Biography.
Written with help from the book 'Brothers, from childhood to Oasis, the real story'
There are many different stories about how Oasis became a Band, how they got their name, and how they became known to the general public and how they have became a household name and a part of music history. No matter what you think of the band and if you like them or not, one things is for sure. They ARE going to be remembered for a very VERY long time.
What you are about to read is the OASIS story told by Paul Gallagher, Liam and Noels older brother. This is how it all came about, THE REAL STORY.
It all started after Liam had been to see the Stone Roses play at Spike Island in the Summer of 1990. That was really the beginning of it all. After seeing this Stone Roses concert, Liam was set on joining a band and becoming a part of the Manchester Music scene. Liam loved Ian Brown. He was his idol. Liam wanted to BE Ian Brown. That is what made him decide to be in a band. From that very first Stone Roses gig he decided that he would be the Lead Singer in a band.
Liam's first chance came when a local band called the Rain sacked their lead singer. 'The Rain' consisted of Paul Arthurs (Bonehead), guitar,Paul McGuigan (Guigsy), Bass and Tony McCarrol, Drums and before he was sacked, Chris Hutton, Vocals. This was the beginning of the BEST band on the earth but if you had heard them in the beginning I doubt you would have thought it. They are said to have been DREADFULL! They had a song they performed in their set about the Strangeways prison riot in Manchester in 1990 called' we're having a rave on the roof'. They rehearsed in the cellar of a pub and had played a few small gigs in wine bars and the like but were going nowhere. Then their lead singer left.
This was to Liam the chance he was looking for. He had made himself to look like Ian Brown and he sang like him then too. Liam got in touch with Bonehead, Guigsy and McCarrol and arranged an audition. The others wanted Liam in the band but Liam refused to join a band called 'the Rain'. He said that they should call the band 'Oasis' so they did.
There are many stories going around about why 'Oasis' are so called. The REAL reason is that in Liam and Noels room they had a poster advertising an Inspiral Carpets gig at the Swindon Oasis. Liam liked the sound and thought, Yeah, why not?
When Liam joined they were still rehearsing in the Pub cellar so Paul Gallagher had a word with the manager of one of the Irish Clubs in the area. He would slip him a tenner every week to let Oasis rehearse there on the sly. The only condition the Manager gave was that there was to be NO drug taking on the premises.
After two weeks of working there a young Irish lad caught a whiff of something and went straight to the owner of the club and told him the band who were rehearsing there were doing dope. The owner didn't even know a band were rehearsing there and so he barred the Band for life and gave the Manager a good talking to.
Liam was the most enthusiastic person in the band. He was skint and on the dole but he really beleived in the band even if no-one else did. After being kicked out of the club Bonehead got a rehearsal room that they could use.
Their first proper gig as Oasis was on 18 august 1991, supporting Sweet Jesus at the Boardwalk, Manchester. There were only about 40-50 people at that gig but in the audience were the whole of the Insiral Carpets, Noel and his Girlfriend, Louise, and Paul. Liam was pretty nervous about doing the gig in front of his mates and so he had a bit of trouble with some of the notes. His attempt at doing a few Ian Brown steps on stage were also pretty band (That maybe why he now puts his hands behind his back and stands still while singing on stage). Liam and Bonehead wrote all the songs back then. Three of the songs were 'Take me', 'Alice' and 'Reminisce'. It was a pretty bad gig.
Noel was not very impressed with it but he was pleased at the way Liam had acheived what he wanted to and had became the lead singer in a band. Noel had always wanted to be in his own band. If Oasis had been good in the first place the chances are the Oasis that we know and love today would have never happened. Noel wanted a band that he could be in charge of. He wanted to make them good with his own songs and his own style.
Noel had just finished with the Inspiral Carpets. He had been given £2000 pay off and had been earning £500-£600 a week. He now had quite a bit of money. The band had also decided to rehearse at the Boardwalk, which was a five minute walk from Noels home and Oasis needed a Lead Guitarist. It all fitted together brilliantly and so Noel became a member of Oasis. They now had money, a guitarist who could make the band GOOD and a good rehearsal place. They were now the OASIS that we ALL like!!
For Oasis, it wasn't instant fame. They had to try hard to get where they are today. They played as support act for many small bands WAY before they even got there own gig. Their first big break was on Sunday 31st May 1993 when Oasis were playing in King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, with 3 other bands the Sister Lovers (possibly were the title of the brilliant B-Side came from), Boyfriend and 18 Wheeler. Oasis had came to Glasgow with the Sister Lovers and they thought that it had all been organised with the promoter that Oasis could play too. When the night came the promoters became worried with the small turn out at the gig and so refused to let Oasis play. Noel pointed out that Oasis had bought 17 people from Manchester to see the gig and that if they weren't allowed to play things might get out of hand! (YES, that is the REAL story. WITHOUT any of Noel's crap!). Also the Sister Lovers and Boyfriend said that they refused to play unless Oasis were allowed to as well. The organisers in the end gave in and decided to let Oasis play a 15-20 minute set.
