Sculpting the lost Oasis album from the Gallaghers’ solo careers

Posted On September 3, 2024September 3, 2024

Part of the melancholy that came with Oasis’ breakup in 2009 was how sudden it was. Everything seemed to be right in the world on that fateful night in Paris, but after one too many squabbles, Noel Gallagher’s choice to leave the Britpop legends behind made every fan feel a little bit jilted. Since they never got to say goodbye properly, why not take a look at what Oasis would have sounded like if they had the chance to cut that one final album?

It’s not like any of the members stopped writing during that time. Yes, the group were becoming a lot more democratic about their songs being included on their records, but considering their reunion, what would transpire on this project would feel more like a musical dialogue between Liam and Noel.

Looking at both of their solo careers and beyond, the brothers have always kept that underlying positivity and pure emotion behind their music, but having their best moments under one roof could have been a great way for them to let out their frustrations in song rather than on each other.

After all, Dig Out Your Soul didn’t feel like the end of an era by any stretch, and even if Oasis only stuck around for one more record before calling it quits, it would have put a fine point on that era of their careers just before they go their separate ways. So, in that respect, that proper eighth studio album could be more than just a by-the-numbers project. It would be the conceptual work no one knew they wanted.

Sculpting the lost Oasis album from the Gallaghers’ solo careers

‘Better Days’ – C’Mon You Know

To kick this record off, we need some true swagger. Oasis aren’t known for beating around the bush when it comes to their status as one of the biggest bands alive, and Liam was more than happy to talk about his legendary status on record. But in the case of ‘Better Days’, that one final album could have marked a reunion that most people didn’t even think was possible at the time.

Just like he is present in the music video, this revamped version of ‘Better Days’ would have to feature Bonehead on guitar. He was always known as the one bringing that signature crunch to Oasis’s older tunes, so hearing him dialled in as Noel played the straight-ahead chords up the middle would be a musical match made in heaven all over again. In the context of the record, it might be a last hoorah, but Liam is still painting the way for even greater heights ahead.

‘Riverman’ – Chasing Yesterday

By the time Oasis was dissolving, Noel’s songwriting began to shift just a little bit. While he could still make bulletproof melodies, his ability to recontextualise himself as an artist gave the world another look at the man known for strictly stadium rock. He always did have a moody other side, and ‘Riverman’ still stands as one of the finest moments that he put on record outside of Oasis.

Since Noel had become the one responsible for ballads, this would have been a nice way to flip that reputation on its head as he tried his hand at some Pink Floyd-esque soundscapes towards the end of the tune. Whereas ‘Columbia’ was meant to wash over the listener on their debut, this has the same sensation with a bit more of a sinister bite to it. Far too mellow for Liam, but still cutting all the same.

‘Wall of Glass’ – As You Were

Liam was never going to be satisfied with playing lowkey music for the rest of his life. That was reserved for the pop stars of the world, and ‘Our Kid’ knew he needed to channel the spirit of John Lydon if he was going to come correct. And after Beady Eye quickly dissolved, ‘Wall of Glass’ brought us the swaggering rock star we all remembered back from those Knebworth shows. 

After overcoming problems with his voice and stepping out on his own with Greg Kurstin, Liam sounds like a more mature version of his younger self, taking all of the grit and gravel in his voice and learning how to amplify it a little bit more. While we’re still dealing with hypotheticals here, Kurstin’s production might be a real-life possibility. Considering how well he knows Liam’s vocal style and how to accentuate that Britpop flair, any new material the group hopes to release needs to have a little bit of Kurstin’s touch on it. 

‘If I Had a Gun’ – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

There simply isn’t anything better than Noel’s acoustic material, is there? Regardless of the number of times Liam stepped behind the microphone for some unplugged appearances, tracks like ‘Half the World Away’ and ‘The Masterplan’ were sung by Noel because only he could translate that emotion live. But when he first emerged as a solo artist, no one expected the kind of romantic tune that would give ‘Wonderwall’ a run for its money.

Even down to using the same key as their biggest hit, ‘If I Had a Gun’ is one of the most unabashed love songs that Noel ever wrote, singing about how his lover’s touch is the only kind of religion that he would ever need in his life. The later Oasis projects hadn’t touched on anything this romantic since ‘She is Love’, and while it might have been a little bit soft by the standards of Dig Out Your Soul, it would fit just as well on this more mellow final outing.

