Oasis Videos Up For 4 Awards At UK MVAs

Oasis have been nominated for four awards at this year's UK MVAs. The video for 'Falling Down' is up for:

- 'Best Cinematography In A Video'
- 'Best Editing in a Video'
- 'Best Rock Video'

They are also up for 'The Innovation Award' for 'Dig Out Your Soul'.

WIZ, the director of the 'Falling Down' video (and Kasabian's 'Fire') is up for Best Director.

The awards take place on October 13th and are designed to recognise excellence in music video production by UK individuals and companies and to highlight the cultural significance of music video as an art form.

Source: www.oasisinet.com

Ex-Oasis Bonehead Hits The Road With New Band

Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, founder member and former guitarist with Oasis, has announced a UK and European tour with Manchester’s most talked-about new band, The Vortex.

"It really is like the old days of Oasis for me – these small, sweaty gigs where the audience are going barmy. There's a real menace and excitement to this band. I've seen it before with Oasis. And I'm seeing it all over again with The Vortex." Bonehead talking about The Vortex.

The Vortex are cooking up a storm at their regular visits to Alan McGee's Death Disco in London, and are currently recording their debut album with Bonehead on production duties.

“You can always put your trust in Manchester music and the Vortex are set for big things, they've been setting their controls for the heart of the northern anthem as if Kasabian never existed. Plus, the new demos have been surpassing all expectation: pure anthems for party people. Oh yeah, they just added Bonehead (of Oasis fame) on guitar.” Alan McGee (writing in The Guardian)

The Vortex consist of Mike Price (vocals), Bonehead (guitar), Maz Bedjet (guitar), Nick Repton (bass), Sean O'Donnell (drums) and Jaxx* (backing vocals).

JAXX (Heather Small/Cotton Club vocalist) has also joined The Vortex full-time, and will be touring with the band this autumn. The band have also recently filmed their part in brit-gangster flick ‘Freight’ with celebrated hard man Joe Egan.

For the tour dates and more visit www.myspace.com/thevortexmanchester

Kasabian Rock But Won't Knock Oasis

Kasabian must be happy as Larry that Oasis have disbanded - they are officially the top rockers on the block!

But that doesn't mean they don't have respect for the Gallagher brothers and their defunct band.

In Dublin on Friday to celebrate Arthur's Day - Guiness's 250th birthday - lead singer Tom Meighan told me: "Oasis were at the pinnacle of the music world for 16 years and despite touring with them this year we didn't see any signs that they were falling apart.

"I had nights out with both Liam and Noel separately and things were fine. It's a sad loss that they are no longer."

The lads also told me that Noel is to star in a new Adidas campaign later this year. Can't wait to see that.

But Tom wasn't quite so nice about Robbie Williams.

Speaking of the Robster's comeback into the charts, Tom said: "Nobody knows what the hell he's on about these days because he's nuts - it's probably best to let him get on with it."

Ouch!

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Nelly Furtado Mourned Oasis Split

Nelly Furtado was devastated when Noel Gallagher quit Oasis - because she idolised the band when she was growing up.

The Maneater hitmaker looked to the British band for inspiration when she was starting out in the music business, and even dreamed of dating frontman Liam Gallagher.

Furtado was distraught to learn guitarist Noel walked away from the group after a fight with his brother before a show in Paris last month (Aug09).

She says, "I was inconsolable when Oasis split up. That band meant the world to me.
"As a 16-year-old I would write letters to Liam with my photo attached and pray that he would ask me out on a date, but he never did. At college I learned to play guitar to Wonderwall.

"Oasis were everything I loved about pop music. They could express emotions with the most simple song structures. They had the kind of brash attitude I could completely relate to."

The Champagne Supernova hitmakers are yet to confirm plans for the future, but reports suggest Liam is auditioning for a replacement for his brother and intends to continue with the band.

Source: www.contactmusic.com

Noel Gallagher Is Hired Gun On Kasabian's UK Arena Tour

Kasabian have asked pal Noel Gallagher to return to gigging and join them on tour.

The Mancunian rock legend, 42, is already desperate to get back on the road again just month after Oasis split.

So he has turned to Kasabian and said: 'Maybe you're gonna be the ones who save me...' from being bored.