According to the band and Alan McGee himself it was pure coincidence Alan McGee, head of creations records, should be there at that gig that very night. According to McGee the reason he went to the gig was that he had seen the Sister Lovers advertised on a poster when he was in Glasgow, got them muddled up with a mates band of the same name and ended up attending that concert. The minute he heard Oasis he knew they were going to be big. He LOVED everything they did. The minute he saw Oasis play he went up and offered them a record deal and after a while they accepted. Then they got their manager, Marcus Russel of ignition management and Oasis were on their way to take on the world.
In July 1993 Oasis played their last concert at the Boardwalk and it was pretty well packed out. Everyone had caught onto the fact that Oasis now had a record deal. A number of local papers had articles in mainly because of a live tape Oasis had recorded and sent around.
Chris Sharrat from City Life wrote this short piece just before their Boardwalk gig :
'I've got to hold my hands up here; saw these live at In the City and again at the Boardwalk. I walked away unconvinced, and maybe a bit pompous about their influences. Then Noel gave me their live tape and I was instantly converted. More power to creation for getting their finger out whilst everyone else just sat on their thumbs, thinking about it. Good Luck.'
There were many local bands on the Boardwalk guestlist including the Charlatans and the Inspiral Carpets plus many promoters but what Noel was most interested in was that there was a reporter from the NME in the audience. This was to be the first of Oasis' many good reports i the national music press. The reporter was Emma Morgan. tne review went something like this:
'Shout to the rooftops and dance in the streets - Creation have not gone mad! Lately they've been worrying us sick with the lack of pop product and bevy of rash signings, and the chances were that the lastest 'find', Oasis were going to be just another nail in the 'Where are Primal Scream' band coffin. But no. Because Manchester's Oasis are a genuinely fine guitar propelled pop band, with little of the crass baggage such a description suggests. They're not perfect, they might find it hard instictively to impress, but they still stomp out the kind of terrifyingly memorable tunes that most bands forgot how to make as they blundered around on the perhipery of true talent. Soundwise they're slighty reminiscent of a drugged up (ahem) version of the Stone Roses. It's almost as though everyone's favourite stroppily invisible mancs have grown up and decided to take it slow this time, in the process swapping loon pants and T-shirts for sensible trousers and M&S pullovers. Mercifully what they haven't mislaid is the basic brilliant melodic framework, as demonstrated by opener 'stray dogs', with a rhythm involving more than three chords and a lyric concerned with driving your mates mad with jealousy because you're getting some blokes lasagne (hopefully not a metaphor) and they're not. It's impossible not to be drawn in to take a closer listen. Bizarre shouts of 'Showaddywaddy' from the floor are utterly unfounded. Good. With any luck, so are everyone's fears about the label that bought you the BMX Bandits. Even better, Oasis really are the shoots of vitality in a barren pop land.'
Now Oasis were ready for the world. Plans were ready for them to release a white label record soon and they had their first LIVE radio performance on Radio Fives 'Hit the North'. They played two or three songs including 'Cigarettes and Alcohol'. The presenters of the show were Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley (Now known as Mark and Lard on BBC Radio 1, Go to the links section for more info). Oasis were on a run. They got many brilliant reviews and now everyone was just waiting for them to release something.
Their first release was a white label version of 'Columbia'. This went down brilliantly with many radio stations and ever since then they have done brilliantly. With 3 BIG albums, 12 hit singles (13 if you include Don't Go Away, Japan release only!).
In the years since they first got together and now they have only lost one band member from the original band. That was Tony McCaroll but in his place came the brilliant Alan White . They are still getting BRILLIANT reviews. Although many peoples opinion of them have changed there is no doubt about it, Oasis ARE a big part of music history. Although they have said that they aren't recording anything else untill the year 2000 they will still have fans (probably more than ever) and still be getting EXCELLENT reviews, performing brilliant gigs and releasing brilliant new material well into the next millenium.
There is no doubt about....... Oasis are the best, AND ALWAYS WILL BE!!!!!
What you were just reading was written by Richard Day with a lot of help from the book 'brothers, from childhood to Oasis'. If you want to find out more about the band go out and buy this book. It is availiable from a bookshop near you at a brilliant price of £5.99. It is an essential read for every single Oasis fan the world over. Just so they don't sue me the book is written by Paul Gallagher (Noel and Liam's older bro) and Terry Christian (the bloke who put all of it into writing). I think they can still sue me anyway :)
Bonehead, Noel, Liam, Whitey, Guigsy.
