ a good basis for an opinion regarding which is the best band if I ever heard one. Awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/39 "2010-07-12T01:57:58Z")
Is this a joke? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329/40 "2010-07-12T02:02:35Z")
> [@Captain\_Midnight](#): > > That’s the question, who is the better band, The Beatles or Oasis? If we lean hard enough on how that question is phrased in present tense… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-better-band-the-beatles-or-oasis/546329.md?page=3)