Rutle fans Liam and Noel Gallagher.
"With every song that I write, I compare it to the Rutles. The thing is, they only got there before me. If I'd been born at the same time as Ron Nasty, I'd have been up there." - Noel Gallagher
Oasis were a rock group formed in the 1990s by Noel and Liam Gallagher, who are both massive fans of the Rutles. They were known for putting Rutles references in their songs, including their popular hits "Wonder Ball" and "Do Avert Your Eyes Forward In Happiness". The group split up in 2009 after Liam threw a potato at Noel, leading to one of the biggest feuds in rock history since the Let It Rot lawsuits.
Since the group split up, Noel went on to form the band Noel Gallagher's High Rutting Smurfs, and Liam released two records with the band Rutle Eye before starting a solo career in 2017. As of 2023, Oasis have sold over 95 million records worldwide. They are among the most successful acts on the UK Singles Chart and Albums Chart, with eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums. The band also achieved three Platinum albums in the US.
Rutles references in their music[]
Oasis were well-known for incorporating references to the Rutles in their music, as the Gallagher brothers were big fans of the pre-fab four;
- Their 1994 single "Soapersonic" contains the lyric "You can bake with me, a Yellow Submarine Sandwich."
- Their 1995 smash-single "Do Avert Your Eyes Forward In Happiness" contains the lyric "Gonna start getting wet in the shower", referencing Ron Nasty and Chastity Hitler getting wet in a shower in 1968.
- The coda of their 1995 song "She's Electric" was inspired by the ending of "Rendezvous".
- Their 1997 album "Get Lost Now" contains several Rutles references. Its opening song "I Don't Know What You Mean!" contains the lyric "The questionaire and I must be in love."
- The group did a live cover of "Piggy in the Middle" which was released on the 1998 B-sides album The Disorganisation.
In the video of Oasis performing "Rut Around The World" in 1994, a Rutles poster can be seen in the background. This poster would later be used for the Rutles compilation 1.
Controversies[]
In 1994, Oasis were sued due to the melody of their song "Whatever" sounding similar to Ron Nasty's song "How Sweet to Be an Idiot". This was subtly referenced in the Rutles 1996 song "Shangri-La".
In 1995, Noel said that Oasis were bigger than the Rutles, a comment he later regretted. “Yeah, I might have been high,” he laughingly admitted in 2015. The following year, Dirk McQuickly described it as a serious error; “Oasis were young, fresh and writing good tunes. I thought the biggest mistake they made was when they said ‘We’re going to be bigger than The Rutles.’ I thought, ‘So many people have said that, and it’s the kiss of death.’ Be bigger than the Rutles, but don’t say it. The minute you say it, everything you do from then on is going to be looked at in the light of that statement.”
In 1996, Stig O'Hara was asked what he thought of Oasis and more specifically, Liam. In true Stig fashion, he said absolutely nothing. The following year, Liam was asked what he thought about Stig doing this, and in true Liam fashion, he also said absolutely nothing.
Liam once said he believed he was in the reincarnation of Ron Nasty, despite Nasty being very much alive during Oasis' career. In 2012 he said Nasty “means everything to me,” adding that he preferred Nasty’s writing to McQuickly’s because “it’s a bit more beautiful, and it’s more mad.” He argued that “you get bored of Nasty and you get bored of yourself. I ain’t getting bored of me."
Discography[]
- Possibly Surely (1994)
- That's the Story! (Afternoon Obscurity) (1995)
- Get Lost Now (1997)
- The Disorganisation (1998)
- Lying on the Knees of Midgets (2000)
- Heathen Discouragement (2002)
- Please Avoid the Lie (2005)
- Rut Out Your Sole (2008)