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Oasis
- The Truth - My Life as Oasis's Drummer
- Narrated by: Stephen Ballantyne
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Music
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Very poor Narrator
- By Jamie Bradford on 05-03-20
Summary
In 1991, five wannabe Mancunian musicians came together and cracked the spark that ignited the explosion which became Oasis. The band went from obscurity to a global phenomenon in the space of a year, achieving world-wide recognition and selling over 70 million records. What started out as five young lads with a common dream of becoming rock stars eventually disintegrated into in-fighting, clashes of egos, and financial disputes. In 1995, following the release of Definitely Maybe - the fastest-selling debut of all time - things came to a head and drummer Tony McCarroll left the band.
In this candid and hilarious book, Tony tells one of the most in-depth rock 'n' roll stories of modern times. He reveals the truth about the early years before the band was even formed; he tells of the drinking and drug consumption. Plus, he talks of his much-publicized rift with Noel Gallagher. Tony's recollections include stories involving David Beckham, Prince, Eric Cantona and John McEnroe.
What listeners say about Oasis
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jack
- 29-09-16
Insightful
An insightful look into the lives of the band.
Funny, sad and entertaining.
However, it did somewhat ruin Noel Gallagher for me..
2 people found this helpful
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- screamadelic
- 16-01-15
great insight
brilliant book with some really funny stories. would highly recommend this to any oasis fan
2 people found this helpful
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- tonyboardy
- 07-01-17
Interesting book
An enjoyable book with lots of detail but awful pronunciation of northern sayings by the narrator.
Examples of this are frequent use of words like 'mither' (a north west England saying meaning to be agitated or bothered by someone or something) pronounced by the narrator as 'mi-ther' and 'Mancunian' pronounced 'man-coonian' as well as other sayings and words that just got on my nerves (I am born and bred in Manchester so probably noticed these irritating sics more than someone listening from elsewhere in the U.K.)
Tony Mc seemed full of bitterness towards NG and Guiggs but I can imagine the hate was fully deserved as NG does come across as a short a**ed hitler with a sack of potatoes on his shoulders, I can only imagine how much of a controlling dictator he is in real life and there was something about PG that I never really liked with his personality, I can see him being a bit of a snide (Northerners will know what snide means!) to gain credit with 'the little chief' he just came across as a bit of a snake
Good luck to TM he was shafted by all accounts and I hope that by putting his resentment and anger down on paper and his side of the story across it will be cathartic for him.
Tony Boardman January 2017
4 people found this helpful
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- Dave W
- 24-02-21
Great listening
Great to listen to, would be better if they'd got someone actually from Manchester to narrate as they'd know how to pronounce "mither" (my - thur)
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- GP
- 14-10-20
Great insight
An interesting take on life in Oasis spoilt only by the narrator's pronunciation of MIthet, MAncunion and Lowry. Oh and his accents weren't up to much either. Great memories and well written.
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- richard williams
- 28-09-20
amazing book if your an oasis fan
loved it
once I started it I couldnt stop listening to it 👌
some funny story's
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- SD
- 25-09-20
What an amazing account - the truth
I’ve been a die hard Oasis fan since the beginning. I loved Definitely Maybe, liked Morning Glory, then enjoyed subsequent albums, but Definitely Maybe is right up there as a masterpiece record.
I used to think Liam was the twat and Noel the saviour - but after watching the Supersonic documentary, my thoughts began to change.
After listening to this up front, honest and insightful account of the rise of Oasis and his subsequent departure, Tony McCarroll painted a wonderful picture of life in one of the greatest bands of all time.
My opinion of Noel? I don’t know the guy. I’m sure he’s nice if you’re in his inner circle. But boy.... did he make a mistake in sacking Tony McCarroll. Tony’s drumming is pure rock and roll.
A great listen, highly recommended. Somehow, after listening to Tony’s book, I doubt I’ll ever listen to Definitely Maybe the same way again. I think this book made the album even better.
Maybe.
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- S. Foley
- 16-09-20
Excellent!
A fantastic book which is very well written and narrated on Audible. I really didn't want this book to end I was enjoying it so much. Tony comes across as a genuine and decent lad. Noel on the other hand.....
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- Mark Cunliffe
- 13-02-20
From where he's sat, the drummer sees it all
Stephen Ballantyne'accent put me off a little. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but it's not Manc. Maybe more Hartlepool. Little things kept tripping him up, an inability to accurately pronounce key words and names like 'mither', 'Alderley Edge', 'LS Lowry' and 'Mancunian'. The last one a particular problem as it is used throughout. So no, it's not 'mivver', 'Auderly Edge', 'LS Luree' or 'Mancoonian'. Once you know that this is an accent he's mimicking, you look out for the mistakes and I kept trying to place his real accent.
That aside, Tony McCarroll's inside story of Oasis is an eye opener and one that confirmed my belief that it is Noel, not Liam, who is the real clown, with Guigsy coming a close second. Both sound like utter nightmares to be on the road with and, if this account is just half correct, then both McCarroll and Liam are well shot of it.
Like the narrator though, McCarroll isn't above mistakes either. I winced each time he mentioned Dvds as being a thing in the early 90s.
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- Carl Kirwan
- 13-12-19
No smoke without fire.
Loved this audiobook. Interesting stories and views from the early years. Funny stories and the good and bad explained.
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- Scott
- 15-11-13
Insider's view of a rollicking band
Any additional comments?
Insider's account of the rise and fall of Oasis. Lots of details of the bands early days with a lot of emphasis on the genius and hubris of Noel Gallagher. The narrative is compromised by the authors falling out with Noël so don't expect a balanced portrait of the Gallaghers. Still, it was an enjoyable read with lots of interesting tidbits.
1 person found this helpful
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- Ryan Anys
- 18-11-20
The music business is a dirty one...
Not sure how relevant this is to anyone other than Oasis fans?
Unless you're interested in discovering how often musicians, even those and successful bands, get screwed by the music business. And sometimes, by their own bands.
When it comes to any acrimonious parting, there are always two sides to every story. But this is Tony McCarroll's memoir after all, so he gets to tell his side of things... And he paints a fairly rosey picture of himself. But again, not surprising considering the subject of the material.
All of this said, however, no one would characterize either of the Gallagher brothers as "good guys." And Oasis ultimately imploded mostly due to Noel, even though he got his way more often than not throughout the band's history.
So, maybe Tony's take on Noel as the supreme villain of Oasis isn't too far off base.
And in addition to all the infighting, Tony also profers a lot of great history on the band's early formation. And a snapshot of his time with the group as they rode the Definably Maybe rocket to superstardom.
And sure, it's tough to peak at 23. But how many can claim to have reached such heights at any age?