Funny how every Oasis story seems to start exactly the same way: "The band were drinking in a (hotel/restaurant/airport/train/backstage area), when Liam... "
I've had the privilege of meeting Tony and he's an absolute gent. His drumming is a huge part of that first album's sound and it wouldn't be the same without it.
He drummed live on supersonic with us a couple of years ago. He definitely has a vibe and groove of his own. Amazing unrehearsed and unexpected moment and one I’ll never forget, was also a really nice humble bloke ✌🏻
@@jamesjameson4566 well said, yeah I think personality or personalities comes into play possibly, never met him, but seems like a humble guy, and a founder.
I think Noel disliked Tony on a visceral level. Tony was the oldest of three brothers, loving father, happy family life, embraced their Irish heritage, supported in his musical ambitions. Noel was the middle brother, horrible family life, an abusive father, no support of his ambitions and a very ambivalent feeling towards his Irish heritage.
If Tony was any good as a drummer why has the guy disappeared into obscurity? If he was a good drummer surly he would have done the rounds on the music scene; can’t say I’ve heard anything although Im happy to be to be corrected.
@@kerkiraz Maybe he became disenchanted with being in a band after leaving Oasis. I used to be an art student in high school. After being forced to draw every single day, art became very mechanical and I eventually hated it. I haven’t drawn or painted since graduating. That was 30 years ago. Having said that, maybe you are right.
You know you’ve had a career in music, impacted on others and been something in rock & roll history when James Hargreaves pulls together and puts out a rockumentary.
Tony was perfect for Definitely Maybe. It wouldn’t have sounded so raw with Whitey on the chops. Like Mani said, “At the end of the day,, he’s Tony McCarrol ex of Oasis, and there’s not a lot of people who can say that.” Nice vid. Cheers, mate.
Tbh I'd probably agree. The refrain for both is that they were good live but came up short in the studio. Wonder why they didn't boot Guigs. I guess it was easier for Noel to do the bass parts than it was for him to do the drum parts.
@@chrisk7082 I think Noel is realising that being a lead singer is harder than it looks, Noel's voice sounds dreadful lately but Liam has gotten a lot better.
I met Tony in Tampa, Florida of all places back in 1995. He had moved over for a bit to get away from it all. I connected w/ him on Twitter & he confirmed ‘yep that was me!’ Really nice guy!
Never a massive fan of the band but always intrigued regarding how Tony was released. He was integeral to their early sound and not many people can say they played on one of the biggest albums of the 1990s.
I agree with many others who have written comments about Tony. The beat he brought to Oasis in Definitely Maybe will always be amazing and it's incredible that he never decided to stick a drumstick up any of the band members' anatomy like some deserved. All the best to you Tony. Great vid Jim!
Alan White's drumming on WTSMG is such a massive part of that album. I really can't imagine it being anywhere near as successful if Tony had drummed on it.
Sloppy and basic. If you've ever played/worked with a subpar drummer, you'd be constantly frustrated. Tony didn't understand "the oasis sound". He just got produced/edited enough on the first record for it to sound passable.
Never a fan of the band but I did get to see them a few times in 94 and my interest in them was more than it was over the following years the swagger then felt genuine.
I went to school with Alan white hes a good bloke . Imagine trying to work with them two bellends Noel and Liam , it would be like working with two old grannies
My issue with Oasis post-Definitely Maybe was that they lost the punk edge they started with and started sounding more and more polished, and they lost something. And I really think Tony's drumming was probably the biggest part of that.
What I find really interesting is that there are two types of Oasis fan: those who prefer the punkier sound and usually think Definitely Maybe is their best album (like yourself) or those who prefer the more polished sound of Morning Glory (like me). I think moving away from that punk sound and evolving into the band that they did is what elevated them into being so epic, but completely respect people in the other camp too. Plus Supersonic is my favourite Oasis track and it's from DM
The bands are totally different but it's very true and a sort of similar thing happened with Guns N' Roses in many ways, then you get the same divide of what the first drummer brought to the sound of the first album, then got a new, more seasoned drummer but lost a certain sound
It was Noel's songwriting. Definitely Maybe was an album written for and from a struggling working class man. He can't really write those same songs with that sound after making it big.
Noel was always a frustrated solo act, who seemed to resent the attention Liam got. It's noticeable how much better they were in the early days when Noel didn't have mic in front of him and just played guitar. He also must have failed to grasp that the rawness of those early tracks and Tony's drumming was why so many fans got hooked in the first place. Tony's legacy of being a part of that brilliant debut album can never be taken away by anyone
Spot on. Why do you think Noel eventually went solo? He always wanted to be the lead singer. He says he didn’t, but he resented the attention Liam got from the beginning. I think his solo career has been average to below average so time has sort of proved that he’s a better guitar player than lead singer. He was never a proper front man but he wanted to be and he couldn’t handle the fact that his little brother was.
Great video! A very balanced description of events....my impression is that Tony was picked on, but had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth and wasn't interested in progressing as a drummer. Loved his drumming on the first album and sad to hear he had such a rough time in Oasis.
Seems to me, all his life, Noel has been trying to get to where he is today. Fully in control of his own destiny, no annoying outside influences or distractions, no unwanted input from others. Wife, kids and a band made up of session musicians who he pays a wage to. He's said it himself, he was kind of relieved when Oasis ended. Cutting Liam out of his life was the final piece of the jigsaw for a perfect life. Sad, but that's who Noel is.
@@glynne.cicada it's sad because they're brothers. They're the sons of a mother still alive who sure would like to see them speaking again before she's gone. Everything in life isn't about "The big I AM and MY JOURNEY"
@@glynne.cicada Nature of the beast Brothers alway fall in/out of love during their lives and have opinions on partners . I think the incident you were on about is when Noel's wife posted on social media that Liam was an (Oasis Tribute) act during his Glastonbury set and why isn't he dead yet something on those lines I think Liam's DM reply to his Niece was then leaked. I think wishing your Brother-in-Law Dead coming from the rational minded Sarah is far worse. Than the ramblings of a drunken Liam on Twitter calling her the Wicked Witch and she is the reason for Oasis not reuniting.
Ringo fitted The Beatles Moon fitted The Who, if they swapped bands it wouldn't have worked. Tony fitted Oasis, personally I think Guigsy was the weak link, the bass is always mixed as low as possible, unlike Macca with The Beatles or Bruce Foxton with The Jam
I really enjoy these videos, I was singer / songwriter/ guitarist in the wild strawberries in the late 80s, Mark Coyle was the guitarist in the band so a lot of these stories are kind of my history in some ways. Keep em coming.👍
Very interesting video thanks, James. It's heartbreaking to imagine how Tony must have felt when he was sometimes mistreated by the band and others in the bubble. We've all witnessed bullying and behaviour like this at school or work etc. If true, how many were following Noel's lead with the abuse. As Tony says in his book he always got on well with Bonehead and Liam, so I do wonder what the true dynamics were. I get the impression Guigs may have disliked Tony for their political differences too. I'm glad The Real People were kind to Tony and that he gave them their due in his book too. Probably worth noting Tony writes in his book about his music collection/interests when growing up fondly, and even his discussions about music with Bonehead. Also that Noel previously called Tony a f*ggot for liking The Smiths, only to later claim to be a fan himself when growing up. (If I'm remembering all this correctly) I think lots of things were written from the Oasis camp at the time of Tony's departure were fabricated to create controversy and headlines, for example; Tony and Liam's fight in Paris, Tony not knowing Beatles songs, band members questioning Tony's passion for drumming. Again Tony wrote in his book about how Noel used money given to him by McGee to buy new equipment for the band, which Noel did, except for new drum skins that Tony had requested. Tony definitely should have tried harder to better himself when given drumming lessons. However I don't think it would have mattered as Noel wanted Alan White and a new sound for the new album. Whitey was the right man for the second album although they did lose the raw punky sound of original Oasis. The quote about Noel saying if Tony left they wouldn't be Oasis anymore is very interesting to hear now.
@@RPowell1980 Perhaps Noel didn't like the fact they got on, or that they valued Tony as a good drummer. However I think the reason Noel banned The Realies from their gigs was because he wanted to create distance from them. He didn't want people discovering about how the The Real People helped Oasis' progression as a band and further influenced their sound (not to mention stealing a handful of their songs). It takes away from the official narrative that Oasis were a hapless band going nowhere until Noel joined and, with his songs and genius, singlehandedly made them the biggest band in Britain. Another great book to read is Chris Hutton's (the original singer of The Rain) 'Don't Look Back in Anger - Growing Up with Oasis '. I would love to see James make a video on this. If I'm remembering correctly Hutton goes into detail, like Tony, about Bonehead's importance and how the band had already created the 'Oasis sound' with influences from the Stone Roses and R.E.M. There's also a very interesting bit about when Hutton meets Liam again years later backstage at the Maine Road '96 gig. Let's not forget Supersonic was created in a band effort when they all started jamming a new beat together and Noel wrote the lyrics to it. Noel was brilliant no doubt about it, but the other four's roles must not be downplayed or forgotten, they all deserve credit.
@@DJ-ov2it In his book McCarroll writes about his Irish roots and the prejudice he would face as a kid because of it. Although he states the band did not discuss politics he does mention Guisgy was a Conservative and a Thatcherite whereas the rest of the band were Labour. I am only speculating and haven't read McCarroll's book in a long time. I can't remember why/when the trouble with him and Guigsy started exactly but they used to be friends. Ironically McCarroll once stood up for Guigs when he was being picked on.
The manner in which Tony was sacked was disgusting. One week on TOTP. Next week sacked. I remember the period well. One thing that was further disgusting was removing Tony from all future royalties from Oasis sales he performed on. Poor form
he was the best drummer for Oasis and was on their best album and one of the best records of the 90s. I think a lot off people agree with me and he must take some happiness from that
@@GM-pn7ih white was a better drummer I agree. For most bands he would have been better, but for Oasis I prefer Tony. His style made them rock harder and that was the Oasis I liked the best
The band musically fell apart almost immidately after Definitely Maybe. Morning Glory is a mixed bag of excellence and trash. Definitely Maybe's quality is unmatched by the rest of their discography by a landslide. Their first and last truly great record. It's a shame most people can't see it. The drumming plays a major role in all this, too.
@@GM-pn7ih yea i know. he had good groove, but i liked oasis when they were more straight ahead. whats the story is a good album but nothing special. the first one is a real classic
After this i do feel a lot of sympathy for tony human wise.The comment he made at guigs was so true.If anything guigs should of been the one who was kicked out,seeing as noel did basically all his parts on definitely maybe.And id never really thought about the hypocrisy of noels exit citing verbal abuse from liam,when thats all they did at tony
Ya but Guigs held his own on the stage with the songs from both albums (DM and WTSMG)… Tony would not have been able to play the songs live from WTSMG.
