The Story of The Who On TV This Week

Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who

Friday 30 May
11:35pm - 1:35am
BBC2 (UK)

Murray Lerner and Paul Crowder's documentary provides a definitive audio-visual record of the legendary British rock band, and follows Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey as they record The Who's first new music in more than 20 years and travel to the Far East for their first-ever live performance in Japan.

The doc will also feature interviews with U2’s The Edge, Eddie Vedder and Noel Gallagher.

VIDEO Plus+: 113721

Subtitled, Widescreen

Bonehead Spins Some Tunes In MIlan

Ex Oasis guitarist Bonehead enjoyed a night out spinning some tunes in Milan on Saturday , that was organised by www.wonderwall.it & www.oasisnews.it.

Keep a eye out on the above websites for more pictures and also a interview with Bonehead, that will be uploaded soon.

For more information on upcoming dates or to book Bonehead click here.

Thanks to Fabio

Noel Gallagher The Superhero

Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher was branded a superhero after he jumped in front of an out-of-control car.

He was determined not to Roll With It as evil forces sent the empty Smart Car careering towards him.

Noel, 40, milder mannered than hellraiser rock brother Liam, battled the motor head-on and stopped it smashing into a row of houses.

A pedestrian in Marylebone, central London, said: “Noel lives in the area and must have been taking a walk in the weekend sunshine when the car buzzed by. It was flying down the road with no-one inside and heading straight for some houses.

“He jumped out in front of the car and pushed at it with all his might.”

The car’s unnamed owner was visiting a friend in a nearby house but forgot to apply his handbrake.

When the surprised driver came back outside he was confused when he couldn’t find his car, before Noel reunited man with motor.

The source added: “The owner looked very embarrassed, but Noel took it all in good humour.”

Source: www.dailystar.co.uk

Happy Birthday Alan White

Alan White, born 26 May 1972, in Eltham, South London, is an English drummer. He was the drummer of English rock group Oasis between 1995 and 2004.

Before Oasis (1987-1994)

Alan White was a highly regarded studio drummer before joining Oasis. In 1987 he joined future Oasis member Gem Archer's band Whirlpool."He came down and just blew us all away," remembers Archer [1].. "I thought he was mega but the others were worried what a 15-years-old kid on the road and on the lager would be like. I rang his dad and told him: 'Sorry. But don't worry he's fantastic. He'll go all the way.' And he did. It was the weirdest day when he welcomed me to Oasis. And he hasn't let me forget it." White also played drums on Andy Bell's wife's solo album, forming a connection with another future Oasis member. Prior to joining Oasis, White drummed with London-based band Starclub.

White's brother, Steve White had played with Paul Weller's Style Council and various other famous musicians, including The Who. Because of this famous connection, Alan mentioned that Steve impacted greatly his development as a drummer. His other influences include Ringo Starr, Chad Smith, Mick Avory, and John Bonham.

White replaced original Oasis drummer Tony McCarroll in May 1995 and was immediately "thrown in the deep end", joining the band the very next day to perform a playback of Some Might Say in front of a national TV audience on BBC1's long running music programme Top of The Pops. One of White's first live shows with Oasis was in front of a massive crowd at the Glastonbury Festival in June 1995.

Until the arrival of Gem Archer and Andy Bell in the Autumn of 1999, White was the token southerner in the otherwise Mancunian Oasis. Initially known, inventively, as 'Whitey', he was later re-christened 'Dave' by the band because he once served himself a drink from an unattended bar, therefore resembling the character Dave from "The Winchester" in the '70s TV series Minder. White commented on the "North/South divide" saying it was not that bad, but "for ages I was the 'Cockney cunt' and they were the 'Manc fuckers'". In his book "What's the Story?" Ian Robertson stated that White was also known by the phrase "Alan White - He's alright".

