W♥M

Britpop Now!

Read more Britpop. Blur, Suede (new song), Pulp ("new" song), and Stone Roses were recently covered on W♥M #167.

Read More Johnny Marr Lots of Radiohead's Ed & Phil and Johnny Marr (The Smiths) and lots of Wilco. In fact, there were one or two comments about how they thought it was such a clash of quintessentially British and American sounds.

JOHNNY MARR
johnny-marr.com

If you know me, you know that I'm actually a huge Smiths fan. I discovered the band years after they broke up through Morrissey, who came into my world in 1991 on the Johnny Carson show. Once I saw Morrissey singing about his friends in hell, I knew I had to find out more about Moz. This was pre-internet, so most of the information I had to work with came in the printed form: letters, fanzines, magazines, and books. It was only a matter of time did I get my first Smiths album, The Queen is Dead, at Tower Records. I don't care what anyone say, that album is perfect from top to bottom.

In case you haven't figured it out, Johnny Marr is the legendary guitarist from The Smiths. He co-wrote/wrote all the Smiths' songs and eventually went on to a ton of other solo projects post-breakup in 1987. Marr acted as "guitarist-for-hire" on various project, such as The Cribs, Modest Mouse, but he's finally decided to release a new solo album called The Messenger, coming out February 26th. I suppose this is the follow-up to his 2003's Johnny Marr and the Healers album (which I caught them live at First Avenue).

With a confirmed appearance at Coachella, Marr decided to put together a North American tour in April and early May:

04/11/13 Las Vegas, NV Pool at Cosmopolitan 04/12/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 04/13/13 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 04/15/13 Seattle, WA Neumos 04/16/13 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater 04/18/13 Santa Barbara, CA S Barbara Bowl 04/19/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 04/21/13 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater 04/22/13 Omaha, NE Waiting Room

04/23/13 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater 04/25/13 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar 04/26/13 Detroit, MI Magic Stick 04/27/13 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert 04/29/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 04/30/13 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre 05/02/13 New York, NY Irving Plaza Powered 05/03/13 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall 05/04/13 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club

Read More Noel Gallagher You know I love Oasis, so I'm always happy to mention Liam and Noel whenever I get the chance. As it is, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' first US single is called "If I Had A Gun"….

NOEL GALLAGHER
noelgallagher.com

I love Oasis, I still can't believe we interviewed Liam Gallagher through KFSR 90.7 and had special treatment by the band circa 1994 when they first tour here in the USA. By the time "Wonderwall" happened, the band was no long accessible to us! It's fine, we still love Oasis to this day.

Since wrapping up his promotional tour for his 2011 album, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Noel has been pretty quiet.

If you missed his tour, like I did, you will be happy to know that his DVD, International Magic Live at The O2 is coming out February 26, 2013, in North America. The video release will be available in a variety of formats: video downloads, 2 disc DVD, and Blu-Ray (with exclusive CD called Faster Than The Speed of Magic featuring demos of album tracks, B-Sides and live tracks).

From my understanding, the video captures two live shows: "International Magic Live" at the O2 in London and "Live At The Mod Club" from his Toronto appearance. I have been to the Mod Club and I can tell you that it's probably a lot smaller than O2 Arena.

Noel Gallagher will appear at "Give It Up For Comic Relief" in London's Wembley Arena on March 6th and "Teenage Cancer Trust Benefit" in London's Royal Albert Hall on March 23rd.

REPUBLICA
facebook.com/officialrepublica

Republica is set to come back in 2013. You may have remembered this female-fronted-band from the 90s with their massive big hit song, "Ready to Go"? Fans might argue they had other hits, but c'mon, no one knows them. The popular song was recently used in the video game Everybody Dance, which I'll confess I own on PS3.

So Saffron and the original line-up is back in 2013, with a new EP set for March with an accompanying tour:

03/14/13 London The Relentless Garage
03/15/13 York Fibbers
03/18/13 Newcastle O2 Academy Newcastle
03/19/13 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
03/21/13 Nottingham Bodega Social Club
03/22/13 Bristol Thekla
06/16/13 Newport Seaclose Park

ASH
ash-official.com

Yeah, you already know I love these guys. 1977, what a great album …. but you can tell the Scottish lads were young at the time, listening to the album on retrospect. They're not the greatest lyrics, but who cares, it sounds so good and simple.

