Win A Pair Of Tickets To An Immersive Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds ‘Council Skies’ Album Playback!
Here's your chance to experience the album before anyone else.
Pre-Order any format of the album via Noel's official store at noelgallagher.com before 8PM BST, Monday 22nd May to receive information on how to enter the ballot to win a pair of tickets to an exclusive, immersive 'Council Skies' album playback on the evening of June 1st in Central London! *
Alread pre-ordered via the store?
Keep an eye on your inbox next Wednesday for details.
Watch An Interview With Noel Gallagher Ahead Of Manchester City v Real Madrid
Below is an interview with Noel Gallagher ahead of Manchester City v Real Madrid yesterday, skip to around 01:46:00 to watch it.
Join us live for team news and pre-match thoughts from Ellie Roebuck, Nedum Onuoha and David James ahead of our huge Champions League semi-final clash against Real Madrid! 💪 https://t.co/01srRaxkdF
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 17, 2023
Noel Gallagher On Liam, Divorce And More
In a recent interview with The Big Issue, Noel Gallagher spoke on how his brother Liam's behavior played out in their relationship, his divorce and more.
Speaking about Liam he said “You never knew what mood Liam was going to turn up in, and I found the whole thing really f-cking stressful. My overriding feeling was this is just so f-cking unnecessary. This is the dream that we’ve all lived for, and you’re still moaning about some sh-t that went on 18 hours ago. It’s just nonsense.
"Singers are the kings of blaming sh-t on everybody else. I was writing the songs, so I was directing it. I knew what I was doing. I often wondered what it would feel like if I was in a band, and I had no control over the direction of it because the guy who wrote all the songs was so fucking good. There would be no point in getting involved. So no wonder he went off the rails. But you can balance that by saying, well, Oasis wouldn’t be f-cking anything if they hadn’t asked me to join them.”
How he thinks lockdown and the pandemic played a part in his split from Sara MacDonald.
He said “I know a lot of people in the same boat as me and Sara. Particularly after the pandemic. It’s not uncommon for people who have been in long-term relationships to go their separate ways in their 50s. When you get to your mid-50s, you do come to some kind of crossroads in your life. The midlife crisis thing is true for men and women.”
On the present “I’m certainly not getting nostalgic for the past, no way. Things are f**king great in the present. Man City are great, my life is great. I’m happy and healthy. I’m about to go on tour around the world. It’s happening now for me."
The Big Issue is on sale now.
Noel Gallagher Will Be A Guest On The Late Late Show In Ireland On Friday
Noel Gallagher will be a guest on The Late Late Show in Ireland as a guest on Friday night on RTÉ One at 21:35 and RTÉ Player.
'10 Years Of Noise And Confusion: Oasis Live at Barrowlands' Is Now On Apple TV
The concert film '10 Years of Noise and Confusion: Oasis Live at Barrowlands' is available for purchase and rental!
Watch it today on Apple TV.
On This Day In Oasis History...
On May 17th 1997 Noel Gallagher supported Paul Weller at the Brixton Academy.Watch a number of videos from the set below.
Listen to the band on top form with a superb soundboard recording of the gig below.
Stop The Clocks
01: Rock 'N' Roll Star
02: Some Might Say
03: Talk Tonight
04: Lyla
05: The Importance Of Being Idle
06: Wonderwall
07: Slide Away
08: Cigarettes & Alcohol
09: The Masterplan
Disc 2
01: Live Forever
02: Acquiesce
03: Supersonic
04: Half The World Away
05: Go Let It Out
06: Songbird
07: Morning Glory
08: Champagne Supernova
09: Don't Look Back In Anger
Japanese bonus tracks
01: Roll With It
02: Let There Be Love
iTunes bonus tracks
01: Cast No Shadow" (Live at Knebworth House, Knebworth, Hertfordshire, England, 10 August 1996)
02: Columbia" (Live at Knebworth House, Knebworth, Hertfordshire, England, 11 August 1996)
03: Acquiesce" (Music video)
Release Date: November 20th 2006
Highest UK Chart Position: Number 2
Stop The Clocks is a compilation album it was released on November 20th 2006 by Big Brother Recordings. The "retrospective collection" is an eighteen track double album with the featured songs chosen by Noel Gallagher.
Background
The album came about due to the end of Oasis' recording contract with Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Noel Gallagher has gone on record before on numerous occasions saying that the band wouldn't release a greatest hits album unless they were about to split up. However, in an interview with news.com.au in December 2005, he hinted that Sony were planning to release one anyway, and that despite his misgivings, he would have to get involved with it otherwise it'd be bad. This was clarified in December 2006, when he told The Guardian that when he made it clear to Sony that the band were not going to re-sign to them, the record label decided to release a greatest hits album. Gallagher then explained that he insisted that it had to be a 'best-of' because he felt a compilation of the best singles, album tracks and B-sides would produce a stronger album than a compilation of singles.
To address some fans' concerns that the release of a greatest hits album was a sign that the band were about to finish, based on some of Noel Gallagher's previous comments, the press release for the album confirmed that they are merely taking "a well earned sabbatical prior to starting work on new material, destined for similar levels of success in the future. As such, this is not a full stop, but merely a time out; a dream set list, and a chance for the world to review the immense contribution that Oasis have made and continue to make to rock 'n' roll."
Gallagher stated in an episode of MTV's Gonzo that the album would be more for future generations, as Gallagher himself became interested in artists such as The Beatles through compilation albums.
To celebrate the release of the album, the band unveiled their first full-length film – Lord Don't Slow Me Down, shot during the Don't Believe The Truth world tour, from May 2005 to March 2006, the film was shown in November 2006 around the world in selected picture houses, theatres and cinemas to winners of fans competitions and the press. An edited version was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK.
