CD Cover Analysis 3

(What's The Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis

The genre of Oasis’ music is predominantly alternative rock. The front cover does not show what it is but actually what it isn’t. By this I mean and potential listener who views the album cover will know that it’s unlikely to be pop as it doesn’t stick to the conventions of a close up shot of the artiste. They can also tell that it’s not dance music as it is not very bright or abstract. They would be able to tell that the album is all about the music and not about the artiste’s star image as they are not on the cover.

The title of the album could be reflected in the set of the cover. The ‘morning glory’ is possibly shown through the idea of a morning and the start of a new day. This is however the only possible link. The idea of the simple street with two conventional people walking towards each other reflects the fact that it is an everyday album that will be enjoyed by everyone.

The title, ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ could be interpreted in many ways. One of which could be the fact that this is a song title on the album and that song is to do with drug consumption. This could be why there is a slightly depressed atmosphere to the cover. However, if we look at the title on it’s own there is a sense of optimism, as if this is a new era for the band as they are positioning themselves as the new leaders of Britpop.

The composition of the album cover is a simple everyday setting in a street with shops on both sides and high rise houses above. This shows a city set which may reflect the many different sounds and variety of the songs on the album, this is because the city is probably home to the most multicultural group of people and even other things like restaurants and shops.

There are lamp posts in the image that are turned on which again shows the idea of ‘Morning Glory’ and so resembling the album title. The sky is quite grey which could show one of two things. The first being that the cover was always meant to represent a typical day in the city, or that they are trying to create a darker mood. I think it is the first of the two as the buildings and offices etc. are very realistic and so the sky needs to match.

The two people walking towards one another are wearing ordinary clothes i.e. trousers, shirt and jacket in plain colours. They could represent ordinary people but they also show the progression of the bands music. This was their most well received album by far and this could be why they are not on the cover. In order to create a wider target audience for the album, as the band image is not on the cover. This also reflects Noel Gallagher’s inspiration for writing the album. It is said that he took inspiration from walking the streets whilst listening to his walkman.

The typography on the cover is a bold white font that is not very recognisable. This could add to the mystery of the album and also the large audience that it attracted. The band clearly didn’t want to only target one audience as it would leave the majority isolated. The band name is printed very small in the bottom right hand corner, which is usually the last place the viewer looks, especially as the composition of the cover all leads to the centre. The recognisable Oasis font has been used and so they have not completely disappeared from the cover.

Overall the album has obviously had a very wide audience as it is the third best selling album in the UK chart history. This shows that it was well received by a vast amount of people. However, if I was to specifically identify a target audience I would say it would be for male listeners around the age of mid-twenties to early thirties at the time of release in 1995.