“That’s how I wanted to sound”: The bands that inspired Noel Gallagher to become a guitarist
As the end credits of the Oasis documentary Supersonic begin to roll, Liam Gallagher defiantly claims that the band have earned their right at the big boy table of rock, “whether they like it or not”. It was a line that typified the band in many ways; with their chest puffed out and elbows pointed wide, they made their mark on the world with unapologetic fury.
They were the unlikely lads of British rock in many ways. It seems strange to imagine it now, given the sheer size of the tracksuit-clad Britpop movement, but the world was completely unaware that Oasis was what it needed. As the glossy finish of the 1980s slowly subsided, the throne of British music was entirely up for grabs, and Oasis decided it should be seized to the soundtrack of four-chord rock.
Their entire brand was built on not caring about anything, be it criticism or innovation, and certainly not about other celebrities. At least, that was what they were trying to portray. Because once you got past the steely exterior of the Gallagher brothers, underneath you would find the same soft underbelly as all musicians and music fans. A deep sense of sentimentality rooted in the appreciation of music’s past.
Even without covering The Beatles’ ‘I Am The Walrus’, the Liverpudlians’ footprints of influence echoed through the walls of Noel’s guitar and Liam’s voice, harnessing the melodic brilliance of the great band while thrusting it into something more rugged. But the Fab Four were the first domino to fall in a chain effect of greatness that came out of the north-west of England. In that small, concentrated area of the country, some of our finest exports were produced, and all of them paved the way for Oasis. Oh, and so did one little old band from London.
Speaking of his most influential figures, Noel said, “The Jam, Stone Roses, The Smiths and The Beatles. I always used to bash about on this guitar, playing stuff like ‘Hey Jude’. Then in 1983, I saw The Smiths and I said, “That’s it! That’s the way I want to play guitar.” Then after that, I saw John Squire from The Stone Roses cross them two with Paul Weller and John Lennon, and that’s how I wanted to sound.”
In essence, that is where the greatness of the band lies. The amalgamation of all of those greats can be cross-referenced in the Oasis discography, creating a beautiful mutt of contemporary British music. But where Noel and his brother shared the same soulful depth of the likes of Weller and Lennon, John Squire represented something different altogether.
He was a master technician who created a platform upon which The Stone Roses could create a sound that blended the burgeoning genres of subcultural Manchester, and Noel knew that. He once said that The Stone Roses influenced his songwriting, “even though I don’t even come close to what [Squire] does”.
But like his fearless brother claimed, Noel has a seat at the table alongside the big boys. And while he might not be holding court during conversations of technicality, they will all hush to a quick silence when it comes to discussing the art of writing generational hits.