Oasis Career (1995-2004)

White was also entrusted with the job of being Liam Gallagher's 'official' drinking partner and was also said to be his best friend in the band. Together the pair were known as 'Bert and Ernie', named after the Sesame Street-characters. In December 2002 Liam and White were involved in a high-profile brawl in a German bar. Consequently, Liam lost some of his front teeth and was arrested by the authorities. Alan, however, was inebriated and had a brain scan in a hospital afterwards after suffering minor head injuries.

Noel has stated that Alan had a far greater significance to the band than a mere session and touring drummer, claiming that he helped immensely in the recording process[citation needed]. Noel also said that when he wrote a song he would play it to White who would often adapt the rhythm of the song or advise Gallagher on possible changes in the tempo.[citation needed] However, his style has been criticised for contributing to some of the bands more overblown moments, which earned Oasis' 1997 Be Here Now and 2000 Standing on the Shoulder of Giants a critical panning.

At the time of his departure White was the longest serving member in Oasis beside the Gallaghers and passed through thin and thick with the band. He had supported the act from their years of glory during the Britpop hysteria and to their fall-out at the end of the decade. Although that longtime performers Paul McGuigan and Paul Arthurs quit the band during times of pressure, he decided to stay on with the band. The Gallaghers, for their part, have referred to White as the "best fucking drummer" they've ever played with.

Alan performed on 4 of Oasis' 6 studio albums: (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995), Be Here Now (1997), Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000) and Heathen Chemistry (2002). He also played on the majority of band's b-sides, some of which were released on the b-side record The Masterplan (1998).

White married model Liz Atkins on 13 August 1997 at Studley Priory Hotel, Oxfordshire. He had met her on the set of the "Don't Look Back in Anger" music video. The couple divorced in 2000.

Departure From Oasis

In early 2004, White surprisingly left Oasis during the early recording sessions for the band's sixth album. According to Oasis' spokesperson there were some new tracks and demos with White's performance as well, which were made at the end 2003 and early 2004 at the first sessions for their upcoming album, before his surprising departure. Due to his departure, the band scrapped the first midway sessions and later suffered some prolonged and difficult recording for Don't Believe the Truth (2005).

In a recent interview, Noel also alluded to White's personal problems: "He's a fucking great guy and he's one of the best drummers I've ever met in my life, but his personal life is fucking chaos," a possible reference to White's alleged romantic woes.

The rumours surrounding White's departure, either revolved around his past tendonitis problem or the false accusations of his leaking Heathen Chemistry. Amidst all the turmoil, Steve White, Alan's brother, explained to a fan in early 2005 that his brother was just tired and didn't want to be in Oasis anymore, so he left to patch up his relationship with his girlfriend; "The spirit of being in a band was kicked out of him." However, Steve reassured the Oasis fan that his brother was in a good mood and condition and hinted that Alan possibly can continue his drumming – "Perhaps some time soon, but he is very happy and very healthy and keeping very well". He currently resides in the Chicago suburbs with the love of his life, Christine.

White was replaced with Zak Starkey – The Who drummer and the son of The Beatles' legend Ringo Starr. Ringo particularly was cited as one of White's biggest drumming influences.

In March 2007, the remaining members of Oasis paid White £348,000 to buy him out of their company "Definitely Maybe", in order to free place for Zak Starkey as an official drummer and member of the band.

Post-Oasis

For his part, White has kept a low profile since his departure, excluding a statement to a drumming site, where he said that the tendonitis rumours are "utter shit" and that the reasons are others. As of January 2007, 3 years after his departure of the band, White has remained out of the spotlight and he has no familiar drumming occupations at the moment.

His brother Steve has explained a couple of times in his website that Alan "is just having a nice time, he has pursued other interests in business.

Source: Wikipedia

Alan 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

In Stores Today

As previously reported, Noel and Gem recorded the track 'Echoes Round The Sun' a few months ago with Paul Weller for his new album, 22 Dreams.

The track is available to buy from today (May 26).

