FYI: Oasis

Let’s celebrate the release of Lord Don’t Slow Me Down with an FYI on the feuding brothers Gallagher and their band Oasis.

• The band was formed by schoolmates Liam Gallagher, Paul (Bonehead) Arthurs on guitar, Paul McGuigan on bass and Tony McCaroll on drums.
• Noel Gallagher joined the band after being a guitar roadie for the Inspriral Carpets.
• The band apparently cornered the co-owner of Creation Records, Alan McGee, and forced him to listen to their demo; which worked and the band was signed.
• “Supersonic” was the band’s first single, released in the spring of 1994.
• The band’s third single, “Live Forever”, would hit #10 on the UK Singles Chart and #2 on the US Modern Rock Tracks.
• The band’s debut album, Defiantly Maybe, was released in September of 1994 and became the fastest selling debut in the UK.
• During a gig in L.A., Liam (who was on crystal meth) made offensive remarks about Americans and proceeded to attack Noel with a tambourine; Noel left the band, only to rejoin them shortly in a Texas Studio, where he recorded the B-side “Talk Tonight”.
• Following their successful American tour, the band went home and recorded the single “Some Might Say”.
• Drummer Tony McCarrol is replaced by Alan White.
• (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? was released in October of 1995 and has sold over 19 million copies worldwide.
• “Wonderwall” has been covered by Ryan Adams, Cat Power, Richard Cheese, Paul Anka, Dave Grohl, Robbie Williams and mockingly by Radiohead.
• Paul Weller provided lead guitar and some back up vocals for “Champagne Supernova”.
• The band’s two shows at Knebworth in August of 1996, holds the record for the largest outdoor concert in the UK.
• Noel took over lead vocals for their Unplugged performance, since Liam had a “soar throat”.
• Be Here Now was released in August of 1997 and became the fastest selling album in the UK.
• “D’You Know What I Mean?” contains a drum loop from N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton”.
• Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft provided some of the backing vocals for “All Around the World”; this song would eventually be used in an AT&T commercial…by the way, don’t use AT&T, they’re bad.
• In November of 1998, Oasis released The Masterplan, a compilation of B-sides.
• In August of 1999, guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and bassist Paul McGuigan left Oasis.
• The band released Standing on the Shoulder of Giants in February of 2000 and has sold over 3 million copies worldwide.
• Q Magazine placed Standing on the Shoulder of Giants at #46 of the 50 worst albums of all time in their April 2006 issue.
• “F*ckin’ in the Bushes” appears on the soundtrack, and in the movie, Snatch.
• In May of 2001, Oasis teamed up with the Black Crowes and Spacehog for the Tour of Brotherly Love.
• Heathen Chemistry was released in July of 2002 and has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.
• “The Hindu Times” reached the #1 spot on the UK singles chart.
• Drummer Alan White left Oasis in 2004 and was replaced by Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey.
• Don’t Believe the Truth was released in May of 2005 and has sold over 4 million copies worldwide.
• The Foo Fighters covered the song “Lyla” during a BBC performance.
• The readers of Q Magazine named “The Importance of Being Idle” as the best song of 2005.
• The band contributed a new track entitled “Who Put the Weight of the World On My Shoulders” for the 2005 flick Goal!
• In 2006 Oasis released Stop the Clocks, a best of compilation.
• The band covered “Within You Without You” for the BBC2 tribute to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
• The band plans to release their next album sometime in 2008.