Studio owner remembers how Oasis “nailed it live” when recording ‘Definitely Maybe’
Staff at a Cornwall music studio have recalled Oasis recording debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’ ahead of their reunion tour next year.
Liam and Noel Gallagher recorded most of the seminal record at Sawmills Studio in Golant 30 years ago, which has hosted the likes of The Stone Roses, Muse and Robert Plant over the years.
“They basically nailed it live, which is the way I like to record,” John Cornfield, a producer, sound engineer and co-owner of the studio, told the BBC in a new interview.
“You could tell they had played them a load of times as there was no messing about,” he added.
“They just went in there and bang, bang, bang – three takes or so and nailed it,” he went on. “I had no idea that it would turn into the monster it did.”
The band – which was comprised of Noel, Liam, Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, Paul ‘Guigsy’ McGuigan and Tony McCarroll at the time – also stayed at the studio, which is only accessible by a trek on foot or a boat that runs twice a day when the tide is right.
“The boys used to play pool in the lounge, which also had a turntable,” shared Ruth Taylor, who was the studio manager at the time of the recording.
She added: “They had sent a copy of their first single [‘Supersonic’] from the record company, which hadn’t been recorded here, and Liam put it on and said: ‘Ruth, listen to this. We are going to be massive.'”
Having also recorded at Monnow Valley Studios in south Wales, co-owner of Sawmills Studio, Dennis Smith, said the band “were desperate to have another go, and they had 10 days to do it, and it was a question of getting it right this time”.
“It may have been technically against all the rules, but it sounded great,” he added, sharing that he liked the final result.
‘Definitely Maybe’ features many of Oasis’ most iconic songs, including ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’, ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’.
The album was reissued for the 30th anniversary this summer, and features outtakes recorded at Sawmills Studios – mixed for the first time by Noel and Callum Marinho – along with discarded original recording sessions at Monnow Valley Studio.
The album also includes an unreleased demo version of ‘Sad Song’. Originally released as a bonus track, the alternative take features Liam’s vocals.
The album arrived ahead of the brothers’ long-awaited reunion and upcoming OASIS LIVE ’25 UK and Ireland tour next year. Plans for concerts outside of Europe are currently underway too.
Tickets for all dates are currently sold out, following some controversy around hours-long queues and dynamic pricing structures, which resulted in a surge in ticket costs in response to demand.
It’s since been brought to the Advertising Standards Agency, with separate investigations suggested by the UK government and the European Commission.
Oasis responded to the pricing drama with a statement which read: “Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management, and at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used.”
Meanwhile, the band are reportedly in talks for a new documentary ahead of their 2025 reunion tour, which would capture the brothers in the run-up to next summer’s anticipated gigs.
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Hollie Geraghty
NME