He's asked to appear on their upcoming UK arena tour - which kicks off in Newcastle on November 10 - and they have given him the thumbs up.

In an exclusive chat Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan, 28, revealed their gig plans and hinted they may record a song together in the future.

He told me: "We've got our arena tour in November.

"Noel will be calling us up nearer the time for sure saying, 'Lads, I'm going to come perform with you on tour'.

"He's a performing machine, and loves playing live so he jumps at the opportunity whenever he can join us."

And assessing the prospects of getting into the recording studio with Noel, Tom added: "We'd love to do a track with him. Never say never.

"But at the moment he's concentrating on his solo stuff and we're busy as ever."

I imagine Noel is fully aware that performing live with the Leicester rockers Tom, Sergio Pizzorno, Chris Edwards and Ian Matthews will annoy his younger brother and former bandmate Liam.

I'm told by a pal: "Noel has got itchy fingers and wants to get back into touring as quickly as he can.

"He and the Kasabian lads have spoken about it and they all thought it was a brilliant idea so he will join them onstage in for a few cameo appearances.

"It also has the added benefit that it will irritate the hell out of Liam, who didn't want the band to split at all.

"It shows Noel has already moved on and can play with anyone that takes his fancy, which will rile Liam considering how competitive he is."

Noel and Kasabian's collaboration will come as good news to Oasis fans who missed seeing the band after a huge bust-up between him and Liam caused the band to split and cancel a number of gigs in August.

A music insider tells me: "The Kasabian lads love Noel and see him as a guiding light. To get him to play on Their tour rather than support him as they have before means so much to them. Plus imagine what it would do for ticket sales."

Noel has performed with Kasabian before. He did three songs with the Mercury Prize nominees at Edinburgh's Hogmany in 2007.

And they joined Noel and Liam on the doomed Oasis summer tour.

Source: www.newsoftheworld.co.uk

Noel Gallagher And Jason Orange Form Supergroup On London Street

Noel Gallagher clearly has time for the one who's not "the fat dancer from Take That".

You know that it's a slow day when a picture of two aging men and a baby become news, but if Noel is trying to recruit Jason 'the body' Orange as Liam's replacement in Oasis, that'll do us.

The pair were spotting having a chin-wag on a London street, possibly chuckling about the time Noel said he'd "put a bullet in the gun" for Robbie Williams." Ho ho ho ho, what a wag.

Noel's jovial appearance mostly likely stemmed from the news that his brother is considering moving to the USA though, which means we might soon be able to report similar pictures of Liam and Robbie aping around like neanderthals the sidewalk. God, America, you've been too good to us - although we did have Madonna and Gwyneth for all those years.

Click here for pictures.

Source: www.holymoly.com

Liam Gallagher's Son Loves Uncle's Band

Liam Gallagher's son is "obsessed" with his uncle's group The Prodigy.

Gene Gallagher - the Oasis star's eight-year-old son with wife Nicole Appleton - infuriates his parents by demanding to listen to his favourite songs by the veteran dance act, of which his uncle Liam Howlett is a member.

Howlett - who is married to Nicole's sister, Natalie Appleton - told Q magazine: "Gene does Nicole's head in, in the car on the way to school. He's always like, 'Put it on again. Put 'Thunder' on.' "

Gallagher - whose brother is his former Oasis bandmate Noel Gallagher - is supportive of Gene's interest in music.

It has previously been claimed the 'Lyla' singer - who also has a 10-year-old son, Lennon, from his marriage to actress Patsy Kensit - regularly drops into Gene's school to pass on his musical knowledge to the pupils.

A source said: "Liam's spending loads of time in the school. He does the school run in the morning and often pops in and teaches the kids some music skills.

"He's often in the music room playing on the instruments with the kids."

Source: www.monstersandcritics.com

Liam Is Set To Stateslide Away

Liam Gallagher will be emigrating for some sunshiiiiine soon if he keeps listening to his missus Nicole Appleton.

The former All Saints singer is trying to convince him to move across the Pond.

Since Noel walked out on the band Nicole has been more aggressive with her plans.

And Liam, seen having a light ale with a pal in London yesterday, is considering a fresh start. A source said: "Nicole would move tomorrow if she had her way - or at least spend most of their time there.

