You know we can't go back (Noel Gallagher) (LP 2572 - 2575)

Noel Gallagher  Oasis Unplugged (CD, Bootleg, 1996) ****  

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (CD, Sour Mash Records, 2011) ***   

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Chasing Yesterday (CD, Sour Mash Records, 2015) ****  

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Who Built The Moon? (CD, Sour Mash Records, 2017) ***    

Genre: Pop, rock 

Places I remember: Colleague gave me the bootleg, rest from Dubai (Virgin Mega Store) and JB Hi Fi.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Ballad Of The Mighty I (Chasing Yesterday)

Gear costume: Do The Damage (on the bonus disc as part of Chasing Yesterday)

Active compensatory factors: Although the Gallagher brothers probably feel they are competing with each other, in reality they are working very different sides of the street these days. But both are riding the crest of different waves. Their albums instantly chart at number one and both are very creative, talented guys.

The bootleg is an Oasis concert without Liam - 10 songs, Unplugged, from 1996. Noel does well, but he ain't in Liam's vocalist league. The bootleg also adds a few Beatle cover odds and sods (Noel and Liam with Ocean Colour Scene at the Electric Ballroom, Camden, May 9th, 1996; UK radio session, December 1st, 1995; and recorded live at Glastonbury Festival, June 23rd, 1995).

Solo album number 1 is a strong start. Once you get over the fact that this is not Oasis, nor is it Liam, then it becomes a very enjoyable tuneful experience.

It's Chasing Yesterday that really sees him in confident mode with this new alt-rock style. 

The video for Ballad Of The Mighty I is what hooked me to his solo albums in the first place. The rest of the album contains some great indie pop/rock songs, and the bonus CD is, for once, a crucial addition. For me, this remains his best, most successfully realized solo album.

I struggle a bit with third solo album, Who Built The Moon? The first two songs are skippers, but after that I enjoy his change of direction.

Where do they all belong? Done. I think that will do, probably won't buy his Council Skies from 2023.

Mindless conversation (Beady Eye)

Beady Eye The Beat Goes On/ In The Bubble With A Bullet   (Beady Eye Records, Beady6 2011)

I'm not a Beady Eye fan as such and my allegiance to Oasis (Beady Eye with Noel Gallagher) was sorely tested as they petered out with a series of CDs typified by ever dwindling returns. They had me up to and including Heathen Chemistry but I had to cling to hope from there on in.

I bought this single from Fopp in Covent Garden anyway cos it was a single on vinyl and it was 2011 and it could have been good - that 'hope' thing again.

It's not. The beat goes on huh? Sounds leaden and dull as dishwater. I always have to check I've got it on 45 rpm rather than 33 1/3. Yikes Liam! What on earth possessed you to release this as a single????

Hidden gem (no pun intended): Oh Jiminy Cricket YES! The B side is far superior. It's bright and shiny and bops along on a lovely bed of acoustic guitars and, yes, enthusiasm. Liam doesn't over sing it and it's pretty all around fine. Amazingly it doesn't appear on the album (yes I bought it and may have played it twice before bunging it on the shelf next to Dig Out Your Soul).


.

You'll never change what's been and gone (Oasis)

I love reading Liam and Noel Gallagher interviews. They speak honestly and without their guard up as a whole. That is very refreshing in the world of modern entertainment.

I recently bought a book of their collected quotes called Mad For It (The wit and wisdom of the brothers Gallagher).

You'll recall I wrote about Liam's Beady Eye band a while back. Beady Eye being basically the Oasis band without the Chief.

Here's a Liam quote I love from 1994:

I tell you , when I read that
Oasis is Noel's band that
f****** sent me...it's no one's band.
Take one away and there's nowt left.

Oh dear!

Here's one of my favourite Oasis songs to remind us about what the Gallaghers United football team is capable of.

Hear yer head a-banging on the door (Oasis)

Liam and Noel Gallagher's band, Oasis, broke up their soap opera existence a while ago (2009) and the brothers now find themselves in opposing camps.

Liam is an iconoclastic front man (even though he sings with his hands behind his back and his head tilted up so that he's singing to the pigeons on the enormo-stadium roof) and Noel is the iconoclastic guitarist and songwriter (Liam's songs are pretty naff).