Since finishing their A-Z project (this was their weekly write a song for twenty-six weeks straight), the band has been on constant tour. They haven't been to Minneapolis since 2005, so I was surprised to find out that they'll be at the Varsity Theater on Mar 18.

I tried looking up the rest of their US tour schedule, but I guess these are the only two announced:

Mar 12 House of Blues Dallas Dallas, TX
Mar 18 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN

STEREOPHONICS
stereophonics.com

I've seen Stereophonics a few times in Minneapolis, as the band ready for their UK tour, singer/songwriter Kelly Jones opened up to The Daily Mail about the passing of ex-drummer Stuart Cable.

Apparently Cable had drugs and alcohol problems that lead Jones to fire the drummer in 2003. Although the two kissed and made up within a year and a half, his sudden death in 2010 affected Jones.

He's quoted as saying, "I think about him, and miss him, every day. Every time we play an old song, he's still there."

Stereophonic's upcoming album, Graffiti On The Train, will be out March 4, just in time for their UK tour dates. The single, "Indian Summer", is out on February 25.

03/15/13 Leicester De Montfort Hall 03/16/13 Wolverhampton Civic Hall 03/18/13 Leeds O2 Academy Leeds 03/19/13 Leeds O2 Academy Leeds 03/21/13 Cheltenham The Centaur

03/22/13 Portsmouth Portsmouth Guildhall 03/23/13 Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions 03/25/13 Doncaster The Dome 03/26/13 Blackpool Empress Ballroom 03/27/13 Edinburgh Usher Hall

DODGY
dodgyology.com

Sally's favorite band ever is doing a one-off date special acoustic set at Selby Town Hall on February 16th. They will play nothing but the hits "Staying Out For The Summer", "In A Room", "If You're Thinking of Me", "Good Enough", etc.

Since Dodgy's original line-up re-formation in 2007, the band's been on and off the music festival circuits. Pretty soon, they went back into the studios to record and release Stand Upright In A Cool Place, which came out in 2012. Their previous album, Real Estate, was released in 2001. What's interesting to note is that the original line-up's last album prior to breakup was 1996's Free Peace Sweet.

Anyway, you can see Dodgy at Selby Town Hall on February 16th for a mere 13 of your English pounds.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The 2012 London Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony

Read More Olympic Games With the Summer Olympic in London, fans flock Hyde Park to enjoy all sorts of sporting action on the giant screens and get a chance to catch some of our favorite British bands play live - for free!

Did you catch NBC's broadcast of the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympic Games? We saw some of it last Sunday, and according to news reports, it was one of NBC's highest ratings (up 32% over the Beijing Games!)

Unlike NBC's clumsy attempt at censoring the opening ceremonies, it looks like they caved in to heavy criticisms and decided to air the closing music in its entirety.

The Closing Ceremony features a good wide range of British music. Personally, I was rather excited to see Pet Shop Boys doing their big hit song, "West End Girls," and the Spice Girls re-united again to do a medley of "Wannabe" and "Spice Up Your Life." Pop fans would note Take That and One Direction.

As much as I love Oasis, we got Beady Eye doing "Wonderwall." I got the impression that Liam didn't want to do a Noel Gallagher song, and they certainly made sure everyone knew they were 'Beady Eye,' not Oasis.

It was also a shame that Blur didn't make on the lineup (instead, they were playing over at BT London Hydepark), but Massed Bands of the Guards Division covered them with "Parklife." To me, "Parklife" is the quintessential Britpop song - that and Pulp's "Disco 2000" (which sadly no mention of Pulp or Jarvis Cocker.)

I also enjoyed the epic "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," by Eric Idle - but couldn't they get the rest of Monty Python back together?

If you missed the Closing Ceremony, I'm certain you can buy the music compilation soon-ish. Already, you can pick up a double-disc of Isles Of Wonder: Music For The Opening Ceremony Of The London 2012 Olympic Games via Decca Recordings.

The compilation features Underworld, Dizzee Rascal, Emeli Sandé, Arctic Monkeys, Chemical Brothers, David Bowie, and more.