"She thinks they should make the move now that OASIS are no more."

The pair discussed moving to New York a year ago. At the time Liam said: "I love that city, I love the buzz. That's the next step for me. And no, I'm not going to do acting or any of that s***. I've been offered a few things but it's not me.

"I'm just going to a place where I can be me."

I'd suggest he moves back to Manchester and near Old Trafford - then no one would blame him for being angry.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Tom Meighan On Oasis "I've Heard Liam Is Going To Carry It On Without Noel"

Kasabian are ready to take over from Oasis as the UK's biggest rock band.

It's been nearly a month since Noel Gallagher walked out on Oasis because of "verbal and violent" intimidation.

And while Kasabian are sad their musical heroes are no more, they reckon they are the natural successors to their crown.

Hours before they prepared to headline a massive gig for Guinness in Dublin, singer Tom Meighan said: "It's over for Oasis now. It's not my business but there must have been a lot of trouble happening for Noel to walk out.

"If it's so big that he's not coming back, it's a sad day for rock 'n' roll.

"I've heard Liam is going to carry it on without Noel but to me it's over."

Bassist Chris Edwards said: "They have left a big hole. Festivals, stadiums and arenas will need filling and we are ready to be that band."

Read The full article here.

Source: www.dailyrecord.co.uk

Win A Unique Set Of Manchester Memorabilila

Win 3 sets of Manchester memorabilila to celebrate the publication of Manchester: Looking for the Light Through the Pouring Rain by legendary photographer Kevin Cummins - the definitive photographic history of Manchester pop from 1976 to today, featuring some of the most iconic music photographs of all time.

"Kevin's photographs have shaped the way fans perceive their idols. These images capture moments long forgotten. This iconic book ensures they will live forever." Noel Gallagher

Each set of Manchester goodies contains a copy of Manchester: Looking for the Light Through the Pouring Rain published by Faber, a set of Kevin Cummins Manchester postcards by Polite plus four very limited edition A1 posters featuring four of the most iconic images from the book.

Click here for more details.

Source: www.nme.com

The Q Awards 2009: Vote Now!

On Monday, October 26 Q will once again honour the biggest and best stars in music at The Awards.

Q Awards 2009 with Russian Standard Vodka celebrate a great year in music as Oasis, Muse, Kasabian, U2, Florence And The Machine, Kings Of Leon, Dizzee Rascal and Arctic Monkeys prepare to fight it out for a golden Q.

Last year's Q Awards with Russian Standard Vodka saw Coldplay take home the prestigious Best Act in the World Today however this year they face strong opposition in the form of recently split Oasis, Muse, Arctic Monkeys and the all-conquering Kings Of Leon.

Kasabian and Florence And The Machine both crown their hugely successful year by garnering three nominations apiece.

Comenting on the nominees Q Magazine Editor-In-Chief Paul Rees highlighted the breadth of Q reader's taste, "The Q Awards prides itself on honouring the best popular music of the year and the 2009 vintage is no exception. Once again the nominations prove that great music continues to be made across a broad range of styles. The nominations are compiled from votes cast in their thousands by Q's readers, listeners, viewers and online users, so they reflect the choice of the nation's music fans."

Click here to support your favourite band for the Q Awards 2009 with Russian Standard Vodka

On This Day In Oasis History

Posted the wrong one yesterday.

Little By Little

"Little by Little" is a song by British rock band Oasis, first released as the sixth track on their fifth studio album Heathen Chemistry. On September 22nd 2002, it was released with "She Is Love" as the first (and, so far, only) double A-sided single by the band, peaking at #2 in the UK Singles Chart Noel Gallagher provides lead vocals on both tracks, which he also wrote.

"Little by Little" was perhaps the most controversial song on the album, receiving mixed reviews from those who felt it was a classic example of an upbeat Oasis anthem and those who felt it was a twee, patronising, sycophantic melody. Regardless of this, the song managed to peak at number two in the UK charts based largely on the publicity garnered by the song.

The promo video to the song featured a guest role by Robert Carlyle. The cover art for the single is an homage to Robert Indiana's LOVE artwork.



