The song Noel Gallagher called “one of the best things I ever did”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Noel Gallagher thinks highly of his own work. Whether in his solo catalogue or with Oasis, Gallagher has always been proud to showcase his music as some of the most incredible, rock and roll or otherwise. Even though Noel can talk a big game when discussing his back catalogue, one of his favourite performances he ever gave didn’t even end up on an Oasis project.
When first cutting his teeth, Gallagher was initially working as a roadie, working alongside his best friend Mark Coyle as part of the road crew for the band Inspiral Carpets. After coming back from a lengthy tour with the group, Noel found his calling when his brother Liam asked him to sit in on a rehearsal session for a group he had called The Rain.
Forming the basis of Oasis, the Manchester group was looking to take rock and roll back to the days that they had loved as a kid. Even though most of the rock scene was immersed in the same irony that came out of bands like Nirvana, Noel was looking to write the kind of anthems that would make people throw their fists up in the air, penning landmark British anthems like ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’.
Outside of the musical style, one of the band’s trademarks was going against the grain of what was happening in the dance scene. Since most of the Manchester clubs were still into the rave scene, it was a breath of fresh air hearing a band that was more focused on songs that had to do with everyday life coupled with roaring guitars throughout the mix.
Although Noel could get most of his best work done with a guitar and his voice, another band made waves on the scene with samplers and synthesisers. Amid the Britpop explosion, The Chemical Brothers also began making a dent in the music world, creating staples of the dance scene like ‘Block Rockin’ Beats’. While Noel may have been the polar opposite of that scene, he happily took the opportunity to work with the band on the song ‘Setting Sun’.
Taking the basis of a forgotten Oasis track, the song would be a psychedelic foray into Britpop, containing the same kind of warped sounds found in The Beatles’ most avant-garde work. Despite not being in the same field as Oasis, Noel maintained that it was one of the greatest compositions he was ever involved with.
When discussing his love for the Chemical Brothers, Noel still ranked ‘Setting Sun’ as a high point in his career, saying, “They’re fucking amazing and ‘Setting Sun’ is one of the best things that I’ve ever done and I love them, I’m a fan”. That friendship would remain intact during Oasis’s glory years as well, with The Chemical Brothers having a support slot during the band’s mammoth shows at Knebworth.
Going into his solo career, Noel would also find time to weave in the danceable side of his musical personality. Outside of the later Oasis catalogue, songs like ‘Black Star Dancing’ and ‘AKA What A Life’ are a direct offspring of what he had created with The Chemical Brothers at the time. Although Noel likes to claim himself to be a fixture of rock and roll, he has always been known to stretch out when he has the chance.
