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Noel Gallagher

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File:Noel with Epson.jpg
Noel Gallagher on stage with Oasis

Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born May 29, 1967) is the lead songwriter, guitarist and sometime lead-singer with the British rock band Oasis. He is the older brother of Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and the two are often pigeon-holed as squabbling siblings.

In the 1990s, he was centre stage of what the media coined the Britpop movement. Oasis' first album, Definitely Maybe (1994), became the fastest selling British debut ever, and along with the follow-up (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995), enjoyed much critical and commercial success. However, critical success on this scale has largely escaped the band since the release of 1997's Be Here Now.

Gallagher is often criticized for the praise he gives to his own songs. Though many consider this to be intense arrogance, he himself maintains that it is merely self-confidence and points out "If you'd written "Live Forever", you'd be walking to a different tune the next day too". [1]

Biography

Early years

Noel was born in Longsight, Manchester to Irish parents Peggy and Thomas Gallagher. He is the middle child of three, his older brother Paul was born in 1966, and Liam was born 1972. The Gallagher brothers grew up in the suburb of Burnage. Noel's was an unhappy childhood. He and his brothers were often beaten by his alchoholic father[2], and he was often reclusive - Liam described him as "the weirdo in the family" [3]. Noel first began to teach himself to play guitar at the age of 13, imitating his favourite songs from the radio. As the oldest child, Paul was given a room to himself and Noel was forced to share with Liam. He claims to have resented Paul for this[4]. Both Noel and Liam were regular truants and in their teens were often in trouble with the police - they allegedly broke into cars and stole bicycles, and at the age of thirteen, he received six months' probation for robbing a corner shop [5]. He attended St Robert's Infant School in Longsight (1971), St Bernard's Primary in Burnage (1972) and St Mark's Secondary in Didsbury (1978). His childhood nickname was Brezhnev, after the former Russian president known for his bushy eyebrows.

At some point in the early 1980's (sources vary), Peggy left her husband due to his violent mood swings brought about by his alcoholism, taking their three boys with her. Noel has since maintained a strained relationship with his father, notwithstanding periods in the 1980s in which all the Gallagher siblings (along with numerous cousins and uncles) at one time or another worked for their father's construction company. Other jobs endured by Noel include being a sign writer for an estate agent, as well as working in a bed factory and a bakery.

File:Noel's tambourine.jpg
Noel framed by Liam's tambourine

Having left his father's building company, Noel took a job at another building firm sub-contracted to British Gas. Here he sustained an injury when a heavy cap from a steel gas pipe landed on his right foot, crushing it. Following a period of recuperation, Gallagher was offered a less physically demanding role in the company's storehouse, freeing up time in which to practice guitar and write songs. Gallagher now claims to have written at least three of the songs on Definitely Maybe in this storehouse [6]. Much of the late 1980s found Gallagher unemployed and living in a bedsit, occupying his time with drugs, songwriting and guitar playing.

Gallagher's musical interests at the time revolved largely around British rock music, most notabley the Beatles, who's influence is heavily reflected in his songwriting. Other influences were T.Rex, The Rolling Stones, Slade, Kinks and more contempoary bands such as The Smiths and The Stone Roses. Gallagher is often critisied for plagerising his greatest influences - for example, he has used the opening guitar riff from T.Rex's 1971 hit "Get It On" not once, but twice on "Cigarettes and Alcohol" (1994) and "Some Might Say" (1995).

Oasis

In 1988, Noel auditioned to be vocalist for the band Inspiral Carpets. Though rejected for the position, he was hired by the band as a guitar technician. In 1992, he returned from an American tour with the band to find that his brother had become lead singer with local band Oasis, then called "Rain". The band also featured Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs on rhythm guitar, Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan on bass and Tony McCaroll on drums. It transpired that Liam had joined the band with the hope of adding Noel, and his songwriting abilities, to the formula. Noel attended an Oasis concert at Manchester's Boardwalk, finding himself unimpressed by the group's act. After cajoling by Liam, he agreed to join the band on the condition that he maintain creative control of the group and become its sole songwriter. The rest of the band agreed, at which point Oasis undertook a year of intensive rehearsing.