She Is Love

"She Is Love" is a song by British rock band Oasis, first released as the ninth track on their fifth studio album Heathen Chemistry. In September 2002, it was released with "Little by Little" as the first double A-sided single by the band, peaking at #2 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was written about Noel Gallagher's girlfriend Sara McDonald and is a light, acoustic song about being in love.

Gallagher claims it was written in the Buckingham Gate Hotel in London, and that it took 30 minutes to complete. The band commissioned British fashion art director Rachel Thomas to make a promo video for the song. However, the resulting film, a mix of animation and live action, has never been released on any format.

Track listings

7" RKID 26, CD RKIDSCD 26, 12" RKID 26T
"Little By Little" - 4:57
"She Is Love" - 3:11
"My Generation" - 4:05 (CD and 12" only)
"My Generation" was recorded live at the BBC's Maida Vale studios on January 20, 2000. The sleevenotes claim it was recorded on February 7, 2000, but this was the transmission date, not the recording date.

DVD RKIDSDVD 26
"Little By Little" - 5:02
"Little By Little" (demo) - 4:55
10 minutes of noise and confusion - pt three - 8:31
The third part of the "10 Minutes..." documentary looks behind the scenes of their sell out shows at Finsbury Park in London from July 5-7 2002.

German CD CDM 6730685
"Little by Little"
"My Generation"
"Columbia" (live)
"Columbia" was recorded live at the Barrowlands, Glasgow, on October 13, 2001.
"Little by Little" (live video)
CD-ROM video recorded live at Finsbury Park, London, on July 7, 2002.

Videos Of Oasis At The Fuji Rock Festival

A few videos from when Oasis played the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan on the 24th July, these have been recently broadcast in Japan.

On This Day In Oasis History...

"Stand by Me" is a song by British rock group Oasis, written by lead guitarist, Noel Gallagher. It was the second single to be released from the band's third album, Be Here Now, and peaked at number 2 in the UK charts in September 1997. It was kept from the top-spot by the record breaking Elton John single "Candle in the Wind 1997," re-recorded and released in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, who had died three weeks before the release of "Stand by Me". Despite this, "Stand By Me" still went Gold in the UK. "Stand by Me" was acknowledged as one of the stand-out tracks from Be Here Now.

Interview

In a 1997 interview promoting Be Here Now, Noel Gallagher had the following to say: "It starts, 'Made a meal and threw it up on Sunday'. When I first moved to London my mam kept on ringing up and asking was I eating properly. Yes, Mam. So I tried to cook a Sunday roast and puked up for two days with food poisoning. It was back to Pot Noodles after that. It's a bit like "Live Forever", I suppose, with a touch of "All the Young Dudes" in the background -- though I made sure I changed the chords."

Live Performances

Due to Noel Gallagher's general dislike of Be Here Now, "Stand by Me" is rarely played live by the band at their concerts, as it is Noel who usually decides the song listings for Oasis' tours. A live version of the song from this tour can be found on the double-CD version of Familiar to Millions.

A well-known acoustic version of "Stand by Me" was shown on television the night before the release of Be Here Now as part of a BBC1 documentary, featuring Noel, Liam Gallagher and drummer Alan White sitting by the side of a swimming pool, with Liam on vocals, Noel on acoustic guitar and White holding a tambourine.



Writing

Noel Gallagher claims to have written the song whilst suffering from food poisoning when he first moved to London. His mother Peggy would phone him to check on him and repeatedly told him to ensure he was eating properly. This spurred Gallagher to cook himself a proper English Sunday dinner, which resulted in a bout of food poisoning. Gallagher claims that the song's first line—"Made a meal and threw it up on Sunday/I've got a lot of things to learn"—came to him as he lay on the floor and it was then that he began to pen the lyrics to the song.

The title for the song probably comes from the song "Stand By Me", which was covered by the Gallaghers' idol John Lennon. In a characteristic example of Noel Gallagher lifting elements from songs of which he is fond, the rousing sequence of chord changes between the repeated chorus lyrics 'Stand by me/Nobody knows the way it's gonna be' bears a remarkable similarity to a similar chord sequence in Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes", written by David Bowie.



