The only band Liam Gallagher called “much better” than Oasis
Liam Gallagher isn’t exactly known for his modesty. While it’s certainly become better as he’s matured, some of the most iconic moments from Oasis’ legendary rise to superstardom in the early 1990s involved the Gallagher brothers extolling their own virtues for anyone who would put a microphone in their face. Liam especially was not shy about pronouncing his band better than any and all foes, whether they be Blur, Suede, or Take That.
Few singers in the industry are as famous for the words they say off stage as the ones they sing on stage as Gallagher. He has supplemented his exemplary career with Oasis with a barrage of insults for a whole host of unsuspecting creatives. It wasn’t such Britpop stars who have taken a verbal jab or two from the Mancunian; even his brother has been on the end of the odd barb.
In fact, before the two brothers put their differences aside to give the world a long-awaited Oasis reunion tour, something we’re sure the dump truck of cash poured into their respective homes had little to do with, they would regularly find a way to insult one another. For most of the last decade, Gallagher has referred to his brother as a potato, calling him out for his determination to hang out with Bono from U2.
But when it came to their heroes, Liam was much more reverential. In an interview with Mojo back in 2020, the younger Gallagher brother compared Oasis with some of the all-time greats with a surprising amount of candour. “We were alright,” Gallagher conceded, “We were better than a lot of shit out there but we weren’t pushing the boundaries, we weren’t Pink Floyd or The Beatles”.
During the same interview, Liam also said the one thing that no one would have expected the frontman to ever say: “You know,” he remarked, “[Oasis] weren’t that fucking great anyway”. Blasphemy, especially considering that Liam made himself a rock ‘n’ roll star by proclaiming himself a ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’ any chance he got, whether it was in song or in the press. 2020 certainly wasn’t a downtime for the Gallagher brothers, and it didn’t appear as if either were terribly nostalgic for their previous band.
“We didn’t make really great records,” Liam added, “We were just a good band. I always loved ‘Live Forever’, ‘Champagne Supernova’, got a soft spot for ‘Supersonic’ cos it was the first one and it still sounds pretty good. “Some of it hasn’t aged well,” he noted, “I’ll be honest, I hear it some day and I go, ‘Turn that shit off.’ Oasis was a moment in time”. Those words now feel a little hollow as he once again tries to recreate that moment in time for a new generation of fans.
This might be the first and last time Liam ever backs away from building up the myth that was Oasis, but he does have a point: apart from Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, very few Oasis albums are worthwhile listening experiences from beginning to end. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, as it’s two more great albums than most bands end up making, but even Liam seems to acknowledge that, when put next to the great bands of all time, Oasis doesn’t quite stack up in the same way.
That being said, there’s never a bad time to put on ‘Slide Away’ or ‘Talk Tonight’. Some things about Oasis haven’t aged well, but plenty of their songs are evergreen.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Beatles Newsletter
All the latest stories about The Beatles from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.