At the end of 1992 Noel contacted Tony Griffiths of Liverpool band The Real People, (who he had met when they were supporting The Inspiral Carpets) and arranged to record a professional sounding demo at their Liverpool studio. The resulting tape, known as the Live Demonstration tape, later formed the basis for their first album. In May, 1993, the band heard the a record executive from Creation Records would be scouting for talent at a club in Glasgow called King Tut's. Together, they found the money to hire a van and make the six-hour journey to Glasgow. When they arrived, they were refused entry to the club as they were not on that night's set list, forcing the band to bully their way in [7]. They were given the opening slot and impressed the scout, Alan McGee, who then took the demo tape to Sony America and invited Oasis to meet with him a week later in London, at which point they were signed to a six album contract. Noel has since claimed that he only had six songs written at the time, and has put his success in the interview down to "bullshitting" [8]. However, Alan McGee believes when they met, Noel had fifty or so songs written and merely lied about about how prolific he had been following the contract. [9]

Their first album, Definitely Maybe, was released in 1994 and was a critical and commercial success, becoming the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time and entering the UK Charts at #1 [10]. However, tension mounted between Noel and McCaroll, and in 1995, the band asked the drummer to leave. He was replaced by Alan White.

Dispite their rapidly growing popularity, Noel briefly left Oasis in 1994 during their first American tour. The conditions were poor, Noel felt the American audience - still preoccupied with grunge and metal - did not understand the band and tensions mounted between him and Liam culminating in a fight after a disastrous L.A gig [11]. Having effectively decided to quit the music industry, he flew to San Francisco without telling the band, management or the crew. Their manager finally got hold of him, and Noel vowed to him that he would never return to Oasis. In an effort to calm him down, the two took a trip to Las Vegas where they met a newly married couple. The four drank and talked about music for some time until the wife of the couple finally convinced Noel to return to his band.

Britpop & the height of fame

1995 saw the release of Oasis' first UK #1 single in Some Might Say. This preceded thier second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. Though it suffered initial critical apathy, the album became the second fastest-selling album in the UK entering the UK album charts at #1 and peaking at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart [12]. Morning Glory became the springboard to mainstream commercial success for Noel and the band. The Gallaghers became household names, and as the momentum of the album built Oasis went on to become one of the most popular and successful British acts of the 1990s. The album even propelled the band to success in America, albeit temporarily. Noel's extensive catalogue of songs - ironically written in the storehouses and bedsits he had so bemoaned in the 80s - were the fuel behind Oasis' success in the 90s.

However, Morning Glory's success also lay partly in a well documented fued with fellow britpop band Blur. The differing styles of the band - Oasis a gritty, working class, northen band and Blur an art-rock, middle class, southern band - coupled with their prominance within the britpop movement led the British media to seize upon the supposed rivalry between the bands. Both factions played along, with Liam and Noel taunting Blur at the 1996 Brit Awards by singing a rendition "Parklife" when they collected their "Best British Band" award (with Liam changing the lyrics to "Shite-life"). However, in was Noel who proved the most agressive telling The Observer that he hoped Damon Albarn and Alex James of Blur would "catch AIDS and die".[13] He subsequently apologised[14] for this in a formal letter to Melody Maker magazine.

On Monday, 14 August, 1995, Blur and Oasis released new singles on the same day, setting up a "Battle of the Bands" that dominated the week's music news. Blur's "Country House" outsold Morning Glory's second single, "Roll With It" 274,000 copies to 216,000 during the week.

When Oasis played "Roll With It" on British chart show Top of the Pops they were forced to mime. The Gallagher brothers used the opportunity to switch roles with Liam pretending to play guitar, while Noel pretended to sing (equipped with Liam's tambourine). The set ended with the band erupting in laughter at the Gallagher's impressions of each other. [15]

Oasis went on to have greater success than Blur with their next two singles, "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger" charting at number 2 and 1 respectively. Originally Noel had wanted to take lead vocals on "Wonderwall", but Liam insisted on singing it. As compensation, Noel decided he would sing lead vocals on "Don't Look Back in Anger".[16] The latter is now used to close Oasis' large concerts, with the crowd encouraged to sing the chorus. However, despite the success of Morning Glory, Noel has been critical of it, calling it "overrated" [17] and saying "when I listen to it now, as a whole, I can't stand it". [18]

