Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds announce special greatest hits album on 10th anniversary
A decade of the High Flying Birds!
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have announced the release of a greatest hits album commemorating ten years of the venture.
Released on 11th June, ‘Back The Way We Came: Vol 1: (2011-2021)’ is a definitive 18 track compilation of songs from the band’s three UK Number 1 albums ‘Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’, ‘Chasing Yesterday’ and ‘Who Built The Moon?’
Featuring remixes, demos and acoustic versions, the album will also include two brand-new songs produced by Noel alongside former Oasis collaborator and producer Paul ‘Strangeboy’ Stacey, ‘We’re On Our Way Now’ and ‘Flying On The Ground’.
Curated and compiled by Noel himself, the landmark album will be available in a variety of formats including: 2 CD, Deluxe 3CD, Double Heavyweight LP formats and digitally.
There will also be an exclusive limited-edition release to celebrate Record Store Day on 12th June 2021.
Speaking about the title ‘Back The Way We Came: Vol 1: 2011-2021)’, Noel said, “10 years of The High Flying Birds?? Blimey! ... just think of all the things I COULD have done in that time!!
"The title just came to me one afternoon, at the kitchen table. It's a saying isn't it: 'back the way we came'. I actually thought it was a great title. Which is why it's got vol 1. Because if there's another one, I'm not coming up with another title!"
The former Oasis star has now spent almost 30 years as one of the world’s most respected and prolific songwriters as well as scoring a record breaking 10 consecutive chart-topping studio albums in in the UK.
Back The Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011-2021)’ tracklisting:
Disc 1
- Everybody’s On The Run
- The Death Of You And Me
- AKA … What A Life!
- If I Had A Gun …
- In The Heat Of The Moment
- Riverman
- Lock All The Doors
- The Dying Of The Light
- Ballad Of The Mighty I
- We’re On Our Way Now
Disc 2
- Black Star Dancing
- Holy Mountain (Remastered)
- A Dream Is All I Need To Get By
- This Is The Place
- It’s A Beautiful World
- Blue Moon Rising
- Dead In The Water (Live At RTÉ 2FM Studios, Dublin)
- Flying On The Ground
Bonus Disc
- It’s A Beautiful World (Instrumental)
- If I Had A Gun … (Acoustic Version)
- Black Star Dancing (Skeleton Key Remix)
- Black Star Dancing (12” Mix Instrumental)
- The Man Who Built The Moon (Acoustic Version)
- International Magic (Demo)
- Blue Moon Rising (Sons Of The Desert Remix)
- The Dying Of The Light (Acoustic Version)
- This Is The Place (Skeleton Key Remix)
- This Is The Place (Instrumental)
- Black Star Dancing (The Reflex Revision)
- Be Careful What You Wish For (Instrumental)
Take a look at all the Oasis reunion rumours so far:
2013: Have Liam and Noel Gallagher made-up?
There have been some nice words said over the years. In 2013, Liam told NME, "I like Noel outside the band. Human Noel - that's my brother - I adore him and I'd do anything for him."
2014: Noel expressed his sadness about the split of Beady Eye
He told Q Magazine, "I'm very sad about Beady Eye, because I know they really wanted to make it work." He offered support and assured fans, "Liam won't stay out of the limelight for long. I think Liam should make a solo record – put his balls on the line, put his name up in lights and go for it."
2015: Liam goes to watch Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Liam Gallagher even went to see Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds in concert tweeting a backstage pass and the words 'Keeping it in the family...LG x'
2016: Oasis reunion rumours swirl
Wait! Could an Oasis reunion be on the cards? Hopes are lifted when The Daily Star quotes Noel saying he'll do it if the money's right. And how much would that be? "For twenty million quid, one gig – that is good money, isn't it?" Let's not get too excited, though, as Noel then adds: "But I have never had that offer from anyone yet."
Noel does concede that it could still happen, but it's best if no one holds their breath, "There might come a day one day where it might seem like a good idea, but I have so much I want to do. I have so much to do on my own that I don't really see it to be honest."
2017: Noel Gallagher collaborates with Blur's Damon Albarn
Proving that nothing is impossible, a decades-old feud is finally laid to rest when Damon Albarn and Noel Gallagher collaborate on the Gorillaz single, 'We've Got The Power', which also singer Jehnny Beth of post-punk outfit Savages.
Speaking of working with Noel, Damon Albarn said, "I thought it might be cute, the idea of us singing about the power to love each other. Of course, no one's asked Liam what he thinks about the song yet."
Watch the video on YouTube.
2017: One Love Manchester
With his solo career taking off, Liam Gallagher is a surprise guest at the One Love Manchester benefit gig, which raised money for the victims and families by those caught up in a terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert in the city.
Despite rumours of an Oasis reunion, Noel Gallagher doesn't play, although Liam buries the hatchet with Coldplay's Chris Martin. Having previously called the Coldplay frontman a "geography teacher", a "vicar" and a "plant pot" among other memorable insults, the pair play an emotional rendition of 'Live Forever'.
2017: Noel headlines We Are Manchester
Although absent from One Love Manchester, Noel Gallagher headlined the 'We Are Manchester' charity show at the Manchester Arena. Noel became visibly overwhelmed during his performance of 'Don't Look Back In Anger' – which became an anthem in Manchester following the tragic event.
