A Sound So Very Loud: The Inside Story of Every Song Oasis Recorded

by Ted Kessler, Hamish MacBain

A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published July 3, 2025

Reviews

[Mateo Gil · Rating 4 out of 5]

For any Oasis fan, this should be a must-have: a walkthrough of their songs, not just analyzing the lyrics, but providing an inside story of how they were recorded, where they came from, and what influenced their creation. It offers insights into the Gallaghers, their relationship, and the point of view of two amazing journalists who had the privilege of being close to the brothers and experiencing their magic.

The low point, and this is just a personal opinion, is that some songs are described too briefly, and others get lost or confused with discussions that don't add value to them. For example, when talking about "Falling Down" (one of my favorites), it feels a bit lacking.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s as simple as this, if you’re an Oasis fan (I’m a big one) you’ll really enjoy this song-by-song accounting of their chaotic history as told by two former NME (New Musical Express) journalists who were there. Recommended on that proviso.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, a great way to tell their story and didn't feel like it was a repeat of Love Forever by John Robb. Definitely worth reading both.

[Noah Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I coulda asked for and more. Learned so many obscure stories and songs, and also, was able to fully curate a best of playlist without missing anything.

[Ravi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great backstories on the albums/songs and a wonderful excuse to re-listen

[Lucy Guillén · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for so much more from this book.

[Mauro García · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started yesterday and in “D’yer wanna be a spaceman” the authors wrote that the band attempted to play it live in Maine Road ‘96, Noel started to strum the chords and TONY MCCARROLL joined with the drums.

Sorry? How can that error overpassed some authors editing and reviewing? Now I’m just thinking if all the info I’m reading is even accurate. It’s like reading that Pete Best was The Beatles drummer in 1964. Unforgivable.

[N.D. Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

To call this the 'inside story of every song Oasis recorded' is misleading. At no point did the writers sit down with any members of the band and discuss track by track their entire back catalogue. Neither does this offer any real insight into the creative process behind each song - which I was led to believe (and my reason for wanting to read it) when a certain radio DJ was plugging it.

What Kessler and MacBain do is create a tapestry of entertaining anecdotes, sewed together from their own, past, interviews with the band and other sources (mostly the Supersonic documentary). In turn, there is not really anything new here. To seasoned Oasis fans, it's covering old ground.

The writers also have a tendency to say very little about many of the great B-sides/album tracks, which have a rightful place in the Oasis cannon, yet dedicate pages to insignificant cover songs.

Still, overall this was an entertaining read and even as an Oasis fan since the beginning, I learned one or two new tricks, but no massive revelations.

That said if you're only just discovering Oasis for the first time, then I recommend this book.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book in the library as I was checking out another book so obviously I had to get it as soon as I saw it was Oasis.
I was lucky enough to get presale for the ‘25 reunion tour so I’ve seen them live and that was an amazing experience.

This book was really good, and I liked how it was about the songs and stories that go with them rather than just about the band and full of content everyone knows already. Even songs that only had a short paragraph to go with them, it was still something because of course there’s something say about the songs, even if they weren’t a hit or the band didn’t think much of them.

I definitely (maybe) won’t remember some of the stuff in here, but I did learn some very interesting facts and other memorable stuff so now I have even more info dumping to do next time I listen to oasis with somebody.

[Andrew Carolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done. I've read a few of these kinds of books (i.e. the catalogue of songs: Bowie, Prince, Paul McCartneys own background of his lyrics) and this is the best so far (and also the best Oasis book I've read). It delves into each song throughout their career, without making the mistake of dragging each out for the sake of content. Instead, it focuses on points of inspiration for the songs, what they're about, or a story relating to the time of recording and writing; thus avoiding a repetitive, clinical feel that can get boring with some of the aforementioned. Given their journalistic credentials and personal history with the band too, there's a fun side to the insights given.

[Jim Leeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of Oasis books since I am obsessed with the band and their post Oasis work. This is by far the best Oasis book I’ve read. It’s refreshing doing it song by song instead of just saying what happened from 1991 to 1996 or 2009. This way you get many different stories and bits you wouldn’t hear otherwise.

The authors also share tales of when they met Liam and Noel which are fun to read and at times hilarious. If you haven’t read this book yet - buy it!

[Phillip Mottaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice. Stray observations:
1. Kinda harsh on "Be Here Now," while remarkably kind to the last 3 albums (not complaining, just interesting).
2. Ends abruptly. Just kinda like "Last song was this, they did that, roll credits." That said, covering the songs was their stated goal so (once again) not a complaint.
3. Still has fun, funny bits.

[Ardhitama Shaumarli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Released right as Oasis announced their massive 2025 reunion tour, this book definitely rides the wave of hype. Even the authors claim it on the very first page. As someone who loves the music but never knew much about the band's history, I found this deep dive into every song they recorded to be a perfect entry point.

The structure of the book can be a little confusing. It starts with their first recording and then jumps between albums and singles, often telling you to "see page XX" that they already explained it befor. Since this is written by music journalists and not a memoir from the Gallagher brothers themselves, you shouldn't expect deep "insider" secrets. However, it's a solid collection of stories and perspectives that help you understand the context of their massive hits.

Reading this immediately after Bono’s memoir (Surrender) gave me a lot of perspective. While Bono used U2 as a tool for meaningful global action, which boosted their longevity, Oasis followed a different path. They had the potential to be the greatest band ever, but ego and drugs often acted as distractions. Yet, their sold out reunion shows prove that the world never truly let go of them. Their story is a reminder that while chaos can cut a career short, it's never too late to fix things and find your way back to the stage.

Overall, it’s a worthy read for anyone wanting to understand the music behind the biggest reunion of the decade.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read from beginning to end. Highly recommend.

[S Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential and definitive.

[John Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Besides putting me onto a huge Oasis kick for the past few weeks, its made me come to the realization that Oasis really never put out a bad record. Fun book!

[Simon Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read and purposely released at a perfect time. There was a lot I already knew and a lot I found out. My favourite bits were the encounters the authors had with Liam and Noel themselves, especially Post-Oasis, quite sweet actually.

The frustration comes from the lack of fact checking. There are a few instances in the book that are easy to confirm. One is saying that Princess Diana died a month after Be Here Now - it was 10 days and one of the others was saying that Ocean Colour Scene’s first and second album are Moseley Shoals and Marchin’ Already when it’s their second and third.

But the book itself overall is a real treat to read for anyone interested in the band.

[First Principles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The raw edge and unfettered aspirational nature of their catalogue (which has been so magnetic in the Summer of 2025) is really laid bare here in each songs story. Perfect time, perfect dynamic, perfect songs.