Video

The video for the song was a reworking of a famous series of adverts for The Guardian newspaper. Entitled The Whole Picture, the adverts showed people appearing to be engaging in criminal and/or anti-social acts—only to revealed that they are actually helping someone else. For example, a scruffily-dressed skinhead rushes at a businessman; it appears he is making an effort to mug him; only the "whole picture" reveals that he is fact dashing to push him away from a load of falling bricks. Similarly in the video for "Stand By Me", a shop appears to be being burgled - its window smashed and people taking away electrical goods—only for it to be revealed that in fact the victim of a motorcycle crash has gone through the window and is buried under the televisions.

Track listing

CD CRESCD 278
"Stand by Me" – 5:55
"(I Got) The Fever" – 5:14
"My Sister Lover" – 5:58
"Going Nowhere " – 4:41

7" CRE 278
"Stand by Me" – 5:55
"(I Got) The Fever" – 5:14

12" CRE 278T
"Stand by Me" – 5:55
"(I Got) The Fever" – 5:14
"My Sister Lover" – 5:58

Cassette CRECS 278
"Stand by Me" – 5:55
"(I Got) The Fever" – 5:14

"My Sister Lover" - Some fans believe the title to be a reference to the band Sister Lovers, a group that invited Oasis to a May 1993 gig at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, Scotland, where they were spotted by Creation Records chief Alan McGee, who reportedly offered Oasis a recording contract on the spot after the gig.

"Going Nowhere" - apparently Noel's attempt at a Burt Bacharach style song - can be found on The Masterplan, a collection of Oasis B-sides. It is one of only two B-sides from the Be Here Now era to be included on the album. Although it was not released until 1997, the song was written in 1990, before Noel even joined Oasis, let alone before they were signed.

Pretty Green Wallpapers - Part 3

Click here for a few new Pretty Green Wallpapers.

Source: www.prettygreen.com

Johnny Marr On His Long-Lasting Musical Relationships With Oasis

Johnny Marr made up half of the songwriting partnership behind The Smiths, widely regarded as one of the most influential bands ever. Now he has joined indie three-piece The Cribs. Rob Garratt spoke to him about his old band, his new band, and his favourite guitars.

One of his more long-lasting musical relationships is with fellow Manchurians Oasis, who he championed in their early days, and their guitarist Noel Gallagher has repaid the favour by frequently quoting Marr as one of his largest influences. Their only formal collaboration saw Marr lending his expertise to a couple of tracks of their 2002 LP, Heathen Chemistry.

Did he feel as excited about the band as when he offered to lend them his equipment in the mid-1990s when they were making their iconic first album?

“I don't like critiquing bands, I'm not very good at it and I change my mind every day,” says Marr neutrally. “Working with them was fun. We spent so much time together for years without writing anything together. It was all pretty causal - they had a couple of songs where the guitar wasn't working and I played on them - it wasn't very formal at all.”

Marr's measured responses are not surprising for someone who has made an effort to shy away from the media, and he is quick to dismiss the notion that he might be frustrated with people always wanting to talk to him about The Smiths.

Read the full interview by clicking here.

Source: www.eveningnews24.co.uk

Happy Birthday Liam Gallagher

Happy Birthday to Liam Gallagher who is 37 today.

Jay-Z: 'Noel Gallagher's Views On Hip Hop Were Archaic'

Jigga says his Glastonbury 2008 appearance was akin to winning his first Grammy.

Jay-Z has said that Noel Gallagher's views on him headlining Glastonbury in 2008 showed up the former Oasis guitarist's "archaic" stance on hip hop.

Speaking on BBC One's flagship political programme The Andrew Marr Show, Jay-Z explained that when he took to the stage at Worthy Farm after his well-documented verbal spat with Gallagher it felt like winning a Grammy award.

"That was like winning the first Grammy for me. It was one of those times where , you know…almost like knocking the door down," he told Marr.

"Noel Gallagher, I think he perpetuated the old way of thinking. We don't think like that, or listen to music like that [now]. On my iPod is The Beatles, Jay-Z, Kings Of Leon, Lil Wayne, Grizzly Bear, Arctic Monkeys. I listen to a diverse arrangement of music, and I think that how kids listen to music now.

Elsewhere in the interview, Jay-Z said that Gallagher's criticism of him being chosen to headline Glastonbury didn't go down well because the general public didn't agree with him.