PET SHOP BOYS
www.petshopboys.co.uk

As I previously mentioned, I love Pet Shop Boys, and I have some news on them. They have a brand new album, Elysium, coming out on Astralwerks on September 11th.

If you can't wait that long, the first single, "Winner" is available on two digital bundles. The first will came out August 7th with three non-album b-sides (including a cover of the Bee Gees' "I Started A Joke") and the second is today (August 14th.)

Digital Bundle 1 1. Winner 2. A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi" 3. The Way Through The Woods (long version) 4. I Started A Joke

Digital Bundle 2 (Winner Remixed) 1. Winner (Andrew Dawson HappyHour Remix) 2. Winner (John Dahlback Remix) 3. Winner (Niki & The Dove Remix) 4. Winner (Andrew Dawson HappySad Remix)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Beady Eye and Black Box Revelation at First Avenue, Minneapolis (12/05/11)

Four Letter Word Beatles And Stones Millionaire Two Of A Kind For Anyone Three Ring Circus The Roller In The Bubble With A Bullet Bring The Light Standing On The Edge Of The Noise Kill For A Dream The Beat Goes On Man Of Misery The Morning Son Wigwam -- World Outside My Room Sons Of The Stage Setlist courtesy of stopcryingyourheartout.com

"Its fookin' cold here innit?", observation quote from Liam Gallagher. Welcome back to Minneapolis.

Long time readers to W♥M should know that I love Oasis*, so I was rather excited to finally check out Beady Eye (it's basically Oasis minus Noel Gallagher) last night at First Avenue. I believe that this will be the only time that I will experience this band up close.

I won't spend too much time on them, needless to say, if you've seen Oasis live before, as I have seen them multiple times, you've basically seen Beady Eye. Of course, these are all new songs from their Different Gear, Still Speeding album, no Oasis songs were played (and none were expected).

The stood-out songs from their set was my favorite "Beatles and Stones", "Standing on the Edge of the Noise", and "Bring the Light" (this had scene of dancing girls from their video played in the background). Liam had a sweat towel, which he used constantly. He was clearly burning up on stage, sweating through his jacket but refused to take it off. You have to give him some props for maintaining his looks.

As for the opening band, Black Box Revelation, I ran into a mutual friend who was rather impressed with BBR. I'm not surprise, seeing as this duo is described by people as sounding like "Beatles-meets-Kinks British invasion pop" (all in good company, but I would also throw in The Rolling Stones in there too).

With just a drummer and guitarist, they were able to turn out a full, loud rock 'n roll style of songs. All their songs were sung in English, but with this weird Belgium accent.

I know I keep saying they sound "rock", but the seven, or so, songs that were played live, they had a good mixture of different type of songs - starting off with an energetic "High On A Wire" to get you moving, to sweet lyrics like "Did you ever stop to look while it makes you blind, I should feel the love from the skin to my bones" from "I Think I Like You". Between that song and "Shiver Of Joy", those were the only songs I recognized from their latest EP, Shiver of Joy, which I did get a chance to listen to before I saw them live.

I think my favorite song from their brief set was "My Perception". It was the first time I heard the song and I thought singer Jan Paternoster was saying "all I got is my position". Then I found out later that the word is actually "perception". But I don't feel that embarrass because apparently their song is a play off of a mis-heard lyrics of "My Obsession" by The Rolling Stones (Paternoster thought Mick Jagger was singing "my perception"). Too funny, right?

There are only a few dates left from BBR and BDI (Beady Eye) with Mil-rock-ee tonight:

Dec 6 - The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
Dec 8 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
Dec 9 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY
Dec 10 - House of Blues - Boston, MA

Black Box Revelation at First Avenue, Minneapolis (12/05/11)

* Interviewed Liam Gallagher nearly 20 years ago in Sacramento for KFSR 90.7 FM, played their records on my radio show, bought nearly everything they've released up to their final album, Dig Out Your Soul .

PS, No photos of Beady Eye because at least four different people told me that Beady Eye are not to be photographed and I had to check my camera at the door. It seems that they are okay with bad/blurry/crappy photos of the band from cellphone cameras.
PPS, Liam must've picked out their intro song, because it was for another Manchester band, The Stone Roses' "I Am The Resurrection" played in its entirety.

vu () ♥ www.beadyeyemusic.com ♥ blackboxrevelation.com

News: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Noel Gallagher at his London Press Conference on July 7, 2011 - photo by Lawrence Watson Read More Oasis The truth is, I am (or was) a huge Oasis fan. Back in the day when the single Supersonic hit our college radio station, KFSR 90.7 FM, I knew this band was special.