‘Millionaire’ – Different Gear Still Speeding (Beady Eye)

Beady Eye always felt like they were over before they properly got started. They had all of the extra bells and whistles at their feet on Different Gear Still Speeding, but the more they went on, the more they sounded like they were trying to run before they could walk, songwriting-wise since the first album had a lot of leftovers from the Oasis days, though, ‘Millionaire’ was a quick wave back to that kind of rock and roll swagger.

Despite having a tune on the record literally called ‘Beatles and Stones’, Liam has never had more of that Mick Jagger-like aura than on this track. Compared to the sentimental side of Oasis, they never lost their egos, and hearing him brag about running through life as if he’s a millionaire is the exact kind of arrogant response we’ve come to expect out of any of Liam’s projects.

‘Lock All the Doors’ – Chasing Yesterday

Sometimes, classics aren’t meant to be recorded as soon as they are written. It takes a lot more than just the right studio to capture the vibe of a track, and even when there’s a great melody around it, it could take years trying to crack the code on what the lyrics should be. After spending ages in the dark, though, Noel’s version of ‘Lock All the Doors’ did sound spectacular on Chasing Yesterday. It was just missing that one extra something, and that something’s name was Liam.

Considering the faster tempo and the spit-fire lyrics, this already feels like a lost Oasis track that just happens not to have Liam’s voice on it. For all the swagger that Noel can muster, it wouldn’t have compared had his brother been able to put his snarl to it, especially when banging that same star-shaped tambourine that Noel alludes to in the first verse. There’s no set formula to any Oasis song, but making a more melodic version of a Sex Pistols track is practically the road map for Liam’s entire career.

‘Dead to the World’ – Council Skies

Not every Noel acoustic ditty is meant to be optimistic. As much as fans like to sing along to ‘Half the World Away’ and dream of being somewhere better, there’s also ‘Sad Song’ that encapsulates every single insecurity that comes with being young. And for a group that was always centred around life, hearing Noel talking about being dead to the world is the mature version of him that Oasis fans might not have been ready to hear.

Continuing on from the romance angle of ‘If I Had the Gun’, this is a good reminder that Noel has just as many vulnerabilities inside his head as everyone else does. After following two tracks of nonstop energy, hearing Noel lull us back down to Earth with a tearjerker is also a reminder of what many people tend to forget about Oasis. Above all else, they’re still human, and no matter how many times they have lifted up our spirits, there’s a certain level of growth that comes with being able to open up like this.

‘The Roller’ – Different Gear Still Speeding (Beady Eye)

Like all Oasis albums, though, no one was going to stay down in the dumps for too long. Liam was always about making the most out of life whenever he sang, and no amount of inner feelings was going to get in the way of him climbing to the top of the mountain. Even though Gem Archer and Andy Bell had a hand in making ‘The Roller’, no one else could have delivered it better than Liam.

While everyone and their mother likes to make the Beatles comparisons, this is probably the best example of them wearing their influences on their sleeves, taking that same nasal John Lennon cadence and putting together a tune that sounds like a long-lost relic from the days of ‘Instant Karma’. Not all of the words make the most sense, but it hardly even matters. It’s all about how it makes you feel, and with this kind of background music, it’s impossible to feel unhappy.

‘You Know We Can’t Go Back’ – Chasing Yesterday

If this would truly have been the final Oasis album, there would have to be a hint of nostalgia amongst the brothers. This had been their livelihood for years, and even if they were at odds through most of it, there was surely at least a little bit of fondness reminiscing on the days when they took over the world. Nostalgia can be a powerful thing, but Noel made sure to keep the big picture in mind when crafting ‘You Know We Can’t Go Back’.

Outside of being a fantastic live cut, the High Flying Birds rocker feels like as much of a statement about Oasis’ demise as Noel’s solo career. Had every member of Oasis been onstage for a final tour, this would have been a perfect way to give that final blast of energy before calling it a day. It was time to move on, but that didn’t mean that the last ride didn’t have to have some fun as well.

‘Don’t Stop’ – Oasis

Okay, so maybe this one might be cheating a bit. After all, ‘Don’t Stop’ is just a demo that Noel released years after Oasis had broken up, and no one really knew that a reunion was on the horizon. However, if the Brit rockers were to have bowed out one last time, ‘Don’t Stop’ is the final kiss goodbye before they fade away into the ether.

Even though it’s hard to make out what Noel is saying on most of the track, the lyrics about going away for a while and hoping the rest of the fans keep listening to the music is enough to bring the toughest fan to tears. They may have lived their lives for the stars that shine, but now both of them are feasting on the stars in the sky in another world. This imaginary final project would have been an emotional experience regardless, but Noel knows that just because they bow out doesn’t mean they’re gone forever.

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