Alan McGee Q&A From Cardiff Screening Of Upside Down

Below is the Q&A that Alan McGee did after the Cardiff screening of Upside Down: The Creation Records Story on Wednesday night.







During the 1980s, Alan McGee’s Creation Records were revered by a generation of knowing boys and girls with floppy fringes, who embraced the initial releases by The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine as the soundtrack for their lives.

By the turn of the decade, Creation were releasing indisputable touchstones ‘Screamadelica’ and ‘Loveless’, putting out records as diverse as Teenage Fanclub’s debut ‘Bandwagonesque’ and Sugar’s ‘Copper Blue’, and nurturing such new talents as Ride and Swervedriver.

The phenomenal success of Oasis in the mid-90s meant cosying up to New Labour and ruling the Britpop roost. The background to all this is a tale of near-bankruptcy, hard partying, bitter feuds, sell-out accusations, heavy drugs and nervous breakdowns.

Danny O’Connor’s passionate documentary gives McGee the chance to tell his side of the story of arguably the last British indie label to really matter.

Upside Down: The Creation Records Story is in stores Monday...

Beady Eye Interview

Below is an interview with Andy Bell, Gem Archer and Liam Gallagher from Rock DeeJay in Italy.

Thanks to frjdoasis3

On This Day In Oasis History...

Below are videos from the 7th of May 2009, when Oasis played at the Citibank Hall in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Watch Footage From Beady Eye's Benefit Concert

Below is a video of Yellow Tail and Bring The Light from the benefit concert in aid of the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami appeal.

Fans from the UK can watch the full highlight show here.

'Upside Down: The Creation Records Story' Review

Alan McGee presented the Welsh premiere of 'Upside Down: The Creation Records Story' in Cardiff last night and followed it with a Q&A session.

I was invited down and I'm glad to report that the film was informative and slick with a number of genuine funny moments.

'Upside Down: The Creation Records Story' tells the story of the label that was founded in London in 1983 after McGee took out a £1,000 bank loan and eventually closed in 1999.

During its existence Creation's roster featured Oasis, Super Furry Animals, Ride, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Pastels, Television Personalities, Primal Scream, The Loft, Teenage Fanclub, Saint Etienne, The Boo Radleys, 3 Colours Red, Swervedriver, Slowdive, BMX Bandits, The House of Love, The Weather Prophets, Felt, The Telescopes, The Jazz Butcher, Momus, Sugar, and Teenage Filmstars.

The film mixes archive footage with present-day interviews and concert footage.

'Producer/director Danny O'Connor has done a fantastic job with the film, as it not just concentrates on the big bands on the label but also includes many of Creation's lesser known acts.

The film features Alan McGee, Noel Gallagher, Bonehead, Andy Bell, Bobby Gillespie, Jim Reid, Dick Green, Guy Chadwick, Kevin Shields, Andy Bell, Bob Mould, Irvine Welsh, Mark Gardener, Joe Foster, Gruff Rhys and Norman Blake.

For the Oasis fans Noel Gallagher and Bonehead feature throughout the film, there is also some great early footage of Oasis.

Andy Bell also features in the film, talking about his previous band Ride.

A fantastic watch from beginning to end, with some great music throughout.

Watch the Q&A with Alan below







'Upside Down: The Creation Records Story' is released on Monday. The DVD/Blu-ray is now available to pre-order here.

On This Day In Oasis History...

On May 6th 2005, Oasis appeared on the Jonathan Ross Show.

Noel Gallagher 'Solo Album Details' Turn Out to Be Fake

Despite reports from various online news services, the release dates for Noel Gallagher's solo project, currently being touted by one NoelDGGallagher on Twitter, are in fact fake.

Speaking to Spinner, a representative for Gallagher at his PR firm was quick to rubbish the claims. He said, "It's not official. None of the information on it is correct."

Speculation surrounding the release of Gallagher's debut solo album after his split from Oasis has continued to grow in recent months while the man himself has remained tight-lipped -- hence the widespread reporting when the Twitter account was set up.

The red herring came into play on Wednesday, May 4, when the unverified NoelDGGallagher made his first tweet. Among the handful of posts appeared two which seemed to give the 'dates' for a single then album release.

"For clarification this is Noel's official Twitter which will be handled by both his management and himself from time to time" one of the initial posts tells followers. There then follows two tweets, "Single release date: 22.08.2011" while the second states "Album release date: 12.09.2011."

Source: www.spinnermusic.co.uk

Win A Copy Of Upside Down

Tell us your favourite Creation Records track for the chance to win the DVD and soundtrack of 'Upside Down' - the documentary telling the rock n' roll story of Creation Records. Get all the details below.

