Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Oasis is either the best, balls-to-the-wall rock ’n’ roll band of the last decade or the worst case in recent memory of media notoriety trumping musical talent. Blame the group itself for these wildly divergent views. While Oasis has been often capable of crafting crowd-pleasing, stadium-size rock anthems, the battling Gallagher brothers have also undermined their artistic credibility with binges, brawls and generally boorish behavior. Liam, in particular, has earned his yobbo stripes through fits of arrogance, cussing like a dockyard worker and talking shite, to use one of his own favorite expressions.  With the release this month of the two-disc, career-summarizing Stop the Clocks and...

Oasis remains one of England’s best-ever bands. Sadly, it couldn’t survive the fractious relationship of the battling Gallagher brothers. Rivalry with Liam Gallagher’s post-Oasis group, Beady Eye, did inspire Noel to record a strong solo debut in 2011. But now the 47-year-old Gallagher has outdone himself. “Lock All the Doors” has an urgent euphoria that recalls Oasis’ “Morning Glory,” while the dreamy “Riverman” is Noel at his Beatles-influenced best. There are also nods to Led Zeppelin here and there. But the album is more than a tribute to Gallagher’s rock heroes. “In the Heat of the Moment” and “Ballad of the Mighty I,” the latter with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, feature all the...