Guigsy was up Noel's ass he was weakest musician out the whole lot of them thays why he run back to Noel lied and back up Noel Tony drumming not even that bad Noel just didn't like him they all new before hand he was getting the sack they just didn't tell him got management to say your sacked sad
I love oasis, they changed my life when I was around 14. Over the the years it’s become obvious that Noel is a ruthless and selfish little man. Nicking bits of songs from his mates and giving them zero credit, bullying Tony out the band, decades of bad mouthing his brother to any journalist that’ll listen and then cutting him out of his life when it’s patently obvious all he wants is your love and approval. Early oasis songs were great but there is absolutely no chance whatsoever that oasis would even be signed without Liam. He was the star. His presence and voice up until around 1999 was absolutely captivating. Watch those Earl’s Court performances. Liam is mesmerising. Noel was jealous of his ability to control the audience and his undeniable star quality.
We must be around a similar age and as you quite rightly say Liam was the real star at the time and Noel was merely someone in the background. Noel is a brilliant songwriter and his ruthlessness probably helped with the success of oasis. I’m a huge fan of oasis but As a person I wouldn’t have the time of day for him, i would look the other way if I passed him in the street.
@@sharman8489 I can remember in 95 watching Oasis vid's with friends and our general consensus was that Noel was the 'cool, quiet one'. He was still quite mysterious at that point as Liam had all the focus on him. But nowadays, Liam seems like the nicer of the 2, by far.
Noel has admitted that he's a cunt, he said so in "The Supersonic" doco. If you've seen many interviews with Noel you'll realize that although he's very entertaining & funny, he's also a lying, conniving bastard that flip flops and changes opinion like the wind. It's hard to get a truthful, longterm position from him. But he gets away with it because he's charming, quick witted and articulate. He obviously manipulated the situation with Tony to make him feel isolated and left out. It's almost as if he was pushing Tony so much so he'd leave of his own accord.
@@theselector4733 Somewhere between the end of chasing yesterday and the start of who built the moon Noel turned into a right right cunt. Forgot where he came from. Started slagging the fans off cause his brother rides from the dead after beady eye flopped. We are all going to knebworth and even though Noel will still get most the money from that. It’s not about that it’s about the spirit of what oasis were to people. 2009 I think her had enough of Liam because the gigs were shocking his voice was shot to pieces to still didn’t want to be professional Like Bono or Martin. But Noel wouldn’t admit that he made out Paris was huge scrap it was tiny compared to ones before. He made up the lies of liam wanting pretty green in the tour poster to all his mates from the sun to discredit liam. Real fans don’t forget that shit
@@michaelmulhall5007 he should only get the PRS royalties for the songs played on the night he wrote... the gate, merch and other income will be taken by Liam's operation after everyone's been paid and management take their 20% and agent their 10%
You should do a video on Oasis setlists, exploring things such as why they opened Knebworth with Columbia, which songs were played most and what was never played and why
I reckon they opened Knebworth with Columbia because it was the first ever Oasis song played on the radio. Also for the very fitting lyric of "there we were, now here we are" - council estate lads, now the biggest band at the biggest gig in Britain.
They opened with Columbia because it’s their best song, two thirds of Definitely Maybe is great, a third is a bit boring and everything they did after is mundane, save the odd song here and there. Before you start I was there at the beginning, they were cool, but like all cool bands they become uncool once all the ordinary people like them, with Oasis it was the moment I was in a local pub full of average people (I was in with a few friends, we were all musicians), when Wonderwall came on the jukebox and all he people that we considered boring and uncool started singing along with it we knew they were over as far as being a cool band was concerned.
This would be a good subject. Why would it be more difficult? Are there no books or interviews about this? I would love tosee it.... all i heard Noel say is..."Why would anyone leave a sucessful band willingly?"
@@royfr8136 I think with the MacCaroll story there is enough info out there on either side to offer a balanced, objective interpretation of events. There are plenty of quotes from the Oasis camp - both as it happened and retrospectively - and, obviously, Tony published a comprehensive history of his side of things in his book. Additionally, I believe there was a legal case between the two parties from where relevant info on what went down could be gleaned objectively. The problem as I see it with the Bonehead and Guigs fall-out is the paucity of info from the perspective of the two members who left. We know what Noel and Liam said about it at the time, but as far I’m aware there’s been not a lot more been added from anyone else to round the story out. Guigs, for one, has been totally silent. And Bonehead has remained friends with them both and seems too diplomatic to dish the dirt. There’s probably a really interesting story to be told about that time, but I wouldn’t take Noel’s account as sacrosanct. My gut instinct is, like with MacCarroll, his main motive was to replace the founder members with more rounded session musicians and he invited a scenario to justify this. I’d still love to see a video on it, though!
"Noel Gallagher claims Arthurs left after a drunken row with Noel regarding a drink and drugs ban set by the band during recording. Noel had intended to ease the recording process by keeping Liam sober, and to make it fair, he insisted the rest of the band do likewise. Arthurs could not cope and took to taunting Liam, drinking red wine and kicking other crew members doors in the early hours to pour booze over them[citation needed]. When Noel turned the tables and broke into Arthurs' room, waking him up by pouring wine over his head, Arthurs was so angry that he quit. His guitar parts were subsequently re-recorded by Gallagher" This is the story I remember reading at the time. Again, could be true or be fabricated for media buzz.
Ive read the books but hearing someone read out some of the parts breaks my heart for tony even more. But hey. Hes still a major part of the oasis story. Not a bad shift on this earth
Fantastic video. You probably have enough projects as is but for my part I would LOVE to see similar mini bios on Bonehead and Guigsy. Great channel and content!
I'm glad that, after all was said and done, all of the oasis team, including Noel, had kind words to say about him. They're right, he was the right man for the job and he brought a real punk attitude to the album which made it stand out so much. None of the other albums sound the same, and, in my opinion, as good! Tony might've been a limited drummer but his time and contributions to oasis shouldn't be understated. Personally, he's my favourite oasis drummer out of the two.
I've read both books - my takeaway is he was a reasonable talented drummer and a solid geezer. He had the fortunate timing to sync up with future legends, but he also had an inability to let small slights, issues, and verbal shade just drift. No focus on the bigger picture. Tony fell on his sword for almost every slight from Noel, and that likely finished him in Noel's eyes. Hopefully one day they all can reconcile.
Tony and his 3 brothers were in a band with my ex boyfriend after oasis. They were called Raika big following around Manchester they were a good band! I still have their domos on my pc at home
In an era where we are aware of how bad bullying can affect people - I find this kind of behaviour quite shocking, he may not have been the best drummer but no one warrants the abuse that Tony received
@@Jellybeantiger Drummers can be the biggest assholes in a band ..theres no formula to it..and what do you mean a narcissist? Do you even know what a narcissist is?
@@Jellybeantiger nah you're trying to be clever but your understanding of narcissistic traits are based on the Diagnostic manual which has infiltrated the mainstream to mean anyone with an opposing opinion to someone else.Every bird that splits up with a fella these days calls them a narcissist.But every single person who picks up an instrument and looks in the mirror is a narcissist as it comes from narcissus the story about the person who fell in love with his own reflection.But that sums up everyone who has ever got on stage ..so the point is when I asked you wasn't to take the piss..or have a go...it was to genuinely ask wether you knew?
The best Oasis’ channel ever (godlike). Questions: so Guigs didn’t record any of the bass lines from their debut? If so, who did? Question 2: Guigs basslines were pretty much 4/4 root notes, a dog could play them. Was he ever criticized by his lack of skills such as Tony?
Alot of people say Noel played most, if not all the bass on Definitely Maybe, WTSMG, BHN and SOTSOG. With that being Noel always denys this saying it was Guigs. If you look at the credits Noel did play bass on some of the songs
Bonehead & Guigsy's playing had to be redone on SOTSOG but that down to was a legal issue (which I think was tied to Creation going bust at the time the album was almost finished) They deffo played on the previous albums though. Guigs got a free pass from Noel for being barely competent due to being a total yes man, something that Tony wasn't.
Best line was "Guigsy now had his head so far up Noel's arse, that Noel would've had two sets of teeth to brush!" I feel sorry for Tony in how he was treated. His girlfriend didn't help at all with the fighting and stress she seemed to bring. That came at the worst possible time for him with all that he already had to deal with in the band. It seemed like everything just added more negative energy to create the perfect storm from which he wouldn't recover from to stay in Oasis.
Agreed, Tony’s drumming was at the heart of the Oasis sound. It’s that laid back backbeat which worked. Hence the first album was their best and the second album still with his influence was second best. After that Oasis we’re awful.
Hard to believe Guigsy was almost as much of an arsehole as Noel! He always seemed the most affable of them all. Disappointing. Love McCarroll's drumming on Bring It On Down - a defining Oasis moment, more so than Supersonic. Love Alan White too for Morning Glory. Great video, James, always keeping the discussion open... respect!
In the "there and then" documentary there is a part where Guigsy taking a break from the band. Noel's way of dealing with it? "Come back or you're fired"
I recently saw a video of Noel answering questions people asked about him on the internet. One question was why people call him chief, his answer was that was his nickname in school, but in Oasis it was Guigsy who first started calling him that.
Mani said it perfectly about Tony's time with Oasis. And my thought is bands evolve, personalities change. Tony was the perfect drummer for that first record, but I don't think he could have done justice to the songs after it. I've never really liked Guigs, as a person or a bass player. As a bass player myself I could always tell that he was barely pulling off the most basic versions of the songs live and that meant he most likely didn't make up the parts, or even play the bass on record. I've never met any of them, so it's just a feeling I got from what I could see, and seeing him "play" live. Just my perception of it. Great video as always. Peace.
Agreed Tont fit the punky Definitely Maybe era perfectly, I only play guitar and not bass but I know a good bass player when hear one, Guigsy sucks, you can barely hear him most of time, Andy was a much better musician and you could actually hear the bass, Bonehead is a better bass player than Guigsy when they played Letterman without Guigsy with Bonehead on bass they sounded pretty good even though Noel was the only guitar.
U know guigsy personally like are just by Internet videos he hardly ever speaks so I cannot comment I I like him or not as a person surprised u can have opinion on his personality as seems a mute to me.
