By the time Emma B arrived at Creation Records to take up her position as a Marketing Assistant, Alan McGee had navigated the company away from its drug fuelled image of the 1980’s and was currently in the midst of a major musical revolution. The seminal 1994 album Definitely Maybe had now become one of the defining records of the era and was helping transform these four lads from Manchester into a worldwide phenomenon. Apart from their management team at Ignition who ran a tight ship and swarmed Oasis with a heavy bubble around them, Creation also ensured that Noel and Liam had everything they needed to thrive.
Emma’s biggest contribution to the Oasis story came in 1996 when she had a hand in creating the artwork for the iconic single Don’t Look Back In Anger. For this, it was her task to sew a lot of carnations all around the set and over the now iconic drum kit. Obviously at this point, she had absolutely no idea that she was actually creating a piece of musical history which would become shorthand for Britpop. Yet this absolutely epitomises the magic of Oasis: the sense of external ignorance which has remained an integral part of their appeal. The fact that they don’t care about genres or labels makes it difficult for writers and journalists to entice them to co-operate with their rhetoric but both Noel and Liam just don’t care.
This reunion, beyond the financial implications, may have put Britpop back into focus and offered this narrative yet another chapter to be written. Audiences who weren’t even alive in the nineties are now getting the golden opportunity to see what their parents are still raving about all these years later. For Emma, Oasis are among a few bands who have the unique ability to span generations and remain cool on every level. Suddenly her links to the band have fascinated the younger generation and has even earned her props within her own family. This is testament to the amazing pull that the Gallagher brothers continue to make on the direction of music and shall forever remain relevant to youth culture in Britain.
Emma B is possibly unique in the story of Oasis being one of, if not the only person to have been able to interact with the Gallaghers in two different roles. When she left Creation and joined Radio 1 in 1998, she already had a rapport with Noel and Liam which came in useful when they would frequently turn up at Broadcasting House. However, probably more importantly she was able to chart their journey in a unique way from Alan McGee’s newest poster boys to unlikely national treasures. Yet as music history shows, the balance between success and creativity is a hard one to manage and both Ignition and Creation were extremely mindful about taking care of the Gallagher brothers not just professionally but also emotionally.
This link has always filled Emma with immense pride and remains one of her greatest achievements. Of all the people featured in this celebration, Emma B’s insights into this remarkable story seem the most personal for a number of reasons. Listening to her on a whole host of different radio stations covering all styles and genres, it’s easy to forget her indelible links to Britpop, yet I hope this episode has highlighted that Emma B remains one of Britain’s leading authorities on music and her Creation tenure should be a glowing example of how anyone can be part of a cultural revolution!
Beyond The Title