“’Beetlebum’, by Blur, is the best song in Britpop”

The Beatles, of course. But also The Jam, Burt Bacharach… or, more surprisingly, Blur. As he publishes his fourth solo album, the founder and ex-guitarist of Oasis traces the thread of the songs that marked his life.

“JI wouldn’t cook for anyone: too scared to poison him… Except maybe for one or two members of my family…” Faced with a journalist recently inquiring about his qualities as a cordon-bleu, Noel Gallagher did not let doubt hover for long. With the dark humor that characterizes him, and at the turn of a harmless question, he nipped in the bud the umpteenth rumors about a reformation of Oasis, which had been swelling for several weeks in England. Which were copiously fed by his brother Liam, visibly less closed than him on the question. At 50, the eldest of Manchester’s terrible brothers publishes Council Skies, his fourth solo album with the High Flying Birds, a group born from the ashes of Oasis in 2009. Determined to lead his solo boat to the end, Noel Gallagher, affable and more peaceful than in his younger years, returns to his major influences. Not reluctant to evoke his personal history, like that of the group he led drum beating for a quarter of a century.

The first memory of a piece of Music?

Without a doubt Dirty Old Town, Dubliners. My parents listened to a lot of traditional Irish folk music at home. I liked this melancholic side, both joyful and sad. It’s a genre that inspired me a lot, and that we find, I realize today, in the songs of Oasis. Take a piece like Some Might Say, it was very rhythmic, playful rock’n’roll, but when you read the lyrics, it’s a story full of melancholy. This music kind of sums up who I am. Moreover, the five members of Oasis were all from families of Irish origin. All of our parents came from similar backgrounds, with the same upbringing. There is no chance, it marks.

A song that reminds you of Manchester?

I won’t let the show go on, by Leo Sayer [en fait, The Show Must Go On, ndlr]. I remember one of his performances at Top of the Pops, in the 1970s, dressed as a clown. I was a child and I said to myself: “Wow! Who is that guy ? » Someone bought me the single afterwards. This is the first record I owned. I listened to it on the record player in the living room at my parents’ house. Even today, I think it’s a fucking good record. It sounds great, even on iTunes (I don’t go to Spotify, I pay for the music, unlike some others).

The perfect song for dancing?

Undercover of the Night, of the Rolling Stones. Because I find it really modern, with a groove that, despite the years, loses none of its strength, and makes you dance. Mick Jagger sings magnificently and Keith Richards’ guitar sounds as sharp as ever. For me, this is one of the great songs of the Rolling Stones of the 1980s, a title that speaks of the Cold War. I even place it above some of their biggest hits.

The hit of the Britpop era?

beetlebum, by Blur. A superb song. Twenty years earlier, this choice would have been widely commented on, I agree. But I’m sincere, it sounds like the Beatles. It could have its place on the white album, it’s brilliant. I love what Damon Albarn is doing with Gorillaz just as much. We also played together several times. I could also quote Common People, of Pulp. Of all the Britpop bands, I felt closest to them. We come from the same region, the North West of England. Awesome guys. Musically, however, we were very different. Oasis was a little more rock. Pulp was really popping.

A title that makes you cry?

This guy’s in love with you, written by Burt Bacharach but sung by Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass. It’s an incredible piece. I love it so much it inspired me a song, Half the World Away. I borrowed the chord progression from the keyboard. I’m not ashamed to say it, everyone does that! I love this kind of very direct, unambiguous song: a very cool, discreet tempo, with a rather complex melodic construction, but very simple in appearance.

The song that helped you through the pandemic?

A Glass of Champagne, of the English group Sailor (1976). It sounds a bit like Roxy Music, but even more pop. It’s a playful and fun song, a bit silly, but I think sounds incredibly good. It came back to me during confinement, a memory from my youth, discovered while watching television. I often listen to it thoroughly at home, it makes me feel good.

Which Oasis song are you most proud of?

Without a doubt Don’t Look Back in Anger. Because I keep playing it every night in concert and it seems to mean a lot to people. Even after all this time, it doesn’t go away. It’s a song I wrote in Paris, but I don’t remember it. It has nothing special for me, it’s rather the effect it produces on people that amazes me… With the attacks in Manchester or Paris, it took on a particular resonance. I’m pretty proud of that, and that’s probably why I never tire of singing it. Unlike in wonderwall, For example. Sometimes I think to myself: “What a shitty song. » I don’t hate it deep down, but this chorus, sometimes I can’t stand it anymore…

The song you would like to be the author?

Paperback Writer, of the Beatles. Because of the guitar riff, the harmonies and the energy. But who doesn’t love the Beatles? However, I never really liked Abbey Road. It’s really not my favorite album.

Which Oasis album would you like to change?

What’s the Story? Morning Glory (1995), because I find it imperfect. The lyrics, the way it was recorded, I would do differently today. For example, a song like Supernova Champagne is much too slow, I would speed up the tempo. On Don’t Look Back in Anger, I don’t sing very well. On the other hand, I think that Definitely Maybe (1994), our first album, is not far from perfection. I wouldn’t change anything, because it captures an energy, our beginnings… But strangely, today, everyone still prefers What’s the Story? Morning Glory.

The ideal soundtrack in love?

Coldplay’s debut album, parachutes (2000), probably their best to date. Because the person I was with at the time loved that album. There are beautiful, very subtle songs. I’m not a big fan of what they’ve since become. When they left for America, they switched to something else. After a tour in the United States, you are no longer the same, I know what I am talking about. For what ? Because it’s a world that swallows you up, you lose your footing, and you try to survive it, by adopting its rules, its rhythms… It’s not the best place in the world to take care of your health.

A model ?

Paul Weller, singer and founder of The Jam. Because it has always moved forward, managing to renew itself. I’m a big fan of this guy, like everyone in England for that matter. I am lucky to have become friends with him. I love all of The Jam’s records without exception, they have incredible energy and depth too. A title like In the City is incomparable. The Jam are just below the Beatles in my pantheon. I also like Paul Weller’s solo records, mainly the first half of The Style Council. Then it gets a bit jazzy, not my thing.

Greatest guitar solo?

Comfortably Numb, by Pink Floyd. It gives the impression of being able to last forever, the melodic construction is perfect, it never does too much… It’s incredible. David Gilmour’s guitar solos have the power of words. They speak for themselves. It’s so beautiful, I wish I was so talented. I’ve never been a great guitar technician, I’m a songwriter, that’s how it is. When I was younger, I could play, but my fingers lost their agility. I took too many drugs. Today, I leave the solos to those who accompany me.