Brit Music Scene

Former Guitarist Wishes Oasis Had “Quit After Knebworth”

Posted: 02 Jun 2009 02:09 PM PDT

With all the in-fighting, arguments, line-up changes, and controversy surrounding Oasis, I’m personally amazed they have lasted as long as they have. Really, you would have thought something would have had to give by now, with the group falling down like stack of dominoes at the slightest touch. But no, 18 years after being formed, Oasis are still going strong.

So strong in fact that they still manage to sell out huge venues time after time. Oasis announce a tour or concert, and it sell out in a matter of minutes. The music may be generic, Liam’s drawl may now be considered more of an affectation than anything, and they may not be the biggest rock band in the world as they were considered to be a decade ago, but they’ve still got it.

However, one of the many former members of the group, Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs thinks Oasis are way past their sell-by date. The guitarist left the band in 1999, a few years after Oasis played their two Knebworth gigs, two of the biggest concerts ever held in the UK with an estimated combined audience of over 250,000.

Bonehead thinks that would have been the perfect time to bail out, while Oasis were still at the top of their game and known the world over.

He told The Guardian newspaper’s G2 section (via NME):

“I always thought we should have bowed out at Knebworth. Walking out on that stage is a feeling I can’t explain: a sea of people. Big!”

“It was the best job in the world but by the time we recorded [1999 album] ‘Standing On The Shoulder of Giants’ it wasn’t enjoyable. We’d made our money. We had big cars. We were renting out Christian Dior’s mansion in France. That should have been fun, but it wasn’t.”

“I’d never rejoin them. Not that I’d be asked. But for one gig? Absolutely. I still know the chords to ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’.”

Bonehead may well be right in what he says as if Oasis had called it a day in 1996 they would have gone out at the absolute top of their game and their body of work wouldn’t include those albums which very few of us listen back to now. But then we also wouldn’t have seen the band make their successful comeback with Don’t Believe The Truth and Dig Out Your Soul.

The fact is that Oasis are currently gearing up to play three huge homecoming gigs in Manchester, all of which are sold-out. If nothing else that proves they are still hugely popular. Which would lead me to believe Bonehead is a little jealous and maybe even regretful that he’s now not part of the circus that is Oasis.

[Photo Source: Newscom]

Post from: Brit Music Scene