CD

Tracks
1. Have You Made Up Your Mind
2. Echoes Round The Sun (Radio Edit)
3. Rise and Fall

7 Inch Vinyl

Tracks
1. A – Have You Made Up Your Mind – Album Version
2. B – Rip The Pages Up – Brendan Lynch Mix

Special Edition Dinked 7 Inch Vinyl

Tracks
1. A – Have You Made Up Your Mind – Album Version
2. B – Echoes Round The Sun – Radio Edit

More On Weller's Gig From Friday

Taken at Paul Weller's show at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on Friday night.

For more photographs from the show click here and here, a video of Noel Gallagher performing The Beatles classic 'All You Need Is Love' can be found here.

Photo Credit: mrchalks

Vote For Oasis' Top 20 Songs

Last reminder that 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!

Paul Weller Had Some Friends Join Him In London Last Night

Paul Weller had some very special guests join him on stage last night at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.

Gem Archer joined the Modfather onstage and played guitar on 'Echo's Round The Sun'. Later in the evening Noel Gallagher arrived onstage for a final encore of 'All You Need Is Love' Noel played guitar and backing vocals.

Roger Daltry also joined Paul onstage and helped out by playing harmonica and doing some vocals on The Who's classic 'Magic Bus'.

Photographs and video from the gig will follow.

Top Boy Stevie Gets Billy Gig

Bizarre Best Actor 2007 Stephen Graham has landed another big role – playing football legend Billy Bremner.

Like his scouse namesake Stevie G, the actor is pulling on his boots to play the flame-haired fiery Scotsman in a film about eccentric former Nottingham Forest gaffer Brian Clough.

The flick, The Damned United, is about when Ol’ Big ’Ead briefly took over the reins at Elland Road to manage Leeds United.

I bumped into Stevie G at The Met Bar in London on Thursday night. The wee man was chatting to me in his best Scottish accent in preparation for his part.

He said: “I’m made up about it. I’ve got the wig to look like Billy. I’m doing football training too. He was a proper legend.”

Stevie was out with Noel Gallagher, Gem Archer and Andy Bell from Oasis plus a collection of characters from music and film.

Noel’s missus Sara Macdonald was looking cracking in shoes that the girls in the office were drooling over.

After a tear-up in the Met Bar, the hordes headed off to Bungalow 8 to carry on the party until 4am.

Inside, Noel and Stevie had a chinwag with Sopranos star James Gandolfini.

He looked like he didn’t understand a word they were saying in their broad Manc and Scouse.

Tony wasn’t too bothered mind as neither of them were whacked.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Celebs Out For The Take That Musical

Gary Barlow and co may have kept a wide berth but Take That fever still hit London last night.

A star-studded audience including Noel Gallagher, Denise Van Outen, Peaches Geldof, Ross Kemp, Michelle Collins and Johnny Vaughan were dancing in the aisles at the premiere of the Take That musical Never Forget at the Savoy Theatre.

The cheesy stage show is not based on the real band but it’s set to be a sure-fire hit.

It’s been on a tour of the UK but will now remain in London’s West End for eight months.

The crowd were in stitches as the stars rattled out a wide selection of Take That’s greatest hits including Pray, Relight My Fire, Could It Be Magic and, of course, Never Forget.

There were huge cheers from the audience when a huge curtain of water fell on the cast during Back For Good.

Other standout moments included a huge wall of fire and a raunchy scene set in a strip club.

A medley of Take That’s hits brought a standing ovation form the crowd at the end.

Denise Van Outen told The Sun: “I’m a huge Take That fan and the boys certainly did the songs justice. In fact it made me realise quite how good Take That are as a boy band.

"The dancing and singing were excellent.”

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Andy Abraham Says Oasis Should Enter The Eurovision

The UK's Eurovision entry Andy Abraham has revealed he thinks Oasis should enter the Eurovision Song Contest.

In 1998, rumours suggested Oasis chief Noel Gallagher wanted single All Around The World to be entered in the competition then last year the BBC engaged in failed talks with Morrissey to write an entry.

Now Abraham says that perhaps it's time for Brit indie acts to get involved to give us a better chance of winning.

