Great bands have a decent amount of mythology to accompany their music.
The story of Oasis was written in real-time with outrageous tales. The brotherly fights, near breakups, drunken outbursts, Britpop junk for tabloids, and monumental and historic gigs. But an essential piece to the legend of Oasis is their B-sides compilation, The Masterplan.
Between 1994 and 1997, Noel Gallagher enjoyed one of the most impressive songwriting runs in rock and roll history. In fact, so good that his non-album songs rival most bands’ greatest hits collections.
With the announcement of a reunited Oasis, fans can now set aside whether the Gallagher brothers will ever reconcile. Thankfully, they have. Now it’s time for die-hard fans to draw up their dream set lists. And any Oasis set is sure to include their iconic B-sides. So here are four essential Oasis B-sides for the stadium punters.
“Acquiesce”
How was “Acquiesce” not an album track, let alone a single? Noel wrote the song about friendship and said he sang the chorus because Liam couldn’t reach the high notes. Or, according to writer Paul Du Noyer, Liam may have been in the pub. Noel wrote “Acquiesce” while taking a train to the studio in Wales where the band recorded “Some Might Say.” It blends the beauty of his songwriting with his brother’s John Lennon-meets-John Lydon strut. In 1995, “Acquiesce” backed “Some Might Say,” Oasis’ first No. 1 single in the UK.
Because we need each other
We believe in one another
And I know we’re going to uncover
What’s sleeping in our soul
“Half the World Away”
Noel borrowed from Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s late-’60s hit “This Guy’s in Love with You” to write his own easy-listening anthem. Producer Owen Morris said Noel recorded the drum track himself because the guitarist had grown tired of how long it took drummer Tony McCarroll to record his part for “(It’s Good) to Be Free.” The B-side first appeared on the release of “Whatever,” the band’s first non-album single. Also, it’s Paul Weller’s favorite Oasis song.
I would like to leave this city
This old town don’t smell too pretty
And I can feel the warning signs
Running around my mind
“Talk Tonight”
An Oasis fan in San Francisco talked Noel out of quitting the band following a fight with Liam. It happened after a disastrous 1994 gig in Los Angeles at the Whiskey a Go Go. That fan, Melissa Lim, told NME she wasn’t going to let him leave the band, “not on my watch.” Noel recorded “Talk Tonight” at a studio in Austin, Texas. According to Owen Morris, he was still writing the song in the studio and recorded the track in the morning before the rest of the band arrived. The acoustic ballad backed “Some Might Say” with “Acquiesce” and “Headshrinker.”
All your dreams are made of strawberry lemonade
And you make sure I eat today
You take me walking
To where you played when you were young
“The Masterplan”
In the liner notes to The Masterplan, Noel said, “But to me, [“The Masterplan”] sums up your journey through life. All we know is that we don’t know.” However, the brotherly lyric isn’t directed toward Liam, but to the global “brothers and sisters.” There’s a beautiful irony to “The Masterplan” being the B-side for “Wonderwall.” The latter is Oasis’ defining song and one of Noel’s least favorite. While the former is the one he considers his finest work. Oasis continued the tradition of The Smiths in offering strong B-sides. Noel’s wondered what might have been if he’d held back some of these stellar B-sides for the third Oasis album Be Here Now. Still, The Masterplan stands tall among giant Oasis albums.
All we know is that we don’t know
How it’s gonna be
Please, brother, let it be
Life on the other hand
Won’t make us understand
We’re all part of a master plan
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