Lot Essay
The eight songs on this tape are largely previously-undocumented apart from one reference Noel Gallagher made in an interview with The Observer to his first ever composition called Badge or as we now know it to be Baj. As Peter Doggett says in his preview of this recording ..Though the songs aren't as polished or commercial as anything issued by Oasis, they do document the missing years of the Noel Gallagher story - the mid-to-late 80s, between his first infatuation with the potential of the guitar, and his recruitment as roadie for the Inspiral Carpets at the start of 1989...
The anonymous vendor of the tape first met the 18-year-old Noel Gallagher in the summer of 1985 and recalled to Peter Doggett how Noel was a contradictory personality even then "He was very shy, and he got embarrassed easily. It didn't take much to make him go bright red. But at the same time, he wasn't afraid to speak up for himself. He always did that; and he had strong opinions." The vendor met Gallagher when he was working on a building site, he and some other mates used to eat their lunch in the vendor's flat when the latter was out at work. Noel's guitar playing was apparently a very private thing at this time "..he was keen to tell me about these songs he'd written, but he was too embarrassed to actually play them to me. Plus he wrote a lot of poetry back then. He had no real education to speak of, and no experience, but he was still able to express himself with words, melodies and rhythms." The vendor nagged Gallagher to perform the songs he'd written and in response Noel put eight songs on to a tape in 1988 and presented the cassette to the vendor along with the two sets of lyrics in the following lot. "..As far as I'm aware, Noel only did the tape so he could show me the songs...Even then, he was embarrassed as hell when I played it in front of him. But I thought it was wonderful, as I told him at the time. I played it to death over the next few years"
In Doggett's revue of the tape he says ..The eight songs on the tape show little trace of the familiar, Beatlesque chord changes which have become the Oasis trademark - though the vendor recalls that "Noel was always a big Beatles fan, even back then". Instead, the predominant influence is the Smiths, and more particularly the guitar work of Johnny Marr. Almost all the songs are constructed around circular sets of chord changes, played on acoustic, with distinctive electric guitar riffs laid over the top. Droning organ chords, plus an occasional burst of electric rhythm, complete the musical palette available to Noel in 1988. Doggett is certain that the material on this cassette precedes the batch of tapes that Noel recorded with future Oasis producer Mark Coyle after 1988 and following Noel's introduction to the Stone Roses and house music. ..The newly-unearthed tape is the work of a man still obsessed by the indie guitar heritage from the Beatles through the Jam and Billy Bragg to the Smiths... The lyrics are in some instances very political . "He hated it all" says his friend. "He hated the control that people had over us...He hated being told what to do...he was like a rebel against everything. He was fighting to be himself, to express the individuality, and to have the right to think".. Gallagher had no money but according to the vendor he used to dream about being a famous star ...although he knew he was fantasising, he always had incredible self-belief. He used to say that he knew he'd go far...I always felt that if he was given the chance to show the world what he could do there'd be no stopping him. But taking the first step outside of his environment was going to be the really difficult thing..". Noel's break came when Clint Boon of the Inspiral Carpets invited Gallagher to audition for the band. Although he failed to become the Inspirals' frontman he was recruited as their touring roadie. The vendor recalled their excitement at the news of Noel's new job "...we were over the moon with excitement. He always said that what he needed was an entrance ticket to the music business, a chance to get backstage, to get his foot in the door and to meet people. We both knew that the job with the Inspirals could bring him all of that - and it did..."
Noel worked with the Inspirals for two years, and it was in Manchester during a break in the Inspirals' tour schedule that in Doggett's words ...Noel made the fateful decision to watch his younger brother Liam singing at the Broadwalk with a band called Oasis. In mid-October 1991, a few days after he was sacked by the Inspirals, he made his first appearance on stage with the band...
The tape in this lot survives as a rare ...artefact from an era when the claustrophobia of fame was the last thing on Noel Gallagher's mind...
The anonymous vendor of the tape first met the 18-year-old Noel Gallagher in the summer of 1985 and recalled to Peter Doggett how Noel was a contradictory personality even then "He was very shy, and he got embarrassed easily. It didn't take much to make him go bright red. But at the same time, he wasn't afraid to speak up for himself. He always did that; and he had strong opinions." The vendor met Gallagher when he was working on a building site, he and some other mates used to eat their lunch in the vendor's flat when the latter was out at work. Noel's guitar playing was apparently a very private thing at this time "..he was keen to tell me about these songs he'd written, but he was too embarrassed to actually play them to me. Plus he wrote a lot of poetry back then. He had no real education to speak of, and no experience, but he was still able to express himself with words, melodies and rhythms." The vendor nagged Gallagher to perform the songs he'd written and in response Noel put eight songs on to a tape in 1988 and presented the cassette to the vendor along with the two sets of lyrics in the following lot. "..As far as I'm aware, Noel only did the tape so he could show me the songs...Even then, he was embarrassed as hell when I played it in front of him. But I thought it was wonderful, as I told him at the time. I played it to death over the next few years"
In Doggett's revue of the tape he says ..The eight songs on the tape show little trace of the familiar, Beatlesque chord changes which have become the Oasis trademark - though the vendor recalls that "Noel was always a big Beatles fan, even back then". Instead, the predominant influence is the Smiths, and more particularly the guitar work of Johnny Marr. Almost all the songs are constructed around circular sets of chord changes, played on acoustic, with distinctive electric guitar riffs laid over the top. Droning organ chords, plus an occasional burst of electric rhythm, complete the musical palette available to Noel in 1988. Doggett is certain that the material on this cassette precedes the batch of tapes that Noel recorded with future Oasis producer Mark Coyle after 1988 and following Noel's introduction to the Stone Roses and house music. ..The newly-unearthed tape is the work of a man still obsessed by the indie guitar heritage from the Beatles through the Jam and Billy Bragg to the Smiths... The lyrics are in some instances very political . "He hated it all" says his friend. "He hated the control that people had over us...He hated being told what to do...he was like a rebel against everything. He was fighting to be himself, to express the individuality, and to have the right to think".. Gallagher had no money but according to the vendor he used to dream about being a famous star ...although he knew he was fantasising, he always had incredible self-belief. He used to say that he knew he'd go far...I always felt that if he was given the chance to show the world what he could do there'd be no stopping him. But taking the first step outside of his environment was going to be the really difficult thing..". Noel's break came when Clint Boon of the Inspiral Carpets invited Gallagher to audition for the band. Although he failed to become the Inspirals' frontman he was recruited as their touring roadie. The vendor recalled their excitement at the news of Noel's new job "...we were over the moon with excitement. He always said that what he needed was an entrance ticket to the music business, a chance to get backstage, to get his foot in the door and to meet people. We both knew that the job with the Inspirals could bring him all of that - and it did..."
Noel worked with the Inspirals for two years, and it was in Manchester during a break in the Inspirals' tour schedule that in Doggett's words ...Noel made the fateful decision to watch his younger brother Liam singing at the Broadwalk with a band called Oasis. In mid-October 1991, a few days after he was sacked by the Inspirals, he made his first appearance on stage with the band...
The tape in this lot survives as a rare ...artefact from an era when the claustrophobia of fame was the last thing on Noel Gallagher's mind...