Noel Gallagher 'If Lady Gaga Asked Me To Do A Song For Her I'd Say Yes"

The other Oasis brother charts an entirely different course with 'High Flying Birds'

Two years after closing the door on his celebrated Britpop band Oasis, singer-songwriter-guitarist Noel Gallagher is back in the saddle with his solo debut, "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds", due in stores today.

After a decade with Oasis - one of the most successful rock bands of the '90s - Gallagher's solo excursion is being watched closely.

While brother Liam Gallagher's new group Beady Eyes sounds a lot like Oasis, Noel has taken a different approach, adding strings, trumpets and a choir.

Recorded in London and Los Angeles, the album was produced by Gallagher and Dave Sardy, who used to man the boards for Oasis too.

The album and touring band also feature former Oasis keyboard man Mike Rowe, Lemon Trees drummer Jeremy Stacey, ex-Zutons bassist Russell Pritchard and guitarist David McDonnell.

And now, live on the phone, it's Noel Gallagher!

High Flying Birds?

I just thought it sounded cool.

We haven't heard the album yet. What does it sound like?

I can't tell you what it sounds like, but I can tell what it doesn't sound like - it doesn't sound like stadium rock. It's kind of about escapism and hope, the longing to belong somewhere else.

We hear you wrote one of the songs in Thailand. True or false?

True: "Stop the Clocks" was written in Thailand, the last track on the album. I was in Phuket when I wrote that song. I always had a nice time in Thailand - nice food, nice people, nice shops.

Why did you choose "The Death of You and Me" as the first single?

I chose it because it sounded different from anything else I'd done before. It encapsulates the theme of the album, which is about hope, escapism and the sense of belonging. It's a great song, I think.

Why is the tour opening in Dublin next week?

I don't know. There's no particular reason, really. The production manager asked, "Do you fancy Dublin?" and I said, "Why not?" That was it. After Dublin we'll play Manchester, Edinburgh and London and carry on from there. And when people stop coming to see me, I'll stop.

Tell us a bit about your touring band.

These are people I've known for years. The keyboard player was with Oasis, and I asked him to join. The bass player called me up one day and asked if someone was playing bass, and I said nobody. He said, "Cool, can I do it?" And I said, "Yes!" And that was it.

Then the rest of the members came along, and here you go. We're not actually a band, really. High Flying Birds is just me.

Are they playing for you for just this album and tour?

I don't know - I was just going to do one tour with them, and after that I'm not sure.

Do you ever want to form another band?

Not really. I've been in a really great band like Oasis, and I don't think you can really reproduce that. I don't think I'll be able to break away from it, so I'm not going to try to. I'm proud of what I achieved with Oasis. I'm proud of the songs I wrote, the gigs that we did - everything.

How have you changed much over the years?

That's not a question I can answer, is it? You have to speak to my wife.

Do you prefer the way the music scene was back then to the way things are now?

Oh, I prefer it back then, of course. Now music has no soul anymore. Great music is still great music, but I prefer the scene back then. I liked going to record shops and buying records, and that was fantastic. There's no record shops anywhere now, so I have download music.

And I pay for it, for sure!

How's illegal downloading affecting your career?

A little bit. I'm not sure.

What bands do you like now?

I like Kasabian, because they write good songs.

Who would you like to collaborate with?

Neil Young.

What about cross-genre collaboration?

Maybe. It depends on a lot of things, but it's not something I think about, really. But if Lady Gaga asked me to do a song for her I'd say yes.

How do you like her music, then?

I don't have an opinion about that.

Anything you'd like to say to your Thai fans?

I hope you like my album and the songs mean something to you. I hope to see you all very soon.

Source: www.nationmultimedia.com