I didn't have anyone in London to cover this event, so I'll try and sum up what was written in the press release.

The main news is that Noel has two albums coming out, the first album will be released October 17th, 2011, on his own label, Sour Mash Records, called Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (the US release is slightly delayed until November 8th with the help of Mercury Records for distribution).

Details of the album is that he was recorded in London and Los Angeles in 2010 and the first half of 2011. Co-produced by Noel Gallagher and David Sardy (who actually won some Australia's ARIA awards for his work on Jet and Wolfmother, as well as a Brit Award for Oasis' Dig Out Your Soul - so Noel is in good company).

Track Listing below:

1. Everybody's On The Run
2. Dream On
3. If I Had A Gun...
4. The Death Of You And Me
5. (I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine
6. Aka...What A Life!
7. Soldier Boys And Jesus Freaks
8. Aka..Broken Arrow
9. (Stranded On) The Wrong Beach
10. Stop The Clocks

Backing musicians includes Jeremy Stacey (drums), Mikey Rowe (keyboards), Mark Neary (variety of instruments, including double bass, saw, and wine glasses?), Jon Graboff (pedal steel), Luis Jardim (percussion), Lenny Castro (percussion), and Beccy Byrne (backing vocals). Also credited is The Crouch End Festival Chorus and The Wired Strings (Gary Alesbrook, Andrew Kinsman, Trevor Mires).

From the above guests, and producer, I am expecting a more rock n rollish album than a typical Noel & his acoustic guitar. Plus, with the strings and chorus, it should give it a grand rock opera feel. Cannot wait to hear Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

A second companion album will be released sometime in 2012. That second album is a result of Noel's collaboration with the Amorphous Androgynous (who also release music under the electro duo The Future Sound of London), so I suspect the second album to be more experimental. Hopefully it will sound like Noel's previous work with The Chemical Brothers.

Be sure to check back with youtube.com/noelgallaghertv for a video of today's press conference at Electric Cinema in Notting Hill.

UPDATE: Added video of press conference:

vu () ♥ noelgallagher.com ♥ twitter.com/noelgallagher

News: Noel Gallagher to announce solo project

With Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye playing at iTunes Festival tomorrow, big brother, Noel will probably steal the thunder by announcing his new solo project in Notting Hill on July 6th.

The press conference is not open the public, but I'll keep you updated on any news I hear. We love Oasis and am glad to hear that Noel is returning back to music.

If you were wondering, Sour Mash Records is Noel's record label, which was started in 2001.

Edited image:

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

W♥M105: News of the Week

W♥M105 (27min: archive/podomatic/mypodcast)

Cristina and Vu talks news, despite just recovering from illness (illnesses?). There's just something about the start of a new season that does this to us. Next week we're doing the cover lover show - but this will take some multiple editing with multiple people - so send me your cover songs and if you want, I will call and have you included in the show.

Topics as follows:

BEADY EYE
Since Noel Gallagher left Oasis in late 2009, the rest of the band sort of just continued on as brother Liam eloquently puts it, “business as fookin’ usual”, writing new material under the guise of Beady Eye. A name I absolutely hate. I read somewhere that they sounded like “Oasis back to its roots” and I can tell you after listening to the album Different Gear, Still Speeding: it’s not to its original roots, but rather just a continuation of where Oasis left off. What I liked about it is that there are songs that tries to do something different (for instance, Oasis would’ve never had girl back up singers or fast-paced piano playing), but they still sound pretty much like “new” Oasis. Still, it should be interesting to see them live, how they match up to their former band - I suspect it’ll be pretty much exactly live minus Noel Gallagher.

MIKE STARR
Mike Starr, ex-Alice in Chains, passed away March 8th. He was the bassist up until Dirt (1993), and was displaced by another Mike (Inez) bassist. It would seem that he was a meth addict, having been arrested earlier last month for possessing controlled substances. I am coming under the conclusion that he died of a drug-related incident, but I haven’t seen any confirmation. On a related topic, singer Layne Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002.