Text us your favourite tracks

Whether it's by Oasis, Primal Scream, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Super Furry Animals or another iconic band on the books of Creation Records, tell us your favourite Creation song by texting the studio during the Breakfast and afternoon shows this Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th May using the numbers given out by our presenters, and you could win a copy of the 'Upside Down' DVD, soundtrack and an ipod nano.

Enter online to win
Don't worry if you miss out on-air over the weekend as there's another chance to win a copy of the 'Upside Down' DVD and soundtrack right here. Simply answer our question and enter your details here and they could be yours.

Source: www.xfm.com

Japanese Disaster Benifit On UK TV Tonight

On Sunday 3rd April Beady Eye were one of several acts to perform at a benefit to raise money for the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. The Coral, Graham Coxon, Paul Weller, Kelly Jones, Primal Scream and Richard Ashcroft all played sets to a sell out crowd at Brixton Academy.

Highlights from the gig will be broadcast on UK's Channel 4 (UK) tonight at midnight. The 50 minute programme will feature performances from each of the acts.

The event raised £163,262.97 for the Red Cross

Source: www.beadyeyemusic.com

Beady Eye On Tour Gallery

In support of their debut album Different Gear, Still Speeding, ex-Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and his new band Beady Eye launched their first tour, hitting major cities throughout the U.K. Along the way, they snapped photos -- and wrote snide captions -- for SPIN.com.

Click here to see the pictures.

On This Day In Oasis History...

The above interview is from the 5th May 2009, when Oasis played at the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile.

Click here to watch an interview with Noel Gallagher that includes footage from the gig.

Win A Beady Eye Box Set From Dangerbird Records

On April 16th, Beady Eye released an exclusive 7-inch box set in celebration of Record Store Day.
 
Beady Eye's US and Canadian record label Dangerbird Records have given us a copy to give one away in an easy to enter competition.

The box set is limited to just 2,000 copies (available in the USA only) and includes three 7” singles for “Bring The Light,” “Four Letter Word,” and “The Roller,” each featuring a rare b-side. Also included in the box is a 13×19” poster & digital download of three live tracks recorded for KEXP Radio in Seattle.

Fans could only find the box at local independent music stores listed on the Record Store Day website.
 
Tracklisting:
1. Bring The Light
2. Sons of the Stage
3. Four Letter Word
4. World Outside My Room
5. The Roller
6. Two of A Kind
7. The Beat Goes On (Live from KEXP)
8. Three Ring Circus (Live from KEXP)
9. Millionaire (Live from KEXP)
 
All you have to do to to win the box set is join the Beady Eye and Dangerbird mailing lists details here.

One winner will be picked at random by Dangerbird Records on July 1st 2011.

Oasis V Kasabian At This Month's 'This Feeling'

Have you ever wondered to yourself what tunes two of Britain’s biggest bands – Kasabian and Oasis - get off to when they jump offstage following a monumental show at Wembley Stadium. On Saturday May 14th at the Queen Of Hoxton, the tour DJ’s of Kasabian and Oasis will be firing these tunes from the inner sanctum of This Feeling.

In Kasabian’s backstage camp is DJ Dan Ralph Martin, who according to Sergio Pizzorno is: “Quite simply my favourite DJ.” Oasis Tour DJ Phil Smith sets the scene for Oasis’ epic nights out and Noel Gallagher declares he is: “Some of the best music I have ever heard Phil Smith played it to me first.”.
"Live" at TF we have Love In The Asylum, fresh from supporting The View on their UK tour. Sheffield’s The Violet May - who are fronted by Rev John McClure’s brother Chris McClure. Elsie, a modern day Blondie. The Jude , all over XFM and BBC6 Music current single ‘Ha Ha Goodbye’ right now and The 10:04’s, who just supported Razorlight at Scotland’s Haddow Festival, round up a high-five inducing line-up.

For More details visit www.thisfeeling.co.uk.

Alan McGee Wishes He Walked Away From Music After Oasis Played Knebworth

Music mogul Alan Mcgee wishes he'd walked away from the industry after Oasis' triumphant gigs at Britain's Knebworth House, because he became "delusional" with success.

MCGee was head of famed independent label Creation Records and became one of the most powerful men in the British rock scene after discovering the Wonderwall hitmakers in the early 1990s.

He went on to mastermind their huge success before closing down Creation and retiring from the industry in 2000 - but he now regrets keeping the company going after Oasis performed two iconic shows at the open-air Knebworth venue in 1996.

MCGee tells Playlist magazine, "We really should have given up after Knebworth in '96, though. Ego is a horrible thing, but I got one. I was delusional: if it had been up to me, I'd have got Oasis to do a gig from Antarctica."

Source: www.contactmusic.com

Happy Star Wars Day...

May The Forth Be With You....

