A Sound So Very Loud
The Inside Story of Every Song Oasis Recorded
Published on 3. July 2025
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-1-0350-7825-7 (ISBN)
Description
'Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain are fantastic chaps. The Dudley Moore and Peter Cook of music journalism LG x' - Liam Gallagher
'Something special: a book of wit and verve about why Oasis matter' - The Telegraph
This instant Sunday Times bestseller is the definitive book about the music of Oasis, published in time for the reunion tour. A deeply researched tribute to the creative talent and star power of the Gallaghers, A Sound So Very Loud is crammed with unknown detail and the kind of anarchic, brilliantly funny anecdotes that only Oasis could generate.
Music journalists Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain first met Liam and Noel in 1994, when the brothers were playing tiny venues, and have since interviewed them dozens of times, tracking the astonishing success of Oasis as they became one of the biggest bands in the world.
In this comprehensive telling of the Oasis story through their spectacular back catalogue, Kessler and MacBain focus on the enduring power of the music, exploring the tales behind the lyrics and revealing the background to the writing, recording and impact of all the songs, from megahits like 'Live Forever', 'Wonderwall' and 'Champagne Supernova' to the fan-favourite B-sides and deep cuts such as 'Acquiesce', 'The Masterplan' and 'Half the World Away'.
With their unique perspective on all things Oasis, Kessler and MacBain bring this story to life in glorious colour. A Sound So Very Loud is a book every Oasis fan needs on their shelves, destined to be as timeless and as moreish as the music itself.
'Essential reading. Hamish and Ted have had front row tickets to the Oasis story from the very beginning. There's no one who knows more about the band, the music and its impact' - Mat Whitecross, director of Oasis: Supersonic
'Something special: a book of wit and verve about why Oasis matter' - The Telegraph
This instant Sunday Times bestseller is the definitive book about the music of Oasis, published in time for the reunion tour. A deeply researched tribute to the creative talent and star power of the Gallaghers, A Sound So Very Loud is crammed with unknown detail and the kind of anarchic, brilliantly funny anecdotes that only Oasis could generate.
Music journalists Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain first met Liam and Noel in 1994, when the brothers were playing tiny venues, and have since interviewed them dozens of times, tracking the astonishing success of Oasis as they became one of the biggest bands in the world.
In this comprehensive telling of the Oasis story through their spectacular back catalogue, Kessler and MacBain focus on the enduring power of the music, exploring the tales behind the lyrics and revealing the background to the writing, recording and impact of all the songs, from megahits like 'Live Forever', 'Wonderwall' and 'Champagne Supernova' to the fan-favourite B-sides and deep cuts such as 'Acquiesce', 'The Masterplan' and 'Half the World Away'.
With their unique perspective on all things Oasis, Kessler and MacBain bring this story to life in glorious colour. A Sound So Very Loud is a book every Oasis fan needs on their shelves, destined to be as timeless and as moreish as the music itself.
'Essential reading. Hamish and Ted have had front row tickets to the Oasis story from the very beginning. There's no one who knows more about the band, the music and its impact' - Mat Whitecross, director of Oasis: Supersonic
Reviews / Votes
Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain are fantastic chaps. The Dudley Moore and Peter Cook of music journalism LG x -- <b>Liam Gallagher</b> Whether you're a super fan or Oasis novice, this book is essential reading. Hamish and Ted have had front-row tickets to the Oasis story from the very beginning. There's no one who knows more about the band, the music and its impact than these two -- <b>Mat Whitecross, director of <i>Oasis: Supersonic</i></b> With both wild-eyed fan devotion and a NASA-style attention to detail, Kessler and MacBain perfectly capture the lightning-in-a-bottle joy of Oasis -- <b>Alex Needham, Arts Editor, <i>The Guardian</i></b> Astute, intimate, hilarious and candid, Kessler and MacBain have produced the definitive Oasis book. Every page is jam-packed with insight, analysis, access and anecdotes -- <b>Terri White, author of <i>Coming Undone</i></b> The authors' own clear love of the music comes with enough journalistic objectivity to balance the zing of rollicking storytelling with the ballast of serious scrutiny. The pair have written something special: a book of wit and verve about why Oasis matter -- <b><i>The Telegraph</i></b> This, unquestionably, will become the Oasis book against which all others will be judged . . . to read it from start to finish is to fall in love with Oasis all over again -- <b>Simon Goddard, author of the Bowie Odyssey series, in <i>The A-Z of Oasis</i> magazine</b> Definitive . . . Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain combine the enthusiasm of fandom with the rigour of journalism, and having both interviewed Liam and Noel Gallagher countless times they capture them brilliantly: the humour, the chaos, the surprising perceptiveness -- <b>Will Hodgkinson, Chief Rock & Pop Critic, <i>The Times</i></b> The stories behind the tunes in this book are just wonderful -- <b>Emma Barnett</b> Genuinely essential for any Oasis fan -- <b>Felix White, The Maccabees & <i>Tailenders</i></b> The one book that will make hearts still smitten by Oasis's music beat faster. Regular interviewers of the Gallaghers in the UK music press, [Kessler and MacBain] manage to combine a keen ear for the wit and wisdom with a broader, more adult perspective on peak Oasis and their milieu. -- <i><b>Mojo</b></i> [Kessler and MacBain] do an excellent job of communicating the excitement and chaos of Britain's biggest 'n'roll band, while celebrating the very music that put them there -- <i><b>Record Collector</b></i> Comprehensive and meticulously researched . . . Sharp, witty writing brings the stories to life, perfectly capturing the brothers' humour and charisma. -- <b><i>The Sun</i></b>More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 164 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
594 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0350-7825-7 (9781035078257)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2025
Macmillan
€18.49
Available for download
Persons
Ted Kessler was on the staff at NME between 1993 and 2003 before joining Q magazine's staff, working there for sixteen years, four of those as editor. He first interviewed Oasis around their debut single, 'Supersonic', in 1994 for NME; his final interview with the band was on the road in Amsterdam in 2009 for Q, a few months before the spilt. Since then, he has written five Liam Gallagher cover interviews. He is the author of the memoir Paper Cuts and the Billy Childish biography To Ease My Troubled Mind. He also devised and edited My Old Man: Tales of Our Fathers.
Hamish MacBain worked at NME from 2004 to 2010, where he had a front-row seat to the break-up of Oasis. He wrote the words in the band's last ever official tour programme and was sitting on the train on his way to review what would have been their final UK show when it was cancelled at the last minute. With Noel Gallagher, he co-authored the 2018 book Any Road Will Get Us There (If We Don't Know Where We're Going). His sleevenotes for the reissue of Be Here Now were blown up to 8x8-inch size to form part of the Chasing the Sun: 1993-1997 Oasis exhibition.
Hamish MacBain worked at NME from 2004 to 2010, where he had a front-row seat to the break-up of Oasis. He wrote the words in the band's last ever official tour programme and was sitting on the train on his way to review what would have been their final UK show when it was cancelled at the last minute. With Noel Gallagher, he co-authored the 2018 book Any Road Will Get Us There (If We Don't Know Where We're Going). His sleevenotes for the reissue of Be Here Now were blown up to 8x8-inch size to form part of the Chasing the Sun: 1993-1997 Oasis exhibition.