Paul Weller on why loves working with Noel Gallagher
As a teenager, Noel Gallagher was inspired to pick up a guitar and join a band partially because of his love for The Jam and Paul Weller. Years later, they developed a friendship, and today, the duo remain thick as thieves. They both equally enjoy the experience of collaborating, and their chemistry is undeniable.
The pair have worked together on many occasions, including ‘Echoes Round The Sun’ from Weller’s 22 Dreams and ‘The Attic’ from Sonik Kicks. “Well, me and Noel have been talking about trying to write something for years now,” Weller said about ‘Echoes Around The Sun’ to BBC News in 2008. “He had the idea for the backing track, and I just put the tune and the words on top.”
Weller warmed to Oasis from the beginning, and he first collaborated with Noel on the band’s second album, What’s The Story? (Morning Glory). The former Style Council leader assisted on ‘Champagne Supernova’ and supplied guest guitar on the classic Oasis track. After more than a decade, Gallagher finally repaid the favour on ‘Echoes Round The Sun’. Since then, they’ve played together several times, both in the studio and on stage.
During a conversation for Apple Music with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, Gallagher opened up about Weller’s influence on him. “Paul Weller, he’s in it for the only pure reasons,” Noel explained. “He’s in it for the music, the gigs, the clothes, and he still wants to be the guy. He’s such an inspiring dude, when I’m in the studio with him, either working on his stuff or my stuff, it’s a lesson in free expression. He’s been a constant in my life since 1979, and just a fucking dude.”
The respect between the duo is a two-way street, and following Gallagher’s work on Sonik Kicks, Weller spoke admiringly about his appreciation for Noel’s talent. He said (via SongFacts): “We just cracked on with it and tried lots of things together. In the end, Noel played guitar on ‘The Attic’ and bass on ‘When Your Garden’s Overgrown.’ I brought him in because you just know you’re going to get something good out of him.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Washington Times in 2015, Weller discussed the possibility of a future project with Noel. He revealed: “He is one of my best friends, actually. Definitely. We’ve done stuff together. We have been trying to write a song together — tried to do it for this record, actually. We would like to do that. But whether it happens or not, I don’t know.”
Whether the two will ever commit to a collaborative album remains to be seen, but it’s something we’d all be pleased to see. One of the few people who wouldn’t want to hear the two unite is Liam Gallagher, who still holds Weller culpable for the demise of Oasis.
