Oasis are known for a lot of things, but while their endless list of hits are adored by fans for their anthemic hooks, guitar solos aren’t their usual bread and butter.
Sure, the band does have a smattering of solos across their celebrated back catalog, but Noel Gallagher would rather be compared to John Lennon than Eddie Van Halen.
“I’ve got a long way to go yet, man,” he once said in the December 1998 issue of Total Guitar of his guitar playing journey. “I’m a songwriter; I’m more of a strummer than a lead guitarist.”
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Despite that, it was a role that was forced onto Gallagher. Fate had its own plans.
“When I joined the band, Bonehead was already playing rhythm guitar, so I was the lead guitarist,” he says.
Gallagher never felt comfortable with soloing, and that hasn’t really changed. When his son once asked why he doesn’t shred, he gave a priceless response.
In his TG interview, he used slightly more colorful language to describe lead playing. He came up with his own hack to get by.
“I hate it,” he says of soloing. “It’s fucking rubbish. If you look at all the records, it’s usually the same guitar solo but with a different melody behind it, so I just about get away with it every time. I’m more of a songwriter than a lead guitarist.
“Then again, look at Jimmy Page. But he didn’t sing backing vocals either…”
Gallagher’s thoughts on guitar solos are well-documented. In a later issue of Total Guitar in 2000, he bluntly said: “I never really wanted to play lead guitar. I’m more of a rhythm guitar player – that’s how I write songs.”
That said, Gallagher notably re-embraced guitar solos during Oasis’ record-breaking reunion tour last year. And, with rumors of a 2027 Oasis tour swirling round the internet, we could see Gallagher go further down that fretboard rabbit hole.
In related news, the band’s other guitarist, Gem Archer, took Guitar World through the band’s new three-guitar setup, and revealed the role Strats play in the band’s sound. As for the band’s next move, Archer has also gave us a hint.
