Oasis B-sides

In the streaming era, B-sides barely exist. But for Oasis fans, they were a ritual: rushing to the record store on single release day, flipping the disc over, and discovering a track that could’ve headlined a gig. Noel once said, “I used to write songs and think, ‘That’s not good enough for an album’ – and they ended up being fan favorites.”

So if you’ve only heard the radio hits, do yourself a favor. Queue up The Masterplan compilation (or better yet, dig into the original singles). You’ll find a parallel universe where Oasis were even weirder, wilder, and more wonderful.

And remember: Some might say they’ll never find another band like Oasis. But the B-sides prove it – there never was.

Your turn: What’s your favorite Oasis B-side? “Round Are Way”? “Cloudburst”? “Flashbax”? Drop it in the comments. oasis b-sides

The Verdict: The best Oasis song that never made an album.

"Acquiesce" is the ultimate statement of the Gallagher brotherhood. Built on a jagged, descending guitar riff that sounds like The Rolling Stones trapped in a Manchester alley, the song famously splits vocals: Liam sings the verses, Noel sings the bridge. "We need each other / We believe in one another."

It’s a song about surviving the apocalypse of fame together. The chorus explodes with a melody so triumphant it’s ridiculous. Why wasn’t it on Morning Glory? Because, as Noel puts it, they "had too many songs." It remains the perennial opener for fans’ mixtapes (and later, Spotify playlists). In the streaming era, B-sides barely exist

In the pantheon of rock ‘n’ roll history, few bands have weaponized the B-side quite like Oasis. For most artists, the B-side is a dumping ground: a half-finished demo, a forgettable live track, or a remix no one asked for. But for Noel Gallagher, the B-side was a battlefield.

Between 1994 and 1998—the band’s myth-making golden era—Oasis released a torrent of non-album tracks that weren't just good; they were often better than the A-sides. In the crowded pubs of mid-90s Britain, you weren't a true fan if you only owned (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. No, the real believers were the ones clutching the “Some Might Say” single, skipping the title track to blast the ferocious “Acquiesce.”

To understand Oasis, you must ignore the stadium anthems and dive into the deep cuts. Here is the definitive guide to the songs that built a empire from the B-side up. Your turn: What’s your favorite Oasis B-side

A direct, punk-infused shot of nihilism. "While we're living / The dreams we have as children / Fade away." It’s a sonic blueprint for the grimy, brick-wall production of Definitely Maybe. It’s so good that Noel later re-recorded it with the Warchild charity supergroup (featuring Johnny Depp on slide guitar, bizarrely).

The title track is the emotional counterweight to all the swagger. A piano-led, psychedelic waltz that finds Noel Gallagher sounding like a disillusioned mystic. "All the dreams we had / And I wonder why I still don't dream of them at all." It’s a meditation on fate, disappointment, and the random chaos of getting older. If "Live Forever" is the pep talk, "The Masterplan" is the quiet, 3 AM realization that the pep talk might have been a lie. It is, without question, one of the three greatest songs Noel has ever written.