"Oasis: The Song Remains The Same?"

Nine new songs for late '99 release include Liam's songwriting debut

Noel Gallagher has talked exclusively to Mojo about the next Oasis album, due for release in late 1999, and also his "Led Zep" remix of a track from the UNKLE album, which should appear as a single in the New Year.

"There are nine songs already written for the new album, though we're now down to eight because we decidedone was shit and binned it," he revealed. "There's also Liam's one, which is actually really nice. We've got to find a producer, then we'll start recording it after the court case with our first drummer [Tony McCarroll] in March. We'll hopefully have a single out in September next year. Everyone's getting itchy now - (laughs) I think people have suffered long enough without Oasis."

"Some of it's the same, some of it's different, that's all I'm saying. We're using a different producer because the last three albums have just been a case of turning all the amps up to 10 and just bashing through it."

"It's like they say, you have 10 years to write your first three albums, and now this new one has all been written in the last 12 months. Hopefully, the new producer will make it sound like it's been recorded in 1999 and not 1969. Again, it could all go arse over tit and end up sounding like 'Exile On Main Street'..."

So do the other band members miss playing? "Yeah, but by the same token when we're touring I miss sitting on me arse eating chocolate and watching Jerry Springer. So it works both ways. We've had nine months off now, the longest we've ever had away. This year was the right time to do it, because everything seems to have died. I told the others just to chill out and enjoy it, because it's going to go mental next year."

Noel has also remixed Beastie Boy Mike D's contribution to the UNKLE album, which Mo'Wax plan to put out as a single in January. His version of the track, 'The Knock', is built around a drum sample from Led Zeppelin's paean to their sticksman, Bonzo's Montreux, on their posthumous outtakes album 'Coda'.

"I've taken all the music off [Mike D's track] and rewritten it," explains Noel. "On the original there were 16 tracks of distorted bass so I thought, We'll f*****g bin that lot for a start! We kept the main riff going round, but the vocal is all cut up. We did a whole Led Zep-style backing at Supernova Heights, in the studio."

"I'm totally into Led Ze now. Actually, I bought a double-necked SG the other day. My mates were going, You're the only person who'd get away with that, and like a dick I went out and bought one. I took it home and looked like a complete f*****g arse, man. I had to send it back to the shop. Jimmy Page looked really cool with it - I think you really need the flares with the flames going up the sides and the Solar System patchwork trousers. It doesn't go with a pair of Levi's and a kagoul."

Meanwhile, a 1993 Noel notebook offered at Christie's recent rock sale revealed dozens of unknown song titles (including Helicopter Doctor), plus provisional tracklistings for two Oasis albums.

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c 1998 Andrew Turner

aturner@interalpha.co.uk

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