SXSW 2011
SXSW just ended. The massive music+interactive+movies festival drew over 2,000 plus bands in the area. This year is supposed to be the “biggest yet’, and Dan was reporting LIVE from his iPhone by sending in pictures with brief commentaries to each band. He was really impressed by Carl Broemel from My Morning Jacket. He said he actually saw him by accident because he and his wife was getting brownies at St. David’s Bethell Hall and heard the music.

Song of the week is Carl Broemel's "Heaven Knows", which is available as a free download on his website.

BONUS:
Dexter explained and a bit about Wayne and the Flaming Lips.

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on mypodcast.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding

Read More Oasis The truth is, I am (or was) a huge Oasis fan. Back in the day when the single Supersonic hit our ...

Since Noel Gallagher left Oasis, the rest of band continued on without him, under a new name: Beady Eye. I'm not terribly excited about that name, but for better or worst, the band's sound is very much Oasis circa 2006 and on.

In my review of Oasis' last album, Dig Out Your Soul, I said that Noel "have soften his grip on Oasis and have let his brother Liam and others write and contribute songs ". I suppose it was only a natural evolution of the band, but I got the sense that Noel Gallagher was someone who ruled things in a dictatorship, so even if he had stayed, I don't think he would've been very happy that Oasis had become a republic.

With that introduction, I can tell you that having listened to Beady Eye's debut album, Different Gear, Still Speeding, that it starts where Dig Out Your Soul left off. Don't believe the critics that said that Beady Eye is basically Oasis back to its roots. If you ever listened to Definitely Maybe as much as I have, there is a certain rhythm and writing style that is very different from what Beady Eye is doing. For instance, Noel would never have backup girl singers and fast-paced pianos on Beady Eye's first single, "Bring the Light".

If you close your eyes and just pretend that Oasis never existed, Different Gear, Still Speeding actually is a pretty decent debut album. Parts of songs like "The Roller" and "Standing On The Edge Of The Noise" sounds like the Beatles. It's not until you hear "Beatles and Stones" that you think to yourself, "I get it, Beady Eye idolizes those bands". And in the song, Liam wants to "stand the test of time", just like Beatles and Rolling Stones. This is their strongest track, in my opinion, because it reminds me of what Liam Gallagher has always thought of himself: as a rocknroller.

Different Gear, Still Speeding is out now, via Dangerbird Records (for the US). Check out "Bring the Light" video below.

So, the good news is that Beady Eye is already a big success, even before Different Gear, Still Speeding the band were already selling-out gigs. The great news is that they're extending their tour to three North American dates, be the first to see them in either New York, Chicago, or Toronto, this June. Tickets went on sale TODAY, March 11^th, so get tickets now if you want to see the band in their early stage now or you'll regret it later*.

Confirmed dates below, I'm almost certain more dates will be announce throughout these months. Don't know about you, but if and when they announce Minneapolis, I'll definitely, not maybe, be there to check them out.

UPDATE 03/21/11: New date announced: June 25 Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts
On Sale March 25th at www.ticketmaster.com, TLA Box Office & Charge By Phone 215.922.1101

03/13/11 Paris, Casino de Paris 03/14/11 Cologne, E-Werk 03/16/11 Milan, Alcatraz 03/18/11 Madrid, La Riviera 03/19/11 Toulouse, LE BIKINI 03/21/11 Amsterdam, Paradiso 03/22/11 Brussels, Ancienne Belgique 03/25/11 London, Royal Albert Hall 04/11/11 Nottingham, Rock City 04/12/11 Liverpool, Guild of Students 04/14/11 Dublin, Olympia 04/15/11 Dublin, Olympia 04/17/11 Belfast, Ulster Hall 04/18/11 Edinburgh, Corn Exchange 04/20/11 Newcastle, O2 Academy 04/21/11 Leeds, O2 Academy 04/23/11 Newport, Centre 04/24/11 Wolverhampton, Civic Hall 04/26/11 Southampton, Guildhall 04/27/11 Brighton, Centre		05/06/11 Osaka, Zepp Osaka 05/07/11 Nagoya, Zepp Nagoya 05/09/11 Tokyo, Zepp Tokyo 05/10/11 Tokyo, Zepp Tokyo 05/12/11 Tokyo, Zepp Tokyo 05/15/11 Seoul, AX Hall 05/29/11 Jelling, Jelling Musikfestival 05/30/11 Hamburg, Große Freiheit 36 06/12/11 Newport, Isle Of Wight Festival 06/18/11 Chicago, IL @ Metro 06/20/11 Toronto, ON @ The Sound Academy 06/23/11 New York, NY @ Webster Hall 06/25/11 Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts 06/30/11 Werchter, Rock Werchter 07/01/11 Arras, Main Square Festival 07/05/11 London, The Roundhouse 07/07/11 BIlbao, BBK 07/10/11 Kinross, T In The Park 07/14/11 Hultsfred, Hultsfred Festival 08/18/11 St. Pölten,Frequency Festival