I love your channel -I was once a HUGE Oasis fan and tried to know everything about them back in my childhood but there was so much more to know!! I’m not such a huge fan now (just being honest) but I still love some of their tunes and some of their tunes are now legendary, and I’m still very interested in their backstory, so thanks!! 🙂
Good comparison. I get why they felt they needed someone more advanced for them to progress their sound but there was a notable difference in feel when the early material was played live after. Sorum could never get near that same sort of swing on Rocket Queen that Adler had. Similar to the later drummers in Oasis playing the Definitely Maybe material.
Adler himself said he didn't blame them for sacking him, he was so messed up he couldn't get the timing right in the studio. On more than one occasion, they bad to manipulate the tempo on his drum track so everyone else could get their tracks done.
@@petegonad Yeah Civil War was his swansong. Obviously the substance issues with Adler were a bit different to Tony who seemingly just couldn't be arsed to improve so the band could develop their sound.
Tony was one of the lads who sparked the beginning of Oasis. James, this was one of the most informative, fascinating overviews on an important part in Oasis's history. Thank you. It also hurts a bit to hear these stories of brotherhood tensions between the guys in the band and all the downfalls along the way. At the end of the day, the album they made, plus the other recordings, are historical recordings who are essentials in the world's history forever and no one could EVER take that away from Tony. HOWEVER, we must understand that Alan White is one of the greatest drummers in rock n' roll history. A lot of people don't really know how important his original top drumming is in what makes Oasis's golden era to be so epic. Noel knew that very well about Whitey and the places he could take the band to upon joining in. McGee said in the Definitely Maybe documentary that the punkiness of Tony was what make his charm, and that's true but Whitey was really a professionally educated and trained drummer and musician and these are just two different worlds. I could understand why when Noel heard him accidentally in a rehearsal room, he thought to himself "I want this drummer for myself".
Alan White is considered Oasis' best drummer technically, but he is not considered one of the best in Rock 'n' Roll history. The story of Noel "accidentally hearing" Whitey in a studio is one of Noel's fabricated stories. Weller recommended Alan to Noel. Alan's brother Steve was Weller's drummer.
@@ZakynthosDiamandis not considered one of the greats in history? In my opinion he is. Absolutely. He is definitely the greatest English drummer of the 90’s IMO. Also Zak is a phenomenon drummer but was never really part of Oasis. And actually the story of Noel hearing Whitey accidentally was told by Whitey, it could have well be they were sharing some rehearsal space with Weller maybe. By the way Steve White was filling in for Allan during the SOTSOG tour I think
Love your content and your dedication for Oasis. You really do your homework. I jumped off the Oasis train right after Be Here Now when I realised they didn't have the chops to pick up where The Beatles left, and because they had that attitude and egos larger than their work. I guess that's part of lad culture, but for that to work, you gotta be extra gifted like the fab four were. It's clear it's not a black and white history but the levels of nastiness, abuse, and outright death threats are mind-blowing, no one should go through that ever, and that Tony stayed for too long instead of quitting long ago it's what makes me wonder about his motivations to keep going in a place he was not wanted at all. Sometimes abuse and bad blood becomes routine that, when it's over, they can't realise it's for their best interest yet they feel devastated. The irony of it all is that every piece in the band had their comeuppance. They were doomed to fail from the start.
I read Tony's book which very much casts NG as the villain. There's probably some truth to both sides - Tony was a mediocre drummer and Noel was a better musician but a lousy person. The stories about how Liam wrote Shakermaker or Columbia (I forget) with Bonehead and Real People, Noel heard it and said it was great until he found out Liam collaborated on it and then said it was shit. Same with listening to a recording of Tony playing drums he thought was a session drummer, saying it was great, then found out it was Tony and immediately changed his view. We see a very insecure man. Anyhow, technically speaking Alan White was a much better drummer, but firing Tony destroyed the band by pumping up NG's ego.
Anyone who makes it to the top has to be a bastard. Not my words, John Lennon. NG has and had standards and ambition. He’s clearly a funny charismatic guy and by far the most intelligent and talented of all of them. Bonehead drove the band really well, Liam is o super talented, but Noel is on another level. Look at what they’ve all done after Oasis and remember Noel was a lot older, which creativity is lost. How many 40+ year olds create great music? Not even McCartney.
Take away our affection for Oasis and this just sounds like transparent bullying to me - pretty excruciating and nasty to hear. What should have been some of the happiest moments of McCarroll’s life were probably some of the most painful. To further humiliate him afterwards by disparaging his musicianship was totally unnecessary, too. NG is a great songwriter, but doesn’t come across as a particularly nice fella.
Pretty much spot on. Noel Gallagher is probably the BEST Songwriter in the last 25yrs BUT he's also one of the biggest cunts in the business. That time when Tony squared up to him, it would've been interesting if he'd clobbered him one.
This was excellent! I remember that interview with Noel about the Tony fight. He said something like "He's right, I'm sure whatever he said was true, I was an asshole." Something like that.
The consensus between all band members and crew about Tony's drumming issues seems odd to me. Even tho I believe that Alan White's uniquely "melodic" style was the last missing piece for the band's sound - I find all Definitely Maybe songs performed on There and Then superior to the album versions mostly because of the drums - but I couldn't find any issues with Tony McCarroll's drumming on the leaked demos, rehearsals and live versions whatsoever. Not to mention how many of their early songs utilized Tony's drums as the intro. Great video as usual. Thanks for your work, James :)
Good points all around and my best guess about the drums sounding okay is that they 1) made him record it till he got it right and 2) might have spliced stuff from different takes or used other studio trickery to hide problems. Splicing stuff with drums is probably harder than other instruments and vocals, so maybe not that, idk. Also I know you mentioned live versions too, and I think maybe he was a better drummer with the whole band? But playing by himself in the studio is when he'd have trouble. Idk, who knows right? What's more important is that everyone seemed to think he was a shit drummer, no one liked him, he was a prick, he wouldn't try to get better when they gave him a chance. I have so little sympathy for the dude. He had years worth of chances and he just couldn't get it together.
@@abcxyz53 lol sure. I disagree that Alan White ruined anything, so there’s really no point discussing. It’s just a matter of opinion. And now you’re just speculating randomly. Again useless. Have a great day.
Noel has almost unimaginable wealth. He made more money than most musicians in history. I really wish he would just give tony a couple of million so that he could have a wonderful retirement and at least have some of the incredible life that all the other members got. There would be no oasis without tony and I wish he would get the financial reward he deserves for starting the whole thing for years with the band. Would be such a wonderful way for Noel and tony to make up. Life is way too short to hold grudges for 30 years and they both achieved so much together!!
@@1977chopper I think he won £550k less £250k in legal costs so £300k net. A lot of money for the average Joe but still nowhere near the multi millions all the others made out of it :( And I think the way his contract was written he wouldn't have got anything if he hadn't sued the band so he didn't have much choice. Really sad.
He chose to sever all ties when he took them to court for a lousy half mil. He could have kept getting royalties from definitely maybe & some might say but he doesn’t get anything now
Tony had much more swing than all the other Oasis drummers and he had the best feel for the faster songs. Also, a very cool, simple lick that nobody ever notices in Tony's playing is the way he accents the ride cymbal a lot on the "and" of the "3 and" (Shakermaker, Live Forever, Some Might Say for example) followed by a punchy snare hit. It's his signature fill that makes the songs groove, especially with the tambourine on top.
Tony didn’t have any swing, Tony played very stiff you have to play a bit more relaxed to have swing. Alan had swing, Feel and played what the song needed. Tony only played about 2 or 3 drum grooves and he crashed far too much it was nearly the end of every bar. Sorry but don’t think you can get better than whitey, He was with them during their best times he was a better fit all round.
@@johnny6476 Disagree. Cloudburst and various live versions of Live Forever have swing, even Columbia does. Whitey was great for his own songs but nobody plays the Tony songs as well as Tony and in fact nobody has ever played his drum parts correctly, despite how simple they are. Whitey was also quite limited in his grooves and often used the same stock beat for the faster songs (eg using the Roll With It beat and fills for tunes like Some Might Say and Supersonic, which sounds cool, but isn't the same). Also Whitey's playing on Columbia live doesn't work for me, it loses the dance feel of the original. Many prefer Whitey and that's cool, but Tony was unique.
@@attherateofarobase Of course all the drummers could play the songs the way Tony did, But they liked to play them there own way. I agree cloudburst does swing a bit but live forever doesn’t nor does Columbia, It does when whitey plays it though. The whitey supersonic groove is much better, I would say that whitey plays most of the definitely maybe songs better. Alan plays multiple styles not just rock so to say he only knows a few himself is rubbish.
I like Tony's book as it talked about the early days in Manchester. I think he antagonised Noel at times, when he should have left it alone. But he didnt deserve the bullying.
The drummer has a big influence on the overall sound of a band. There's been a few bands that fired their drummer and lost that unique sound that made them great. Pearl Jam sacked Dave Abbruzzese and were never the same either.
Didn't they hire Matt Cameron to do those records after "Ten"? ... I think it had more to do with the crappy uninspired songs and production than anything else. Matt Cameron is one of the best rock drummers out there. I doubt his playing style was the reason. Pearl Jam is one of those bands that's highly overrated, Eddie Vedder is a moron and it doesn't surprise me they only made one really great record ... probably also had a lot to do with ego inflation and laziness after they got famous. ...... Oasis never did anything worth listening to ... who cares about the musicians who floated in and out of that crappy band. Everything they did was nicked from somewhere else anyway. 💩
@@Fiveash-Art I know Jack Irons played drums with them for a while. He was the ex RHCP drummer too. Matt Cameron did double duty as he was the Soundgarden drummer at the same time as he was with Pearl Jam.
@@lth1072 Yeah, I know he was with Soundgarden ... I stopped paying attention to Pearl Jam after 'Ten' but I just remembered seeing footage of him touring with them etc ... Cameron was like Stewart Copeland status when it came to 90's drumming .... I always thought he was just doing Pearl Jam a favor because he was friends with them or something ... he was way too good for that band. .... I did really love the drum sounds on Ten though ... I remember thinking he was unique, also thought it was cool seeing a rock drummer of that time playing with traditional grip ... dug his snare sound too.
@@Fiveash-Art I think it was during their world tour in 2000 that Cameron joined after Jack Irons left. My favourite was Dave Abbruzzese. He's usually the drummer that fans of PJ mention as their favourite drummer. He can be seen on the MTV unplugged video. Eddie Vedder didn't like him and he was sacked. I think Dave Krussen drummed on the Ten album and Matt Cameron did the demo's before Eddie Vedder had even joined the band when they were still looking for a singer. Krusen left due to the touring schedule and Dave Abbruzzese replaced him. Junkdrummer TV does a cool video analysing Dave Abbruzzese
Aw come on mate, Alan White was light years ahead of Tony McCarroll. The gulf in ability was massive. To paraphrase Mani at the end there - He's the ex drummer of Oasis, not many people can say that.
