The link I’ve posted is to a review of the latest Noel Gallagher album. Noel is known for his sharp, entertaining put downs in interviews and as this review attests that is really where his best work is to be found these days. Luke Haines rips into Noel’s latest in hilarious, brilliant style. As with all the best reviews, the conclusion he comes to matters little or whether one agrees with it or not. It’s the entertaining journey to get to the judgement that counts.
Poor old Noel
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Haines has a compelling argument to be fair, but I still have a soft spot for our Noel.
Just wish Luke would come up with something as good as his wrestling album, the last two were a bit disappointing.
“Lines such as “I’ll follow you down to the end of the world just to wait outside your window” cower in the mix like frightened, unflushable turds in the shitter.”
I love The Haines
Wonderful article. Poor Noel.
I agree. It’s almost irrelevant what he has to say but the wonderfully way in which he says it.
He is an hilarious master of the put-down and something of an anti-hero.
I think Noel can take care of himself though.
@walter-rego Oh yeah, agreed that Noel will not be cowering in a corner anywhere – just referencing the lovely and condescending way LH puts him down.
Agree with DFB below- Noel has dished it out enough to others to deserve a bit of the same. And I think he’s self-aware enough to find the truth in it, especially this:
Media Noel has taken to putting down (the harmless) Ed Sheeran — for his, in Gallagher’s view, musical conservatism. Not noticing that if he were to collaborate with Sheeran it would hardly change his music drastically. It might even sharpen up his lyrics and force him to kick out all that simpleminded fake ponderous wisdom, which is an odd contradiction, as Noel is smart enough at least to know that no song is ever going to change the world and we are all f*cked.
I really didn’t like Oasis and I’m not very keen on his solo work, so I’m not going to defend Noel Gallagher’s music.
But I’m even less keen on musicians putting the boot into other musicians. And it’s not as if Luke Haines is some kind of towering genius. I am familiar with his some of his work; I thought the first Auteurs album was pretty good and I also liked Black Box Recorder.
I’ve read a couple of his books and they’re well written, scurrilous and witty, but what comes across quite strongly is the impression that Mr Haines believes he should have been much more successful than he was. The record-buying public didn’t agree with him and I can’t help but feel that perhaps a degree of resentment has informed this hatchet job on the very-successful Mr Gallagher.
I took from the books that Luke is an old curmudgeon who didn’t like fame when he had it and thought his better work was the stuff that got ignored and dismissed at the time. Even by himself.
Anyway, Noel has but his boot into other artists enough to deserve a nice kicking. Luke mentions sharing the same plane as Oasis at the height of their boorish powers and how revolting he found them. Then bumping into Noel in the street a couple of years later and finding him a nice chap, cursing having to change his opinion.
Luke Haines is forever bitter and twisted. About Blur, Suede, Oasis and Guy Chadwick.
Haines musical output has yet to reach the foothills of the summits climbed by Albarn, Gallagher, Anderson and Chadwick.
The likes of Ocean Colour Scene, She’d Seven and even fucking Toploader got nearer the Zeitgeist than Haines.
The bloke’s a twat.
And apologies for the sweariness. The rancid stench of false entitlement from that talent free zone has got my gander. Along with half a bottle of half decent Shiraz.
Job done, I think
Ha!! Indeed.
I get the impression that Haines is the kind of guy who makes Chris Squire and Ginger Baker seem warm and fuzzy
It’s a bit rich Haines giving Gallagher stick for laying into the harmless Sheeran, particularly in the context of such a catty, albeit amusing, article.
At the end of the day, pointing out that Oasis had shite lyrics is akin to pointing out that Slade could have worked on their grammar: i.e missing the point on an industrial scale.
That said, there are some cracking zingers in there, worthy of Gallagher Snr in full flight himself. I know which of the two I’d rather be trapped in a lift with though, and it’s not the one with a chip on his shoulder that can be seen from space.
Oh, and all pop stars are harmless. Steps were harmless. But they still dressed like futuristic hobos and made music that made you pray for tinnitus.
I like the piece, I’ve got time for both musicians too. But to call out Noel for being musically conservative in 2015 – I’m surprised the piece is getting the attention it is. It could have been written in 1994! Perhaps it was, perhaps Haines found it after an afternoon in the pub, in an old file he’d kept since the 90s.
Noel Gallagher’s recent solo stuff is utter shite. I don’t know Luke Haines but I now like him a lot.
Luke Haines has made some good music. Noel Gallagher has made more IMHO.
Nice article, well written and I agree with some of it. Noel’s new album is okay. Not going to set the world alight with originality but I enjoyed it as I listened to it on Spotify on a recent train journey. Doubt I will listen to it again though.
Pooor old Luke needsh ter gowt’ Mancheshtuh and dew did cawsh.
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj554/moosethemooche1/Screen-Shot-2014-09-26-at-22.00.34_zpsk8tzrzeq.png