1995 also saw Gallagher join his friends Paul Weller, Paul McCartney and Johnny Depp to form the Smokin' Mojo Filters. The supergroup, assembled by Weller, recorded The Beatles' 1969 hit "Come Together" (the song's lyrics "He no Mojo filter" inspiring the name for the makeshift band) for the charity album Help!. Noel has also collaborated with the Chemical Brothers, Ian Brown, The Stands, The Prodigy and Paul Weller, amongst others.

In March 1996, Noel and Liam were confronted by their father when a British newspaper paid for him to go to their hotel during a tour. Noel left for his room, later commenting "as far as I'm concerned, I haven't got a Father. He's not a Father to me, y'know? I don't respect him in any way whatsoever". Liam took the oppertunity to confront Thomas and threaten him. [19]

Also in 1996 Oasis sold out two nights at Knebworth, playing to over 250,000 fans. Both nights included a solo acoustic set involving just Noel. These shows represented the largest crowds ever to see a single act in British history, a feat only topped by Robbie Williams' three night gig at the same venue some years later. Noel then provided lead vocals at Oasis' MTV Unplugged set when Liam backed out minutes before the set was due to start. Liam claimed to have been struck down with a "sore throat" and that he doesn't like performing acoustically, though Noel claims he was hungover. Noel was further angered when Liam proceeded to heckle him from the balcony while the band performed [20]. Noel was again forced to fill in for Liam on a short North American tour when the lead singer walked out on the tour on 21 August, supposedly to buy a house with his girlfriend. Liam returned a week later, but tension between Noel and the rest of Oasis mounted and on 11 September Noel left the tour, causing many to question the future of the band. Gallagher claims he had intended to finish work on Oasis' next album and then retire to the English courtyside, but this never came to pass.[21]

Having originally backed out from marrying girlfriend Meg Mathews on Valentines Day 1997, Gallagher and Mathews were wed in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 5th, 1997, preceding the release of the third Oasis album, Be Here Now, on 21 August. Following the worldwide success of Morning Glory, Be Here Now became Oasis' most eagerly anticipated album to date. As with the previous two albums, all the tracks were written by Noel. After an initial blaze of publicity, positive critical reviews, and commercial success, the album failed to live up to long-term expectations, and the public's goodwill towards Be Here Now was short-lived. The album was ultimately regarded by many as a bloated, over-indulgent version of Oasis, defended by Noel as being due to his drug-addicted state at the time. Noel began to suffer panic attacks during this period, his lonely, paranoid state inspiring the song Gas Panic, subsequently included on the 2000 album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants.

Post-britpop years

After the near-hysterical hype surrounding the release of Be Here Now had started to lessen, critical response to the band became calmer and more considered, leading to a media backlash. In 1997, Noel was criticised for attending a high profile and well-publicised media party at 10 Downing Street, hosted by the newly-elected Prime Minister Tony Blair, along with other celebrities and industry figures that had supported New Labour in the run-up to the general election. The perception of Gallagher as someone now mixing with politicians - and in partiular a famous photograph of him sipping champagne with Blair - conflicted with the "working class hero" status championed through songs such as "Up In The Sky".

In 1999, after a row with Noel, Bonehead quit the band, with Guigsy soon following. As a result, the fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, was recorded by just Noel, Liam and White, with Noel playing all guitar parts. The album customarily peaked at number one, but was met with an even greater level of contempt by the critics than their previous effort. On January 27, 2000, Mathews gave birth to a daughter, Anais. However, Gallagher and Mathews divorced shortly afterwards, in January 2001, following Liam's own announcement of his separation from Patsy Kensit. It is rumoured that Mathews could not abide Noel's desire to move to the countryside and missed partying with her friends in London. He has since entered a long-term relationship with Sara MacDonald.