Nobody is arguing that? But (as with Pete Best) he was a valid founding member and needs to get a fair hearing surely? I would say ultimately he played his part and shouldn’t be written out of history - like Alan he ended up being paid off ultimately
@@m189283 Mate, at 42:00 James say's he cant answer who he thought was the better drummer for Oasis, Tony or Alan. Sure Tony had his part to play on the first album and he did a decent job to be fair but its crystal clear to me who was the better drummer. Alan White came recommended by Paul Weller which speaks volumes in it's self.
Really interesting video and thank you for taking the time to make it. It's also been good to read some of the comments from people who actually saw Oasis play live in the early 90s, when McCarroll was drummer, which seems to be very positive overall. From both the video and comments, I get the impression he much preferred playing live to an appreciative audience than in a recording booth, under pressure from certain quarters - which no doubt had an impact on his performance. On a separate point, for years, I've always felt that the drums/drumming sounded different on Some Might Say but could never put my finger on it until today, and now I know why! I've just checked our copy of (WTS)MG and noticed it says 'Alan White - Drums & Percussion', then in a separate bit it says 'Drums on Some Might Say by Tony McCarroll'. That made me laugh 😆.
Great summary of Tony's tumultuous ride with Oasis. Will you do one on Alan White's firing? In the "There and Then" DVD they make it sound like Noel was in love with White's drumming so I was surprised when he was fired too.
The reality of band life explained well from all sources, I enjoyed your presentation. I'd say most muscians have gone through what Tony has at some point. You either knuckle down, walk out or get kicked out. Whether your a covers muscian or original music muscian you have fit in & not fight it.
Another excellent piece james. You have a great narration style too. Definitely scope for you to expand on other subjects if you decide to in the future! Coincidentally, I was just listening to your 'dark side of noel gallagher' the day this popped up. Noel had a real ruthless streak. Maybe necessarily so to succeed, I cant really judge, but as he said himself - he could certainly be a bit of a bastard!
Back in the day Noel said he got fired because he only played one drum pattern. He said something like "He can play it fast, he can play it slow, but he only plays that one beat".
Tony drums on the band's best songs. My brother is a brilliant drummer and says that the whole punk rock vibe died when noel tried to level up (as the songs levelled down). The stones had a vibe with Charlie Watts but being clever chaps knew that his raw edge and Keith's Were the THE Sound and edginess
I've always felt that two incidents in that era hugely inflated Noel's already growing ego. Firstly, his meeting and subsequent friendship with Johnny Marr, that trip to Doncaster where he watched Johnny coolly spend £8000 on guitars without a care. Secondly, the Stop Sellafield gig at the GMex in '92 where he saw U2 for the first time. He attended it with Clint Boon, who dismissed U2 as "nothimg special, anyone could do that" to which Noel thought " oh funny that, cos it ain't likely to be your f***ing band up there anytime soon mate" . Think Noel had already decided he wanted the big league, and didn't see Guigs, Bonehead or Tony as part of that step up.
Did I ever say I love your channel, man? Insightful stuff. It puts a new slant on the burial in the live forever video. At least he'll be rich. It's sad to hear he had a hard time. He was great for definitely maybe. It's not a very pleasant perspective from Tony.
Not convinced he’s rich, mate - this from Wikipedia: “He accepted an out-of-court settlement of £550,000 in March 1999 and agreed to give up future royalties, which effectively severed all links to the band, with McCarroll's legal fees reported at £250,000”. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_McCarroll
I agree when they state that Tony was the right drummer for the band during the Definitely Maybe period. Oasis was at it's youth and Tony was the guy to get the band standing before it could start walking. I can also agree from a production stand point that Tony isn't a studio drummer nor would he be able to provide what the next albums would need.
@@roberttodd2414 I really like Tony's drumming on all the songs he played on, even the demos. I'm speaking on the musical direction that Noel was leading the band towards after the Morning Glory album. Tony's drum style wouldn't gel very well. BE HERE NOW and STANDING ON THE SHOULDER OF GIANTS we're decent albums however. But I agree, DEFINITELY MAYBE is the most memorable and Tony did his part well. Luckily for Guigsy, the songs are super simple to play bass over which is probably why Noel didn't make a big deal out of it.
James. Tony's dismissing Noel's tough childhood happened only after tensions had built up due to Noel's attitude towards him. Considering you covered the timeline well you know this. I'd say it's not so gray here and Noel's mainly to blame. Although guigsy comes off the worst out if all the band. Tony and him were best mates before guigsy apparently became a cheerleader for noel
There was a band from London sending out demos to labels including Creation in early 1990. One of their songs was called Drugs and Alcohol. One day I will upload the demo. I don't know how close Noel Gallagher was to Alan McGee but the similarities are uncanny.
I’ve played in bands all my life and this stuff is typical for every one I’ve been in except one, (but there were only three of us.) a group of creative types under the lens of writing, recording, practising and gigging have a hard time forgiving and forgetting. It just spirals. In some bands though it’s that very dynamic that makes it great. Shame Tony’s story with oasis ended that way.
Exactly. It’s normal in every band, the drama, but for Oasis in the early-mid 90’s, they were under the spotlight, pressure, and drinking and doing drugs, it ain’t gonna be for the sensitive. I don’t think most people on here understand that, nor a lot understand DM was suited to Tony but as NG started to write more rounded songs, he just would never have got it. Just so happens he managed- just and with a lot of problems from all accounts- to get a great album out after several attempts at various studios etc.
Hell of a roll of the dice though! "Dear God, please make me a 90's version of one of The Beatles!". "Certainly son, no problem ... you are the new Pete Best!"
Funny how every Oasis story seems to start exactly the same way: "The band were drinking in a (hotel/restaurant/airport/train/backstage area), when Liam... "
LMAOOO
😂🤣
yep. Brilliantly
😂😂😂😂
Liam was the chaos-bringer lol
I've had the privilege of meeting Tony and he's an absolute gent. His drumming is a huge part of that first album's sound and it wouldn't be the same without it.
Agreed.
FACTAMUNDO 💙
@@mrkipling2201 , we meet again!
Sending my best wishes!
@@paigeleigh2554 we certainly do!! Same to you!! 👍👍
Best album they did.
He drummed live on supersonic with us a couple of years ago. He definitely has a vibe and groove of his own. Amazing unrehearsed and unexpected moment and one I’ll never forget, was also a really nice humble bloke ✌🏻
Saw that video, he sounded great !
God that's tragic, drumming on a tribute band of the band he founded
@@jamesjameson4566 really ? Could have been just a bit of fun & he made a few people happy
@@CupidStunt72 it can be both lol. I see your point, but it feels tragic to me too *shrug*
@@jamesjameson4566 well said, yeah I think personality or personalities comes into play possibly, never met him, but seems like a humble guy, and a founder.
I think Noel disliked Tony on a visceral level. Tony was the oldest of three brothers, loving father, happy family life, embraced their Irish heritage, supported in his musical ambitions. Noel was the middle brother, horrible family life, an abusive father, no support of his ambitions and a very ambivalent feeling towards his Irish heritage.
@@abcxyz53 not sure he would have done the union flag guitar thing if he really had have been. Just my view
Noel uses the Irish thing when he needs it ☘️☘️☘️
If Tony was any good as a drummer why has the guy disappeared into obscurity? If he was a good drummer surly he would have done the rounds on the music scene; can’t say I’ve heard anything although Im happy to be to be corrected.
@@kerkiraz Maybe he became disenchanted with being in a band after leaving Oasis. I used to be an art student in high school. After being forced to draw every single day, art became very mechanical and I eventually hated it. I haven’t drawn or painted since graduating. That was 30 years ago.
Having said that, maybe you are right.
@@jamesokeeffe3216 yeh hes irish when it suits him.
You know you’ve had a career in music, impacted on others and been something in rock & roll history when James Hargreaves pulls together and puts out a rockumentary.
Tony was perfect for Definitely Maybe. It wouldn’t have sounded so raw with Whitey on the chops. Like Mani said, “At the end of the day,, he’s Tony McCarrol ex of Oasis, and there’s not a lot of people who can say that.”
Nice vid. Cheers, mate.
McCarroll was a better drummer than Guigsy was a bass player.
Tbh I'd probably agree. The refrain for both is that they were good live but came up short in the studio. Wonder why they didn't boot Guigs. I guess it was easier for Noel to do the bass parts than it was for him to do the drum parts.
And a better drummer than Liam’s awful singing. Noel Gallagher realised that he was a far better singer than Liam hence the rows and on stage strops.
@@chrisk7082 I think Noel is realising that being a lead singer is harder than it looks, Noel's voice sounds dreadful lately but Liam has gotten a lot better.
Bullocks
Yeah, but in a band like Oasis you can hide the bass, you can't hide the drums.
I met Tony in Tampa, Florida of all places back in 1995. He had moved over for a bit to get away from it all. I connected w/ him on Twitter & he confirmed ‘yep that was me!’ Really nice guy!
Bull
Never a massive fan of the band but always intrigued regarding how Tony was released. He was integeral to their early sound and not many people can say they played on one of the biggest albums of the 1990s.
I agree with many others who have written comments about Tony. The beat he brought to Oasis in Definitely Maybe will always be amazing and it's incredible that he never decided to stick a drumstick up any of the band members' anatomy like some deserved. All the best to you Tony. Great vid Jim!
Liam seemed to be ok with him, as was Bone Head.
Alan White's drumming on WTSMG is such a massive part of that album. I really can't imagine it being anywhere near as successful if Tony had drummed on it.
@@roberttodd2414 No you must be talking about DM, There’s nothing boring about whiteys drumming.
@@roberttodd2414 Once again your thinking of Tonys drumming. You can’t compare the two.
@@roberttodd2414 🤣🤣 The Backstreet boys. Right then. Do you even play the drums?
Do you know what the drummers role in the band is?
@@roberttodd2414 Tony only knew 2 fucking drum beats and one fill, Now that’s boring. Think we will agree to disagree on this one.
Tony was always my favourite oasis drummer, he understood the oasis sound
What, more than the fella who wrote the fookin’ songs? Get over yerself, lad!
Sloppy and basic. If you've ever played/worked with a subpar drummer, you'd be constantly frustrated. Tony didn't understand "the oasis sound". He just got produced/edited enough on the first record for it to sound passable.
Love Tony. Those who saw Oasis in '94 know what I mean, he was really starting to make his presence felt in the band. Brilliant punk rock drummer.
The best gigs were 94 by a mile , it was great when they weren’t as well known …
Chicago 94 is brilliant
Never a fan of the band but I did get to see them a few times in 94 and my interest in them was more than it was over the following years the swagger then felt genuine.
I went to school with Alan white hes a good bloke . Imagine trying to work with them two bellends Noel and Liam , it would be like working with two old grannies
My issue with Oasis post-Definitely Maybe was that they lost the punk edge they started with and started sounding more and more polished, and they lost something. And I really think Tony's drumming was probably the biggest part of that.
What I find really interesting is that there are two types of Oasis fan: those who prefer the punkier sound and usually think Definitely Maybe is their best album (like yourself) or those who prefer the more polished sound of Morning Glory (like me). I think moving away from that punk sound and evolving into the band that they did is what elevated them into being so epic, but completely respect people in the other camp too. Plus Supersonic is my favourite Oasis track and it's from DM
Yes , yes and yes i must say. They defo lost something when he got sacked.
The bands are totally different but it's very true and a sort of similar thing happened with Guns N' Roses in many ways, then you get the same divide of what the first drummer brought to the sound of the first album, then got a new, more seasoned drummer but lost a certain sound
100% agree. For me, I'm all about the energy and sound of DM and its B-sides and even the pre DM demos.
It was Noel's songwriting. Definitely Maybe was an album written for and from a struggling working class man. He can't really write those same songs with that sound after making it big.
Noel was always a frustrated solo act, who seemed to resent the attention Liam got. It's noticeable how much better they were in the early days when Noel didn't have mic in front of him and just played guitar. He also must have failed to grasp that the rawness of those early tracks and Tony's drumming was why so many fans got hooked in the first place. Tony's legacy of being a part of that brilliant debut album can never be taken away by anyone
Spot on. Why do you think Noel eventually went solo? He always wanted to be the lead singer. He says he didn’t, but he resented the attention Liam got from the beginning. I think his solo career has been average to below average so time has sort of proved that he’s a better guitar player than lead singer. He was never a proper front man but he wanted to be and he couldn’t handle the fact that his little brother was.
Great video! A very balanced description of events....my impression is that Tony was picked on, but had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth and wasn't interested in progressing as a drummer. Loved his drumming on the first album and sad to hear he had such a rough time in Oasis.
The drumming by Tony on the even earlier Oasis songs that were never released is also amazing.
Seems to me, all his life, Noel has been trying to get to where he is today. Fully in control of his own destiny, no annoying outside influences or distractions, no unwanted input from others. Wife, kids and a band made up of session musicians who he pays a wage to.
He's said it himself, he was kind of relieved when Oasis ended. Cutting Liam out of his life was the final piece of the jigsaw for a perfect life. Sad, but that's who Noel is.
cough .. cough.. sell out.
Is that a bad thing? If he didn’t have that drive and that point to prove Oasis would never of gotten anywhere
@@glynne.cicada it's sad because they're brothers. They're the sons of a mother still alive who sure would like to see them speaking again before she's gone. Everything in life isn't about "The big I AM and MY JOURNEY"
@@glynne.cicada Nature of the beast Brothers alway fall in/out of love during their lives and have opinions on partners .
I think the incident you were on about is when Noel's wife posted on social media that Liam was an (Oasis Tribute) act during his Glastonbury set and why isn't he dead yet something on those lines
I think Liam's DM reply to his Niece was then leaked.
I think wishing your Brother-in-Law Dead coming from the rational minded Sarah is far worse. Than the ramblings of a drunken Liam on Twitter calling her the Wicked Witch and she is the reason for Oasis not reuniting.
Ha Ha replied to the wrong post ..They'll make up one day 100%
Worked with Tony a few years ago. Lovely bloke.
Oasis most memorable drumming is intro to live forever and bring it on down. Be proud Tony
Mark Coyle actually came up with the intro drums on Live Forever. Him and Noel talk about it in the Supersonic book.
Also the drum beat to Supersonic is killer.
Definitely Maybe has some of the best sounding drums in the world, the entirety of it.
@@midasiscariot Sober up.
@@Uzurr69 The way Alan plays it is much better in my opinion. It’s a basic beat Tony plays all he does is open his hi hat up more.
what an incredible video a sad story
james thank you your videos never fail to make me smile
For what it's worth James, I love Tony' s drumming on DM. He may not be Ginger Baker, but it suited Oasis. When he was fired, something went with him.
Ringo fitted The Beatles Moon fitted The Who, if they swapped bands it wouldn't have worked. Tony fitted Oasis, personally I think Guigsy was the weak link, the bass is always mixed as low as possible, unlike Macca with The Beatles or Bruce Foxton with The Jam
@@Gell1967 and he knew it! What a twat that Guigsy sounds.
Zaz Starkey(Ringos son) played for the Who too.
I really enjoy these videos, I was singer / songwriter/ guitarist in the wild strawberries in the late 80s, Mark Coyle was the guitarist in the band so a lot of these stories are kind of my history in some ways. Keep em coming.👍
Very interesting video thanks, James.
It's heartbreaking to imagine how Tony must have felt when he was sometimes mistreated by the band and others in the bubble. We've all witnessed bullying and behaviour like this at school or work etc. If true, how many were following Noel's lead with the abuse. As Tony says in his book he always got on well with Bonehead and Liam, so I do wonder what the true dynamics were. I get the impression Guigs may have disliked Tony for their political differences too.
I'm glad The Real People were kind to Tony and that he gave them their due in his book too.
Probably worth noting Tony writes in his book about his music collection/interests when growing up fondly, and even his discussions about music with Bonehead. Also that Noel previously called Tony a f*ggot for liking The Smiths, only to later claim to be a fan himself when growing up. (If I'm remembering all this correctly)
I think lots of things were written from the Oasis camp at the time of Tony's departure were fabricated to create controversy and headlines, for example; Tony and Liam's fight in Paris, Tony not knowing Beatles songs, band members questioning Tony's passion for drumming. Again Tony wrote in his book about how Noel used money given to him by McGee to buy new equipment for the band, which Noel did, except for new drum skins that Tony had requested.
Tony definitely should have tried harder to better himself when given drumming lessons. However I don't think it would have mattered as Noel wanted Alan White and a new sound for the new album. Whitey was the right man for the second album although they did lose the raw punky sound of original Oasis.
The quote about Noel saying if Tony left they wouldn't be Oasis anymore is very interesting to hear now.
I wonder if the real people being kind to Tony was one of the reasons Noel fell out with them?
political differences? what were those?
@@RPowell1980 Perhaps Noel didn't like the fact they got on, or that they valued Tony as a good drummer. However I think the reason Noel banned The Realies from their gigs was because he wanted to create distance from them. He didn't want people discovering about how the The Real People helped Oasis' progression as a band and further influenced their sound (not to mention stealing a handful of their songs). It takes away from the official narrative that Oasis were a hapless band going nowhere until Noel joined and, with his songs and genius, singlehandedly made them the biggest band in Britain.
Another great book to read is Chris Hutton's (the original singer of The Rain) 'Don't Look Back in Anger - Growing Up with Oasis '. I would love to see James make a video on this. If I'm remembering correctly Hutton goes into detail, like Tony, about Bonehead's importance and how the band had already created the 'Oasis sound' with influences from the Stone Roses and R.E.M. There's also a very interesting bit about when Hutton meets Liam again years later backstage at the Maine Road '96 gig.
Let's not forget Supersonic was created in a band effort when they all started jamming a new beat together and Noel wrote the lyrics to it. Noel was brilliant no doubt about it, but the other four's roles must not be downplayed or forgotten, they all deserve credit.
@@DJ-ov2it In his book McCarroll writes about his Irish roots and the prejudice he would face as a kid because of it. Although he states the band did not discuss politics he does mention Guisgy was a Conservative and a Thatcherite whereas the rest of the band were Labour.
I am only speculating and haven't read McCarroll's book in a long time. I can't remember why/when the trouble with him and Guigsy started exactly but they used to be friends. Ironically McCarroll once stood up for Guigs when he was being picked on.
@@ZakynthosDiamandis oh interesting.
The manner in which Tony was sacked was disgusting. One week on TOTP. Next week sacked. I remember the period well. One thing that was further disgusting was removing Tony from all future royalties from Oasis sales he performed on. Poor form
No wonder he sued the band
The royalties was tony own fault tbh as he sued them so the royalties stopped.
You're such a great story-teller, impartial and clear. Thanks a lot for this nice summary.
he was the best drummer for Oasis and was on their best album and one of the best records of the 90s. I think a lot off people agree with me and he must take some happiness from that
@@GM-pn7ih white was a better drummer I agree. For most bands he would have been better, but for Oasis I prefer Tony. His style made them rock harder and that was the Oasis I liked the best
The band musically fell apart almost immidately after Definitely Maybe. Morning Glory is a mixed bag of excellence and trash. Definitely Maybe's quality is unmatched by the rest of their discography by a landslide. Their first and last truly great record. It's a shame most people can't see it. The drumming plays a major role in all this, too.
@@GM-pn7ih yea i know. he had good groove, but i liked oasis when they were more straight ahead. whats the story is a good album but nothing special. the first one is a real classic
@@midasiscariot morning glory a mixed bag??!! Give your head a wobble son
Clearly not the best drummer for Oasis. He had no flair and no creativity. Whitey was a million miles better.
After this i do feel a lot of sympathy for tony human wise.The comment he made at guigs was so true.If anything guigs should of been the one who was kicked out,seeing as noel did basically all his parts on definitely maybe.And id never really thought about the hypocrisy of noels exit citing verbal abuse from liam,when thats all they did at tony
Ya but Guigs held his own on the stage with the songs from both albums (DM and WTSMG)… Tony would not have been able to play the songs live from WTSMG.
Guigsy was up Noel's ass he was weakest musician out the whole lot of them thays why he run back to Noel lied and back up Noel Tony drumming not even that bad Noel just didn't like him they all new before hand he was getting the sack they just didn't tell him got management to say your sacked sad
I love oasis, they changed my life when I was around 14. Over the the years it’s become obvious that Noel is a ruthless and selfish little man. Nicking bits of songs from his mates and giving them zero credit, bullying Tony out the band, decades of bad mouthing his brother to any journalist that’ll listen and then cutting him out of his life when it’s patently obvious all he wants is your love and approval.
Early oasis songs were great but there is absolutely no chance whatsoever that oasis would even be signed without Liam. He was the star. His presence and voice up until around 1999 was absolutely captivating. Watch those Earl’s Court performances. Liam is mesmerising. Noel was jealous of his ability to control the audience and his undeniable star quality.
We must be around a similar age and as you quite rightly say Liam was the real star at the time and Noel was merely someone in the background. Noel is a brilliant songwriter and his ruthlessness probably helped with the success of oasis. I’m a huge fan of oasis but As a person I wouldn’t have the time of day for him, i would look the other way if I passed him in the street.
@@sharman8489 I can remember in 95 watching Oasis vid's with friends and our general consensus was that Noel was the 'cool, quiet one'. He was still quite mysterious at that point as Liam had all the focus on him. But nowadays, Liam seems like the nicer of the 2, by far.
Noel has admitted that he's a cunt, he said so in "The Supersonic" doco.
If you've seen many interviews with Noel you'll realize that although he's very entertaining & funny, he's also a lying, conniving bastard that flip flops and changes opinion like the wind. It's hard to get a truthful, longterm position from him.
But he gets away with it because he's charming, quick witted and articulate.
He obviously manipulated the situation with Tony to make him feel isolated and left out. It's almost as if he was pushing Tony so much so he'd leave of his own accord.
@@theselector4733 Somewhere between the end of chasing yesterday and the start of who built the moon Noel turned into a right right cunt. Forgot where he came from. Started slagging the fans off cause his brother rides from the dead after beady eye flopped. We are all going to knebworth and even though Noel will still get most the money from that. It’s not about that it’s about the spirit of what oasis were to people. 2009 I think her had enough of Liam because the gigs were shocking his voice was shot to pieces to still didn’t want to be professional Like Bono or Martin. But Noel wouldn’t admit that he made out Paris was huge scrap it was tiny compared to ones before. He made up the lies of liam wanting pretty green in the tour poster to all his mates from the sun to discredit liam. Real fans don’t forget that shit
@@michaelmulhall5007 he should only get the PRS royalties for the songs played on the night he wrote... the gate, merch and other income will be taken by Liam's operation after everyone's been paid and management take their 20% and agent their 10%
Thank you,James,
For your witness
Time and events are beyond anyones control
Much love to all band mates
Time and events
Thame Oxfordshire
Tony Mc'carroll still is one of the best drummers Oasis have had and that iconic drum beat from supersonic , brilliant love Tony 🥁
There are only 2 important ones, and I think we who is better by a mile
Personally I think Zakk is the best drummer that Oasis ever had in their recordings.
You should do a video on Oasis setlists, exploring things such as why they opened Knebworth with Columbia, which songs were played most and what was never played and why
I reckon they opened Knebworth with Columbia because it was the first ever Oasis song played on the radio. Also for the very fitting lyric of "there we were, now here we are" - council estate lads, now the biggest band at the biggest gig in Britain.
"there we were, now here we are" is a pretty good show opener for the biggest gig of the 90s, I think that's it
They opened with Columbia because it’s their best song, two thirds of Definitely Maybe is great, a third is a bit boring and everything they did after is mundane, save the odd song here and there. Before you start I was there at the beginning, they were cool, but like all cool bands they become uncool once all the ordinary people like them, with Oasis it was the moment I was in a local pub full of average people (I was in with a few friends, we were all musicians), when Wonderwall came on the jukebox and all he people that we considered boring and uncool started singing along with it we knew they were over as far as being a cool band was concerned.
@@punkoid76 You're a muppet, mate
@@punkoid76 aha get over yourself. "Thou shalt not stop liking a band just because they become popular". Scrubious pip.
One of the best channels on RUclips, keep up the great work, James!
Great video. I was wondering if you have ever covered on a similar video, the events that led to Guigsy and Bonehead leaving the band?
That would be really interesting but less information to draw from, i imagine.
This would be a good subject. Why would it be more difficult? Are there no books or interviews about this? I would love tosee it.... all i heard Noel say is..."Why would anyone leave a sucessful band willingly?"
@@royfr8136 I think with the MacCaroll story there is enough info out there on either side to offer a balanced, objective interpretation of events. There are plenty of quotes from the Oasis camp - both as it happened and retrospectively - and, obviously, Tony published a comprehensive history of his side of things in his book. Additionally, I believe there was a legal case between the two parties from where relevant info on what went down could be gleaned objectively.
The problem as I see it with the Bonehead and Guigs fall-out is the paucity of info from the perspective of the two members who left. We know what Noel and Liam said about it at the time, but as far I’m aware there’s been not a lot more been added from anyone else to round the story out. Guigs, for one, has been totally silent. And Bonehead has remained friends with them both and seems too diplomatic to dish the dirt.
There’s probably a really interesting story to be told about that time, but I wouldn’t take Noel’s account as sacrosanct. My gut instinct is, like with MacCarroll, his main motive was to replace the founder members with more rounded session musicians and he invited a scenario to justify this.
I’d still love to see a video on it, though!
This is probably the more interesting interview I’ve seen from Noel on the subject: ruclips.net/video/gxWqcuGO-BQ/видео.html
"Noel Gallagher claims Arthurs left after a drunken row with Noel regarding a drink and drugs ban set by the band during recording. Noel had intended to ease the recording process by keeping Liam sober, and to make it fair, he insisted the rest of the band do likewise.
Arthurs could not cope and took to taunting Liam, drinking red wine and kicking other crew members doors in the early hours to pour booze over them[citation needed]. When Noel turned the tables and broke into Arthurs' room, waking him up by pouring wine over his head, Arthurs was so angry that he quit. His guitar parts were subsequently re-recorded by Gallagher"
This is the story I remember reading at the time. Again, could be true or be fabricated for media buzz.
Ive read the books but hearing someone read out some of the parts breaks my heart for tony even more. But hey. Hes still a major part of the oasis story. Not a bad shift on this earth
Me too. It seems as though he was ganged up on and bullied. Very disturbing.
Fantastic video. You probably have enough projects as is but for my part I would LOVE to see similar mini bios on Bonehead and Guigsy. Great channel and content!
I'm glad that, after all was said and done, all of the oasis team, including Noel, had kind words to say about him. They're right, he was the right man for the job and he brought a real punk attitude to the album which made it stand out so much. None of the other albums sound the same, and, in my opinion, as good! Tony might've been a limited drummer but his time and contributions to oasis shouldn't be understated. Personally, he's my favourite oasis drummer out of the two.
I've read both books - my takeaway is he was a reasonable talented drummer and a solid geezer. He had the fortunate timing to sync up with future legends, but he also had an inability to let small slights, issues, and verbal shade just drift. No focus on the bigger picture. Tony fell on his sword for almost every slight from Noel, and that likely finished him in Noel's eyes. Hopefully one day they all can reconcile.
Noel just didn't like him from the start simple as that but shit the band and crew give him wasn't on
Tony and his 3 brothers were in a band with my ex boyfriend after oasis. They were called Raika big following around Manchester they were a good band! I still have their domos on my pc at home
Put them up on RUclips please ☘️☘️☘️
Ye throw them up please? Thanks..
Being the drummer on the debut album is better than being a player on any of the other albums IMO , Tony MC deserves credit for the debut album.
In an era where we are aware of how bad bullying can affect people - I find this kind of behaviour quite shocking, he may not have been the best drummer but no one warrants the abuse that Tony received
It was unfortunate, but it was about the winning ,not just the taking part,
Drummers are generally looked down upon in bands by narcissists.
@@Jellybeantiger Drummers can be the biggest assholes in a band ..theres no formula to it..and what do you mean a narcissist?
Do you even know what a narcissist is?
@@modernchampionmusic81 there we go,example one.
@@Jellybeantiger nah you're trying to be clever but your understanding of narcissistic traits are based on the Diagnostic manual which has infiltrated the mainstream to mean anyone with an opposing opinion to someone else.Every bird that splits up with a fella these days calls them a narcissist.But every single person who picks up an instrument and looks in the mirror is a narcissist as it comes from narcissus the story about the person who fell in love with his own reflection.But that sums up everyone who has ever got on stage ..so the point is when I asked you wasn't to take the piss..or have a go...it was to genuinely ask wether you knew?
The best Oasis’ channel ever (godlike). Questions: so Guigs didn’t record any of the bass lines from their debut? If so, who did? Question 2: Guigs basslines were pretty much 4/4 root notes, a dog could play them. Was he ever criticized by his lack of skills such as Tony?
Alot of people say Noel played most, if not all the bass on Definitely Maybe, WTSMG, BHN and SOTSOG. With that being Noel always denys this saying it was Guigs. If you look at the credits Noel did play bass on some of the songs
@@skye3718 thanks lad; if only Noel sacked Guigs along with Tony...
Agreed, I prefer Andy Bell on bass.
Bonehead & Guigsy's playing had to be redone on SOTSOG but that down to was a legal issue (which I think was tied to Creation going bust at the time the album was almost finished) They deffo played on the previous albums though. Guigs got a free pass from Noel for being barely competent due to being a total yes man, something that Tony wasn't.
These old stories are really good. I never comment on youtube keep it up
Much respect for Tony McCarroll !!
Best line was "Guigsy now had his head so far up Noel's arse, that Noel would've had two sets of teeth to brush!" I feel sorry for Tony in how he was treated. His girlfriend didn't help at all with the fighting and stress she seemed to bring. That came at the worst possible time for him with all that he already had to deal with in the band. It seemed like everything just added more negative energy to create the perfect storm from which he wouldn't recover from to stay in Oasis.
I’ve met Tony, proper genuine guy.
Things all happen for a reason.
If you’re gonna be known for being part of Oasis…you’d want to be known for Definitely Maybe👍🏻
Tony played on Some Might Say and it’s my favourite Oasis song. It rollicks along so brilliantly.
My fav it was their first Number 1 song and every time I hear it, it takes me straight back love it 💜
Agreed, Tony’s drumming was at the heart of the Oasis sound. It’s that laid back backbeat which worked. Hence the first album was their best and the second album still with his influence was second best. After that Oasis we’re awful.
“As big as the Beatles”? Their first two albums were easily their peak and for anyone to compare them to the Beatles, well…
I think your comentary is second to none the best narrator of oasis news and trivia well done man
Hard to believe Guigsy was almost as much of an arsehole as Noel! He always seemed the most affable of them all. Disappointing. Love McCarroll's drumming on Bring It On Down - a defining Oasis moment, more so than Supersonic. Love Alan White too for Morning Glory. Great video, James, always keeping the discussion open... respect!
He knew he had to suck up to Noel to keep his place in the band. I believe Tony’s version of events rather than the other bloke.
In the "there and then" documentary there is a part where Guigsy taking a break from the band. Noel's way of dealing with it? "Come back or you're fired"
Hey this is just a side of the history (from Tony) and not truth.
I would say it’s the truth.
I recently saw a video of Noel answering questions people asked about him on the internet. One question was why people call him chief, his answer was that was his nickname in school, but in Oasis it was Guigsy who first started calling him that.
The part where Tony told Noel he'd fuck him up felt so good
Mani said it perfectly about Tony's time with Oasis. And my thought is bands evolve, personalities change. Tony was the perfect drummer for that first record, but I don't think he could have done justice to the songs after it. I've never really liked Guigs, as a person or a bass player. As a bass player myself I could always tell that he was barely pulling off the most basic versions of the songs live and that meant he most likely didn't make up the parts, or even play the bass on record. I've never met any of them, so it's just a feeling I got from what I could see, and seeing him "play" live. Just my perception of it. Great video as always. Peace.
Agreed Tont fit the punky Definitely Maybe era perfectly, I only play guitar and not bass but I know a good bass player when hear one, Guigsy sucks, you can barely hear him most of time, Andy was a much better musician and you could actually hear the bass, Bonehead is a better bass player than Guigsy when they played Letterman without Guigsy with Bonehead on bass they sounded pretty good even though Noel was the only guitar.
U know guigsy personally like are just by Internet videos he hardly ever speaks so I cannot comment I I like him or not as a person surprised u can have opinion on his personality as seems a mute to me.
I love your channel -I was once a HUGE Oasis fan and tried to know everything about them back in my childhood but there was so much more to know!! I’m not such a huge fan now (just being honest) but I still love some of their tunes and some of their tunes are now legendary, and I’m still very interested in their backstory, so thanks!! 🙂
Same thing happened with Guns n Roses. Both bands wanted a 'pro' drummer - and lost the whole feel that got them famous.
Good comparison.
I get why they felt they needed someone more advanced for them to progress their sound but there was a notable difference in feel when the early material was played live after.
Sorum could never get near that same sort of swing on Rocket Queen that Adler had. Similar to the later drummers in Oasis playing the Definitely Maybe material.
Nah, Adler was a total mess, couldn't keep time because he was doing speedballs and he had a cocaine induced stroke. Not really the same.
@@petegonad I think it’s very similar, I said it in another video. The speedball induced stroke happened after he was let go by the way.
Adler himself said he didn't blame them for sacking him, he was so messed up he couldn't get the timing right in the studio. On more than one occasion, they bad to manipulate the tempo on his drum track so everyone else could get their tracks done.
@@petegonad Yeah Civil War was his swansong. Obviously the substance issues with Adler were a bit different to Tony who seemingly just couldn't be arsed to improve so the band could develop their sound.
Tony was one of the lads who sparked the beginning of Oasis.
James, this was one of the most informative, fascinating overviews on an important part in Oasis's history. Thank you. It also hurts a bit to hear these stories of brotherhood tensions between the guys in the band and all the downfalls along the way.
At the end of the day, the album they made, plus the other recordings, are historical recordings who are essentials in the world's history forever and no one could EVER take that away from Tony.
HOWEVER, we must understand that Alan White is one of the greatest drummers in rock n' roll history. A lot of people don't really know how important his original top drumming is in what makes Oasis's golden era to be so epic. Noel knew that very well about Whitey and the places he could take the band to upon joining in.
McGee said in the Definitely Maybe documentary that the punkiness of Tony was what make his charm, and that's true but Whitey was really a professionally educated and trained drummer and musician and these are just two different worlds. I could understand why when Noel heard him accidentally in a rehearsal room, he thought to himself "I want this drummer for myself".
Alan White is considered Oasis' best drummer technically, but he is not considered one of the best in Rock 'n' Roll history.
The story of Noel "accidentally hearing" Whitey in a studio is one of Noel's fabricated stories. Weller recommended Alan to Noel. Alan's brother Steve was Weller's drummer.
@@ZakynthosDiamandis not considered one of the greats in history? In my opinion he is.
Absolutely. He is definitely the greatest English drummer of the 90’s IMO.
Also Zak is a phenomenon drummer but was never really part of Oasis.
And actually the story of Noel hearing Whitey accidentally was told by Whitey, it could have well be they were sharing some rehearsal space with Weller maybe. By the way Steve White was filling in for Allan during the SOTSOG tour I think
You should a video on what happend to Alan white
Something to do with Ringo Starrs Son being on the Scene probably had a lot to do with it.
Cheers for putting this together. Great video
Best video I've seen on your channel 👏 and that's not putting down the others. Love the channel and great info.
Love your content and your dedication for Oasis. You really do your homework.
I jumped off the Oasis train right after Be Here Now when I realised they didn't have the chops to pick up where The Beatles left, and because they had that attitude and egos larger than their work.
I guess that's part of lad culture, but for that to work, you gotta be extra gifted like the fab four were.
It's clear it's not a black and white history but the levels of nastiness, abuse, and outright death threats are mind-blowing, no one should go through that ever, and that Tony stayed for too long instead of quitting long ago it's what makes me wonder about his motivations to keep going in a place he was not wanted at all.
Sometimes abuse and bad blood becomes routine that, when it's over, they can't realise it's for their best interest yet they feel devastated.
The irony of it all is that every piece in the band had their comeuppance.
They were doomed to fail from the start.
I read Tony's book which very much casts NG as the villain. There's probably some truth to both sides - Tony was a mediocre drummer and Noel was a better musician but a lousy person. The stories about how Liam wrote Shakermaker or Columbia (I forget) with Bonehead and Real People, Noel heard it and said it was great until he found out Liam collaborated on it and then said it was shit. Same with listening to a recording of Tony playing drums he thought was a session drummer, saying it was great, then found out it was Tony and immediately changed his view. We see a very insecure man. Anyhow, technically speaking Alan White was a much better drummer, but firing Tony destroyed the band by pumping up NG's ego.
Anyone who makes it to the top has to be a bastard. Not my words, John Lennon. NG has and had standards and ambition. He’s clearly a funny charismatic guy and by far the most intelligent and talented of all of them. Bonehead drove the band really well, Liam is o super talented, but Noel is on another level. Look at what they’ve all done after Oasis and remember Noel was a lot older, which creativity is lost. How many 40+ year olds create great music? Not even McCartney.
@@Dude0000 not even mccartney? i think you've missed basically almost everything he did from flaming pie onwards except driving rain
It was not about his l musical abilities. He was just not a yes man like bonehead and guigsy especially. That's why he had to go
Take away our affection for Oasis and this just sounds like transparent bullying to me - pretty excruciating and nasty to hear.
What should have been some of the happiest moments of McCarroll’s life were probably some of the most painful.
To further humiliate him afterwards by disparaging his musicianship was totally unnecessary, too.
NG is a great songwriter, but doesn’t come across as a particularly nice fella.
@@scottwallace901 victims of abuse can be hard on others, stops from being hurt again so much.
His book is brilliant. Noel changed after they got the record deal and not for the better. According to people in the band and close to the band.
Pretty much spot on. Noel Gallagher is probably the BEST Songwriter in the last 25yrs BUT he's also one of the biggest cunts in the business. That time when Tony squared up to him, it would've been interesting if he'd clobbered him one.
Outrageous behaviour
@@scottwallace901 So True Scott, even Liam felt bad for Tony but Noel the Prick had this" I'm it your Shit Attitude " .
This was excellent! I remember that interview with Noel about the Tony fight. He said something like "He's right, I'm sure whatever he said was true, I was an asshole." Something like that.
The consensus between all band members and crew about Tony's drumming issues seems odd to me. Even tho I believe that Alan White's uniquely "melodic" style was the last missing piece for the band's sound - I find all Definitely Maybe songs performed on There and Then superior to the album versions mostly because of the drums - but I couldn't find any issues with Tony McCarroll's drumming on the leaked demos, rehearsals and live versions whatsoever. Not to mention how many of their early songs utilized Tony's drums as the intro.
Great video as usual. Thanks for your work, James :)
Good points all around and my best guess about the drums sounding okay is that they 1) made him record it till he got it right and 2) might have spliced stuff from different takes or used other studio trickery to hide problems. Splicing stuff with drums is probably harder than other instruments and vocals, so maybe not that, idk. Also I know you mentioned live versions too, and I think maybe he was a better drummer with the whole band? But playing by himself in the studio is when he'd have trouble. Idk, who knows right?
What's more important is that everyone seemed to think he was a shit drummer, no one liked him, he was a prick, he wouldn't try to get better when they gave him a chance. I have so little sympathy for the dude. He had years worth of chances and he just couldn't get it together.
@@abcxyz53 lol sure. I disagree that Alan White ruined anything, so there’s really no point discussing. It’s just a matter of opinion.
And now you’re just speculating randomly. Again useless. Have a great day.
@@abcxyz53 Tell me what songs did Whitey ruin from the DM album?
Noel has almost unimaginable wealth. He made more money than most musicians in history. I really wish he would just give tony a couple of million so that he could have a wonderful retirement and at least have some of the incredible life that all the other members got. There would be no oasis without tony and I wish he would get the financial reward he deserves for starting the whole thing for years with the band. Would be such a wonderful way for Noel and tony to make up. Life is way too short to hold grudges for 30 years and they both achieved so much together!!
Noel has cut his father and brother out of his life and is delighted.
I doubt he'd care about Tony Mc.
But didn’t Tony win a court case and take £500,000?…
@@1977chopper I think he won £550k less £250k in legal costs so £300k net. A lot of money for the average Joe but still nowhere near the multi millions all the others made out of it :( And I think the way his contract was written he wouldn't have got anything if he hadn't sued the band so he didn't have much choice. Really sad.
No one gives away a couple of million, nice thought but simply unimaginable.
He chose to sever all ties when he took them to court for a lousy half mil. He could have kept getting royalties from definitely maybe & some might say but he doesn’t get anything now
been waiting for this video for ages so excited
great video dude. I love this kind of content.
How many Oasis songs does Tony start? Live forever, Colombia, Bring it on down, cloudburst, supersonic, ect best drummer by miles - the real spirit
Columbia just starts with a bass drum, How does that make him the best drummer?
“Some might say” is Tony first No 1 hit
Absolutely incredible video James! Amazing the research and work you do.
Tony had much more swing than all the other Oasis drummers and he had the best feel for the faster songs. Also, a very cool, simple lick that nobody ever notices in Tony's playing is the way he accents the ride cymbal a lot on the "and" of the "3 and" (Shakermaker, Live Forever, Some Might Say for example) followed by a punchy snare hit. It's his signature fill that makes the songs groove, especially with the tambourine on top.
Tony didn’t have any swing, Tony played very stiff you have to play a bit more relaxed to have swing. Alan had swing, Feel and played what the song needed. Tony only played about 2 or 3 drum grooves and he crashed far too much it was nearly the end of every bar. Sorry but don’t think you can get better than whitey, He was with them during their best times he was a better fit all round.
@@johnny6476 Disagree. Cloudburst and various live versions of Live Forever have swing, even Columbia does. Whitey was great for his own songs but nobody plays the Tony songs as well as Tony and in fact nobody has ever played his drum parts correctly, despite how simple they are. Whitey was also quite limited in his grooves and often used the same stock beat for the faster songs (eg using the Roll With It beat and fills for tunes like Some Might Say and Supersonic, which sounds cool, but isn't the same). Also Whitey's playing on Columbia live doesn't work for me, it loses the dance feel of the original. Many prefer Whitey and that's cool, but Tony was unique.
@@attherateofarobase Of course all the drummers could play the songs the way Tony did, But they liked to play them there own way. I agree cloudburst does swing a bit but live forever doesn’t nor does Columbia, It does when whitey plays it though. The whitey supersonic groove is much better, I would say that whitey plays most of the definitely maybe songs better. Alan plays multiple styles not just rock so to say he only knows a few himself is rubbish.
@@attherateofarobase I thought Columbia at the barrowlands was really trippy, I liked that version.
Please do a video on why Bonehead left!!! Or Guigsy or Alan. This subject is so interesting
I need to get Tony's book, you forgot the part where they asked noel to be they're manager first before noel joined the band...
I like Tony's book as it talked about the early days in Manchester. I think he antagonised Noel at times, when he should have left it alone. But he didnt deserve the bullying.
I think to be honest he wasn't afraid to say what the other band members were. Everyone else seemed to be cautious or scared of noel in some ways.
Thanks for this - Really interesting ☺
The drummer has a big influence on the overall sound of a band. There's been a few bands that fired their drummer and lost that unique sound that made them great. Pearl Jam sacked Dave Abbruzzese and were never the same either.
At the Drive in/The Mars Volta with John Theodore. Haven't been the same since.
Didn't they hire Matt Cameron to do those records after "Ten"? ... I think it had more to do with the crappy uninspired songs and production than anything else. Matt Cameron is one of the best rock drummers out there. I doubt his playing style was the reason. Pearl Jam is one of those bands that's highly overrated, Eddie Vedder is a moron and it doesn't surprise me they only made one really great record ... probably also had a lot to do with ego inflation and laziness after they got famous. ...... Oasis never did anything worth listening to ... who cares about the musicians who floated in and out of that crappy band. Everything they did was nicked from somewhere else anyway. 💩
@@Fiveash-Art I know Jack Irons played drums with them for a while. He was the ex RHCP drummer too. Matt Cameron did double duty as he was the Soundgarden drummer at the same time as he was with Pearl Jam.
@@lth1072 Yeah, I know he was with Soundgarden ... I stopped paying attention to Pearl Jam after 'Ten' but I just remembered seeing footage of him touring with them etc ... Cameron was like Stewart Copeland status when it came to 90's drumming .... I always thought he was just doing Pearl Jam a favor because he was friends with them or something ... he was way too good for that band. .... I did really love the drum sounds on Ten though ... I remember thinking he was unique, also thought it was cool seeing a rock drummer of that time playing with traditional grip ... dug his snare sound too.
@@Fiveash-Art I think it was during their world tour in 2000 that Cameron joined after Jack Irons left. My favourite was Dave Abbruzzese. He's usually the drummer that fans of PJ mention as their favourite drummer. He can be seen on the MTV unplugged video. Eddie Vedder didn't like him and he was sacked. I think Dave Krussen drummed on the Ten album and Matt Cameron did the demo's before Eddie Vedder had even joined the band when they were still looking for a singer. Krusen left due to the touring schedule and Dave Abbruzzese replaced him.
Junkdrummer TV does a cool video analysing Dave Abbruzzese
Aw come on mate, Alan White was light years ahead of Tony McCarroll. The gulf in ability was massive. To paraphrase Mani at the end there - He's the ex drummer of Oasis, not many people can say that.
Nobody is arguing that? But (as with Pete Best) he was a valid founding member and needs to get a fair hearing surely? I would say ultimately he played his part and shouldn’t be written out of history - like Alan he ended up being paid off ultimately
@@m189283 Mate, at 42:00 James say's he cant answer who he thought was the better drummer for Oasis, Tony or Alan. Sure Tony had his part to play on the first album and he did a decent job to be fair but its crystal clear to me who was the better drummer. Alan White came recommended by Paul Weller which speaks volumes in it's self.
Tony was a far better drummer than Guigsy was a bass player. I seriously doubt Guigsy's playing appears on any Oasis studio recordings.
Really interesting video and thank you for taking the time to make it. It's also been good to read some of the comments from people who actually saw Oasis play live in the early 90s, when McCarroll was drummer, which seems to be very positive overall. From both the video and comments, I get the impression he much preferred playing live to an appreciative audience than in a recording booth, under pressure from certain quarters - which no doubt had an impact on his performance. On a separate point, for years, I've always felt that the drums/drumming sounded different on Some Might Say but could never put my finger on it until today, and now I know why! I've just checked our copy of (WTS)MG and noticed it says 'Alan White - Drums & Percussion', then in a separate bit it says 'Drums on Some Might Say by Tony McCarroll'. That made me laugh 😆.
Thanks for another great upload James --- I''ve been working my way through your excellent Oasis videos and enjoying each one in turn. 😎👍
Imagine Guigs telling you that you're shit 😆
Great summary of Tony's tumultuous ride with Oasis. Will you do one on Alan White's firing? In the "There and Then" DVD they make it sound like Noel was in love with White's drumming so I was surprised when he was fired too.
The reality of band life explained well from all sources, I enjoyed your presentation. I'd say most muscians have gone through what Tony has at some point. You either knuckle down, walk out or get kicked out. Whether your a covers muscian or original music muscian you have fit in & not fight it.
Another excellent piece james. You have a great narration style too. Definitely scope for you to expand on other subjects if you decide to in the future!
Coincidentally, I was just listening to your 'dark side of noel gallagher' the day this popped up. Noel had a real ruthless streak. Maybe necessarily so to succeed, I cant really judge, but as he said himself - he could certainly be a bit of a bastard!
trouble is when 2 egos clash in a band its over, been there
Back in the day Noel said he got fired because he only played one drum pattern. He said something like "He can play it fast, he can play it slow, but he only plays that one beat".
Great compilation, new sub!
Tony drums on the band's best songs. My brother is a brilliant drummer and says that the whole punk rock vibe died when noel tried to level up (as the songs levelled down). The stones had a vibe with Charlie Watts but being clever chaps knew that his raw edge and Keith's Were the THE Sound and edginess
I've always felt that two incidents in that era hugely inflated Noel's already growing ego. Firstly, his meeting and subsequent friendship with Johnny Marr, that trip to Doncaster where he watched Johnny coolly spend £8000 on guitars without a care. Secondly, the Stop Sellafield gig at the GMex in '92 where he saw U2 for the first time. He attended it with Clint Boon, who dismissed U2 as "nothimg special, anyone could do that" to which Noel thought " oh funny that, cos it ain't likely to be your f***ing band up there anytime soon mate" . Think Noel had already decided he wanted the big league, and didn't see Guigs, Bonehead or Tony as part of that step up.
Its obvious Noel schemed for a long time to meet Johnny Marr..
You do know that the Inspirals had already headlined GMex two years earlier, in 1990 right?
Detective Jimmy, I need to know more about what happened with Whitey's departure. What can you dig up?
Did I ever say I love your channel, man?
Insightful stuff. It puts a new slant on the burial in the live forever video. At least he'll be rich. It's sad to hear he had a hard time. He was great for definitely maybe. It's not a very pleasant perspective from Tony.
Not convinced he’s rich, mate - this from Wikipedia:
“He accepted an out-of-court settlement of £550,000 in March 1999 and agreed to give up future royalties, which effectively severed all links to the band, with McCarroll's legal fees reported at £250,000”.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_McCarroll
I agree when they state that Tony was the right drummer for the band during the Definitely Maybe period. Oasis was at it's youth and Tony was the guy to get the band standing before it could start walking. I can also agree from a production stand point that Tony isn't a studio drummer nor would he be able to provide what the next albums would need.
@@roberttodd2414 I really like Tony's drumming on all the songs he played on, even the demos. I'm speaking on the musical direction that Noel was leading the band towards after the Morning Glory album. Tony's drum style wouldn't gel very well. BE HERE NOW and STANDING ON THE SHOULDER OF GIANTS we're decent albums however. But I agree, DEFINITELY MAYBE is the most memorable and Tony did his part well. Luckily for Guigsy, the songs are super simple to play bass over which is probably why Noel didn't make a big deal out of it.
Can you please do one of these on Alan White as well please.
James. Tony's dismissing Noel's tough childhood happened only after tensions had built up due to Noel's attitude towards him. Considering you covered the timeline well you know this.
I'd say it's not so gray here and Noel's mainly to blame. Although guigsy comes off the worst out if all the band. Tony and him were best mates before guigsy apparently became a cheerleader for noel
People people people, 103k views, 1.4k likes. Come on this deserves so much more.
Fascinating. Brilliant again, James.
There was a band from London sending out demos to labels including Creation in early 1990. One of their songs was called Drugs and Alcohol. One day I will upload the demo. I don't know how close Noel Gallagher was to Alan McGee but the similarities are uncanny.
I’ve played in bands all my life and this stuff is typical for every one I’ve been in except one, (but there were only three of us.) a group of creative types under the lens of writing, recording, practising and gigging have a hard time forgiving and forgetting. It just spirals. In some bands though it’s that very dynamic that makes it great. Shame Tony’s story with oasis ended that way.
Exactly. It’s normal in every band, the drama, but for Oasis in the early-mid 90’s, they were under the spotlight, pressure, and drinking and doing drugs, it ain’t gonna be for the sensitive. I don’t think most people on here understand that, nor a lot understand DM was suited to Tony but as NG started to write more rounded songs, he just would never have got it. Just so happens he managed- just and with a lot of problems from all accounts- to get a great album out after several attempts at various studios etc.
These videos are amazing.
Hell of a roll of the dice though! "Dear God, please make me a 90's version of one of The Beatles!". "Certainly son, no problem ... you are the new Pete Best!"