Oasis: Supersonic

by Simon Halfon, Juha Ahokas (Translator), Einari Aaltonen (Translator)

Ensimmäinen virallinen Oasis-kirja herättää henkiin musiikin ja veljesrakkauden sukupolvikokemuksen.

Kohuissa ryvettyneet Gallagherin veljekset onnistuivat luomaan ylittämättömän 90-luvun soundtrackin “Live Foreverin”, “Supersonicin”, “Wonderwallin” ja “Don’t Look Back in Angerin” kaltaisilla kappaleilla. Heidän esimerkkinsä osoittaa, että röyhkeällä asenteella voi päästä pitkälle, esimerkiksi maailman suurimmaksi bändiksi – ja katkaista verisiteet muutamaan kertaan matkan varrella.

Ääneen päästetään Liam ja Noel Gallagherin lisäksi bändin muut jäsenet, yhteistyökumppanit, ystävät ja kylänmiehet. Myös veljesten äiti sanoo painavan sanansa.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Biography Memoir, Collections, History, British Literature

352 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Persephone's Pomegranate]

What's the story, morning glory?

I love British drama, and by that I don't mean Downton Abbey and Peaky Blinders. I mean British musicians being overly dramatic and self-destructive. And who fits the description more than Oasis and the Gallagher brothers? I missed the Don't Look Back in Anger documentary movie that was recently in theaters (I'll watch it when it hits streaming in a few days), but I am definitely not missing them live next year.



Oasis was always there during my childhood (not physically, that would have been weird). I was raised on British and American music, but mostly British. Being exposed as a child to unhinged Italian and Mexican telenovelas, as well as messy British rock stars, has conditioned me to be attracted only to feral and toxic men.

As all the fans of the band will tell you, Oasis isn't just a band, it's a feeling, it's culture, and it's supersonic. Ever heard of the show Shameless? Noel and Liam Gallagher could fit that universe and its characters like a glove. I don't care what anyone says, Liam is the funniest person to ever walk the Earth.

Like the time Liam went to Mick Jagger's party and told him "I'm only here because of Jumping Jack Flash - you're a f**king dinosaur."

Or when Noel shared how Liam kept a fork in an open champagne bottle because he was told it keeps the champagne fresh. Weeks later, Noel found a fork hanging inside a bottle of milk in Liam's fridge.

Or when Liam said, "I suppose I do get sad, but not for too long. I just look in the mirror and go, 'What a f**king good-looking f**k you are.' And then I brighten up."

Or when he said, "Americans want grungy people, stabbing themselves in the head on stage. They get a bright bunch like us, with deodorant on, they don't get it."

Or when he said, "People think I'm just a f**king lunatic, but Noel can be a little bitch, too. I am a tender, beautiful and loving guy that happens to slap a photographer now and then because they get in my way."

Hating Radiohead. "I heard that f**king Radiohead record and I just go, 'What?!' I like to think that what we do, we do f**king well. Them writing a song about a f**king tree? Give me a f**king break! A thousand year old tree? Go f**k yourself!"

Hating Coldplay. "Chris Martin looks like a geography teacher. I don't hate them, I don't wish they had accidents. I think their fans are boring and ugly and don't look like they're having a good time."

Hating Radiohead and Coldplay. "I've mellowed, but not in the sense of liking Radiohead or Coldplay."

Then you have the brothers fighting each other with various objects over the years (guitars, tambourines, bassist Guigsy's cricket bat), refusing to speak for 15 years after the band's breakup, and Liam being a menace to everyone. The funniest and most unhinged Oasis moment is definitely their 2000 Wembley Stadium concert, where a high-out-of-his-mind Liam had a mental breakdown on stage (due to his soon-to-be-ex-wife, actress Patsy Kensit, recently leaving him and cleaning out their apartment) and started ranting about her, Noel, the crowd, the stadium, and life in general between song lyrics while the band played behind him. Many, many moments later, as Liam finally starts to come out of his drug-induced psychosis, someone from the crowd yells, "Eat my wang, you wanker!" Noel simply says, "Anyway..." and starts playing Wonderwall.

