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I actually think I prefer Oasis. At least I can understand the Brit rock archetypal appeal of the combating brothers (Kinks) and the God complex overestimation of their own significance (Spinal Tap lol!)- they were a more fleshed out and radio friendly power chord version of the Stone Roses, who I fucking love. And yeah, they brought bit of low-grade Beatlemania to a generation that had lost its voice.
I feel nothing when I hear their songs, but that doesn't mean their songs weren't extremely well-executed pop tunes. I just kind of enjoyed that entire "Oasis V. blur" marketing campaign of NME's. Blur is a more quintessentially Brirish band, and a more artistic one at that. But Oasis introduced a lot of junior high school kids to the Beatles. The pumpkins were just a goddamn joke in the end. And they're still fucking going! My god!
I remember being excited by Siamese Dream... And yeah, Mellon Collie has some songs that still get me if they come on the radio and I'm in the right mood. For example, “Here is No Why” and “Muzzle.” They're just really classic sounding arena rock tracks.
But “Bullet w/ Butterfly Wings” was such an obvious attempt to recapture the vibe of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that I can't believe it was as successful as it was. It was like Corgan had studied the lyrical approach of Kurt Cobain, and the post-grunge surprise breakthrough sound of the Downward Spiral, and said "hey, I've stumbled upon the formula for generation-defining alt. rock! Now let's see, I'll just put in a dabble of Cure and a pinch of Cocteau Twins, toss in some blue oyster cult, and the kids should be worshiping me as their savior within two weeks of hearing this.”
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