It’s been over 12 years since the juggernaut named Oasis split and since then there have been various Liam and Noel musical projects. For a bit of fun, I thought it would be a good idea to rank the 7 albums produced by Liam, Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, so here goes.
7) Beady Eye – BE
Some good tracks on this one but was also made when Liam’s private life was in turmoil.
The album also suffered with a lack of meaningful promotion and even the b sides to the singles were only backed by songs that were bonus tracks on the album. Having said that there are triumphs on the album. “Flick of The Finger”, “Soul Love”, “Start Anew” and” Shine A Light” along with the brilliant “Ballroom Figured” are highlights of the album.
6) Beady Eye – Different Gear Still Speeding
Although I’ve listed both Beady Eye albums as my bottom 2, I actually really liked Beady Eye, but we are comparing each album here. Of the 2 albums made this to me has a more rock and roll Oasis vibe.
“Four Letter Word” and “Bring The Light ” were always live favourites in the 5 times I’ve seen them and “The Morning Son” is sublime. It’s possible that Beady Eye were a victim of the phenomenal success of Oasis. It’s a solid album but I think it suffers with the length of it.
5) Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday
An album I love and the standard we have come to expect from Noel. “Riverman” and “The Dying Of The Light” are just beautiful and it was his first foray as a solo artist into a more experimental area on his albums with “The Right Stuff”.
4) Liam Gallagher – As You Were
After a 3-year hiatus from the music industry Liam made his triumphant return. We had an idea of the albums title in his never dull tweets. “Wall of Glass” was the perfect comeback single. Reflection about past mistakes in the beautiful “For What It’s Worth” and his best single to date with “I’ve All I Need”. A great listen start to finish.
3) Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Self Titled
You could argue that this album contains a lot of lost Oasis tracks but my god what songs they are. “Everybody’s On The Run” kicks off the album in euphoric manner, “If I Had A Gun” is a modern classic. A strong album from start to finish.
My favourite track is one that doesn’t really get a mention these days “AKA Broken Arrow”. The album finishes with the epic “Stop The Clocks” a track 10 years in the making. Brilliant.
2) Liam Gallagher – Why Me Why Not?
It was a tough choice deciding which Liam solo record I preferred. For me though this edges it. A richer production and as you would expect a massive Beatles/Lennon vibe. “Alright Now”, “Once” and “Meadow” sound like they could have been plucked from a “Lennon/Harrison” songbook.
My personal favourite is “One Of Us” which seems to tell a story of sibling rivalry and love at the same time. A fantastic video backs it too.
1) Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Who Built The Moon
A surprising choice I know but I just love this album. When the first single “Holy Mountain” was released it was panned by old school Oasis fans. After a few listens it would become a live favourite and if I’m bummed about anything it puts me in a good mood.
It’s a great change in direction for Noel but it’s not as different as people think. “It’s A Beautiful World”, “The Man Who Built The Moon” and “If Love is The Law” are an example of Noels classic songwriting.
For me the album is euphoric from start to finish. The artwork is pretty damn impressive too.