They are chaos incarnate, but they've given me Champagne Supernova, Don't Look Back In Anger, Stand By Me, Wonderwall, Don't Go Away, Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Supersonic, The Masterplan, Talk Tonight, Live Forever, and Morning Glory, so I have no choice but to stan.

[Lea]

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Having watched & enjoyed the Supersonic documentary, I figured a lot of it would feel repetitive - but it really didn't. There were a few bits and comments I remember from the documentary, but it mostly felt fresh and there were definitely a few things completely new to me - and I've read tons of interviews and a bunch of books about Oasis over the years. Some of the quotes made me laugh out loud, Noel and Liam would have made a grand stand up duo.

Since this is interviews done for the documentary, it only covers the the period up until their second album and ends in 1996 with their Knebsworth gig. I really wish there was something like this - both documentary & book - for the later Oasis years, even when there's less magic. The later formation is the one I saw live several times and that means a lot to me personally. I also think, somewhat controversly, that Oasis didn't have one bad album, and it would be fun to cover their creation.

Anyway, this is a delight for fans and it made me put on "Familiar to Millions" and remember being squashed to hell in the front row of my first Oasis gig.

[ava rose]

liam and noel my favourite humans ever🫶

[Alec Nathan]

I need 500 more pages of this.

[kendall paris]

love liam but i don’t know how noel didn’t just fucking kill him

[Serena]

While obviously the quotes from the two Gallaghers occupied most of the book, I thought the most interesting bits were actually the interviews collected from the other people in the band, the tour manager, the sound engineers, the photographers... All these people within the Oasis orbit who can offer a different view on them, and who we rarely get to hear from in interviews.
Definitely a fun read for anyone curious about the band, and with a lot more content compared with the corresponding film documentary.

[Laura Miller]

my true loves

[Harrison]

biblical

[Bob Schnell]

A perfect companion piece to the documentary of the same name, "Supersonic" is the Oasis lads at their best. From the band's inception to their historic shows at Knebworth, we are treated to the highs and lows of the band finding their feet and running to fame and infamy. A few people are missing from the interviews, probably for legal reasons, but the reader is treated to an insider's view of the Gallaghers and their mates having the time of their lives. But, as Noel once said, "It's not enough. I want more!"

[Harry]

I need to pee myself

[S D]

BIBLICAL godlike majestic cmon u know

[Sara]

Si amb el documental us vau quedar amb ganes de més, heu de llegir aquest llibre🫶🏻 em pensava que no hi trobaria res de nou (perquè soc una boja d’Oasis des dels 11 anys i ho he vist i llegit tot), i potser és així, però llegir-ho tal com ho van viure i explicar els protagonistes no té preu💛

[Vicente Ribes]

Un buen libro basado ene entrevistas sobre el ascenso de Oasis a la fama y sobre el período de mayor apogeo con sus 2 primeros discos y el concierto masivo de Knebworth.
Es un buen complemento al documental y se lee rápido ya que es una historia oral con las intervenciones de los propios protagonistas. Es de agradecer que a parte de Liam y Noel , otros miembros del grupo como Bonehead o Maggie, la madre de los Gallagher, hablen sobre como vivieron ese período.

Si bien no es el mejor grupo de Oasis que he leído,ese honor recae sobre " Oasis, la verdadera historia" de Paul Gallagher, el hermano mayor de Liam y Noel, es un buen pasatiempo si estás entusiasmado con la vuelta del grupo o eres fan.
El mundo necesitaba un poco más de rock en este siglo y parece qu por fin Oasis va a dárnoslo.

[Johnny Roastbeef]

4.5★

What is essentially an extended-edition of Mat Whitecross’ excellent rock n’ roll documentary Supersonic, this comprehensive page turner, about the meteoric rise of rock band Oasis, is compelling, relatable and deeply sincere. If you ever felt the need to understand what this band was all about then this is the book for you. No matter what your opinion is of them, if you are intrigued enough to want to know more then Simon Halfon’s extensive interviews with the band and those closest to them will provide the answers you seek, whilst possibly changing your perspective on what was a defining chapter in British music history.

