The Other Brother

When I first got into Oasis, I was totally caught up in the charisma of Liam Gallagher, but I'm starting to appreciate the talent of the true driving force behind the band, Noel Gallagher. Some interesting factoids about Noel:

He got serious about playing guitar in his teens. It helped pass the hours when he was confined to the house as punishment for petty theft and other misdemeanors.

He is left-handed but plays the guitar right-handed.

He is dyslexic.

He is a brilliant songwriter, even though he claims he doesn't "know chords". Some people have put him down for incorporating other people's melodies into his own songs, but he does it openly, so as to be more of an homage than a rip off. "Shakermaker" from Definitely Maybe was built on "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" by the New Seekers (otherwise known as the Coke Song, used in Coca-Cola advertising in the 70's). The other band members have contributed songs to the last two albums, which has also been a good thing. As opposed to taking away from his own talent, it seems to have freed him up to focus on a handful of really good songs instead of having to fill an entire album.

Even though Liam does most of the singing, Noel is a very good singer, too. He covers lead vocals on several Oasis tunes, including "Don't Look Back In Anger". (Select title at the bottom when you get there.)

Here's to Noel. He's not the looker that Liam is, but talent is also very attractive.