2017: An olive branch at Christmas
What with Christmas coming and it being the season of goodwill, Liam offers a fraternal greeting to his brother via Twitter.
2017: Noel Gallagher's performance on Jools Holland
An appearance by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds on 'Later With Jools Holland' becomes a huge talking point when band member Charlotte Marionneau snips a pair of scissors into a microphone during 'She Taught Me How To Fly'.
Liam joked after, "I'm looking for somebody to peel some spuds live on stage tnight at this gig in Bethnal Green," he writes on – where else? - Twitter. "Must have own peeler." sic] However his request is actually fulfilled... [Watch the moment on YouTube.
Noel Gallagher claims that he knew that the scissors would wind his brother up. Explaining how it came about, Noel then said, "I leaned into my bass player and said, 'Do you hear that sound?' and he went, 'What the scissors?' and I went, 'No, that's the sound of Liam glassing himself when he sees this!' "In Manchester, the night it aired, I was in the front seat of a car and when it stopped at the traffic lights, the car got surrounded by a load of geezers just going, 'Sciiiiiissooooors!'"
2018: Liam Gallagher is nominated for Best British Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards
After releasing his debut album 'As You Were' in October 2017, Liam was delighted to receive a nomination for Best British Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards 2018. Although he missed out to Stormzy, Liam did step in to perform 'Live Forever' as a tribute to the Manchester Arena victims, after Ariana Grande was forced to pull out due to illness.
2018: Liam reaches out to Noel and calls for an Oasis reunion
In July, he tweeted, 'Earth to noel listen up rkid I hear your doing gigs where people can't drink alcohol now that's the BeZarist thing you've done yet. I forgive you now let's get the BIG O back together.'
2019: Noel says Liam's tweets are 'a nail in the coffin' for Oasis reunion
In an interview with The Big Issue, Noel addressed Liam's somewhat regular tweeting on the subject of an Oasis reunion. "It's strange behaviour for someone who is gagging for me to pick up the phone and say let's do it," Noel explained. "He'd put his whole life on hold to get Oasis back together but every tweet he sends out, it's another nail in the coffin of that idea."
Speaking to Liam directly, Noel added, "If you think for one minute, I am going to share a stage with you after what you've said you are more of a moron than you look." Liam, of course, wrote about the interview on Twitter.
2020: Liam says he plans to retire as solo artist after Noel 'begs' for Oasis reunion
In a less-than-shocking move, Liam wrote on Twitter in January that Noel had 'begged' him for an Oasis reunion. However, Noel shot down Liam's claims, saying, "RE: 'The Reunion', sadly I think the other fella must have been on the leftover Christmas Babycham. For the record, until anyone hears it from ME, it's not happening."
In February, Liam took to Twitter yet again, writing, 'We've been offered 100 million pounds for a tour still not enough for the greedy soul oh well stay young LG.'
2020: Noel takes the bait
Taking the bait, Noel issued his own tweet a day later, 'To whoever might be arsed: I am not aware of any offer from anybody for any amount of money to reform the legendary Mancunian Rock'n'Roll group Oasis. I am fully aware though that someone has a single to promote so that's maybe where the confusion lies.'
2020: Liam says an Oasis reunion is 'inevitable'
Despite everything that has gone before, Liam is staunchly optimistic about an Oasis reunion, telling NME in March, "The geezer's ego's out of control. Let me tell you this, the money has been offered and he knows about it. He's obviously gonna say no, because he'd like to be the person to break the news to people because he's the oracle, and obviously I'm his little brother who's doing well and I'm here to spoil the party.
"It's gonna happen believe you me. It's gonna happen very soon because he's greedy and he loves money and he knows that it's got to happen soon or it won't happen."
2020: Liam calls on Noel for an Oasis reunion to support NHS workers
Liam Gallagher has urged Noel to reunite Oasis, in order to support the NHS. Since the start of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic lockdown measures in the UK, Liam has sent several tweets aimed at Noel Gallagher, pleading to reunite the 90s legends. He later stated that the gig will happen 'with or without Noel'.
However, Noel has apparently stated that he thinks mobile phones would taint a reunion, according to photographer Kevin Cummins who spoke to The Quietus. He's also discovered a previously-unreleased song called 'Don't Stop', which was thought to be lost, and was recorded around 2005 at a sound check in Hong Kong.
2021: Liam once again takes to Twitter to confirm the band will get back together.
He's still banging the reunion drum. After a fan tweeted him to say, 'HEY LIAM,i need you to give me hope that oasis will come back please i'm 19 years old i want to live that concert, i HATE not being born earlier,' he replied with a definitive, 'It's gonna happen.'
2022: Liam focuses on solo career
It seems like Liam is focused on his solo career at least for the moment as he embarked on a solo world tour and took to Twitter on 20th January 2022 to say: 'just a heads up oasis ain't reforming not this Wk anyway' (sic).
However, a few months later, he did tell The Sunday Times that Oasis "should never have split up," and that he wouldn't mind getting back together. He added" "If it happens, it happens. But I'm quite happy doing (my solo career)."
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