[Ryan]

A written version of the documentary film of the same name. Since that film was pure gold that’s no bad thing. It adds up to an oral biography of the band during its halcyon days. It’s also very funny.

[Babs Van De Lavoir]

I think I manifested the tickets for 2025 while reading this 🫡

[Lærke Maria]

biblical

[rox]

biblical

[annalyse ⋆˙⟡♡]

I’m a rock n roll staaaaaaaaaaar

[aandromeda]

duhovito, iskreno, zabavno. oni su mi jedan omiljenih bendova i bilo je zanimljivo pročitati kako oni vide svoje početke, a posebno kako noel objašnjava svoj proces pisanja pjesama

poklonite mi karte za turneju :(

[Kafkaesque ☕️]

‘Yeah, we felt untouchable, man.
Supersonic, even’
LIAM STOPP YOUR NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME CRYYYYYY 😭😭😭😭😭😭
✨🎸🇬🇧🥁

Reading about Oasis, you realize how they truly were one of a kind. They never tried to pretend to be something they weren’t, just a couple of lads trying to have fun. This book just made me love music itself so much more. And as a fan, made me feel a bunch of feelings.

It hurt reading this because it’s such a time capsule when the brothers weren’t talking. Noel saying he neither loved nor hated Liam, while Liam said he loved Noel dearly, WAAAAAA😭😭😭😭. It just makes me happy and more appreciative about how they were able to reconcile. I love Liam and Noel, I love the other members (Bonehead, Guigsy, Gem, Andy!!), I love their music. And I’ll always know what they mean.

Ohh what I would’ve done to have Hot Ones exist in the 90s, I know those two would snorted da bomb.

-✨🎸🤍

[kodiwhy]

Biblical! Obviously.
All honesty, I had so much fun reading this! Finally got more insight on the story of the band from the official source and could literally hear Liam's and Noel's voice in my head, reading all these lines. I appreciate a lot all the stories from their rehearsals, recording sessions, stories from tours about how it all was coming together and who they were or felt like in particular periods of time. For a fan it's always amazing to find out some things behind all the magic. What made the magic trick work, you know. Turned out it was all magic indeed!
I'm not big on reading in general but these are the type of books that I wouldn't mind if they were never ending. It was hard to put it down.
I even shed a tear at the end.
This is history!

[Nick Rogers]

Absolutely mega. Loved it. I've loved the band for more than 30 years, read loads of interviews in magazines and books, and seen many, many hours of clips on YouTube. But this really gives an insight into the songwriting and the essence of how they made it so big in their own words. It is moving, but also hilarious.

Brilliant.

[Steve Ricciardone]

Seeing Oasis in NYC in September, loved this style of book and how they took it from the documentary. You get a really good understanding of the dynamic of the band and between Noel and Liam. Highly recommend this to any Oasis fan or anyone who is a fan of 90s rock

[Tony Drew]

A really good read, a lot better than I expected. Well worth the read, even for non-fans

[marta m.]

biblical

[Isla Went]

biblical

[Sofa]

Mejor banda del planeta.
Noel Gallagher, mejor ser humano existente.
Liam, rock and roll.

[Euan]

“We made people feel something that was indefinable” you’re not fucking wrong Noel see you next year in both Edinburgh and London

[Brendan Sheehan]

Don’t get me wrong I had great time reading the stories and I did learn a lot about Liam and Noel, but there are gaps in here as some musical documentaries have - tough beginnings, fun stories on the road, and then a quick thing about the end (as it was when it was written). They are just unabridged interviews so you do lose some of the narrative that would otherwise be present in a history of a band. Also while Knebworth is seen as the high point of the band… the band still existed for 13 years. Sort of like when Mary Beard ended her history of Rome in the 3rd century…. Still a lot left to the tale. Still would highly recommend for a fan of the band. More 3.5 than 3, goodreads create half stars.