The Gallagher Brothers: Noel vs. Liam

[Deck Rickard]

Growing up in the 90s, it was impossible to ignore the drama with Oasis and the frequent infighting that went on between its frontmen. At times, the drama was more entertaining than the music, though I've always been a fan.

After the band broke up (for the last time) both brothers went on to do their own thing. Noel has released three solo albums with the High Flying Birds and I have to say that they're all pretty good. As good as Oasis in its glory days? Probably not but certainly worthy material and the dude still puts on a great live show.

Liam went on to form Beady Eye, which had a KICKASS first album, though their sophomore effort left a lot to be desired and they broke up not long after its release. Since then, he's released two solo albums, the second of which came out a couple weeks ago and I've been devouring it since then. Honestly, I know everyone wants to see Oasis get back together and while it would be cool to see them tour again, I'm also fine with each of these guys doing their own thing because I'm digging what they're putting out. What do you think?

 

[Mandon Knight]

I was very much part of Britpop in the era, caught in it all, and have to say Oasis were decent, but not the band many thought they were in my view, for me, Noel is the better musician, and superior 'voice' in terms of what he has to say. Liam, now, in his 40's, still behaves like's the age he was in 1994. Noel has the drier, more 'humane' humour and his out-put post Oasis is better in my opinion. I have much more time for Noel.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Yeah I would agree that Noel is the better musician of the two, but Liam has really surprised me with his songwriting abilities post-Oasis. You’re right though; guy still acts like he’s in his 20s. At some point you’d think he’d have to grow up but I doubt he will.

 

[Zantera]

Noel quite easily for me, the better musician and the better songwriter. But with that said it was the two of them together that made for the magic. I've listened to some of the post-Oasis stuff they have done by themselves and some of it is decent but it doesn't come close to reach peak Oasis.

 

[Iceman]

Noel quite easily for me, the better musician and the better songwriter. But with that said it was the two of them together that made for the magic. I've listened to some of the post-Oasis stuff they have done by themselves and some of it is decent but it doesn't come close to reach peak Oasis.

Agreed on that. Noel has the talent but you need Liam for Oasis to work. They were much more than the sum of their parts when together.

 

[jolldan]

Enjoy a lot of their tunes don't get me wrong but as a band I have always felt have been over hyped personally.

As solo artists though id probably lean more towards Liam as I enjoyed The Roller more than What A Life which would be my favourite tune from each guys solo run.

 

[Zantera]

I think the first 2 Oasis albums are classics and definitely warrant the hype but if you look at their discography as a whole it's not that great IMO. Be Here Now is like a mix of cocaine and some quality (though the mixing is so weird) and I think The Masterplan has some gems on it too but their discography definitely started to decline after that. It's not all bad ofc, there's a few good songs in their later albums but overall I think the magic of Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory was like lightning in a bottle. For a short window of maybe 3-4 years I think they were the best at what they did, sadly drugs, drinking and internal fighting really ruined a lot.

 

[elgaz]

Overhyped IMO, I think they were a decent band who hit the right note at the right time (the rise of Britpop in the 90s) but their massively inflated egos did them no favours. They were not the second coming of the Beatles.

Noel IMO was the talent in the band, but Liam had a certain swagger and charisma that helped. Unfortunately he's still trying to be a Manc hardman into his late 40s and it just gets increasingly pathetic.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Agree with so much of what has been said here. Definitely Maybe is easily their best album, IMO... Slide Away is a bloody masterpiece and epitomizes everything that was good about the band (strong vocals, cool riffs and solos that, while not particularly complicated or difficult to play, still bring out the feels). Other tunes like Columbia, Rock 'n Roll Star and Supersonic are also classics, though I would say that the Unplugged (or UnLiamed) version of Live Forever is much better than the album version. I feel like DM is a much stronger album than Morning Glory and isn't as revered simply because Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova were their big breakthrough hits. That said, I still love Morning Glory.

And yeah... a lot of the stuff that came after was one mixed bag after another. Be Here Now has shades of brilliance but then you just have crap like Magic Pie that damn near made my ears bleed. And the mixing was a mess. Every song felt like it was 10 minutes long and Oasis was never one of those bands that could pull that sort of thing off for more than a couple tracks because their tunes are mostly repetitive. Still, their later efforts certainly had some real gems like Stop Cryin' Your Heart Out and The Turning.

As for their solo/post Oasis work... I don't know, maybe I'm just nostalgic for their glory days but I've really enjoyed most of what they've both put out. But yeah, I do wish Liam would act like an actual adult. Dude is such a rock 'n roll cliche, but his voice still sounds good.

 

[chamber-music]

I was always more of a Blur/Pulp guy.

I did like when Liam kept randomly calling Noel a Potato for awhile on social media

 

[Zantera]

Wonderwall is probably my least favorite from the first two albums. I mean it's not bad, but to me it's a bit surprising what a huge hit song it has become considering many of the other ones are a lot better to me, Don't Look Back in Anger is IMO their finest out of the hit songs.

As for brit pop as a whole I actually dove into it last year and I can kinda see why Oasis are so revered though. While I feel bands like Suede and Blur have put out more consistently good content (I would say Blur's discography only has good albums or better) Oasis has those 2 albums that are just top notch.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Wonderwall is probably my least favorite from the first two albums. I mean it's not bad, but to me it's a bit surprising what a huge hit song it has become considering many of the other ones are a lot better to me, Don't Look Back in Anger is IMO their finest out of the hit songs.

As for brit pop as a whole I actually dove into it last year and I can kinda see why Oasis are so revered though. While I feel bands like Suede and Blur have put out more consistently good content (I would say Blur's discography only has good albums or better) Oasis has those 2 albums that are just top notch.

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure why Wonderwall became their biggest hit. It's a great song but it's rather simple and inferior to many tracks on the first two albums. Though may its simplicity is why it has endured. Or maybe just because it's easy to play so guys in dorms who own acoustic guitars can quickly learn it and woo girls they've had their eyes on, lol.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Thought I’d bump this thread since there are rumblings of a reunion. I can’t tell if the public bickering between the brothers is real or staged but I’ll be the first to say that I’ll grab tickets as soon as they go on sale if a reunion happens.

 

[elgaz]

And you can bet your a$$ the ticket prices will be insane

 

[Zantera]

A reunion would be cool. I have to admit I never got to the end of the Oasis discography (though I am planning to, just lost a bit interest with a few albums left due to the quality declining) but while I think both of them have done 'fine', it's what they made together that will stand the test of time.