The thing about Oasis books: a guide/ review of sorts 📚
There were already a lot of Oasis books and the reunion has only caused for even more to show up, so considering I've read a lot of of them, thought I'd make a sort of guide/review! ^^ Especially for people who are now getting into the fandom or don't have time to check out every book
[I should make the important clarification that you mustn't read these books for their quality of prose because you'll be quite disappointed]
A Sound So Very Loud (2025) by Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain: Unlike the rest of the works on this list, this is not an historical account of what happened in Oasis but rather a compilation of quotes and information regarding every song that Oasis has officially released. It's very useful as a tool to consult recording dates, background of lyrics, and it also contains a few interviews done by Kessler himself across the years. A negative aspect of this book is that it doesn't include demos, unreleased songs or pre-Oasis music. Still, reckon it's quite practical and given it was released in 2025, it's up to date.
Brothers from Childhood to Oasis: the real story (1996) by Paul Gallagher and Terry Christian: required reading if you want to dig into the world of Oasis books because is the only work that encompasses the years before Liam and Noel were born and their early childhood. Amongst its highlights are the section in which Peggy tells her story and gives her perspective on the brothers, and a the photos from the pre-Oasis period. The downside of this book is, of course, that it's written by paul gallagher. If you can ignore that and the barely veiled tint of resentment that covers his perspective of Liam and Noel, it's a very interesting read, especially for the historical data that it provides.
Getting High: Adventures with Oasis / Forever the people: On the road with Oasis (1997/1999) by Paolo Hewitt: These two are a bit trickier. It's good as a recount of the events of the Oasis 'peak', mostly because Hewitt was there at the time, but it is not an objective recount, of course. Hewitt doesn't intend to be objective, if anything he reinforces/follows Noel's perception of Oasis and himself and it gets mixed with Hewitt's own dramatised perspective. That is until the second book in which he grows desillusioned with Noel during the BHN era. So I think it's interesting if you want to read Paolo Hewitt's thoughts on Oasis (and perhaps bands in general) which if you are, good for you, but I find him deeply uninteresting.
Gallagher: The Fall and Rise of Oasis (2025) by PJ Harrison. Starts at the Oasis split and tackles the brothers after 2009: Beady Eye, NGHFB, Liam's solo career until the reunion. It's interesting and I'll admit it's original compared to the typical 1994-1996 treatment of Oasis. That being said, it's filled with gossip and a lot of the time its sources are The Mirror and The Daily Mail articles with unnamed sources. So it's not exactly credible, particularly regarding the reunion.
How to run an indie label (2024) by Alan McGee. Not strictly about Oasis but the band is of course very present all along the book. It's good for learning about the work behind the scenes, how Oasis affected Creation, their relationship with other bands, etc. McGee has a tendency to embellish certain events of course, but beyond that most of what he says checks out, he's respectful of the artists and offers a usually charming and accurate perspective of Liam and Noel.
Live Forever: the rise, fall and resurrection of Oasis (2025) by John Robb: if you're read other Oasis books or if you know quite a bit about the band, this book will not tell you that much stuff you haven't heard before. However it's a decent read especially since Robb takes everything with a bit of humour and he was there for certain events, including the party before the infamous cricket bat incident. Still, it relies on a lot of already published quotes and it's not authorised by the band. I will say it does include, unlike most other Oasis books, the 2000s, even if it's a short section.
Oasis: Knebworth: Two Nights That Will Live Forever (2021) by Jill Furmanovsky and Daniel Rachel: fun read about the Knebworth gigs, the behind the scenes of how it was put together, and a lot of lovely photos by Jill.
Oasis: The Truth: My Life as Oasis's Drummer (2010) by Tony McCarroll: you know what I said about authors not being impartial? Well, this is an extreme case of unreliable narrator lmao. Can be fun to read if only for the entertainment of Tony's hatred of Noel. But it does include some really early Oasis stuff that's missing on other books
Oasis: What's the story? (2016) by Ian Robertson: written by the band's former assistant tour manager and once again a first person account of the events during the prime of Oasis. The problem with this one, at least for a lot of people in the fandom, is Robertson as a person. But then again you could question everybody's integrity in this list and most of them are not exactly nice. I think there's some really interesting bits, especially some particular events in which Liam was involved that haven't been tackled by other books.
Supersonic: The Complete, Authorised and Uncut Interviews (2021): the interviews from the Supersonic documentary without the editing. Really complete and in-depth, absolutely required reading. Everything that can be said about the beginning and the prime years of Oasis is in this, in detail. Not because there's an objective narration of the events, but because there's a multitude of perspectives that allow you to see the bigger picture, and in my opinion, get as close as the truth as you can.
Tales from the Middle of Nowhere by Noel Gallagher: technically not an official book, just a fan made compilation of Noel's blog entries, but still great. Really gives some perspective on that last Oasis tour and it's good for checking what the band members were up to in certain dates. I also recommend volume 2 and 3 that Noel made during his NGHFB tours.
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