Oasis' Soul swagger

04 October 2008

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Colossal the new album may be, but 2008 is also crucial for the group - it's been fourteen years since Oasis established themselves as the era defining rock 'n' roll band of the 90s with debut album 'Definitely Maybe', and the musical landscape has changed a great deal.

Noel, 41, came under fire when he said hip-hop had "no place" at this summer's Glastonbury festival in England, prompting rapper Jay-Z to mimic the band's song 'Wonderwall' at the opening of his set. Meanwhile, in more familiar, guitar driven territory, Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida?' is being lauded as the best British album of the year already - some have even suggested the decade, while a stream of jangly, fey indie poseurs are considered the current bad boys of British rock.

Noel doesn't, however, appear bothered by the recent crop of younger musicians filling the pages of tabloid newspapers, saying: "Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty are attention seekers. You can take drugs and be a f***ed up junkie without anybody having an inkling. Who goes for the papers at three am? On crack? Who does that? Somebody who's an attention seeker."

Although Oasis' tabloid-worthy antics are getting less frequent, the rockers still regularly make the headlines with their barbed comments and ability to attract trouble. In an age where pop stars go out of their way to not be controversial, brothers Liam and Noel still aren't afraid to speak their minds or attack their musical peers.

As Kaiser Chiefs drummer Nick Hodgson said: "We're definitely not offended when they have a go at us, but I actually like it - I think it's a bit of sport.

"It is funny though because it happens every single time they put out a new album. And the last two albums it's been us.

"When I was 17 and Noel was going on about Blur I was watching it and now I'm 30 and he's, what, 50 and he's talking about us, it's brilliant."

Initial reactions by critics to 'Dig Out Your Soul' have been ecstatic, the best the band has received since the buzz around 1995s seminal '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?' album.

The opening four tracks - 'Bag It Up', 'The Turning', 'Waiting for the Rapture' and 'The Shock of the Lightning', all penned by Noel - are the most exhilarating start to an Oasis record since 'Morning Glory?'.

'Bag It Up' opens with a scuzzy guitar riff, and heavy, pounding drums and sees the brothers singing in unison being driven on by a military-style beat. That makes way for Liam to snarl, "Someone tell me I'm dreaming/The freaks are rising up through the floor", before the track explodes into the chorus complete with classic Noel lyrics "Lay your love on the fire when you come on in/I got my heebie-jeebies in a little bag".

Uncharacteristically, 'The Turning' begins with a keyboard riff before morphing into a massive, almost threatening chorus, complete with a 50-piece choir bellowing "Come On" as Liam snarls "So come on, shake your reptile baby/Before you change your mind". Do you know what it means? It doesn't matter, the sheer force of the track simply blows the listener away. It's certainly about as far away from Coldplay, this year's other returning super-group, as you can get.

That a band can raise this level of interest over their seventh album proves Oasis' enduring appeal and cements their status as a stadium filling act, on the highest rung in currently reigning rock royalty.

This is much more than can be said for the group's contemporaries - most of the other bands that were part of the Britpop movement had faded away or split by end of the 90s. One time arch-rivals, Blur, are on indefinite hiatus, while Radiohead have taken a tangential step away from the glare of the mainstream. No other band has come close to the near 60 million worldwide album sales Oasis have achieved.

The Gallagher brothers' band are also one of the few British acts to retain a fan base in North America, where they kicked off their present tour - in support of 'Dig Out Your Soul' - on August 26, in Seattle.

Liam, 35, was particularly excited about returning to the live scene, saying: "I'm looking forward to everyone hearing the new songs. I'm looking forward to people s***ging them. I'm looking forward to people enjoying them and I'm looking forward to getting out and playing them."

The band began the tour airing a setlist which mixed classic tracks with a handful of new songs, and ended with their original encore - a cover of The Beatles' 'I Am the Walrus'.

But the North American jaunt was not without incident- on September 8 Noel was 'attacked' by a fan during a show in Toronto, Canada, causing him to fall on his monitor. He broke and dislodged three ribs, causing the cancellation of three dates in England, Germany and France.

Speaking about the incident, Noel said: "Because it had been raining and there were puddles around I thought I'd been stabbed. For a split second I s**t it!

"The next gig is in Liverpool [on 07.10.08] but I'll not be right for that - it takes another five weeks to heal. But we've got to start that tour or it would be two years' work out the window."

