In 1995, the Gallagher brothers of Oasis collaborated on the song "Acquiesce," off of Roll With It. In it, Noel Gallagher sings loosely of brotherly love when he proclaims "We need each other / We believe in one another."
Last week however, Noel apparently changed his mind. After a 15-year partnership with his brother, Liam, that consisted of bickering, making weekly tabloid headlines and - most importantly - creating some of the best British rock you will ever hear, Noel has officially called it quits. His departure from Oasis marks the end of an era for the band and for all of rock 'n' roll.
Of course, smart money is on the band reuniting in a few months. Even the brothers' mom thinks the schism is a temporary one.
"I'm convinced the band will reunite because they do love each other very much, but they've always been very different," Peggy Gallagher told The Daily Mirror. "I hope this isn't the end of Oasis. I don't think it is. They're just tired at the end of the tour. They've had fights before and got over it."
She may be right, but it is hard to think that this feud is not a bit more serious than the past ones. The straw that finally broke Noel's back was a scuffle that involved Liam smashing Noel's guitar.\nThe next day, the official band Web site made an announcement that Noel had quit the band "with some sadness and great relief."
Perhaps the most likely scenario is that he will release a solo album and realize, as so many musicians before him have, that solo careers are great in theory but rarely as creatively productive as band experiences. The band will welcome him back with open arms, and - together - the musicians will continue their careers as rock journeymen.
Noel always has been the musical mastermind behind Oasis, but half the fun of the band is that its best music has a swaggering, sexy stomp to it. That is what frontman Liam brings to the package. The tension between Noel's beautiful melodies and Liam's drunken snarl is the heart of the music, and neither part would be compelling without the other.
The biggest warning sign that Noel is better off with his mates than alone is that the one Oasis album that was essentially a Noel solo effort, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, is the band's most disappointing.
The flip side of the discussion is whether Oasis will be able to produce good music without Noel. But I think the more fundamental question is whether the band will be able to produce music at all, and my guess is that it cannot. If it does, it will almost certainly be of dubious quality.
It is somewhat sad to see one of the world's most exciting bands split up, but at least it is a chance for me to revisit the records that reshaped British rock, that fused the indie street sense of The Stone Roses with the towering pop hooks of The Beatles.
"Tonight, I'm a rock 'n' roll star," Noel wrote in the first track of Oasis's debut album. He and his brother played that role for more than 15 years, but it seems the reign of Gallagher could be at an end.
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