Updated The Blog

I have finally given my websites blog an overhaul for the first time since 2006, I have updated the layout and features to keep up to date with not just Oasis but also Beady Eye and eventually Noel Gallagher.

Over the coming weeks I will be adding a number of different elements to the blog and will be tagging over 6,000 existing posts to make the site more user friendly and easy to navigate.

As requested it will now become easier to share the posts across a wide range of blogs and social networking sites.

Additional features include a new search function, and many more new improvements that the visitors to the site have requested.

As always, please continue to send me your comments and suggestions on how I can further improve the sites and blogs.

'Upside Down: The Creation Records Story' Reviews

Review From the ScotsMan
Upside Down: The Creation Records Story (15) ***
Directed by: Danny O'Connor

THERE'S a running joke in this amusing documentary about Creation Records that one of the reasons the label became so distinctive was because nobody could really understand what its Glasgwegian founder Alan McGee was saying half the time; the music he put out therefore had to do most of the talking. It's not really true, of course. Though his bands – and he launched the careers of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and, most famously, Oasis – certainly made plenty of noise, McGee was never a shadowy background figure. His passion for music and his determination to put out only the bands that he liked (even when the bands that he liked included The Telescopes) was matched by a determination to lead the same kind of debauched rock'n'roll lifestyle as his acts.

The film celebrates all this in gleeful fashion, running through Creation's punky Scottish origins to its bloated, Tony Blair-endorsed, champagne soaked end-point. Lots of rare archival footage and new interviews with the likes of Noel Gallagher and the now clean-and-sober McGee ensure that it's entertainingly riotous, though as a film, its print-the-legend approach could have used a few dissenting voices to balance out the rampant mythmaking.

Review From Radio Times
3 Starts out of 5

This overpopulated but evocative chronicle of the rise and fall of Creation Records — which, between 1983 and 1999, gave the world The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream and, more lucratively, Britpop superstars Oasis — is guilty of the same self-mythologising as the independent label itself. Founded in London by visionary Glaswegian Alan McGee in the fertile aftermath of punk, Creation was as much about revolutionary spirit as selling records, its reputation forged on signing cool bands that couldn't necessarily play and a relentless wooing of the music press. A garrulous and entertaining McGee dominates the documentary, as effusive as any recovering addict (his drug-linked breakdown is candidly covered), but contributions from key players, including Oasis kingpin Noel Gallagher, add colour and wry humour. Blending grainy archive with black and white testimony, and drawing on a squealing, pumping soundtrack, first-time director Danny O'Connor captures the hedonistic mood of a particular time — although anyone who wasn't there might find it a bit impenetrable.

The movie is released on the 9th of May, to order the DVD, Blu-Ray or Sound track click here.

The Vaccines To Support Beady Eye In Belfast

Beady Eye are pleased to announce they will be heading back to Belfast to play at this year's Belsonic Festival on Sunday 20th August.

The date will mark the band's return to Belfast after their gig at the city's Ulster Hall on their recently completed sold out tour of UK and Ireland.

Support for the gig comes from The Vaccines.

Tickets are on sale from 9am on May 6th through Ticketmaster.

Belsonic is a string of gigs run across August at the city's Custom House Square.

Other acts set to perform on the various dates include Primal Scream and Elbow. For more information, click HERE!

Source: www.beadyeyemusic.com

On This Day In Oasis History...

Oasis played arguably the best gig of the 'Dig Out Your Soul' tour at the Riverplate Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 3rd 2009.

The stadium is Argentina's national football stadium and venue for the 1978 World Cup final.

Also known as 'El Monumental de Nuñez', the iconic stadium is the biggest stadium in Argentina for concerts.

Above are a few videos from the show.

On May 3rd 2008, Noel Gallagher was interviewed on the phone for Soccer AM. Click here to watch the video.

Finally on the 3rd May 2007, Noel Gallagher, Ricky Hatton and Mani appeared on Granada Soccer Night.

Click here for part one and here for part two.

Beady Eye Set For Belsonic

Liam Gallagher's new band Beady Eye has added its name to this year's Belsonic line-up, with the rocker claiming that his first festival appearance in the city is “long overdue”.

The band, made up of ex-Oasis members Gallagher, Gem Archer and Andy Bell, played to a packed Ulster Hall last month, with loudmouth Liam pledging a return visit in the near future.

Announcing their headline slot at Belsonic on Saturday, August 20, Gallagher said Belfast was a special place for him to play.

“The people in Northern Ireland are always so up for it — they just get it,” he said.

“It's like they know something nobody else does. But we've never played a festival in Belfast. It's about time I played an outdoor gig in the city, long overdue.”

Beady Eye and 30 Seconds To Mars tickets go on sale Friday May 6 at 9am on www. belsonic.com, Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.ie and The Stiff Kitten

Source: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk