They may see him as a massive influence on their careers, but there was a time when Paul McCartney had few nice things to say about Oasis.
The Beatles and Wings legend has since explained why he took such a hard line against Noel and Liam Gallagher, suggesting it was what the pair had said, rather than anything they were doing music-wise. McCartney confirmed the claims the pair made about Oasis’ music being better than that of The Beatles is what irked him most, and he responded as such.
Liam and Noel had already told George Harrison where to go when the so-called “quiet one” aired his thoughts on the duo, but McCartney too shared his honest thoughts on the band after being “fed up” of politely turning the question down. In an interview on the Howard Stern show, McCartney confirmed he was not the biggest fan of the band but had tried to maintain a professional level whenever asked about the at-the-time young rockers.
Stern suggested McCartney had called the band “horrible,” to which McCartney replied: “You know what, did I? No. The trouble was I was asked, everyone, because they’re so Beatle-y, everyone asks, ‘What do you think about Oasis?’ I got fed up of being asked. I used to say, ‘They’re okay, I wish them good luck, they’re young guys, it’s difficult out there,’ just trying to help.
“But then they started to badmouth us [The Beatles], saying stuff like, ‘We’re much better, man.’ In the end, I didn’t really badmouth them too much, I just said I think they’re slightly derivative. They thought they were better.”
McCartney was not the only member of the Fab Four to criticise Oasis, with Harrison saying the band would have been better off without frontman Liam Gallagher. Harrison said: “He’s a bit out of date. He’s a bit of a – he’s just silly. I feel a bit sorry for him, really, because I think he’s totally missed the bus.
Harrison went on to suggest there was proof of Oasis being weighed down by Liam Gallagher fronting the band. He shared: “I think it was proven when you see the band without him singing, you know, they’re more in tune. He’s just excess baggage. All he does is make people think ‘what a bunch of prannies they are.’”
In a separate interview, the All Things Must Pass songwriter added: “The one who writes the songs, Noel, he’s okay. But they don’t have that much depth, and the other bloke, I don’t think they need him.
“The one who writes the songs, he can sing just as well, but maybe because it’s his brother he’s got to keep him in the band.” Noel Gallagher responded to Harrison, saying the music veteran “doesn’t know” Liam Gallagher and how much he brings to the band.
Noel said: “George Harrison doesn’t know Liam. If you didn’t know Liam and you read about him in the papers, then I suppose you wouldn’t like him, but unless you get to know him, you shouldn’t be making statements like that. We all love you, George. We think you’re top.”