Gallagher's role as chief songwriter for Oasis has been challenged since the turn of the century as he allowed a greater level of lyrical input from the other band members,. Standing On the Shoulder of Giants included Oasis' first ever album track written not by Noel, but by Liam. Heathen Chemistry included a further 3 tracks by Liam (including Songbird, which was released as a single), one by guitarist Gem Archer (Bonehead's replacement) and one by bassist Andy Bell (Guigsy's replacement). Don't Believe the Truth featured a further 3 tracks by Liam, one from Archer and two from Bell. The latter two albums have been greeted with increasing critical and commercial success.

Don't Believe the Truth's second single "The Importance of Being Idle" became the second Noel-sung Oasis track to top the UK charts and was named 2005's finest track by Q Magazine as well as being nominated for the NME's "Best Song of 2005" award. However, on recent Oasis albums, Noel's increased role as lead singer, apparently to compensate for his diminished role as songwriter, has caused some tension with Liam. He recounted a particular exchange to the British Big Issue in 2005 which illustrates the situation: 

Liam: "Well, I'm supposed to be the singer."
Noel: "Well, I'm supposed to be the songwriter."
Liam: "Well, I should be singing more."
Noel: "Well, I should be writing more songs"
Liam: "So are you saying that if we stop writing more 
       songs, I can start singing more songs?"
Noel: "Well, that's pretty much what it fucking boils 
       down to, yeah."

Relationship with Liam Gallagher

File:4ent oasis.jpg
Noel with brother Liam in a moment of calm.

The Gallagher brothers famously share a turbulent relationship. Their arguments have achieved a status as something of Rock Legend. One of their arguments was even released on a bootleg single entitled Wibbling Rivalry. There are only a handful of known incidents where the two have actually come to blows. During their first American tour in 1994, Liam took to changing the words of the songs so that they were offensive to both Americans and Noel. A confrontation after the show led to a chair being thrown and Noel leaving the tour and heading for Las Vegas, claiming he had "visions of Fear and Loathing flashing in [his] eyes". He was eventually tracked down and returned to the tour before he could live out his dream of disappearing and buying a bar on a beach somewhere. Whilst on tour in Barcelona in 2000, Oasis were forced to cancel a gig when Alan White's arm seized up, the band spent the night drinking instead. Liam made a derogatory comment about Noel's then wife Meg Mathews, and attempted to cast doubt over the legitimacy of Noel's daughter Anais, causing a scuffle in which Noel punched Liam, knocking him down. Following this, Noel declared he was quitting touring overseas altogether, and Oasis were forced to finish the tour without him. He has since repented on his promise to quit touring overseas.

Controversy

Gallagher is well known for his controversial, outspoken statements in the press. Noel acknowledged his tendency for faux pas in the song "My Big Mouth" on Be Here Now. Perhaps the most famous of these is his wish for members of Blur to die of AIDS. Here are some of the others.

  • When George Harrison accused Oasis of being little more than a passing fad Noel commented "George was always the quiet Beatle, maybe he should keep that up" (this however, was not as threatening as his brother's promise to play golf off of Harrison's head should they ever meet).[22]
Noel in a trademark pose.
  • In 1997 he claimed most members of Parliament were on heroin and cocaine, before likening drugs to a cup of tea. He has since laughed off these comments [23]
  • When George Michael released the politically charged single "Shoot the Dog", Noel observed "He's... trying to make social comment, this is the guy who hid who he actually was from the public for twenty years, now, all of a sudden, he's got something to say about the way of the world. I find it laughable. That's even before you get to the song, which is diabolical." [24]
  • He said of Kylie Minogue "I don't hate Kylie but I hate her music with a passion - it's just unbridled filth, it's disgusting." [25]
  • He described the protests against the second Gulf War in London as "a bloody waste of time".[26]
  • In the same interview he said of the British "We are a nation of moaning sissies, regardless of who governs. The British get on my nerves. They moan about the weather, about the French, about the Germans. They moan about cricket, football – they should just keep their mouths shut."
  • When asked about American youngsters taste in music, he stated "(They) shouldn't be able to buy records until (they are) 16. You'll buy any old nonsense - fucking Britney and Eminem." .[27]
  • In early 2001 he was criticised for saying that the Backstreet Boys "should be shot" [28]
  • He has recently told Australian press his dislike of up-and-coming British bands, describing the band Bloc Party as "indie shit".[29]
  • In 2005 he criticized the White Stripes for announcing they would write a song for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign, although Noel and Liam have done an endorsement for Toshiba, and more recently licensed "All Around The World" to a series of AT&T commercials. Quotably, he described Jack White as 'Zorro on doughnuts'. [30]

Discography

See Oasis discography.