He said: "If Oasis and Morrissey got involved in Eurovision the credibility would go up tenfold, I think, in this country. I was hoping that Liam [Gallagher] would get involved and kind of do his antics on stage and everything."

Andy competes in this year's Eurovision, which takes place tomorrow.

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Chris Martin In Be Here Row

There are raised eyebrows in the Oasis camp over Coldplays’s decision to release their new album on a Thursday.

Chris Martin and Co hope their upcoming Viva La Vida will topple Oasis’ 11-year reign with Be Here Now as the fastest-selling British record.

But the Manchester band’s team believe Coldplay are stealing their idea to do it.

Be Here Now sold almost 700,000 copies in the first three days of sale in 1997.

Oasis released it on a Thursday — rather than the usual Monday — with three days of manic sales enough to catapult it to No1. Coldplay are doing the same with Viva La Vida, out on June 12.

Their last album, X&Y, is currently second on the fastest-selling list.

An Oasis source said: “Some people reckon Coldplay have nicked their successful blueprint from Be Here Now to try to break the record.”

But an insider in the Coldplay camp said: “The band decided to release the album on a Thursday to bring it in line with the rest of Europe.

“Oasis was never an influence.” I’m looking forward to seeing how many copies they shift.

It’ll be massive ... but I think the Oasis figure is a big ask.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

The Littlest Gallagher Flashes Dad's Trademark Two-Finger Salute

The apple certainly doesn't fall far from the tree in the Gallagher family.

Oasis star Liam Gallagher's youngest son Gene appears to have picked up a rather bad habit from the notoriously hot-tempered rocker.

The seven-year-old shocked onlookers with his two-finger salute as he left London's Nobu restaurant with his father yesterday.

As well as aping Gallagher Senior's well document hostility towards the paparazzi, who also sported a bowl hair cut just like the singer and matching black leather jacket, jeans and trainers.

Liam, who married Gene's mother Nicole Appleton this year in a low-key Valentine's Day ceremony, also has a son Lennon, 8, from his failed marriage to Patsy Kensit and a 10-year-old daughter Molly with singer Lisa Moorish.

Gene is not the first celebrity's son to show a rebellious streak.

Just last month David Beckham's youngest son Cruz, 3, gave the crowd a piece of his mind as he stuck up his middle finger during a family outing in Los Angeles.

Source: dailymail.co.uk & Rex Features

Pete Doherty Covers Oasis' Whatever At Glasgow Barrowlands

Post-prison, Doherty’s short notice gig at Glasgow Barrowlands was eagerly anticipated by his legion of devoted fans.

Pete played a storming set and finished off the night with a nod to his recent release from prison with Oasis hit 'Whatever', the crowd went wild as Pete strutted around onstage, before nodding to fans, waving and skimming his trilby into the frenzied gaggle of people.

Echoes Round The Sun

Paul Weller is back with his latest offering 'Echoes Round The Sun'.

It's a collaboration between the original modfather and Oasis' duo Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer.

The tune itself actually stems from a melody that Gallagher had for a while but he'd never been able to do anything with.

It will be released alongside 'Have You Made Up Your Mind' which are the first two singles from Weller's upcoming double solo album '22 dreams', released on June 2.

Other guests to appear on the album include Graham Coxon, Little Barrie and ex-Stone Roses guitarist Aziz Ibra.

Source: www.dailystar.co.uk

New Oasis Album Out In September

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

They talk about a number of diverse subjects that include, Winning a Sony Radio Award, Russell's Booky Wook, Noel's ego and more.

Noel also confirmed "September" for the release of the new Oasis album, but refused to be drawn on the exact date, claiming "his manager" would tell him off for messing up the launch by letting the date just slip out.

Russell was winding him up by saying things like "Ooh, it'll be as exciting as the release of the new Harry Potter book and Grand Theft Auto"!

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

Don't Look Back In Anger

Kanu's first-half goal won the FA Cup for Portsmouth against my beloved Cardiff City at Wembley yesterday to claim the trophy for the first time since 1939.

