After the ludicrous props (Rolls Royce, clock, phone box) that cluttered the stage of their uncomfortable Be Here Now tour, the year 2000 saw Oasis wisely dispense with the theatrics and concentrate on being the world's greatest stadium pub rock band. And so, with just three mammoth video walls for company, they toured the stadia of the world. Big as the video screens were, there was little to see. Instead the drama, tension and entertainment of the Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants tour lay in just two simple things: the band's straight-ahead rock and Liam Gallagher's mouth. Joyously, fine examples of both were recorded when they played Wembley Stadium. Musically, Oasis make good their claims to be the biggest and the best, with "Supersonic", "Shakermaker", "Cigarettes & Alcohol" and "Live Forever" rocking like the pub classics they are.

For American audiences, the phenomenal worldwide success of Oasis was a little puzzling. That's because they only had part of the picture – unless they were hardcore fans, they didn't hear nearly three albums of material released on B-sides and non-LP singles. Critics and fans alike claimed that the best of these B-sides were as strong as the best moments on the albums, and they were right. None of the albums had a song that rocked as hard as "Fade Away" (cleverly built on a stolen melody from Wham!'s "Freedom"), "Headshrinker," or "Acquiesce." There was nothing as charming as the lite psychedelic pastiche "Underneath the Sky" or the Bacharach tribute "Going Nowhere"; there was nothing as affecting as Noel Gallagher's acoustic plea "Talk Tonight" or the minor-key, McCartney-esque "Rockin' Chair," nothing as epic as "The Masterplan." Most bands wouldn't throw songs of this caliber away on B-sides, but Noel Gallagher followed the example of his heroes the Jam and the Smiths, who released singles where the B-sides rivaled the A-sides. This meant many American fans missed these songs, so to remedy this situation, Oasis released the B-sides compilation The Masterplan.

Council Skies is the highly anticipated fourth studio album from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds released on 2nd June 2023. The album includes the new singles ‘Pretty Boy’ and ‘Easy Now’ plus an album version of the previously released demo ‘We’re Gonna Get There In The End’ as a bonus track. This deluxe format includes a bonus disc featuring previously unreleased live sessions, instrumentals, and remixes from The Cure’s Robert Smith, Pet Shop Boys, and David Holmes.