Guest Appearances

Noel Gallagher has recorded as a guest musician on many bands songs even co-producing an album too. Here is a list of artists he has worked with:

Trivia

  • Noel suffers from dyslexia, and finds the disorder to be something of an challenge in the process of writing songs.
  • Prior to their rise to fame, Noel had often joked to McGee that the whole Rock-and-Roll industry was built around one ambition - to own a chocolate brown Rolls Royce. Following the success of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Creation Records held a banquet in to thank the band. Bonehead, Guigsy and White received valuable Rolex watches, to Liam went a solid gold Rolex. Then came Noel, to whom McGee bequeathed the much-desired chocolate brown Rolls Royce. Liam was less than amused, fuelling Noel's joy which was not even jaded by the fact the he cannot drive. Noel told Jonathan Ross in an interview in 2003: "I thought it was great because I can't drive and Liam can't tell the time.". Noel sold the car in 2004.[31]
  • In the early years of Oasis, he was nicknamed 'The Chief' by the rest of the band.[32]
  • Like his younger brother, Liam, owns cars and a swimming pool, but cannot drive or swim.
  • He is a keen fan of music and has played a part in pushing and inspiring the careers of many new bands including Coldplay, Travis and The Zutons.
  • He claims to have written Supersonic in "the time it takes to play the song".[35]
  • Noel is ambidextrous, and can therefore play guitar with both hands.
  • He has put Oasis' trouble with drummers down to the fact that he is himself a talented drummer saying "I get a lot of stick for it, but I'm the best drummer in the group".[36]

References

  • Wheeler,J: Oasis: How Does It Feel? (UFO Books Ltd)
  • Paul Gallagher and Terry Christian: Brothers, From Childhood to Oasis (Virgin Books)
  • Middles, M: Oasis: Round Their Way (Independent Music Press)
  • Paolo Hewitt, Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis (Boxtree Press)
  • Robertson, I: Oasis: What's The Story? (Blake Books)
  • Moody, P: Oasis: Lost Inside (UFO Music Ltd)
  • Various interviews with Noel
  • CHRONOLOGY 1993 from Oasis FAQ

Notes

  1. ^ . ISBN 0711956952. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Interview, Behind the Music, pt.1, VH1, 2000
  3. ^ Interview, Behind the Music, pt.1, VH1' 2000
  4. [37] {{cite AV media}}: Empty citation (help)
  5. ^ Interview, Behind the Music, pt.2, VH1, 2000
  6. ^ Interview, Behind the Music, pt.2, VH1, 2000
  7. ^ {{cite AV media}}: Empty citation (help)
  8. ^ {{cite AV media}}: Empty citation (help)
  9. ^ Interview published in the 31st October 1998 edition of the NME
  10. ^ Oasis chart info Acessed February 7, 2006
  11. ^ Pierce, Ryan (January 17). "Top 10 Music Rivalries: Number 5: Blur vs. Oasis". AskMen.com. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  12. ^ Titorenko, Mark (January 17). "Noel's AIDS comment". The Oasis Archive. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help) (scroll down to section 3.5)
  13. ^ Interview with Soccer AM, 2004
  14. ^ Interview; UK Music Hall of Fame, episode 1.1: The 90's; 2005
  15. ^ Interview, Behind the Music, pt.2, VH1, 2000
  16. ^ Interview, Behind the Music, pt.3, VH1, 2000
  17. ^ Interview, Behind the Music, pt.3, VH1, 2000
  18. ^ . ISBN 0711956952. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ . ISBN 0711956952. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Interview, Behind the Music, pt.3, VH1, 2000
  21. ^ Interview with Jonathan Ross, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross 2004
  22. ^ . ISBN 0711956952. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ {{cite AV media}}: Empty citation (help)
  24. ^ Interview with NME, 10 December 2005
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