"It was almost like the people were saying "No, we want that to happen. That’s the natural progression. We like rap, we like rock. We like everything." And it was just that last…that archaic thinking that was in the way of this festival."

The rapper went on to say that musicians like Gallagher need to embrace change rather than shun it, stating: "If we believe that a thing that started should be held forever I'd still be a slave, right? It'd still be in slavery. Things change and the world changes and I think it's best to embrace change."

Source: www.nme.com

Jay-Z Showcases 'The Blueprint 3' And Oasis Track At Intimate UK Show

Jay-Z played a relatively intimate gig in London last night (September 17).

The rapper, who is currently in the UK playing stadium dates with Coldplay, took to the stage at the Roundhouse in Camden following a ten-minute countdown on a digital clock projected onto the stage ahead of his arrival.

Backed by an 11-piece live band, Jay-Z – dressed in black and sporting shades throughout the show – kicked off with 'DOA (Death Of Autotune)', before performing an hour-long show that mixed classic tracks with newer songs from the recently released 'The Blueprint 3'.

"I hear this show sold out in 20 seconds flat, so I want to thank you!" the rapper told the crowd – who made Roc-A-Fella diamond signs with their hands throughout the gig – after the opener, before launching immediately into 'U Don't Know', aided by his sidekick Memphis Bleek.

The set continued with the likes of 'What's My Name', 'Dirt Off Your Shoulder' and new cuts 'Empire State Of Mind' and 'Run This Town', although the biggest surprise came when the rapper closed his set by signalling to his onstage DJ to play Oasis' 'Wonderwall', which he got the crowd to loudly singalong with.

Returning for the encore, Jay-Z asked them which of his hits they'd like to hear, before proceeding to perform snippets of 'Money Ain't A Thang', 'Excuse Me Miss', 'Lucifer', 'Big Pimpin', 'Izzo (H.O.V.A)' and 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)'.

He finally brought the show to a close with 'Encore', singling out individual members of the crowd and thanking them personally for coming.

Source: www.nme.com

"What The Snobs Failed To Realise About Oasis"

Journalists often talk about key years in music; 1967 and the psychedelic 'Summer of Love' springs to mind, or 1977 and the dawn of bile-fuelled Punk.

However, my year zero for music was undoubtedly 1994 - and my band, my only band, was Oasis. Up until them, everything else had just been a hobby.

I enjoyed a unique introduction; as a one-time 13-year-old fan of video games, I had entered a competition in the now long-defunct 'Gamesmaster Magazine'. All you had to do was answer one question, they promised but, despite their attempts to tell you otherwise, the likelihood of success was inevitably low.

Yet, on offer was enough highly desirable computer kit to sink a battleship - in hindsight probably with the combined power of a modern toaster - and the thought of such bounty was more than enough to lure a greedy little git like me into dispatching a hopeful postcard to somewhere in England.

While I no doubt had my big eyes on a Sega Mega Drive or some other now entirely obsolete games console, in amongst the treasure trove were CDs by the hateful likes of East 17, Whigfield and Seal.

So it was that within a couple of weeks, a strange brown envelope arrived in the mail - but inside was a pristine copy of Oasis' peerless debut album, 'Definitely Maybe'.

It seems a little bit quaint now, but I remember thinking I would have preferred the cassette format as opposed to the fancy Dan compact disc; I only had a Walkman and, like many others, had yet to be convinced that CD was the way forward. Besides, I had a huge number of tapes - chewed or otherwise - and was naturally reluctant to part ways.

Cassettes were awful of course, and could easily run down your Duracell batteries in the process of simply trying to get from side one to side two, but you could record on them - and that made them a far more flexible option. Furthermore, CDs were still prohibitively expensive, often coming in at £15 to £20 a pop, and were still devoid of self-recording options.

Nevertheless, just as soon as I'd got my first CD player, 'Definitely Maybe' changed everything. To a kid previously interested in little more than football and Sonic the Hedgehog, Oasis were a visceral gateway to teenage licentiousness, to identity, to fashion, to girls.

Numerous critics predictably knocked their complete lack of pretension, the know-it-alls delighting in pointing out that many of their songs brazenly incorporated the melodies of others, that they were too in thrall to rock history, but to me Oasis represented vast possibility.

