McGee Wants Rangers To Win So He Can Wind Up Noel And Liam

Millionare music mogul Alan McGee is hoping his Rangers idols triumph on Wednesday -so he can wind up his Oasis pals.

Noel and Liam Gallagher are Celtic supporters - like McGee's Scots rock mates in Primal Scream and Mogwai.

And McGee, who will watch the game on TV in Los Angeles, said: "In the back of my mind, I'll know they'll all be wishing me the worst of luck.

"So I hope we stuff it right up them. If we win, I'll be dedicating it all to them - especially Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai."

McGee, who signed Oasis after seeing them at King Tut's in Glasgow, will head down to Caffe Primo in Sunset Boulevard for the kick-off at 11.45am local time.

He said: "I can't believe Walter Smith has got us there. I'd say to the team go out and get Walter a knighthood.

"He's a genius - the best manager since Jock Stein."

Source: www.sundaymail.co.uk

Alan White To Join Trio Valore On Stage Next Month

Former Oasis drummer Alan White is playing with Trio Valore at the Jazz Cafe in Camden London on the 15th June.

For more information and tickets visit www.triovalore.com

Vote For Oasis' Top 20 Songs On Phoenix FM

Anna Patching and Tom Earle will be playing listeners' top 20 OASIS songs on Saturday 7 June, 10pm UK time - only here on Phoenix FM.

During the show they will be mentioning listeners' favourite charts and other Oasis facts and figures.

How can I vote?

Easy - click here and scroll down the page and you'll see the voting form.

We need you to choose your TOP TEN songs in order. The votes will then be added up (1st=10pts, 2nd=9pts etc) and a full chart will be shown on the page after the show - on which we'll be playing the top 20 as voted by YOU.

Where can I hear it?

If you're in Brentwood and Billericay - tune your wireless to 98.0FM.

If you live outside the area (or even if you don't) you can listen on the Internet by clicking here.

That's enough questions ... now vote!

Noel Gallagher On Russell Brand's Show Again

Noel Gallagher yet again joined Russell Brand on his weekly BBC Radio 2 show by phone for the usual shenanigans.

Noel spoke to Russell for around twenty five minutes from his holiday with Sarah and son Donovan in the Caribbean.

They talk about a number of diverse subjects that include Morriesy, Cilla Black, Keith Chegwin, Rice Krispies, Geordie's, Traditions and the paparazzi.

Noel also said he is not going to the recording studios in Los Angeles to work on the track, that he spoke to Russell about a few weeks ago.

You can listen to the show again by clicking here, you can also download the podcast from Tuesday.

Paul Weller Interview From Mojo

A few bit's from the brilliant interview with Paul Weller in this months Copy of Mojo, that covers Weller's career to date

From the sounds of The Jam, via the iconoclastic '80s soul of The Style Council and the highs and lows of a sixteen year solo career

There's a lot of psychedelia on the new album. On A Dream Reprise sounds like you've dropped acid...

A friend told me the album sounded like a record made by someone who's never made a record before - but in a good way, obviously. Another of the really psychedelic tracks, Echos Round The Sun, is Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer. They did the backing track and I put the vocal on top.

You and Noel, two Mod beacons. Do you hang out all the time?

We're both usually working, one or the other of us is out on your or in the studio. So we don't see each other that often, maybe five times a year. I don't think he likes hanging out with me that much - he's always giving it the large one about drinking and rock 'n' roll, but I think I go a bit too far for him some-times (laughs). But he's one of my best friends, I love him to bits. He's always supportive, and been there for me. Hopefully I've done the same with him.

Is there an intuitive bond between you, because you've both experienced the huge fame trip...

Yeah. We're very different people but we both say the same thing: there are certain things this job entails and you have to get on with it. It's no good just making one good album - unless you're Lee Mavers - you have to do it again and again. It's a pressure, but isn't that great? That's what we got into it for. You get these people moaning, "I'm under so much pressure", but I can remember the time you had to make an album every f**king year, not one every four years.

