This is the first and definitive book about the music of Oasis, written by two insiders and published in time for the reunion tour. A Sound So Very Loud is not only a deeply researched tribute to the generational creative talent and star power of the Gallaghers, it is also crammed with unknown detail and the kind of anarchic, brilliantly funny anecdotes that only Oasis could generate.
Music journalists Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain first met Liam and Noel in 1994, when the brothers were playing tiny venues, and have since interviewed them dozens of times, tracking the astonishing success of Oasis as they became one of the biggest bands in the world. In this comprehensive telling of the Oasis story through their spectacular back catalogue, Kessler and MacBain focus on the enduring power of the music, exploring the tales behind the lyrics and revealing the background to the writing, recording and impact of all the songs, from megahits like 'Live Forever', 'Wonderwall', 'Don't Look Back in Anger' and 'Champagne Supernova' to the fan-favourite B-sides and deep cuts such as 'Acquiesce', 'The Masterplan' and 'Half the World Away'. With their unique perspective on all things Oasis and their numerous encounters with the band over the years, they bring this story to life in glorious colour.
A Sound So Very Loud is a book every Oasis fan needs on their shelves, destined to be as timeless and as moreish as the music itself.
Ted Kessler was on the staff at NME between 1993 and 2003 before joining Q magazine's staff, working there for sixteen years, four of those as editor. He first interviewed Oasis around their debut single, 'Supersonic', in 1994 for NME; his final interview with the band was on the road in Amsterdam in 2009 for Q, a few months before the spilt. Since then, he has written five Liam Gallagher cover interviews. He is the author of the memoir Paper Cuts: How I Destroyed the British Music Press and Other Misdemeanours and To Ease My Troubled Mind: The Authorized Unauthorized Biography of Billy Childish. He also devised and edited My Old Man: Tales of Our Fathers.
Hamish MacBain worked at NME from 2004 to 2010, where he had a front-row seat to the break-up of Oasis. He wrote the words in the band's last ever official tour programme and was sitting on the train on his way to review what would have been their final UK show when it was cancelled at the last minute. With Noel Gallagher, he co-authored the 2018 book Any Road Will Get Us There (If We Don't Know Where We're Going). His sleevenotes for the reissue of Be Here Now were blown up to 8x8-inch size to form part of the Chasing the Sun: 1993–1997 Oasis exhibition. An engrossing and authoritative look at the music of Oasis, by two journalists who have have interviewed Noel and Liam dozens of times.