The final was given a magnificent backdrop by both clubs' noisy and colourful fans who clearly wanted to make the most of their moment in the limelight.

Photo Credit: Myself

Acts Invited To Follow In Oasis And Coldplay's Footsteps

In The City registration opens

Acts have been invited to submit demos for the In The City music festival - which was founded by the late Tony Wilson.

The Manchester music conference, which takes place between October 5-7 is this year, is going under the Wilson-esque heading "It's All About The Music, Stupid".

The annual event is a regular showcase for unsigned talent, with the likes of Oasis, Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys taking part in previous years.

Bands wanting to take part should submit a minimum of three tracks, a biography and photo, which should be sent to: In The City, Unit 8, Brewery Year 0Deva Centre, Trinity Way, Salford, Manchester M3 7BB.

Head to Inthecity.co.uk for more information or to register online.

Source:www.nme.com

On This Day In Oasis History...

"Lyla" was the first single from British band Oasis' sixth album Don't Believe the Truth, released on May 16 2005.

The song was written by Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher, who has varyingly described the track as "specifically designed for pogoing", "annoyingly catchy", and the “poppiest thing since "Roll With It". Noting the varied influences of the song, Gallagher says that it's "a bit like... The Soundtrack of Our Lives doing The Who on Skol in a psychedelic city in the sky, or something".

However critics have argued that "Lyla" is perhaps more than simply influenced by other bands, noting the striking similarities between the song and "Confrontation Camp" by The Soundtrack of Our Lives and to a lesser extent "Street Fighting Man" by the Rolling Stones. The first line of the song reinforces the notion that the song was also partially inspired by The La's.

Noel has also joked with the fact that the Lyla in the song is actually the sister of the Sally mentioned in the Oasis single "Don't Look Back in Anger".

Admitting that he isn't very fond of the song, Noel has said that "Lyla" isn’t "even the fifth best track on the album". The song had existed as a demo since the early recording sessions for the album but was all but forgotten until practically the last minute.

Noel says that the song existed in an early form as a song called "Sing" and dated from the Heathen Chemistry-era. He also says that the title for the final song should have been "Smiler", but was changed seeing as guitarist Gem Archer's previous band, Heavy Stereo, also had a song called "Smiler".

Sony's insistence that it should be released as the first single from the album has helped to fuel the tension between the band and their record label, which has led to Oasis not renewing their contract with the record label following the release of Don't Believe the Truth.



"Lyla" became the band's seventh UK number one when it reached top spot in its first week of release. The song also debuted at #31 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and has reached #19 since then. It is the first Oasis song to appear on any US singles chart since 2000.

When performing on the UK music chart show Top of the Pops, Liam, who was forced to mime to the music, made no secret of the fact, walking away from the microphone with his mouth closed mid-way through lines that he was supposedly 'singing'. It would be Liam's last performance on the programme before its demise in late 2006. However, Noel and the rest of the band would return in August 2005 to perform "The Importance of Being Idle."

The song leaked on the internet during late March 2005, weeks before its May release date, after an unauthorised early airing on Polish radio station Radiowej Trójce.

'Lyla' was covered by Foo Fighters during a performance at BBC Studios.

The song is included on Oasis' compilation album Stop the Clocks. It is also included in FIFA 06 as a track.

Source: Wikipedia

Bonehead And Pete Macleod Acoustic Tour

Me and Pete Macleod are going out on tour in November, with dates in the UK, Scotland and Greece. Dates and venues to be confirmed, but looks like the tour will start at Brixton Jamm.

I will be DJ'ing at selected venues after the live set.

Don't know when we'll get the chance to rehearse, Pete lives in L.A, seems like a good reason to visit the States for a couple of weeks!!

Keep checking this page for more details, or have a look on Petes page www.myspace/petesolomusic where you can check out some of the tunes.
Bonehead.

Source: Boneheads Myspace Page