You said Noel sometimes thinks you go too far. There's a story he told in the Britpop years about him waking in the night to see you, bare-chested, circling a bonfire in his back garden chanting your name...

Well, Noel does like his stories, doesn't he? I don't know what he was talking about. I'm pretty sure I wasn't there. He's had a few mad nights out himself.

After being feted by artists like Noel and Graham Coxon in the 90's you're now a icon for another generation of bands like Arctic Monkeys, The Rifles and The Enemy. How does that feel?

It's one of the greatest compliments you can have - that bands are influenced or inspired by what you do. I know how much it means to me meeting someone like Macca. Even know I think "F**king hell, it's Macca!" It's brilliant.

Read the full interview with Paul Weller in this months copy of Mojo.

Source: Mojo Magazine

Matchbox Twenty Cover Oasis

Matchbox Twenty Cover Live Forever live at the Manchester Apollo on 6th May 2008, last day of the Exile tour.

Liam Gallagher's Proud Of His Cheesy Sauce

Famed for his bad boy looks and swaggering aggression, Liam Gallagher could lay claim to the sexiest snarl on this fair isle for more than a decade.

But he’s been gradually softening and these days he’s more of a roux-d boy, than a rude one – as the Oasis frontman, 35, is a dab hand at cheese sauce.

Our sauce (tee-hee!) tells us: “Liam is a great cook – and he’s specially proud of his cheese sauce.”

Source: www.dailystar.co.uk

Happy Birthday Paul McGuigan (Guigsy)

Paul McGuigan (born 9 May 1971 in Manchester), better known by his nickname, Guigsy (pronounced "Gwigzee"), was one of the four founding members of British rock band Oasis. He was the bass player for Oasis from 1991 to 1999 and is 37 today.

A staunch football fan and a life-long supporter of Manchester City F.C., Guigsy had originally shown great promise as a footballer. He would regularly play football at Ewood Park, which was also frequented by future band mates Noel Gallagher and Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs. However, a torn knee ligament at 16 years of age put this dream out of the question. Whilst still with Oasis, he and journalist Paolo Hewitt wrote a book about football player Robin Friday, entitled The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw (ISBN 1-85158-909-0). Guigsy was renowned for his encyclopaedic knowledge of football and cricket. In an interview for a BBC Radio 1 documentary in 1995, Guigsy described his favourite magazine as being FourFourTwo.

The Rain and Oasis (1991–1999)

In the late 1980s, Guigsy started a band with his friends, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Tony McCarroll (drums) and Chris Hutton (lead vocals). They called themselves "The Rain", after the Beatles B-side. When Hutton quit, Guigsy invited his school friend, Liam Gallagher, to join. Gallagher suggested changing the band’s name to Oasis. Liam's brother Noel joined shortly thereafter.

Even in the mid-1990s, with the band's popularity at its zenith, he remained characteristically reserved. Acknowledged as the "Quiet One", there are very few recorded interviews with him at all. Noel Gallagher said of his bass player "I think he's spoken to me, and this is no word of a lie, since I was 17—thirteen years—for a total of about an hour. All he says is sweet as and alright. That's all." Though a competent bassist, Guigsy was often replaced by Noel Gallagher on the bands early recordings. However, there is no sign that the two were on edge as was the case with McCarroll, whom Gallagher would also often replace.

Guigsy, unlike the rest of the band, has only a handful of notable instances of unruly behaviour (including being locked in a cell with Liam on a ferry to the Netherlands, and subsequently being denied access to the country). Paolo Hewitt has suggested he "had a much more valuable role to play as a calming influence." There certainly is evidence to merit this claim. During the recording of their debut album, Definitely Maybe, it was Guigsy who, after a dispute with Bonehead, took Noel to the pub, filled him with booze and then accompanied him back to the studio where the band then recorded "Slide Away". Additionally, when Liam had to attend a court trial for unruly behaviour in Australia in 1998, it was Guigsy who, amid the chaos and mayhem that descended on the tour, gathered the entire party for a game of football in the local park.