What the snobs failed to understand was that to wide-eyed kids looking for a soundtrack to oblivion and a curt dismissal of middle-of-the-road, big-haired 80s hell, they represented a refreshing tearing up of the manual, a cocky, patricidal act tantamount to ripping Elton John's wig off and pushing him off a roof.

Refreshingly, Noel Gallagher also had few qualms in name-checking influences - and song donors - as wide as Burt Bacharach, Crowded House, Abba and the New Seekers.

I and countless others didn't care where it came from; all we knew was that it now belonged to us, it was utterly intoxicating and exactly what we'd been waiting for.

My experiences of seeing them live proved just as casually volatile and occasionally as violent as the Gallaghers' own relationship. To my huge disappointment, I missed their arguable zenith in 1996 when phonelines were jammed for literally hours as everyone and their gran attempted to see the band at a perilously besieged Loch Lomond.

Eventually, my patience was rewarded and I got to properly see them at Glasgow's SECC in late '97. I was spotty, 16 and hugely excited - only to be let down, pale and scared when a vodka bottle thrown onstage saw the band walk off after just eight songs, resulting in thousands of so-called fans threatening to burn the place to the ground in retribution. It was hardly rock 'n' roll, but I'd also taken a funny turn about six songs in and lost my mate in the confusion, so was secretly a little glad that it had wrapped up so soon.

That same year, I remember dashing to a small record shop in Stanlane Place for a special 8am opening just to be amongst the first to get hold of a CD copy of 'Be Here Now' - the vastly overblown yet ultimately ridiculous third album.

Then, in 2001 as the downloading of music from the internet and recordable CDs became commonplace - an exciting development that meant I took some 200 self-recorded compilations on holiday - myself and a pal made the mistake of sleeping overnight at the SECC in an attempt to get gold dust tickets for a relatively tiny Oasis gig at the Barrowlands.

Sadly, various Buckfast-addled gorillas had become embroiled in a knuckle-dragging feud which raged long into the morning, and was even exacerbated after everyone had been told that a whole legion of early bird fans had been invited to sleep inside the venue the night before; they had already snapped up every last brief. After seeing several teeth knocked out and a passer-by taking a huge blow to the head from the thicker end of a Buckfast bottle, we headed for home, empty-handed and semi-traumatised.

In the intervening years, the gigs became more pedestrian in inverse proportion to the quality of the music, to the point that I saw them another seven times without major incident, the most sedate of which was a Noel Gallagher solo appearance at the Royal Albert Hall where almost every song originated from the band's mid-90s heyday.

However, seeing Oasis at Murrayfield this summer proved something of a watershed moment; beer queues took an hour, open drug use was rife, as were the neds, while 'seeing' the band largely involved squinting to see five ants on stage, but mostly just watching the action on big screens from afar, at the fringes of a segregated pit area for the better heeled. Noel Gallagher also looked suspiciously like he was going through the motions.

Then, three weeks ago, with predictable shock initially meeting the band's split, more deafening was the shrug of collective indifference.

These days, my entire music collection is contained on a cigarette pack-sized iPod filled with mp3s, mp4s, and more, but Oasis' finest moments in whole new formats are still very much a part of my listening, even if I get less and less time to actually listen.

More than that, their all-pervading influence may have faded, but they taught me so much. As a result of Noel Gallagher's songs, I picked up a guitar and alone in my bedroom single-handedly learnt to bash out pretty much any song around.

Those rudimentary noodlings even got me onto the stage at King Tut's in Glasgow - the venue where Oasis were first signed - and lent me enough street cred to blag my way into a week at the offices of the NME.

Furthermore, thanks to Oasis, I gained an unrivalled musical scholarship, on their recommendation quickly ploughing my way through the entire Beatles' back catalogue, then a dizzying array of Dylan, Zeppelin, The Who, the Stones, The Jam, Hendrix, The Stone Roses, The La's, T-Rex, U2, The Clash, The Kinks, and more.

Now, I plough my way with even greater speed through mp3 blogs, using sites such as Hype Machine to sample Florence and the Machine, or Largehearted Boy to try out Badly Drawn Boy.

But Oasis were the original revolution from my bedroom, and damn I'll miss them.

Source: www.largsandmillportnews.com