"Noel's Early Notebook"

by Peter Doggett

alongside pictures of the front of the notebook; two sheets of songs; three of release details; and three of song lyrics

Previously unknown details about Oasis' early career have been revealed by the discovery of a notebook used by Noel Gallagher in the early 90s. The book, which is being sold at Christie's as part of their London rock auction on 12th December, includes the manuscript lyrics of 26 Gallagher compositions, plus several fascinating songlists which show the Oasis guitarist planning the contents of the group's early releases.

The notebook can be dated fairly precisely, as none of the lengthy lists of the group's repertoire include "Supersonic", written in the late summer of 1993 and released as their debut single the following year. But among the lyrics, either in the book or on loose shets of notepaper which are being sold as part of the same lot, are the original drafts of several of Oasis' most famous songs, including "Rock'n'Roll Star", "Shakermaker", "Hello!" and their 1997 hit single "All Around The World".

The discovery adds several dozen previously unknown titles to Noel Gallagher's back catalogue. Among the songs included in the lists, which he seems to have prepared as a reminder of the potential material available to the band in their early months, are such obscure items as "Angel Face", "Baa Baa Papa", "Clocking The Watch", "Feed Your Head", "Going Nowhere", "Helicoptor Doctor", "I Feel It", "In My Bone", "I Want To Know", "Lick My Legs", "Lock All The Doors", "On A Mission", "R K La", "Somebody Home", "Suitcase Song" and "Take Your Chances".

The Oasis repertoire also included various songs borrowed from Jimi Hendrix, the Faces, the Who, the Beatles, Marc Bolan and the Rolling Stones. One number, "You Owe Me", is described by Gallagher as having "Fixing A Hole middle 8".

On several sheets in the collection, Noel maps out the band's future career, even going so far as to select the songs for their first two albums, and four singles, before they had held any recording sessions for Creation. The precise sequencing of an Oasis debut album obviously occupied a great deal of his time, as there are many variations on the same basic track listing - which ultimately appeared as the band's first full-legth demo tape.

Intriguingly, one song sequence is given the title of "Datura Dream Rebound", described in Paolo Hewitt's Oasis biography as an unreleased Gallagher track (though it doesn't feature in any of his songlists here).

Oasis collectors will also be curious to compare the pre-fame kyrics of songs like "All Around The World" and "Shakermaker" with their recorded versions, as in each case there are small but significant differences between the two sets of words.

A more drastic piece of rewriting is apparent with a lyric headed "Mirror And The Razorblade", which Oasis fans will recognise as a line from "Morning Glory". In fact, the handwritten verses appear to be an entirely different set of words for the "Morning Glory" melody line, sharing only that central image with the finished song.

Two other titles illustrate how Gallagher enjoys reusing phrases: "Stand By Me" turns out to have no connection beyond it's name with the "Be Here Now" track, while "Definately [sic] Maybe" is obviously the source for the band's first album title, though this song didn't make the final line-up, and indeed has never been released.

But another song might attract even more attention: "Is That A Fact?" seems to eavesdrop on a classic Oasis scenario: "Alright, I'm going home/Don't want to hear your voice no more...What you need is a real good hiding...I know you're my brother/But only because you came from my mother...I've seen what you're really like." Any guesses as to the inspiration for those lyrics?

The notebook, which has the original Oasis logo pasted twice onto the cover, adds a nother chapter to a pre-history which, despite several biographies of the band, has obviously still to be documented in precise detail. Like the late 80s Noel Gallagher tape sold at Christie's earlier this year, it demonstrates the range and depth of the Oasis' guitarist's songwriting catalogue, and also shows how early in the band's career he composed most of the material for their first two albums.

The entire lot, including the loose manuscript sheets (one of which contains the lyrics for David Bowie's "Heroes", in Noel's hand), has been given an estimated price of £4,000-£6,000 by Christie's.