He met Ruth Tolhurst on a plane whilst the band were on their way to Japan for a series of gigs on September 1994. They entered a long-term relationship. Guigsy left Oasis for a short time in 1995 due to nervous exhaustion. Ian Robertson, who was Oasis' tour manager at the time, puts this down—in part—to Liam Gallagher's vitriolic attacks, stating "more than anybody, Liam's venom poison surrounds him." He was replaced by Scott McLeod (who can be seen in the "Wonderwall" video). However, after McLeod's disappearance in the middle of an American tour, Guigsy agreed to return (it later emerged that McLeod had become homesick and left without telling anybody). His first gig back in the band was a legendary show Blackpool on 2 October 1995 — the same day that (What's the Story) Morning Glory? was released.

Post-Oasis (1999–present)

When, in 1999, Bonehead quit the band after a drunken row with Noel, it seemed probable that, due to his nervous disposition, it was only a matter of time before Guigsy would follow him; indeed, a few weeks later, he left Oasis for the second and last time. He claimed he wished to spend more time with his family and that he had been toying with the idea of quitting anyway, a proposition he began considering as far back as the Be Here Now tour, during which Ruth (whom he married 4th April 1997 on the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean) gave birth to his first son, Patrick. Though he was present at the birth, within a week he was forced to leave them for the tour. In an interview on August 2001, Guigsy stated: "At the time, I thought, I'll make one more album, play one more world tour and then that will be it. But when Bonehead left, I thought, 'Now's the time.' One original member has gone. They are going to have to get a replacement so the best thing would be to get another at the same time. I always said when it stopped being fun I would quit. And that's what happened." Noel Gallagher claims Guigsy quit by fax, and would avoid phone calls from the Gallaghers in the following weeks. Though he eventually gave up trying to contact him by phone Noel claims to bare no malice towards Guigsy.

Guigsy presently lives outside London with his wife and son. He occasionally performs as a DJ. He declined to appear in the 2004 Definitely Maybe DVD, though a polite letter explaining his reasons for doing so appears as a hidden extra, along with a short segment with pundits giving their views on him.

Source: Wikipedia

More On Liam Gallagher's New Hairstyle

A few stories about Liam Gallagher's new hairstyle in the tabloids today.

Liam's a rock and bowl star

Liam Gallagher sports a new pudding bowl hairstyle as he shops for cheap plonk.

The Oasis frontman looked like Beatles idol Ringo Star at the London store.

Hardened rocker Liam, 35, once said: “You’ve got to have good hair.”

Some Might Say he isn’t leading by example.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Girly Liam just rollers with it

Rock badboy Liam Gallagher steps out in the sunshine sporting a bizarre curled-under bob haircut.

The usually scruffy singer, 35, looked more sissy than Oasis as he wandered around North London wearing a blouse - like top and the new Wonderbowl haircut.

Liam nipped out to stock up on booze. But the sulky singer's girly look sparked giggling fans to ask: "What's the story, morning Gloria?"

An onlooker joked: "He certainly looked back in anger when he realised people were laughing and taking photographs of his weird bonce."

Source: Daily Star

Oasis "Relaxed" Over Leak

Oasis are taking a "relaxed" attitude after three demos leaked online.

The Liam Gallagher-sung Nothing On Me and Noel-sung Stop The Clocks and I Want To Live In A Dream In My Record Machine circulated online on Tuesday.

A source told PS: "The band are being laidback about it, they're not going to sue anyone. As long as people realise these are early demos, not finished songs, they're relaxed."

Source: Channel 4 Teletext - Planet Sound Via Mr Monobrow

Noel Gallagher "Paul Weller's Out There On His Own!"

Noel Gallagher salutes the British Neil Young's drive and individuality.

