"Wibbling Rivalry" is a single released under the name "Oas*s" by the
Fierce Panda
Fierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass. Fie ...
record label in 1995. It is a recording of John Harris (working for ''
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 ...
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis and fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2010 to 2014, before starting a succes ...
of
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment The interview is famous for featuring a violent argument between the brothers over an incident that occurred a few months prior in which Liam incited a drunken brawl on board an overnight ferry to the Netherlands, which resulted in the entire band (apart from Noel, who was not involved) being arrested and deported. The title is a play on the expression
sibling rivalry
Sibling rivalry is a type of competition or animosity among siblings, whether blood-related or not.
In childhood, siblings generally spend more time together than they do with parents. Sibling bonds are influenced by factors such as parental ...
with the word wibble, and was chosen by Fierce Panda co-founder and former ''NME'' journalist Simon Williams, whose choice of title puns featured on other releases on the label.
The single contains a 'Liam Track' featuring predominantly Liam's use of profanities and a 'Noel Track' featuring Noel. "Wibbling Rivalry" holds the record as the highest-charting interview release in the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 52 on 25 November 1995.
The single's cover features English underworld figures Ronnie and Reggie Kray.
Release
According to Williams, Fierce Panda took "a while" to dare themselves to release the single, due to Oasis being signed to
Creation Records
Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...
, who were owned by
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
. He explained: "We were quite worried. Then I got a call from Sony's lawyers and I thought, 'Uh-oh, this is it!' But they just said they loved it and asked me to send them a copy. And Noel was great about it." Both Liam and Noel approved of the release. Phil Sutcliffe noted that the release followed Oasis's major hit single "
Wonderwall
"Wonderwall" is a song by English rock band Oasis, released by Creation Records on 30 October 1995 as the fourth single from the band's second studio album ''(What's the Story) Morning Glory?''. Described by lead guitarist and chief songwrite ...
", which he said gave the band "fresh-minted iconic status", and described "Wibbling Rivalry" – a "Gallagher bros barney-cum-interview single" – as one of several "fond welcome accorded daft Oasis spin-offs" that affirmed the band's status at the time, alongside tribute band No Way Sis and the
easy listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
Frieze
In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
''. Writing that if the listener is able to "ignore the Oasis-factor", the single still essentially consists of "two Northern men arguing". He counted Georgina Starr's video ''Crying'' (1993) and Tom Gidley's ''Thinking Out Loud: Proposal for a Sound Archive'' (1993) as then-recent precedents of "extreme, private emotion isolated at source", adding that "Gidley's imaginary sound archive—photographs of reel-to-reel tapes labelled 'Anxious', 'Confused', 'Excited' and 'Exhausted'—pre-empts a market for bootleg interviews with the Gallagher brothers where they display an emotion other than anger." In a 1996 article, Phil Sutcliffe of '' Q'' described "Wibbling Rivalry" as "'' the Troggs Tapes'' de nos jours, a merciless assemblage of outtakes from an early interview which exposed bare naked the sibs' capacity for foul-mouthed epiphanies of internecine daftness."
In a retrospective review for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, Chris True wrote that, released at the height of Oasis' fame, "Wibbling Rivalry" is "a testament to the tempestuous relationship that exists between Noel and Liam Gallagher. It is 14 minutes of bickering, profanity, and drunken pride that the serious Oasis fan will listen to over and over." He also noted the unusual nature of a bootleg charting in the UK. In 2000, Robin Bresnark of ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
'' described the single as "legendary". In 2009, Ian Gittins of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' described it as "Fierce Panda's most notorious 7in release", despite it not containing "a note of music". In 2016, Evan Minsker of ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'' described the release as "easily one of the best Oasis records".
Track listing
# "Noel Side... (A lot of swearing and cussing)"
# "Liam Side... (Even more swearing and cussing)"