Songlist 1 & Contents of Planned Releases 1

1. Hello!

2. Rocking Chair

3. New Stones/Beret

4. Being A Blue

5. Here Am I

6. She's Electric

7. New Faces/[illegible]

8. Alker Seltzer [is this not a reference to "Supersonic" which the article suggests helps to date the notebook? - Andrew]

9. Riverbank/Wind

10. All Around The World

11. Revolver/Sleeping

12. You Owe Me/Flying A Hole middle 8

13. Mexico/Cream

14. I Feel It

15. Half The World Away

16. Paint A Mental Picture

17. So She Wakes Up

18. Definately Maybe

19. Callin' All

20. My Friend Says

21. Cold World

22. Blue 1 & 2

23. Baa Baa Papa

24. Helicopter Doctor

25. [illegible]

26. Son Of Flower

27. In My Bone

1. Shakermaker

2. Bring It On Down

3. Live Forever

4. Cloudburst

5. Digsy's Dinner

1. Married With Children

2. Columbia

3. Up In The Sky

4. Cigarettes & Alcohol

5. Rock'n'Roll Star

1. Shakermaker

2. Bring It On Down

3. Digsy's Dinner

4. Columbia

5. Married With Children

1. Live Forever

2. Cloudburst

3. Up In The Sky

4. Cigarettes & Alcohol

5. Rock'n'Roll Star

Single 1

Bring It On Down

I Will Believe

Spaceman/Headshrinker

Single 2

Shakermaker

Fade Away

Take Me Away/Freedom

Single 3

Live Forever

Strange Thing

Alive/Whatever

Sad Song: Live By The Sea: Walrus

One + Other: Coming On Strong: Too Much

Red White Blue: Lock All The Doors:

Songlist 2 & Contents Of Planned Release 2

1. Bring It On Down

2. Digsy's Dinner

3. Up In The Sky

4. Live Forever

5. Rock'n'Roll Star

6. I Am The Walrus

7. Whatever

8. Alive

9. Fade Away

10. Columbia

11. Strange Thing

12. Spaceman

13. Married With Children

14. Comin' On Strong

15. Freedom

16. Red White + Blue

17. Cloudburst

18. Take Me Away

19. Sad Song

20. Only My Pride

21. In Blue 1+2

22. Clockin The Watch

23. Suitcase Song

24. Angel Face

25. I Am Always Right

26. Is That A Fact

27. Razor Barb

28. I Believe

29. Listen Up

30. Live By The Sea

31. Shelter From The Fall

32. Lick My Legs

33. Lost Again

34. 'Who' One!

35. Heroes

36. Take Me

37. On A Mission

38. See The Sun

39. Must Be The Music

40. Better Let You Know

41. Take Your Chances

42. R. K. La

43. 'Bone's' One

44. Feed Your Head

45. Lock All The Doors

46. Every Morning

47. Somebody Home

48. Dont Spook The Horse

49. Snake Byte

50. Going Nowhere

51. Cigs + Beer

52. I Want To Know

53. 'Hendrix' One

1. Bring It On Down

2. Up In The Sky

3. Digsey's Dinner

4. Take Me Away

5. Cloudburst

6. Fade Away

7. Live Forever

8. Columbia

9. Rock'n'Roll Star

10. Whatever

Contents of Planned Release 3

2nd album

1. Hello!

2. New 'Stones'

3. Rocking Chair

4. She's Electric

5. Here Am I

1. Stay Young

2. Being A Blue

3. Everythings Alright

4. Yours Is Mine

5. All Around The World

Datura Dream Rebound

1. Bring It On Down

2. Up In The Sky

3. Digseys Dinner

4. Take Me Away

5. Cloudburst

1. Fade Away

2. Live Forever

3. Columbia

4. Rock'n'Roll Star

5. Whatever

The Mirror And The Razorblade

1. The mirror and the razorblade

If you live round here its where your dreams are made

Thers no bench no bucket and spade

For me

2. Rainy Monday afternoon

All you need is your favourite tune

The end of the day cant come too soon

For me

Bridge

Its just sometimes I feel so alone

Sitting here believing my best friend is my

Theres nothing that I really own

Its as though Ive never grown

My bird has flown

Chorus

I dont live for happy mondays

I think your a disgrace with your plastic

I dont believe youve never seen it

I dont know what to say

Coz all we need now

Is a mirror and a razorblade

3. Remember what we used to say

The dreams we dreamed and the games we'd play

It doesn't matter anymore anyway

To me

Bridge

Chorus

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c 1998 Andrew Turner

aturner@interalpha.co.uk

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