''Chasing Yesterday'' is the second studio album by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 2010 as the solo moniker of Oasis (band), Oasis songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist Noel Gallagher. The touring band consists of former Oasis members Gem Archer ( ...

. Written and produced by frontman

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...

, the album was recorded from 2012 to 2014 at Strangeways and

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

in London. It was released on 2 March 2015 by Gallagher's record label Sour Mash Records, preceded by the singles " In the Heat of the Moment" and " Ballad of the Mighty I". ''Chasing Yesterday'' topped the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

in its first week of release.

Background

Noel Gallagher first confirmed that he was working on a follow-up to 2011's ''

'' in August 2013 during an interview on sports radio station

Talksport Talksport (styled as talkSPORT) is a sports radio station in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned by News Broadcasting. Its content includes live coverage of sporting events, interviews with the leading names in sport and entertai ...

. He said, "I've got tons of songs left over from the last one. I'm writing, putting stuff together. Yeah, I'll definitely make another lbum that's for sure." In October he revealed that he was ready to start recording the album, explaining that he was "just waiting now for availabilities of my band and producers" to begin. In February 2014, former

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Talking about the songs, he said that "Noel's new album is fucking great", comparing it in style to the Oasis album ''

Definitely Maybe ''Definitely Maybe'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band Oasis, released on 29 August 1994 by Creation Records. The album features Noel Gallagher on lead guitar, backing vocals and as chief songwriter, Liam Gallagher on lead vo ...

'' (1994), and describing it as "seismic". Gallagher officially announced ''Chasing Yesterday'' on 13 October 2014 at a question-and-answer event hosted by Facebook in London, revealing the album's title, release date, track listing, supporting UK tour, and first two singles.

Recording and production

Gallagher's regular producer

Dave Sardy David Stuart Sardy (born 1967), more commonly known as D. Sardy, is an American composer, musician, songwriter, and multiple Grammy winning record producer. He came to prominence as the leader of 1990s noise rock band Barkmarket before turning ...

was unavailable to work on ''Chasing Yesterday'', so the album was self-produced by the High Flying Birds frontman, who stated that he "enjoyed the freedom of roducing the albumbut not the responsibility". The lead single, " In the Heat of the Moment", was the final song recorded for the album. ''Chasing Yesterday'' was completed by July 2014, but due to touring commitments and the reissues of

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentishead in". The former Smiths guitarist

Johnny Marr John Martin Marr (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Maher; born 31 October 1963) is a musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has sinc ...

performed on the album's second single, " Ballad of the Mighty I". Speaking about the collaboration during the initial announcement of the album, Gallagher said, "He's a very enthusiastic artist and I tried to get him to play on ' What a Life' ... He's a truly great guitarist and he has something that nobody else has. He's amazing, a top man." Gallagher said that Marr arrived to record his part for the track without having heard a demo, and that his contribution helped make the song "one of the best" he had ever written.

Promotion and release

The first music video from the album, for lead single "In the Heat of the Moment", was released on 23 October 2014. The song was released as the first single from the album on 17 November, and entered the UK Singles Chart at number 26. A music video was also released for the single's B-side, "Do the Damage", the following month. " Ballad of the Mighty I" was released as the second single and third music video from the album, including "Revolution Song", as its B-side the following year. The third single to be released was "

Riverman Riverman (22 March 1969 – 31 July 1999) was a French Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and highly successful sire. Background Foaled in Kentucky, Riverman was bred by Harry F. Guggenheim of the prominent American Guggenheim family. He w ...

" in May 2015, containing the new song "Leave My Guitar Alone". The fourth single to be released is " Lock All the Doors" and was available on 7" vinyl from 28 August 2015 and was backed with brand new song "Here's a Candle (for Your Birthday Cake)". Finally, the fifth single to be released from the album was " The Dying Of The Light", only available in certain regions on 7" vinyl from 11 December 2015 and contained a demo version of the song; "The Girl With X-Ray Eyes", previously featured on the album itself. The first

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...

in promotion of ''Chasing Yesterday'' was detailed during the initial announcement of the album in October 2014, with six shows confirmed in the UK and Ireland between 3 and 10 March 2015, all of which sold out in minutes. The shows saw Gallagher and the band accompanied by a choir and a horn section, and featured setlists including songs from former band

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Speaking during the announcement, Gallagher claimed that he "literally came up with it week earlier, adding that "if ecould change it ewould change it". The title "Chasing Yesterday" appears in the lyrics to the track "While the Song Remains the Same".