"When my musical thing took off, it was The Smiths and Stone Roses but they wouldn't have been anything without The Jam, so The Jam's influence on me has come through them. " I officially first met Paul at Glastonbury in '94, I'd actually met him once before, when I was a roadie for the Inspiral Carpets, going into immigration in Japan. Clint Boon introduced himself, and Paul said, 'I like the organ'. Those were his only words.

At Glastonbury this journalist did this interview with me and said 'Paul Weller's just been going on about Oasis in the beer tent' and I thought I better go and shake his hand. "At the time of meeting, Oasis were similar in stature to The Jam: he wrote all the songs, I wrote all the songs, we both loved The Beatles and the '60's, we had scooters on our first album sleeve, but also we had the same background. My mam was a cleaner, my dad was a builder, his mam was a cleaner, his dad was a builder, and we have the same reference points of going to shitty schools where they couldn't teach you anything and you always knew there was something else waiting for you somewhere.

"I first saw The Jam on the Old Grey Whistle Test doing Eton Rifles, and that's the song I'd put on a Saturday night, to get in the mood. He's such an underrated songwriter. He's a moody f***er too. "With the solo stuff, I hadn't heard anything from him for years, and then he was playing Manchester Academy in 1990...I lived five minutes walk from it, knew the promoters so I went up. He played into Tomorrow and I was like, Wow, f***ing hell!

"I can't think of anybody else, apart from Neil Young, who's doing anything even approaching contemporary music, all the greats were super long-gone after their thirties. He'd say he keeps going because he has always got something to prove, but I don't believe that. He just f***ing loves music. "Whereas most people of his generation dismiss the new generation, for him they re-energise him. The first time I heard The Coral and The Libertines was off him. He's always, 'Have you heard these Kings Of Leon? What are the Arctic Monkeys like? New music refreshes him.

He's forever breaking down what he does and starting again. Like with 22 Dreams In the age of downloads and piracy and doing as little as possible, he goes, 'I'm making a double'. It will be the last double LP ever made. F***ing kids have the attention span of small ants these days so respect to him.

"As a pianist and guitarist he is on the verge of the virtuoso. The things he plays are beyond me. When he did Champagne Supernova with us, I was like, "F**king hell!" He can do anything soul, jazz, blues, rock. He's got it.

"He's not in it for the money, fame, or adulation; he needs to do it. He's never known anything other than being in a band and people respect him for the fact when he gets on-stage he means it. It's in his life blood... but the amount of times he's retired round my house... We were going to start a supergroup with Primal Scream. We'd clubbed together for a van and we were going to play social clubs... and then the sun came up.

"He'll moan about touring but he's always on the road. He'll phone me up at any given time and I'll be watching the telly. He's fidgety and he brings that to his professional life, he can't sit or stand still. If he's not in the studio he's in rehearsals, if he's not in rehearsals he's looking through photos for a book that's coming out, or compiling a box set, or looking for a new drummer...

"Our two daughters are the same age [and] sit together at school, so me and Paul, we got to school plays and Christmas dos and parents' nights together, so it's gone from being the big cheese from up north and him being the king of the south to him being my mate. I'm proud to say that.

"Fashion wise, he's out there on his own! He'll call me up, 'I'm on South Molton Street, do you want a hat? They've got some good uns.' He came around last Thursday, it was pissing down with rain. He's got a full-length leather trench coat over his head, a green leather jacket on, yellow trousers and suede shoes. We're sat upstairs, outside the front window there's commotion like you've never heard, horns blaring,he's got my lad on his lap, going, 'How can you put up with this noise?' It's not usually like this so I open the window and see some c**t's parked his car in the middle of the road. 'Oh yeah,' he says 'Is it a mini? It's his car.

The traffic warden appears, there's a dustbin wagon , two black cabs, he comes to the window going to the traffic warden 'I'll be down in two minutes you f**king c**t.' As he pulls off, he just goes, 'See you later mate.

