Oasis have a new "best of" compilation called Stop The Clocks coming out on November 21st. The record is interesting for a number of reasons: First, the majority of the tracks are from the first two records (10 of 18) as it should be. Second, they did not include one song from Be Here Now. And finally, there are four b-sides that never even appeared on an Oasis LP. You can say what you want about the brothers Gallagher, but this record is evidence that they definitely "get it" when it comes to the quality of their songs. One other great thing about this collection of songs is that it reminds you how prolific of a song writer Noel Gallagher was. Over the course of three years, from 1993 - 1996 the man could not write a bad song. If you go back and listen to the b-sides for all the singles from the first two records, you will find that those tracks are far superior to the majority of the band's last three records. Apparently Noel agrees as he played a bunch of these very b-sides for a lucky few in Los Angeles.
To support the release of the new record, Noel Gallagher hit the road to play three invite only acoustic shows at small theaters in the US and Canada. The first show was in New York on 11/04 at the Directors Guild Theater, followed by a stop in Toronto at the Danforth Ave. Music Hall and concluded last night in Los Angeles at the Wadsworth Theatre in Westwood. Noel brought current Oasis 
guitar player Gem along and also had drummer Terry Kirkbride playing a snare drum and other assorted percussion. Before the performance began there was a screening of the new Oasis DVD that comes as a bonus with Stop The Clocks. The DVD was pretty much a tour documentary following the band from the US, to Japan, over to Australia and back to the UK. As usual there are some great sound bites from both Noel and Liam, but what was really interesting about the film was that it reminds you just how big this band is, especially in the rest of the world. The DVD was also a good warm up to the stripped down and intimate set that Noel and company played. The juxtaposition between the Noel in the movie and the one that came out and played to a few hundred people was pretty cool.
Noel sat at the front of the stage and played a 6-string acoustic the entire night, while Gem bounced back and forth between a keyboard and an electric guitar. They took the stage and immediately jumped into "(It's Good) To Be Free" originally a b-side on the "Whatever" single which set the tone for the entire evening. Noel remarked after the song that "If you like Oasis b-sides, you're going to have a great night. If you don't. your f**ked." He was only half telling the truth, as they jumped between b-sides like Fade Away and Listen Up as well as playing hits like Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger and Cast no Shadow. Noel sounded stronger than he ever has and I think a lot of people were surprised at how good of a singer he has become. What made the show special was the little guitar flourishes that Gem brought to each song injecting them with some of that Oasis distortion and the super effective one stick drum fills and percussion. It felt more like a band than a solo performance, which is I think is kinda the vibe Noel was going for. Highlights of the 13 song set included "Slide Away," "Talk Tonight," "Half the World Away," and "Married With Children." That's just a personal preference though, as the set was pretty amazing from start to finish. To get a feel for what the show sounded like check out the AOL Interface Noel did while he was in NY last week. You can also download the acoustic songs he played on AOL below. This was a special show for many reasons, but what I enjoyed about it most was that it reminded me of a time when Oasis truly was the greatest band on the planet. Oh, and that Noel Gallagher wrote some pretty perfect pop songs! The haters can hate, and I get that the current indie rock climate doesn't mesh with the Oasis ideal, but once in awhile it's nice to have your "rock stars" well, just act like f**king Rock Stars. Great show!
Oasis on MySpace.
Set List
1. (It's Good) To Be Free
2. Talk Tonight
3. Fade Away
4. Cast No Shadow
5. The Importance of Being Idle
6. Listen Up
7. Half The World Away
8. Wonderwall (Ryan Adams Version)
9. Whatever
10. Slide Away
11. Strawberry Fields Forever
12. Don't Look Back In Anger
13. Married With Children
Noel Gallagher - Slide Away (Live on AOL The Interface)
Noel Gallagher - (It's Good) To Be Free (Live on AOL The Interface)
Ah, '98. The memories...