Composition

Speaking about ''Chasing Yesterday'' in January 2015, Gallagher revealed that opening track "Riverman" is his favourite track on the album, and one of the favourite tracks he has written. He also spoke about "The Right Stuff", comparing the style of the song to that of

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

and T. Rex. Gallagher told ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', "On the original running order 'The Mexican' wasn't on the album, but I felt it needed something there to lighten the mood a bit."

Critical reception

''Chasing Yesterday'' received positive reviews from music critics. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68 based on 26 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

David Fricke David Fricke (born ) is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 ye ...

of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' gave a positive review: "The greater appeal of ''Chasing Yesterday'' is in the way Gallagher, 47, now does reflection, loss and persistent optimism, leavening his usual power chords and pub-choir-ready choruses with a dusky, psychedelic churn that exposes the long, hidden thread running from early-Seventies

Traffic Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...

the Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

." ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

'' gave the album a 4/5 rating, writing, "While it may appear to arrive under a typically vague or clanging banner in the tradition of ''

Dig Out Your Soul ''Dig Out Your Soul'' is the seventh and final studio album by English Rock music, rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. It was released on 6 October 2008 by Big Brother Recordings. The album was recorded between August and December 2007 at Abbey Road S ...

'' or ''

Standing on the Shoulder of Giants ''Standing on the Shoulder of Giants'' is the fourth studio album by English rock band Oasis, released on 28 February 2000. It was the band's first album under their new record label Big Brother Recordings. In the year preceding the album's re ...

'', ''Chasing Yesterday'' is the most fittingly titled album to bear Noel Gallagher's name. The 47-year-old is in reflective lyrical mode, revealing his view from middle age, trying to find peace with the past, or (textbook mid-life crisis material) searching for a spectral, unattainable female." ''

'' awarded the album a score of 7/10 and commended Gallagher for blending his typical style with new influences "what do we expect from Noel Gallagher? Too much, probably, like all the other '90s Britrock titans who've never been adequately replaced. ''Chasing Yesterday'' has its flaws, but they're far outnumbered by moments where it succeeds in catching up with its titular quarry. The past will never be a foreign country to Noel Gallagher, but from this vantage point, tomorrow is looking pretty rosy." Helen Brown, writing for ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'', gave ''Chasing Yesterday'' a score of 3/5, concluding, "The USP of this record is its warmer, looser atmosphere. Songs begin with little studio scuffles, exhalations and murmurs. Then, in the middle there's an unexpectedly trippy little chill out number called 'The Right Stuff' with a bassline that oozes with the retro-gloop of a lava lamp. Nice for Gallagher to stop chasing after yesterday for a while and just enjoy remembering it." ''Chasing Yesterday'' won 'Best Album' at the 2015

Q Awards The Q Awards were the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine '' Q''. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards became one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards. Locations for the awards ceremony included Abbey Road Studios ...

Track listing

Personnel

;Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds *

– vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass,

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...

, piano, keyboards, percussion, electric washboard, production, artwork concept *

Paul Stacey Paul Stacey (born 27 September 1963) is a British guitarist and producer, best known for his work with Oasis, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Steven Wilson, and the Black Crowes. Biography Stacey's early work included the 1990s band, the ...

– electric guitars, bass, Mellotron, keyboards,

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

Jeremy Stacey Jeremy Stacey (born 27 September 1963) is a British drummer and keyboard player. His early works included the 1990s band The Lemon Trees (with twin brother Paul Stacey on guitars, Guy Chambers and others) and Denzil (band), Denzil. He has also ...

– drums *Mike Rowe – keyboards ;Production personnel * Amorphous Androgynous – production (tracks 6 and 8) *Matt Howe – strings recording *Craig Silvey – mixing *Greg Calbi – mastering ;Additional musicians *Jim Hunt – saxophone and

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...

(tracks 1 and 6) *Beccy Byrne – backing vocals (tracks 1, 3, 5 and 7) *

Vula Malinga Vula Malinga (born May 15, 1980) is an American-born British singer. Career Born in the United States to South African parents, she was raised in Hackney, London. Her religious parents supported her singing talents by allowing her to join th ...

– backing vocals (tracks 2 and 8) *Joy Rose – backing vocals (track 6) *

Garry Cobain Garry John Cobain (sometimes styled as Gaz Cobain) (born 16 May 1967) is an English electronic musician and composer who forms one half of the Future Sound of London. Background Cobain was born on 16 May 1967 in Bedford. He left Bedford for Manch ...

– backing vocals (track 8) *

– electric guitar (track 10) *Rosie Danvers –

string arrangement The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...

s *The Wired Strings –

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

(track 10) ;Artwork personnel *Matthew Cooper – layout design *Lawrence Watson – photography *Jen Stacey – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

''Chasing Yesterday''
at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed) * {{Authority control 2015 albums Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds albums