In Japan, a box set was also released of all their singles to coincide with the album.
Content
Stop The Clocks focuses heavily on the band's first two albums, Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, with each contributing five tracks, plus four B-sides (also included on the band's other compilation album The Masterplan) from this era. Only two tracks appear from Don't Believe The Truth, and one track each from Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants and Heathen Chemistry. The album does not feature any material from Be Here Now.
When the release of Stop The Clocks was first announced in July 2006, speculation was rife that the unreleased song of the same name would be included on the record as a bonus track. However, Noel Gallagher told fans at a Q&A session that the song was considered for inclusion, but they weren't happy with any of the many versions they have recorded. It would later be released on Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' 2011 debut album.
Gallagher also confirmed that the title was chosen to sum up what was described in the initial press release as being "merely a time out; a chance for the world to review the immense contribution that Oasis have made and continue to make to rock 'n' roll." Noel Gallagher revealed in an interview in April 2005 that Stop The Clocks was the original title for the band's early recorded material in early 2004, which turned eventually into Don't Believe The Truth.
Gallagher revealed to Billboard that he was approached about including some new songs on the album as well, but that he opted not to "because it takes the focus away from what you're actually trying to say with a retrospective."
Gallagher told NME in September 2006 that he picked the tracks on the album, and there were about eight songs that "should be on there, but aren't". He explained that his original vision was for a 12-track album on one CD, but, after whittling down from an initial 30+ tracks, the track listing was finalised. He admitted that he had had arguments with people about the track listing but that "someone has to pick the track listing, and I've picked it and that's the end of it. But that must mean we're pretty good, if people are arguing about what's not on it, it's brilliant!"
During an interview on Radio 1 in October 2006, and later during a question and answer session with fans for Something For The Weekend Liam Gallagher, who got a songwriting credit with his Songbird, claimed that he was happy with the tracks Noel had selected for the album, although he said that he would have liked Rockin' Chair and D'You Know What I Mean? to be included. Noel, however, admitted that D'You Know What I Mean? was to be included on the album up until the moment it was being mastered, explaining that the length of the song "upset the flow of the album".
Songs that the band also wanted to be on the track listing were Cast No Shadow, Don't Go Away, Gas Panic!, Whatever and Little By Little, although they couldn't fit them in since they felt the record would "drag on" and make it too long, being over the some 18-track idea Noel had planned out. Noel has also said he would have liked to have found a place for Fade Away, (It's Good) To Be Free, Let There Be Love and Listen Up.
In the special boxed edition of Stop The Clocks, at the end of the 'Lock The Box' interview, when Liam was told Whatever was not included in the track listing, he exclaimed, "Thank f*ck for that."
Cover
The cover was designed by Sir Peter Blake, best known for his design of the sleeve for The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but also well recognised within the genre for his work on the cover of Paul Weller's Stanley Road album.
According to Blake, he chose all of the objects in the picture at random, but the sleeves of Sgt. Pepper's and Definitely Maybe were in the back of his mind. He claims, "It's using the mystery of Definitely Maybe and running away with it." Familiar cultural icons which can be seen on the cover include Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Michael Caine (replacing the original image of Marilyn Monroe, which couldn't be used for legal reasons) and the seven dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Blake also revealed that the final cover wasn't the original one. That design featured an image of the shop 'Granny Takes a Trip' on the Kings Road in Chelsea, London.
Chart performance
The album debuted at number two in the UK charts selling over 50,000 copies in its first day of release and 216,000 in its first week of release, surprisingly not selling enough to knock The Love Album, by Irish boy band Westlife off the top spot. By the end of the year Stop The Clocks had sold 898,000 copies in the UK making it the 7th biggest selling album of the year. It also debuted at number eighty nine on the US Billboard 200, starting with 18,000 units sold. It did however enter the Japanese Oricon album charts at number one, selling 87,462 copies in its first week.
On This Day In Oasis History...
On May 16th 2005, Oasis released 'Lyla' as the first single to be taken from the ‘Don't Believe The Truth' album.
It was the bands seventh number one on the Official UK Single Chart.
On This Day In Oasis History...
On May 15th 2001 Oasis played the second of two sold out nights at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, USA.
It's well worth a watch as the band are on fire, watch highlights from the gig below.
Listen to the gig below.
On This Day In Oasis History...
On May 13th 1996, Oasis released 'Champagne Supernova' as a radio only single in the United States Of America.
It was the bands second No. 1 single on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
The song was released as an official single in Australia the following month.
On May 13th 1998, Oasis released the 'Don't Go Away' single in Japan.
Watch the video for the track below
Noel Gallagher Interview In Next Week’s The Big Issue Magazine:
Make sure to buy a magazine from your local vendor to read the full interview, on sale from Monday!
There's a little teaser here.
What's Going On At This Feeling This Weekend?
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A well known haunt of well known faces, and where to see future next big things in advance.
Visit www.thisfeeling.co.uk for tickets and information on club nights all over the UK.
📷 Model D Photography
On This Day In Oasis History...
On May 12th 2005 Oasis played at the Alcatraz in Milan, Italy.
Watch the gig below.
Watch a number of videos from the set below.
Liam Gallagher To Play Oasis’ 'Definitely Maybe' In Full At Gigs Next Year
Liam Gallagher has tweeted that he is going to perform Oasis’ debut album Definitely Maybe all the way through in order at a series of special gigs to mark its 30th anniversary.
As it’s 30 years since DM was released nxt year I’m gonna be playing the album from start to finish in it’s original order at a few BIBLICAL venues LG x
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) May 11, 2023