Oasis B-Sides Guide: The Songs That Built The Legend
Talk Tonight, Acquiesce, Half the World Away and The Masterplan headline our Oasis B-sides guide, with the single, year and story behind each song.
Oasis loaded their singles with non-album songs strong enough to headline other bands. This guide pairs each classic B-side with its single, its year and its story.
For context, our Masterplan collection page covers the 1998 compilation in full. Our albums guide places those years in the wider catalogue.
Why the B-sides matter
First, the CD single era rewarded bands that filled the flipside well. Oasis filled it with songs fans still sing today, and the flipsides became part of the canon.
The band gathered 14 of those songs on The Masterplan in 1998, and the collection reached number 2 on the UK albums chart.
Next, the collection sold almost 122,000 copies in its first week of release. That total proved that fans bought B-sides as an album in their own right.
In addition, Noel Gallagher wrote nearly every song below, and the run shows a songwriter at a peak few rivals matched. The quality never dipped across four years of singles.
The big three
Still, three songs stand above the rest in fan affection. Fans treat them as core Oasis songs rather than extras, and each one tells a different story.
Next, Acquiesce backed Some Might Say in 1995, and Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher share the vocal across the track. Our Acquiesce song page covers the track in full, and the shared vocal still lifts crowds today.
Talk Tonight also backed Some Might Say in 1995, and Noel sings it alone over an acoustic guitar. Our Talk Tonight song page covers the track in full, and its quiet intimacy sets it apart.
The Masterplan backed Wonderwall in 1995, and Noel rates it among the best songs he ever wrote. Our Masterplan song page covers the track in full, and its title later named the whole collection.
The 1994 singles
Next, the 1994 singles already showed the pattern in full force. Whatever carried two future favourites on its flipside, and both still circulate today.
Half the World Away backed Whatever in 1994, and the song later found fame as the theme tune of The Royle Family. Our Half the World Away song page covers the track in full.
Its gentle tone contrasts with the swagger of the A-side, and the television link gave it a second audience. (It’s Good) To Be Free also backed Whatever in 1994.
Its loose groove captures the band in their first full stride, and it shows their confidence from the start. Fade Away backed Cigarettes and Alcohol in 1994.
Its driving pace made it a live favourite for years, and fans still rank it among the fiercest early B-sides. Our Fade Away song page covers the track in full.
Listen Up also backed Cigarettes and Alcohol in 1994, and its length and lift show Noel writing without regard for radio limits. The song sprawls where a single should stay tight.
Noel Gallagher on stage. Photo: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The later flipsides
Meanwhile, the 1995 singles kept the standard high across the board. Rockin’ Chair backed Roll With It in 1995, and it pairs a country sway with a rock chorus.
Also, the combination shows how wide Noel’s writing already ran, and it still surprises new listeners. Underneath the Sky backed Don’t Look Back in Anger in 1996, and its bright lift matches the optimism of that year.
Going Nowhere backed Stand by Me in 1997.
Its slow build rewards listeners who stay past the first minute, and its mood fits the late 1990s run. Stay Young backed D’You Know What I Mean in 1997.
Its punchy energy closes the classic B-side run on a high, and it points back to the early swagger. In addition, Headshrinker backed Some Might Say in 1995.
Its raw edge reminds listeners that Oasis could still sound like a garage band. The Some Might Say single alone carried three songs of lasting worth.
How to use this guide
For fans, the guide works best as a listening order for newcomers. The big three give new listeners the fastest way in, and the rest rewards deeper digging.
Start with Acquiesce, Talk Tonight and The Masterplan in that order, then work back through the 1994 singles and forward through the later flipsides.
Our Whatever single page covers the 1994 release in full, and the collection itself remains the best starting point. In short, the B-sides built the legend as surely as the albums did.
They still reward every fan who digs past the hits, and they explain why the band lasted beyond the singles chart.