Source: Mojo Magazine

Portsmouth FA Cup Song

For the Porstmouth Oasis fans who emailed in asking for a video, I could not find a official one so I have used this one.

Portsmouth have reached the FA Cup final for the first time in 69 years.

And they will face Championship side Cardiff City on May 17th, at Wembley Stadium in London.

\o/ /o\ \o/ /o\\o/ /o\ \o/ /o\\o/ /o\ \o/ /o\

Oasis 'Leek'

A number of old Oasis songs have appeared on the internet amidst claims that the band's new album has leaked.

The songs are actually all old demos from previous sessions and well informed fans will have known that these tracks have been in circulation for some time. In fact, most are versions of songs that have already been released.

None of the songs are from sessions for the band's new studio album.

Source: www.oasisinet.com

Stop The Clocks Is Played On Mexican Radio

Reactor 105.7FM in Mexico city is the first Radio Station to officially air one of the leaks which started spreading like wild fire over the Internet yesterday. DJ (Sopitas) happens to be a huge Oasis fan and included Stop the Clocks in his play list yesterday.

The Lyla single from the "Don't Believe the Truth" album had its' debut on a Polish radio station in similar fashion.

Source: Hugo Via L4E

Who's A Pretty Boy Then: Liam Gallagher Debuts His New Hairstyle

Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has always paid a lot of attention to his locks.

But it appears that his pursuit of the perfect rocker hairstyle has led him to take inspiration from a decidedly unusual source.

Liam's debuted his graduated pudding bowl bob - which looked remarkably similar to that worn by cake doyenne and actress Jane Asher in 1998 - on a trip to the shops in Hampstead, north London, to buy champagne at his local Londis store.

Unfortunately, his makeover didn't extend to taming his trademark unruly eyebrows.

The actress has been married to cartoonist Gerald Scarfe since 1981.

Liam's immaculately blow-dried barnet is somewhat at odds with his reputation as a hard-living frontman for group Oasis

But the father of three, appears to have quietened down of late, and is enjoying a more domesticated life with singer wife Nicole Appleton, formerly of girl group All Saints.

The couple were married in a secret Valentine's Day ceremony at London's Westminster Register Office, where Sir Paul McCartney married first wife Linda in 1969 - in front of fewer than a dozen guests.

He also married first wife Patsy Kensit there in 1997.

Nicole has been credited with taming the Oasis singer since they began dating.

They have a seven-year-old son Gene together, while Liam also has son Lennon, eight, with Patsy, and a nine-year-old daughter Molly with singer Lisa Moorish.

A source said: "They felt like they were married anyway. But he decided it was the right time and the wedding was completely hush-hush."

Source: Mail On Sunday Photos Via Xposure

Oasis New Songs Leaked Online

Three new Oasis songs have been leaked online.

Nothing On Me, I Wanna Live A Dream and Stop The Clocks are now all over the internet but will not be on the band’s eagerly-anticipated new album in this form.

A spokesperson for the band told Mirror.co.uk that the tracks were old demos and not final versions that would appear on the album.

However, from listening to these rough versions, it doesn't seem that the band have re-invented their sound to any extent - despite guitarist Noel Gallagher initially claiming the new album would be "more experimental."

The Gallager brothers and co have been in the studio since last July to work on the new record, the follow-up to 2005's Don't Believe The Truth.

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Shake It All About Noel...

If this were anyone other then Noel Gallagher we'd be tempted to, y'know, have a bit of fun with the fact that it appears though he's engaged in a silly dance.

But it is indeed the Oasis genius, and as he is one of the finest specimens to walk the earth, all sarcasm is hereby suspended.

Noel, 40, who has had occasion to make our hearts flutter, was attempting to hail a horseless carriage for himself, missus Sara McDonald, 32, and eight-month-old son Donovan.

