POP MUSIC : INVASION ALERT

It took so long for Oasis’ “Wonderwall” to break through as a hit that many had written off the band as just a failed entry in the vaunted but sputtering new British Invasion. Now not only is it a big hit, but there could also soon be a second version of the song on the charts.

A group called the Mike Flowers Pops has a spoof version of “Wonderwall,” performed as a cheesy ‘60s lounge-pop tune. It’s so perfectly done, with unctuous vocals, a samba-lite beat and even fake “record” noises, that if you didn’t know better you might believe that it was actually the original and Oasis remade it.

The Flowers record has already been a hit in England, reaching No. 2 on the singles chart, and now it’s coming to America. With some radio stations (including KROQ here) playing the import occasionally, London Records is rush-releasing it in the U.S. on Feb. 20, with a video accompanying it.

Mike Flowers is really an English musician named Michael Roberts who has been doing this act for about three years, mixing original lounge-style material with versions of contemporary songs. A full album is expected before summer.

Meanwhile, Oasis’ success continues to build in the U.S., with the group having sold out the 5,600-seat Paramount Theatre at New York’s Madison Square Garden and plans to play a large-sized facility in Los Angeles, possibly Pauley Pavilion, in April.