* I was fortunate enough to have interviewed and met Oasis for KFSR 90.7 FM before they became massive.

vu () ♥ beadyeyemusic.com

W♥M057: Britpop Top Ten Countdown

W♥M058 (69 mins)

Suede - Metal Mickey     Britpop: Jarvis vs Blur ♥ Flyer (12/05/09)

BRITPOPCAST #4: TOP TEN BRITPOP COUNTDOWN

This is the best of the best, and as far as I'm concern, this is the best countdown ever. If you had to listen to just one of our podcast, I think this the one you have to listen to.

Going into the recording, we already knew that it would be one massive recording session that will be split into two parts. So the first part is the countdown, thirty of our favorite Britpop tunes. The second part will be uploaded next week and involves a very hard Britpop Q Magazine Quiz. Seriously, it was hard, even for seasoned veterans like ourselves.

The next show, some ideas: Britpop girl bands ? Britpop band reunions ? If those doesn't sound appealing, let me know what you'd like us to discuss. Otherwise, I can always talk hours on end about stalking Louise Wener.

As for the Britpop top list, these are our preference and not a mean to measure how important a band is to that genre. Also, obviously we all had our Pulp, Blur, and Oasis moment, but the choice in songs are interesting to note. I have always known that my top two are the Blur vs Oasis, it was the other eight that was hard to have placement. I could have easily had a top 20 or 30. Easily.

Some honorable mentions should be sent to Cast, Salad, Charlatans.

Vu 10. Gene - Sleep Well Tonight 09. Echobelly - I Can't Imagine the World Without Me 08. The Bluetones - Bluetonic 07. Shed Seven - Dolphin 06. Sleeper - Nice Guy Eddie 05. Pulp - Disco 2000 04. Elastica - Stutter 03. Suede - Metal Mickey 02. Blur - Girls and Boys 01. Oasis - Supersonic

Sally 10. SFA - Ice Hockey Hair 09. Doves - Pounding 08. Teenage Fanclub - Sparky's Dream 07. Blur - Sunday Sunday 06. Suede - Animal Nitrate 05. The Coral - Dreaming of You 04. Ocean Colour Scene - The Day We Caught the Train 03. Dodgy - Good Enough 02. Pulp - Babies 01. Stone Roses - Fools Gold

Kristen 10. MSP - Motorcycle Emptiness 09. South - Keep Close 08. Pulp - Acrylic Afternoons 07. Oasis - Columbia 06. Wendys-Pulling My Fingers Off 05. Supergrass - Moving 04. Blur - This is a Low 03. Oasis - The Masterplan 02. Suede - Killing of a Flash Boy 01. Pulp - Sheffield: Sex City

If you like what you heard, and you happen to be in Sydney in early December, DJ Sal is doing her bits at britpop.com.au.

PS, stay after the song and you're in for a Buzzcocks treat.

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Noel Gallagher quits Oasis (again)

Oasis - Don't Look Back in Anger Oasis Discography [1994] Definitely Maybe [1995] (What's the Story) Morning Glory? [1997] Be Here Now [1998] The Masterplan [2000] Standing on the Shoulder of Giants [2000] Familiar to Millions [2002] Heathen Chemistry [2005] Don't Believe the Truth [2008] Dig Out Your Soul Read More Oasis http://weheartmus... The truth is, I am (or was) a huge Oasis fan. Back in the day when the single Supersonic hit our ...