And, as is only right and proper, a Hackney cab was quick to respond to the Sunshine Superman's arm-flailing request on Oxford Street.

Although, if we had our way, a large eagle would be on stand-by to transport Noel and his family wherever they wished.

He'd also wear tight trousers like David Bowie in Labyrinth.

Source: Daily Star
Picture Credit: Xposure

More On The New Oasis Songs Leaked Online

It's happened again! At least two tracks that are rumored to be included on Oasis' forthcoming studio album have been leaked online. In addition, demo versions of a handful of tracks from the band's last studio album, Don't Believe The Truth, have also found their way on to the web and into the hands of rabid Oasis fans around the world.

Previously unheard by none other than a few select people on May 3, 2003 at the Zanzibar Club in Liverpool, where Noel Gallagher made an appearance and tested out some new music, is the track "Stop The Clocks". This was amongst those tracks leaked today, and is not to be confused with the band's recent "best of" album by the same name.

The "Stop The Clocks" song has been a much talked about track ever since Noel mentioned it and others claimed to have heard it. A recording of the Zanzibar gig was also rumored to be floating around, but those in possession of it refused to share it with other fans.

Other new songs leaked that are rumored to be on the upcoming album are "Nothing On Me" and "Record Machine". "Nothing On Me" is a Liam Gallagher sung track with a sort of John Lennon vibe to it. Q Magazine had previously described "Record Machine" as a "10 minute psychedelic epic". The version released online is much shorter than 10 minutes at 4:30 in length, but definitely still has that psychedelic, epic feeling to it.

Also released online today were several demo versions of songs on the band's last studio album, Don't Believe The Truth. These tracks include:

* A Bell Will Ring
* Eyeball Tickler
* Lord Don't Slow Me Down (Liam Vocal)
* Love Like A Bomb
* Meaning of Soul

This is not the first time that unreleased songs and demos have found their way onto the web just months before an impending new Oasis album release. In 2005, the entire Don't Believe The Truth album was leaked online. First there were some short, tantalizing snippets of the new songs that gave fans a taste of what was to come. And then, shortly thereafter the full uncut versions of the songs were made available after an iTunes snafu which saw the album made available for purchase in Germany long before its scheduled release date. Oops!

The album before that, Heathen Chemistry, was also leaked online one warm spring day months before its release. The record company was quick to react to the posting of these songs, and as soon as the songs went up, they were coming right back down. But it had gotten into enough hands, and spread like wildfire anyways.

Standing On The Shoulder of Giants, Oasis' fourth studio album, also did not escape an early, unplanned online leak. Tracks from this album found their way on the web several months in advance of the album's release.

In the age of the Internet, it has become commonplace for entire albums to be leaked online ahead of their retail release dates. Oasis has not been immune to this, and may actually even secretly embrace it as often times, unlike other bands, the tracks released are usually demos and differ slightly from the studio versions.

If past patterns play out, we may soon see more new Oasis songs making their way online.

Source: www.clevelandleader.com

New Oasis Songs Leak Online

Three Gallagher tracks for new record appear on internet

Three songs reportedly for Oasis' next album have leaked online.

Links to downloads of the tracks, ' I Wanna Live A Dream (In My Record Machine)', 'Nothin' On Me' and 'Stop the Clocks' started appearing on messageboards and fansites throughout the day (May 6).

Since then some fans have copied the clips and made them available via sites like Youtube. It appears steps are being taken to remove the demos with several previously working links now dead.

Of the leaked tracks, NME.COM has had a listen to the three songs and here is our initial impression.

'Nothin' On Me'
A relentless crunchy riff from Noel Gallagher and a sneery nasal vocal from Liam characterise this rollocking new Oasis song. It's a meaty return for the band, more Led Zeppelin-inspired than their more subtle recent work, such as 'The Importance Of Being Idle'. "They got nothing on me," Liam repeats, "I don't care what they say – all I want is the truth". A forceful return from the Gallaghers, although lacking the smash'n'grab choruses of some of their other anthems.

