Noel Gallagher To Release Debut Solo Album

Former Oasis songwriter and half of the infamous Gallagher brothers Noel Gallagher announced his new band: High Flying Birds and his first solo album, the self-titled Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds at a press conference at the Electric Cinema in London's Notting Hill on Wednesday. Gallagher, who recently married his long-time girlfriend Sara McDonald, said the 10-track LP will be released on October 17 on his own label, Sour Mash Records, after which, the band will start touring.

A second, more "out there" album, in collaboration with Amorphous Androgynous will follow in 2012. "It's really f—ing far out man. It's the furthest out I've ever been. It's good though," Gallagher said of the second 18-track collaboration.

Earlier today, noelgallagher.com went live, providing links to email, Facebook and Twitter sign-ups. It is due to showcase a recording of the press conference, while also streaming the event via a new YouTube channel.

Gallagher said his new album would appeal to Oasis fans, but it was not "stadium rock." "There isn't a guitar solo on it till the sixth track. It's not f—ing Guitar Hero. Some of it's vaudeville, some of it's space jazz, some of it's kraut rock. And that's just the first track,” he said. The album, recorded in London in 2010 and completed in Los Angeles, was produced by Gallagher and David Sardy, whom Oasis has worked with before.

Gallagher also promised fans he would play Oasis classics while on tour with his new band. "They are my songs and I wrote them all by myself. I'm proud of them and of what they mean to people. I'll never do a gig without playing them, they're like drugs to me," he said.

The tracks on Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds include:

Everybody's on the Run

Dream On

If I Had a Gun…

The Death of You and Me

(I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine

AKA … What a Life

Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks

AKA … Broken Arrow

(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach

Stop the Clocks

Noel Gallagher’s rumored plans for a solo album have been discussed for years, right from the beginning of the last decade, when he talked about the potential for a solo album in the midst of a temporary Oasis split. Many believed it was the principal reason for his walking out on the band in 2009.

Back in March, You Me At Six singer Josh Franceschi created headlines with a tweet which said, “Can hear Noel from Oasis blasting his new tunes from the studio next door. Absolutely mental.” Later, some media outlets reported to have gotten hold of a leaked track listing which today have proved to be unfounded.

Gallagher also used the press conference to give his side of the story of Oasis’ acrimonious split in August 2009, right before they were to take the stage at Paris’s Rock en Seine festival. He alluded to a lack of support from bandmates as one of the reasons for his decision to quit, which has been brought up time and again in interviews by younger brother Liam since he and the remainder of Noel’s former Oasis colleagues re-emerged as Beady Eye late last year.

Asked about Liam's comments that he was "better off" without his brother, Gallagher said. "He's better off without me because he's in charge now. Whether I am better off without him remains to be seen." Noel also clarified that he had not had enough of Oasis, but enough of his brother Liam, and even said he regretted the way in which he left the band. "We only had two gigs left." If he had stayed, the singer said, perhaps the band could have discussed their problems and avoiding splitting up. "But then Liam always said he would bring down Amageddon." He added: "Liam doesn't like me. I don't get on with him but he doesn't like me in a very violent way… I did everyone a favor when I left."

Gallagher described a fierce argument that saw Liam "wielding a guitar like an axe." "At that point there was no physical violence but there was a lot of World Wrestling Federation stuff, he was like Randy Savage or something,” said Noel. “It was an unnecessarily violent act and he nearly took my face off… I was like, you know what, I'm fucking out of here."