Internet time moves so quickly. If I had mentioned something about Noel Gallagher quitting Oasis on Friday, that would've been accepted. But it's been three days later and now I feel like people are going to say:

That was so yesterday.

When I first heard the news broke (on CNN hourly podcast), I wasn't all that surprise. Noel have always seem to be the guy in charge of Oasis. Without him, there's simply no Oasis. And the guy is a bit of "it's my way, or the highway!" attitude. I'm not just talking about reading about them, I'm talking about an experience with Noel.

Oasis - Slide Away

Remember how I told you that I've actually met the band and interviewed Liam Gallagher in Sacramento back in 1994? When I got their autographs, everyone in the band was happy to obliged, all except "the rare Noel Gallagher who refused to sign my copy at first". It was only after their tour manager said that she wasn't going to foot his liquor bill, did Noel reluctantly sign my Definitely Maybe album. If the tour manager wasn't around, I'll bet you to this day, I would say "Noel Gallagher, what a jerk!" whenever I look at my album.

By the way, you can see from the signed cover (audio: Slide Away), Noel and Liam's autographs are quite different. Liam is bold and blocky, while Noel's elegant, almost. The two is very different, but when I met them, they didn't seem all fist-a-cuffs. However, I didn't really see them talking to each other all that much. Liam, Bonehead, and Paul McGuigan were talkative, hanging out in front of their Sacramento gig (and no one knew who they were). Yeah, who's missing in that picture?

Oasis - Falling Down

When I reviewed Dig Out Your Soul, late last year, I noted how surprise I was to see that other musicians were allowed to write their own songs. Of course, this was a steady thing, starting with Liam Gallagher's "Little James" song being included on Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. On Dig Out Your Soul about half the album (Liam wrote three of the five songs not written by Noel). Suddenly, Oasis seems to be more like the republic of Oasis, no longer a monarchy. While I think that is a good thing (it keeps everyone happy and they feel like they contributing something to the band), personally, I think it kills Noel Gallagher that his tight grasp over Oasis have slipped.

The best example of how Noel was in control of everything is an interview with Noel on the bonus DVD edition of Stop the Clocks, their "Greatest Hits" compilation. In an interview on the DVD, when asked about the track listing, Noel basically admitted it was entirely hand-picked by him. Supposedly he gave the other band members a chance to throw in their 2-cents, but Liam said, "That's the first time I fookin' seen 'em".

The other videos are the news of Noel leaving Oasis (2009), and Noel admits to leaving Oasis back in 1994/1995 on their first American tour.

Noel Gallagher quits Oasis	Noel Quits Oasis in 1994
Noel Gallagher Picks the Tracks	Oasis on Breakup

My favorite quote is, from Liam:

We were finished a long time ago, we're just doing it for the money.

So what do I think? Noel, however rude and jerky he is, I can see them reuniting in the future. I think he just needs to calm down and take a break.

 08/31/2009 22:42:18 ♥ vu () ♥ oasisinet.com ♥ myspace.com/oasis ♥ twitter.com/oasisofficial 

Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

Oasis - Falling Down Oasis Tour Dates 10/07/08 Liverpool Echo Arena 10/08/08 Liverpool Echo Arena 10/10/08 Sheffield Arena 10/11/08 Sheffield Arena 10/13/08 Birmingham NIA 10/14/08 Birmingham NIA 10/16/08 Wembley Arena London 10/17/08 Wembley Arena London 10/20/08 Bournemouth BIC 10/21/08 Bournemouth BIC 10/23/08 Cardiff International Arena 10/24/08 Cardiff International Arena 10/26/08 The Roundhouse London 10/29/08 Belfast Odyssey Arena 10/30/08 Belfast Odyssey Arena 11/01/08 Aberdeen Exhibition Centre 11/02/08 Aberdeen Exhibition Centre 11/04/08 Glasgow SECC Scotland 11/05/08 Glasgow SECC Scotland 11/07/08 Gloria Theatre ***RESCHEDULED*** Cologne 11/10/08 Bataclan ***RESCHEDULED*** Paris 11/25/08 Sports Palace Mexico City, Distrito Federal 11/26/08 Sports Palace Mexico City, Distrito Federal 11/28/08 VFG Arena Guadalajara 11/29/08 Arena Monterrey 12/03/08 Oracle Arena Oakland, California 12/04/08 Staples Center Los Angeles, California 12/06/08 The Pearl Las Vegas, Nevada 12/08/08 Broomfield Events Center Denver, Colorado 12/10/08 Target Center Minneapolis, Minnesota 12/12/08 Allstate Arena Chicago, Illinois 12/13/08 Palace Of Auburn Hills Detroit, Michigan 12/15/08 John Labatt Centre **RESCHEDULED** London, Ontario 12/17/08 Madison Square Garden New York, New York 12/20/08 GMU Patriot Center Washington, Washington DC Discography [1994] Definitely Maybe [1995] (What's the Story) Morning Glory? [1997] Be Here Now [1998] The Masterplan [2000] Standing on the Shoulder of Giants [2000] Familiar to Millions [2002] Heathen Chemistry [2005] Don't Believe the Truth [2008] Dig Out Your Soul