'I Wanna Live A Dream (In My Record Machine)'
Opening with a soft tambourine shake cut through by Noel Gallagher's sombre acoustic guitar, Noel sings John Lennon-style vocals on this quieter number. Tambourine and bells rattling in the background throughout give a Doors-esque edge to the affair, with drummer Zak Starkey's glammy stomp pumping in a minute in to add weight to the song. "Take Me, back to the darkness where they sent me," Noel Gallagher sings on this subtle yet uplifting and punchy number. "I want to live the dream" he sings on an uprising chorus, "I want a piece of the world", before weighty piano stabs add to the build. Towards the death a classically understated Noel Gallagher riff brings the song home. Understated yet upliftingly epic, it's a song of fine balance and poise.

'Stop The Clocks'
Noel Gallagher is a huge fan of this song, naming their 2006 'Best Of' album after it. Noel sings lead vocals over urgent acoustic strums, while a psychedelic guitar sound effect again adds a Doors-esque element to the intro. Noel cuts in over his own more conventional vocals with an echo-effect voice sample before his bandmates add to the build by adding layered backing vocals. It's a lighters-in-the-air moment for sure, although without the immediacy of a 'Wonderwall' or 'Don't Look Back In Anger'. "Stop the clocks and turn the world around," he sings. "Let your love lay me down…". "When the night is over there'll be no sound", he continues in a Lee Mavers-esque repetitive croon, before a drumbeat pounds and clatters towards a riffy crescendo, with a sudden twang to finish.

Source: www.nme.com

Oasis: Balls In The Air

Oasis have an album recorded and ready for release this summer, possibly as early as June. Yet when I ran into manager Marcus Russell, he cheerfully admitted he had no idea exactly how the band were going to put the album out. “We have three balls in the air and I’m juggling furiously,” he mysteriously claimed.

Actually its not hard to work out what the balls are. The group, who have their own label, Big Brother, are currently free of contractual obligations to any other company. This puts them in the same position as Radiohead last year: hugely popular artists with a guaranteed hit album open to offers. With EMI and Warners both struggling with internal problems and falling market share, there are only two major record companies with the clout for worldwide release, SonyBMG and market leaders Universal. So that’s two balls right there. Universal’s head honcho, Lucian Grainge, is known to covet Oasis and is rumoured to have offered them an advance in the region of five million pounds to join his label group. Oasis’s long term partners, SonyBMG, would probably meet any rival offer to keep their prize, and have the advantage of an established relationship and rights to the back catalogue.

The third ball is self releasing. Following the internet led success of Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’, with the group keeping a far larger percentage of the profits, this is an increasingly attractive option for any established band. Or brand, as rock groups may be known in the future. To rival major record companies for global market penetration, big name artists are increasingly signing deals with non music partners in marketing led arrangements of mutual benefit. Oasis hero Paul McCartney went with Starbucks, The Eagles went with Walmart (in America), Groove Armada recently signed with Bacardi. Madonna has joined forces for her next release with Live Nation, who also made a bid for Oasis, despite the live events company having (as yet) no music releasing infrastructure in place whatsoever. Mobile phone companies are tying up with bands to release music, car companies are known to be in the market for music partners, so it is fair to imagine that pretty much ever major commercial brand is currently investigating the possible benefits of branching into the music sector. If this is the advertising led model we have been hearing so much about, how long can it be before we see a band going on stage in the equivalent of Formula One leathers, every inch plastered with logos?

But would Liam Gallagher wear it? For all his mouthy belligerence, the Oasis frontman still holds romantically idealistic notions of what being in a rock and roll gang entails, and I suspect being a model for advertising is not part of that vision.

Unless, perhaps, its advertising cigarettes and alcohol.

As for the Radiohead option of giving away music online, according to Liam the next Oasis album will be free “over my dead body”.

I think Marcus might as well just drop that particular ball.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk