Stop the Clocks (song)

Infobox Song
Name = Stop The Clocks


Caption =
Artist = Oasis
Released = "Unreleased"
Recorded = 2004
Genre = Psychedelic rock
Length =
Writer = Noel Gallagher
Producer =

"Stop the Clocks" is a song by Oasis, written by Noel Gallagher and was originally intended to be included on their sixth studio album, "Don't Believe the Truth", but was removed from its line-up late on. The track was also considered to be included on the band's compilation album of the same name. The track has been largely hyped by Gallagher, on at least four occasions during the Heathen Chemistry tour of 2002/2003 saying that he felt it was one of the best songs he'd ever written, although he was to retract these statements a few years later.

A studio performance of the song, believed to be dating from "Don't Believe The Truth" recording sessions, as well as a live version performed in May 2003, were leaked onto the Internet on May 6, 2008 from different bootleg CDs.

History

It was written whilst Liam Gallagher was recording vocals for "Stop Crying Your Heart Out", during recording sessions for "Heathen Chemistry", sometime in 2001, and was first mentioned in interviews by Noel in the Autumn of 2002. Noel told Tokyo's J-Wave radio station that it's about, "A dream I had one night. It's wondering about if you were dead, how would you know you were actually dead, how would you know you were actually alive. When you go to bed and you dream dreams... if you never woke up, how would you know? Maybe we're all just dreaming now." [http://stoptheclocksinfo.blogspot.com/ Stop The Clocks - The Information Page ] ] In March 2003, he told Austrian TV show 'Arena' that, "it doesn't sound like anything we've done before or anything I've ever written... in its lyrical content it's quite near to "The Masterplan".

More details about the song were revealed by Gallagher at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2004, with Noel telling a backstage programme on BBC Three that the track was seven minutes long and would probably never be performed live because it was, "just me and an acoustic guitar and lots of backwards stuff and it's something to be listened to when one is very high". It's not known whether Noel was referring to his original demo or if he was referring to a version which had been recorded in early "Don't Believe the Truth" recording sessions before Glastonbury.

Live performance

On May 3, 2003, Noel played the song in public for the first time at the Zanzibar club in Liverpool. Noel, fellow Oasis guitarist Gem Archer and part-time Oasis percussionist Terry Kirkbride played a five-song semi-acoustic set as a favour to The Bandits, who were headlining at the time. [http://www.nme.com/news/104949.htm] A review passed on to the NME said that the song was as a cross between "The Hindu Times" and "Wonderwall", similar to late George Harrison-penned Beatles. It features the lyric 'Stop the clocks and leave it all behind / On the backseat of my mind'. Another review, published at AngryApe, said that the song left the crowd "divided and unsure", adding that it was "a fairly melancholic affair crossing "Fade In-Out" with "Who Feels Love?". It's classic Oasis but with more soul, fairly mature and well structured as opposed to 3 chord catchy pop songs." [http://www.angryape.com/reviews/2003/05/noel-gallagher-live-in-liverpool]

"Don't Believe the Truth" sessions

The song was widely expected to be included on Oasis' 2005 album, "Don't Believe the Truth", when it came out in May of that year. However, Noel revealed in a short interview to Q in March 2005 that the song, which was tentatively slotted in at track 7, in between "The Meaning Of Soul" and "Part of the Queue", that the song might not be included on the album, adding that there was a debate taking place at that moment. The absence of the track was soon confirmed, when Oasis' official web site released the final track listing for the album, with "Stop the Clocks" nowhere to be seen.

During promotional interviews for "Don't Believe the Truth", Noel was asked about the song a few times, but he never said anything about the track other than what he talked about in an Oasisinet.com webcast on April 22, 2005. In a two-hour chat with fans, hosted by Gary Crowley, Noel was asked about the song and why it wasn't on the record. He replied: "The whole album was kind of based around that song. It was kind of a long "Champagne Supernova"-type thing and it's got fantastic lyrics and a great vibe, but I felt that we never really got the correct version. We've got 6 or 7 versions of it and not one of them really sat in the pocket for me. But it's there and it will now be on the back burner. Originally the album was going to be called "Stop the Clocks", which would have been a great title but, because these songs were so new, that song began to feel very old because it was written in 2001. But it will come out eventually."

Noel has since revealed that part of Oasis' next studio album could include songs which were written for "Don't Believe the Truth" and are, in his opinion, equal to anything on that album, but weren't included on it as they didn't quite fit the feel of the record.

The "Stop the Clocks" album

When details were first revealed in July 2006 for an Oasis' best-of album, entitled "Stop the Clocks", fans naturally assumed that the song would be included as a bonus track on the album, as is the case with many other artists compilation albums. A tracklisting, first published in The Sun and reprinted by dozens of other media outlets, included the song, plus another documented unreleased Oasis song, Liam's "The Boy With the Blues", as the final two songs on the album. However, a denial of this tracklisted was quickly issued by the band's management. Confirmation of the tracklisting of the album came on September 11, 2006 with no new songs included.

At a Q&A with fans at the world premiere of Oasis' "Lord Don't Slow Me Down' documentary in New York on November 4, 2006, Gallagher revealed that the song had been considered for inclusion but was rejected as they still didn't have a finished version that they were happy with releasing. He also revealed that there are versions that he sings on and there are versions with Liam singing.

When asked about the absence of any new tracks on the album in press interviews, Noel Gallagher said he thought putting bonus tracks on a 'best-of' album would take the focus away on what was supposed to be a retrospective collection.

On BBC Radio 1 on December 1 2006 Noel Gallagher said of "Stop the Clocks": "Everybody has got different favourite versions - and until we can decide on which one, then it shall remain in the vault. Hopefully we will get around to it next time." He also confirmed that the words on the cover of the "Stop the Clocks" album are the lyrics to the song.

In late-2006 interviews to promote the "Stop The Clocks" album, Noel was asked about the song repeatedly and that he'd said it was his best song ever - comments that he attempted to dampen. In an interview for The Sun, the band were asked about the song. Noel replied by saying "Every time I write a new song I say it’s the best ever! But it’s not the best thing I’ve ever written. There are about ten different versions and I can’t decide on which one. It’s a good song, the lyrics are great." Liam said "I don’t think it’s the best he’s written — it’s a tune but not his best. He’s done about four versions but he’s not happy with it so it’s a bit of a nightmare." Andy Bell, however, called it "amazing" [ [http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/sftw/article73524.ece Oasis answer YOUR questions, "The Sun Online"] ]

In an interview for MTVU.com, Noel said "I did say at the time that it was my best song ever, but I'm kind of prone to saying things like that, as you probably know."

Internet leaks

On May 6, 2008, a early studio performance of the song was uploaded to various Oasis forums. Also included were various alternative versions of a number of Don't Believe The Truth songs as well as two other unreleased songs. The exact date of the performance is unclear, although it's likely to be from a Don't Believe The Truth recording session, sometime in 2004. A recording of the May 2003 performance was also uploaded to Oasis forums the same day.

"Dig Out Your Soul"

The track listing to the seventh Oasis album was announced in July 2008. "Stop The Clocks" was not listed in the official track listing. There has been speculation that it may be included on the album as a hidden track or even under a different title. When 'Dig Out Your Soul' leaked on the 19th September 2008, this rumour was proved to be false.

Links

Stop The Clocks info - https://oasisinfo.wikidot.com/stop-the-clocks

Stop The Clocks (demo) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypIszzkkaFg

Stop The Clocks (Live At Zanzibar 2003) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXpoG8wY7Z4

References

* [http://www.gallagherbersaudara.blogspot.com Dig Out Your Oasis] Warning For Oasis Fans Only!