Now Liam fronts Oasis without Noel - same members but now called Beady Eye (a really naff band name) while Noel is going solo with an album coming out in October (why so long?). I bought the Beady Eye album like I've bought all the Oasis albums on release. I've only listened to it once right through so far. It's okay but the Mojo review was full of unjustified praise. It's an okay Oasis lite album (I'd slot it in about 9th equal place in my favourite Oasis album list with their last two studio albums).

• (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
• Heathen Chemistry (2002)
• Be Here Now (1997)
• Definitely Maybe (1994)
• Masterplan (1998)
• MTV Unplugged (Noel solo) (1996)
• ...There and Then (1996)
• Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000)
• Beady Eye (2011)
• Dig Out Your Soul (2008)
• Don't Believe the Truth (2005)

As you can tell I am inclined towards the Noel camp, although both of them can be pretty obnoxious. However, anyone who writes songs like Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger gets my vote. They both make good copy though and their interviews are always worth reading.

The sibling rivalry aspect is pretty interesting. At the end of the day blood is thicker than water but you wouldn't know it from the way brothers have tiffs in bands.

Dire Straits, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Kinks are three that immediately spring to mind. In each one a dominant song writing brother, who was the main singer (Mark Knopfler, John Fogerty, Ray Davies) outshone and clashed with the other guitarist brother (David Knopfler, Tom Fogerty, Dave Davies). Egos went into overdrive and being stuck together in a pressure cooker environment and having a baseline of sibling rivalry clearly added up to a potent brew.

In the Gallagher's case it turned ugly early on and ended in violence. Not a good recipe for sustained success.

I'm looking forward to Noel's solo album. In the meantime I'll have another listen to Beady Eye.

D'you know what I mean?

33 Oasis, 'Sunday Morning Call'

The Britpop media hype of a few years ago is looking pretty creaky as the years go by, as most media constructs do. The much hyped 'new thing' is a long standing tradition in music papers. Bruce Springsteen actually survived being called the future of rock 'n' roll in the press, but for every Springsteen there is a Steve Forbet. Steve, like about a billion others over the years, was hailed as the next Dylan (we haven't got done with the old one yet so it's a farce right from the get go).

The other thing the press love to hype is perceived animosity amongst bands. If that doesn't fly they'll work at actually creating a rivalry where it doesn't exist. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were mates and each was living it large and drug fuelled, but for some reason (commerce actually - selling papers) they hyped the Beatles as cuddly, safe and cute. Lennon, in even his fat Elvis cuddly period, was NEVER safe and cute. The Rolling Stones were hyped as the antithesis - guys that were not cuddly or cute, and presented real and present danger to your daughters. Therefore they were ubercool to rebellious teenagers all over the world.

During the similarly hyped Britpop era the press got to it with two lippy English bands - Oasis and Blur. There wasn't any love lost but they were all musicians trying to establish an image, a career, something.

It was never a fair contest - Blur was always going to trounce Oasis with one brain tied behind their back. Because they were better musicians? Nope. Because they had better songs? Hell no! Because they were more intelligent? Piss off! No - they were always going to win, despite it all, because the press decided they would. So they painted the Gallaghers as dolts, sibling rivalry gone mad, talentless imbeciles who...shock/horror/probe...ripped off The Beatles. Arch copyists, fakes!! Not original you see. Just copied the Lennon blueprint and sat back grinning.

Too simplistic. Everybody piggybacks, pays homage, rips off. It's what you do with it. The Beatles took bits from Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Elvis and Roy Orbison among others. Please Please Me was initially in the style of the Big O but came out completely The Beatles. If you're gonna be inspired (best case) or steal (worst case) then do it from the best and make it your own.

Even Nick Hornby was taken in! In 31 Songs he compares Noel Gallagher's influences (The Beatles) to John Lennon's ('Goons, Chuck Berry, music hall, surrealism, loads of things'). Sorry Nick but - I can't go for that, no can do. Just because Noel LOVES Lennon and the Beatles doesn't mean that he's not interested in or affected by 'loads of things'. Interviewers focus on his Beatles inspiration, they don't bother to dig out his soul and nor should they want to. It doesn't make good copy. And Noel's too smart to upset the apple cart. And nor should he. It's all show biz, after all.

I love the music made by Noel Gallagher/Oasis and I have a hard time picking a favourite from all of their classics. I'll plump for Sunday Morning Call because it's relatively unknown. It was released as a single and is on the not very popular Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants album. It soars and spins and swoons. There's a brilliant vocal from Noel and it's just great and it doesn't sound anything like the Beatles and it'll do me, so there.