The song Liam Gallagher called the ultimate rock tune: “It’s just fucking rocking”
It doesn’t take a lot for Liam Gallagher to talk about how Oasis is one of the finest rock and roll bands in the world.
They had conquered the entire rock scene in the 1990s, and while many people thought it would have been all hype, the reason why they have endured so long is because of how well Noel Gallagher’s songwriting has held up over all that time. ‘The Chief’ had written some absolute masterpieces, and even for as long as they were at each other’s throats, Liam never forgot about the magic that they could create when he was singing those songs to anyone within earshot.
Then again, Noel and Liam always seemed like two sides of the same coin whenever they sang. As much as the band could have been a decent rock and roll outfit had Noel been the singer, there’s not a single person on this Earth who could have done the songs justice like Liam. He was born to sing songs like ‘Rock and Roll Star’ and ‘Live Forever’, and even when the band were going through the shakeups, you weren’t going to find a better cheerleader for them whenever they went onstage.
Because by all accounts, Be Here Now was looked at like the most overhyped album of all time, only a few years after it came out, but Liam remained defiantly proud of it every time he sang them. And why not? A song like ‘Stand By Me’ might be on the long side, but it’s also one of the most radio-friendly tunes that the band ever made. It was the band playing to their strengths, but it was always going to be different when they lost some of their own.
Watching the band build themselves back up from scratch wasn’t going to be easy when making Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, and while that record does have its fair share of highlights, it’s not like you can’t hear the stress getting to them. ‘Gas Panic!’ is one of the most moody songs that they have ever created, but they were also working on making a song like ‘I Can See A Liar’ come to life with lyrics that were mindless even by their standards.
To the album’s credit, though, it knows how to kick down the door from the word go. Every Oasis record at that point started off with a bang, and while ‘Fuckin’ In the Bushes’ wasn’t what everyone expected, it was a welcome change of pace. Noel was already embracing different sonic textures when working with The Chemical Brothers, so hearing him make a piece of sound design with one of the greatest bluesy riffs in their catalogue was like a breath of fresh air.
And even with no Liam on the track, he had to admit that they had hit on something powerful here, saying, “It’s just fucking rocking, man. You ain’t gonna get a better rocker than that. That to me is the ultimate fucking rock and roll song…me personally. I’ll die happy being involved with a song like that. It’s just fucking mental.” It was different, but it was also a sign of things to come as well.
Whereas the first era of Oasis was dominated by loud guitars and a more by-the-numbers approach to rock and roll, hearing them experiment is what made their later years so interesting. Their experiments with Death in Vegas would have made for a great album, and had they not experimented with textures, they wouldn’t have been able to get the outlandish soundscapes that they nailed on Dig Out Your Soul.
There might still be some stubborn elitists that swear that the real Oasis only needs guitars and drums to get their point across, but the reason why ‘Fuckin’ In the Bushes’ is still the band’s entrance music after all this time isn’t by accident. Their music is meant to get people going from the minute it starts, but all they needed back in the day was that opening drum groove to get crowds of people on their feet.
