Oasis fans are deciding which of the Gallagher brothers has had a stronger career after the breakup of the band.
With the pair now set for a series of sold-out shows across the world, fans are curious as to who had the better solo career. Noel Gallagher appeared on the main stage at Glastonbury back in 2022, while Liam Gallagher recently toured Definitely Maybe across the UK for its thirtieth anniversary. One fan taking to r/Oasis wrote: “I know I am about to get blasted into oblivion for this but I’ve recently been listening to a lot of the brother’s solo work and I prefer Liam’s stuff to Noel’s High Flying Birds and it’s not really close.
“I also think Liam’s solo work is somewhat slept on and he does a nice job of branching out and creating a somewhat new sound for himself.” Noel appears to have come out on top when it comes to solo works, with fans saying his High Flying Birds is vastly superior to Beady Eye and Gallagher’s solo efforts.
One wrote: “I like both of their solo stuff but I agree with the rest of the comments – I do believe Noel’s is vastly better. Don’t get me wrong, I quite like listening to Liam every now and then but the songs can feel like they were AI-generated at times. Noel is the clear winner for me.”
Another wrote: “Noel’s songs have more substance. Plus, he writes his own. That effort from Liam and John Squire I was eagerly awaiting, was awful. I own all of Noel’s solo works. But nothing of Liam’s.”
A third added: “I often found Liam’s albums were more immediately enjoyable, probably because they’re more Oasis-like and it’s fun hearing Liam’s ultra-distinctive voice sing something new. But Noel’s albums have more staying power. I don’t relisten to Liam’s albums much these days, but I still put on Noel’s albums regularly.”
Some have suggested it is a little closer than first thought when it comes to deciding which Gallagher brother is better on their own. One wrote: “I love both Noel and Liam’s solo stuff. I think Noel’s is better, but not by THAT much. Both have created some really great songs and proven they can do it on their own. And yes, ‘their own’ might be other songwriters are helping, but let’s be real, Elvis didn’t write anything and no one craps on him for it.”
Another fumed at the suggestion Liam was a better solo act than Noel. They wrote: “He is essentially Robbie Williams without the dancing. Liam’s had some decent solo moments but let’s not pretend for the most part it doesn’t sound like someone fed an AI machine a bunch of Oasis and John Lennon prompts. You’re basically admitting you think Andrew Wyatt and Greg Kurstin are better songwriters than Noel Gallagher. Which is the purest of comedy.”
Another added: “Noel’s first two solo records were rock solid, but he’d already had most of them written before he even left Oasis. The quality was there because he had squirrelled them away. These last couple of releases? Jesus, they’re hard to get through. Noel somehow became easy-listening Radiohead.
Liam’s solo stuff has been very consistently good. He’s surrounded himself with a great team and he’s not really straying too far outside of his usual lane. He knows his strengths and has remarkably little ego as a songwriter- he gets in the room with people who have other songwriting strengths and lets them guide the songs. Is it groundbreaking? No. Is it enjoyable enough for repeat listens? Absolutely.”