The truth is, I am (or was) a huge Oasis fan. Back in the day when the single Supersonic hit our college radio station, KFSR 90.7 FM, I knew this band was special. Of course, all the press (NME, Melody Maker, etc) was already "mad for it" as they say.

They were perhaps the biggest hyped band, next to Suede, at the time.

Oasis - Slide Away

I had requested to interview and see Oasis in Sacramento, and at the time no one knew who they were (at least in the US). Of course, I couldn't understand a word that came out of Liam's mouth. I think he said something like "becos I'm the fookin' singer, yea?"

(note: the cover artwork for "Slide Away", one of my favorite Oasis song, has all the band member's autographs - including the rare Noel Gallagher who refused to sign my copy at first.)

By the way, no one recognized Liam, sitting outside the venue (I forget what venue it was), and he and Bonehead was outside smoking and talking to random audiences that came to see the band. Such a different picture now, isn't it? Now you can't even go near them with a ten-foot pole.

Oh and it was such an exciting time, remember the beef between Oasis and Blur? Oasis was "working class" from the north, representing the everyman... and that one time they both release their single at the same time. Oasis and Blur fans were both divided in the middle, you either love Oasis or Blur.

I will confess, I was a bit of a rocker back then, so it was Oasis for me. As it turned out, Blur did end up winning over Oasis with 274,000 copies of "Country House", just about 50k over Oasis' "Roll with It".

Say what you will, it was good publicity, I don't know if an average album even move that many units these days, let alone a single.

By the time Oasis came back for (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, they were selling out near-Stadium shows. I did went to see them in San Francisco and I remember having to borrow someone's bionocular to see Liam on stage. Oh man, when they broke out their "I Am the Walrus" cover, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was belting out their best Beatles "cuckoocachoo!".

I won't go into more details about my relationship with Oasis, but I wasn't so impress with Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, Heathen Chemistry, Don't Believe the Truth. There are some outstanding songs on each of the albums, but let's just say I wasn't really into it as I should.

So what do we have here, Oasis is releasing Dig Out Your Soul this coming Tuesday (Monday for UK, October 6^th).

I see that Noel Gallagher have soften his grip on Oasis and have let his brother Liam and others write and contribute songs to the new album. I know he slowly started letting the other band members contribute songs, if you recall Liam's "Little James" on the Standing record (which I actually will admit to not liking that song).

On this record, I see that Gem and Andy contributed some songs (they've been doing it since Heathen).

I thought the relationship of the two Gallagher (one writes, the other sings) worked best. I don't normally like Noel doing the singing (he sounds like he tries too hard), but I really love "Falling Down" on the new record. I think Noel is one of the best song writer, even his lyrics on this one have improved from his early days.

If you like Oasis, it doesn't really matter, you'll probably buy the CD anyway. They are offering a very expensive package Super Deluxe Boxset for $99 that comes with 2 CD, 1 DVD, 4 Vinyls, a hardback book in a box, and digital downloads. As much as I love Oasis, that price is too ridiculous for me right now - but if this was available in 1994, I would've slap down my Benjamin for this.

Oasis is about to set out on tour, go a head and see them. Bring binoculars.

Links: oasisinet.com myspace.com/oasis

 10/05/2008 14:19:02  ♥ written by vu ()