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2 September 2024, 14:25 | Updated: 3 September 2024, 12:48
We all know Liam and Noel will do the hits, but could they wheel out some surprises at their Live '25 reunion dates? Radio X's Oasis expert Lana Sargeant has compiled a dream Oasis deep cut playlist...
Sandwiched between such heavyweights as Don't Look Back In Anger and Some Might Say, this is an underrated gem from the mammoth What's The Story (Morning Glory?) album. A sedate battering ram of a tune featuring a searing Liam Gallagher vocal and a yearning refrain, Hey Now! demonstrates why Oasis were unstoppable in 1995.
Oasis - Hey Now! (Official Lyric Video)
The anthems are great - obviously - but we always like a bit of wistful, melancholic Oasis to add a bit of colour. There's a delicious acoustic guitar solo from Noel and a ponderous organ part that sounds like it could have been lifted from R.E.M.'s Automatic For The People album.
Oasis - Rockin' Chair (Official Lyric Video)
Issued as a b-side of Shakermaker back in June 1994, this rough and ready demo track offers a glimpse of an alternate universe where the Gallaghers didn't become stadium-straddling giants and stayed in the indie clubs of Manchester. This brisk rocker starts with a sustained feedback note, has some nifty chord changes and delivers a chiming guitar solo. Slow it down a bit and Alive could fit on Definitely Maybe, no problem.
Alive (Demo)
A b-side to the monumental Live Forever, this swirling tune sees Liam Gallagher channeling Shaun Ryder of Happy Mondays with a blaring vocal and Noel delivers a soaring solo at the end. We'd love to hear this echoing out across Wembley or Heaton Park.
Cloudburst (Remastered)
The Beatles's influence on Oasis was often over-stated, but very rarely did anyone cite the other big British pop band that fed into the Gallaghers' DNA: Slade. The Wolverhampton band's meld of glam rock and football terrace anthem made them a winner in the 70s and it was only natural that Oasis would put their own stamp on Slade's fourth Number 1 from 1973. Liam gives Noddy Holder's sandpaper vocal a run for its money.
Cum On Feel The Noize (Remastered)
Relegated to the 12" and CD single of Cigarettes & Alcohol in October 1994, this punky tune has some superb guitar interplay and one of Noel's most affecting lines: "While we're living, the dreams we have as children fade away."
Oasis - Fade Away (Official Lyric Video)
Another of Cigarettes & Alcohol's b-sides, this is peak Oasis, caught between the nervous energy of their debut album and the confident swagger of the follow-up.
Oasis - Listen Up (Official Lyric Video)
A seasick boogie from the Heathen Chemistry album has a Noel Gallagher vocal and flanged drum sound that apes the queasy wobble of Iggy Pop's Nightclubbing. We can just picture the confusion this would cause the crowds at the reunion shows, so let's hear it.
Force Of Nature
The second track on the landmark Be Here Now album, this is a wall of sound intense enough to cause a nosebleed. 1.8 million copies of the album were sold, so everyone will know it - and it was performed at the band's "final" show at V2009, so there would be something circular about picking up where they left off.
My Big Mouth (Remastered)
A vaguely psychedelic track with a wispy Liam vocal that appeared as a b-side to Don't Look Back In Anger back in February 1996. It bears a similarlity to The Truth, a single by Oasis' early mentors The Real People - go on have a listen and see what we mean.
Oasis - Underneath The Sky (Official Visualiser)
The whole of the Oasis back catalogue needs to be represented at the reunion shows, not just the first two albums, so here's a cut from their last effort (to date): Dig Out Your Sould. Starts off chilled, ends up inspirational. A little nod to the sound Noel would chase on the High Flying Birds albums.
The Turning
This is a real deep cut, from Dig Out Your Soul in 2008. A mid-tempo stomp written by Andy Bell with a guitar line that sounds like it's about to burst into Helter Skelter by The Beatles, this is as sonically adventurous as you'd expect from the former Ride axemen. If Andy's in the band this time around, give him a chance to play this!
The Nature Of Reality
A perfectly joyous b-side, this light song came as sharp relief to its deadly serious stop side, D'You Know What I Mean? File alongside singalongs like She's Electric.
Oasis - Stay Young (Official Visualiser)
A mystical moment amongst the demolition derby of Be Here Now, Noel embraces his inner Beatle with a quivering electric piano and hokey old keyboard the Mellottron all present and correct. Even the title is a Fab Four reference.
Magic Pie (Remastered)
Squirreled away on the b-side of their debut single Supersonic was this Oasis gem: a gentle acoustic number with a slide guitar that would give everyone a breather from the non-stop bangers.
Take Me Away (Remastered)
Partly because it pays tribute to the glue that holds the band together, namely Mr Paul Arthurs, but also because the occasion of Oasis reuniting should be a national holiday, right?
Bonehead's Bank Holiday (Remastered)