The accident has also seen Noel having to curtail his second youth - his initial behaviour in promoting the album has been more erratic than that of his younger brother - traditionally perceived as the more wild of the pair.

In the run up to 'Dig Out Your Soul', Noel has been exceptionally outspoken about issues as wide as knife crime ("It's a pity that the scum bags have taken over the street. It's horrible."); drugs ("I just think there are a lot of middle class people wanting to freak mum and dad out") and writing potential James Bond themes ("They haven't got very Bond-esque titles.... The latest one that I wrote is called 'Freaky Teeth'.)

Ten years ago if you'd heard one of the Gallagher brothers confessing to "having my mid-morning smoke in a fez hat and a smoking jacket," you would have presumed it would be Liam, but this was actually a recent admission by Noel, who also outraged some listeners by making a guest appearance on Chris Moyles' BBC Radio 1 breakfast show still drunk from the night before.

By contrast Liam has become the sensible Gallagher, the family man who was first at the studio every morning for the 'Dig Out Your Soul' sessions. He says he's content taking his children to school and has developed a liking for seafood rather than class A drugs.

"I'm always banging away at the fish man. I used to really dig sardines, but now I'm on the salmon," Liam says. "The royalty cheques have started rolling in again. I'm on the salmon big time. My top three fish are salmon at number one, sea bass at two and sardines are third."

The crossover between the brothers is also evident on record, as Liam has contributed three songs, heartfelt ballad 'I'm Outta Time', 'Ain't Got Nothing' - which is about his infamous 2002 Munich bar brawl - and spacey, psychedelic closer 'Solider On' to 'Dig Out Your Soul'.

'I'm Outta Time', unsurprisingly, is heavily-influenced by Liam's idol John Lennon - it even features a sample of the late Beatle speaking over the closing bars - and sees the frontman seemingly the tackle the subject of getting old, the opening line of "Here's a song/It reminds me of when we were young", is later followed by Liam musing "You've got to keep on keeping on", suggesting the now 36-year-old singer has been taking stock of his more outrageous antics.

Liam maintains there's only one subject that he can compose songs about.

"I just write about me, because I'm different, a one-off. I don't draw inspiration from music, I'm already inspired", he says.

Noel, 41, grudgingly admits Liam has now become a very talented songwriter, and has been urging him to get his material together and release a solo album.

Noel says: "Liam should do it, because he's got enough songs and they're good enough. But I don't think he ever will, because he's a coward. You've got to have the balls and put 'em on the line? I think he likes the shield of Oasis."

Never one to back down from his brother's challenge, Liam counters, downplaying his writing skills and saying Noel - who takes lead vocals on three songs, 'Waiting for the Rapture', '(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady' and 'Falling Down' - should leave the singing to him.

"I'm a better singer than him, so I should sing the songs," says Liam. "I don't count myself as a songwriter. I'm a singer who every now and then stumbles across a few songs that people either like or don't like... I'd be more worried about losing my voice than losing my ability to write a f**king song."

While the brothers bicker about what their roles should be - the other two members of the band, Gem and Andy are integral behind the scenes elements of Oasis and in the making of 'Dig Out Your Soul'. Both have tracks on the album, with Gem penning the swirling Eastern-tinged 'To Be Where There's Life' - which, surprisingly for the band, contains no guitar parts - and Andy writing the 'The Nature of Reality', which wouldn't seem out of place on a White Stripes record.

Very few bands even reach the point where they make seven albums and the fact Oasis can still demand such feverish attention, sell out stadiums in mere minutes, and most importantly write incredible new tunes rather than rehash the past proves they are a lasting force. They could also be one of the final few, if Noel is to be believed.

Reflecting on the download era and his own band's legacy, he says: "I don't see there being another Oasis to be honest with you. A band that comes from nothing on an indie label, then goes on to be, you know, nine or ten albums in or whatever.

"Nowadays a band are on TV, on the radio, you can go to the webpage, you see the video, you're immediately connecting with 'a pop star'. When I was starting off, I was connecting with lads that were like me."

Although Oasis are one of the last groups standing, by the way they sound in 2008 it's clear they have come back with an agenda, a view to moving rock 'n' roll forward and to teach a few acts how to do it along the way. They sound once again like they're ready to fight - and in that respect some things don't change - for the title of best band in the world. Bono and Chris are already quaking in their boots.

By Andy Tillett

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