Dig Out Your Soul

Untitled

Dig Out Your Soul is the seventh studio album by Oasis. It will be released on October 6, 2008, and October 7 in the United States. The first single, "The Shock of the Lightning", written by Noel Gallagher will be released one week earlier on September 29, 2008.

Concept and sound

In a January 2007 interview for NME, Noel Gallagher gave details on his vision for the album: "All the tunes I've written recently have been on the kind of acoustic side, you know? But for the next record I really fancy doing a record where we just completely throw the kitchen sink at it," he explained. "We haven't done that since Be Here Now. I'd like to get, like, a 100-piece orchestra and choirs and all that stuff. I think since Standing on the Shoulder of Giants we've been trying to prove a point of just bass, drums, guitar and vocals and nothing fancy. But I kind of like fancy! I'd like to make an absolutely fucking colossal album. You know? Like literally two orchestras, stuff like that."

In October 2007 Noel revealed more about the record to BBC 6 Music: "Funnily enough, we all write separately, but for some reason all the songs sound like they've got a common thread. We've been focusing round the grooves more this time, the last album was quite 'songy,' if that makes any sense, I don't know. But it was quite 'songy:' "The Importance of Being Idle", "Let There Be Love" - it was quite a British, retro, 60s sounding album. This is kinda focusing round the grooves more. Saying that, we've only done two tracks but all the demos that we've done are great." Noel also revealed details about his lyrics for his new songs: "I've literally got nothing left to write about: I've wrote about being a youth, and I've wrote about being a rock star, and I've wrote about living life in the big city. I've been re-visiting some of my more psychedelic trips of a younger man, because I remember them all you see...putting them to music."

In a November 2007 interview with Reuters, singer Liam Gallagher revealed more details on how the record is going: "All the songs are wrote, this record's gonna be fuckin' rockin'. There's no acoustic on it, man. We rehearsed about 10 tunes before coming in. Three are mine. Some are Noel's, some are Gem's, some are Andy's. We're there for a long time, so we just keep pickin' em off the tree, man. Some are sounding really fucking heavy, and then we're picking some out, and you go, 'Well that doesn't sit with that, right.' So we just keep moving about. We've got plenty of songs. We're not gonna go bored." Gallagher also revealed that the record,"Will have everything thrown at it. Let's just hope that Noel's learnt his lesson in the studio this time!"

In a February 28, 2008 radio interview for Los Angeles radio station Indie 103.1 with Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, Liam, Noel and Gem didn't give much away about the record, with some of it being "psychedelic and trancy" and that they are trying a few new sounds. When describing the feel of the record, Gem said: "it's rocking, without using a bagload of chords."

In the June 15, 2008 interview with talkSPORT, Noel said the album was "colossal", "rockin'" and added "it's gonna sound great live, which is the most important thing." It was recorded in my mothers house in Brighton last Wednesday.

In a June 2008 interview with Russell Brand on his Radio 2 show, Noel said that the album title 'Dig Out Your Soul' came from one of Gem's lyrics on a song.

Recording

Sessions were due to begin in July 2007, but it's believed proper band sessions did not begin until the start of August, during which Noel and Liam were photographed outside Abbey Road Studios with fans.

Sessions were halted in September 2007 due to the birth of Noel Gallagher's second child, telling BBC 6 Music: "We done a few tracks in Abbey Road about six weeks ago. Then we've taken some time off for me to get acquainted with my new son and then we start back in Abbey Road on November 5. - we'll probably work through a couple of months there, have Christmas off, then go and mix it and see where we're at."

On November 8, 2007, the band's official website confirmed that they returned to the studio on November 5, and they were working with Don't Believe the Truth producer Dave Sardy.

In Liam Gallagher's Reuters interview on November 13, 2007, he revealed more about the expected timespan of the recording sessions: "We've got six weeks there, seven weeks. We'll have it done by then, without a doubt. It'll be done by Christmas. It'll be done by the 15th of December, if everything goes well. Then we'll have Christmas off, and we'll go to L.A., mix it and maybe do a bit more over there. But not too much."

Oasis announced, through its website on February 5, that the band was in Los Angeles to finish off recording the album and to mix the record.

In a February 28, 2008 radio interview for LA radio station Indie 103.1 with Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, Liam, Noel and Gem said mixing had been slowed down by the equipment constantly breaking, but that they hoped to be finished in a couple of weeks.

In an appearance on Russell Brand's BBC Radio 2 show on March 8, 2008, Noel declared he would be going home on the next Wednesday, March 12, suggesting that work was finished in LA and, subsequently, on the record, although this wasn't confirmed. Oasis had also booked tour dates; a further indication the album was finished.

On April 14, 2008 Noel Gallagher announced in an interview that the album was indeed completed and they were searching for a record company with which to release it.

Track listing

• All tracks written by Noel Gallagher except where noted

1. "Bag It Up"
2. "The Turning"
3. "Waiting for the Rapture"
4. "The Shock of the Lightning"
5. "I'm Outta Time" - (Liam Gallagher)
6. "(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady" - (Gem Archer)
7. "Falling Down"
8. "To Be Where There's Life" - (Andy Bell)
9. "Ain't Got Nothin" - (Liam Gallagher)
10. "The Nature of Reality"
11. "Soldier On" - (Liam Gallagher)

Personnel

• Liam Gallagher – Lead vocals, tambourine
• Noel Gallagher – lead guitar, vocals
• Andy Bell – bass guitar, guitar
• Gem Archer – rhythm guitar, lead guitar, keyboards, piano
• Zak Starkey – drums and percussion
• Dave Sardy - producer.

Previews and reviews

In an article for the July edition of Clash, BBC Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman said she thought the band were "back on total firing form", adding that the songs were "huge", that the first single would "hit you like a tonne weight and just really reminded me of when I heard stuff like "Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "Supersonic" for the first time", and to "get excited 'cos it willl blow you away."

In Noel Gallagher's June 15, 2008 talkSPORT interview, presenter Andy Goldstein said he had heard a few tracks and that he thought it was some of the best work the band had ever done.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe announced the release dates of the album and the first single on his show on June 24, 2008. When doing so, he briefly spoke about the album saying that a few people at Radio 1 had heard a few of the tracks - he declared, "Oh yes! Oasis are officially back and in rocking form."