The cult band Noel Gallagher said were “as good as it gets”
It is unclear how much of the 1990s Noel Gallagher actually remembers. After all, he spent the majority of the decade immersed in the kind of young, rock and roll hedonism that could only be afforded to a band like Oasis, who perfectly toed the line between commercial prowess and rock rebellion. Still, that hasn’t stopped the songwriter from repeatedly voicing his opinions on the musical landscape of the time.
Gallagher, much like his arguably even more outspoken brother, has never been the kind of musician to hide his opinions of his fellow artists. Over the years, everybody from Robbie Williams to the Kaiser Chiefs has been targeted by the Oasis songwriter, so much so that it is often difficult to tell whether he even means what he says, or whether he’s simply upholding his famously outspoken reputation.
Either way, when Gallagher sees fit to praise an artist, it is worth taking note of. He is, after all, rather difficult to please, even if he has mellowed somewhat since the days of Britpop debauchery. Although there have been a select few groups that the songwriter has always adored – The Beatles being the archetypal example – he rarely seems to flutter into the realm of dance music. Apart from, as it turns out, his love of The Chemical Brothers.
Much like Gallagher, Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands emerged from Manchester during the early 1990s, and, unlike Oasis, they rose out of the city’s blossoming dance culture and rave scene. In more ways than one, their big beat output typified the dance sounds of the 1990s, but, more impressively, they managed to cultivate an audience which tends to transcend the world of big-pupiled ravers.
In fact, Gallagher was among their early appreciators, from the days when the pair were the resident DJs at the Heavenly Sunday Social Club in London.
That appreciation must have run deep, too, because even during the whirlwind period between Definitely Maybe and (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, Gallagher found the time to collaborate with The Chemical Brothers on the legendary hit ‘Setting Sun’, which also incorporates elements of ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ by Gallagher’s favourites, The Beatles.
That collaboration only seemed to further the songwriter’s appreciation for the electronic pioneers, and during a later interview, he declared, “They seem to have a way with drums, that’s for starters. And they’re one of the few dance – I don’t know whether it’s right to call them a group – they’re one of the few dance acts who’ve actually made a couple of pretty good fucking albums.” Adding, “It’s just fucking good, and I know that’s a real cliche thing to say, it’s just good, but it is.”
“I like the fact that it can be quite scary, but it can be quite soulful as well,” Gallagher continued, recalling an incident where two party guests left when he played ‘The Private Psychedelic Reel’. “They’re just mega, they’re as good as it gets.”
To be fair to Gallagher, the vast majority of electronic outfits back in the 1990s did tend to focus almost solely on single releases, whereas The Chemical Brothers managed to craft masterful albums, which is perhaps one of the reasons why they managed to transcend the typical fanbase of other electronic outfits. Regardless, Noel Gallagher certainly counted himself among those fans.
