'We helped turn a jam session with a farting dog into a massive Oasis hit'

Daily Mirror

4 days ago

Chris and Tony Griffiths had a record contract and successful first album when they first met struggling wannabe rock stars Liam and Noel - taking them under their wing and showing them how to make records and even having a hand in some iconic songs
Liam Gallagher was still at school, and Noel still working in a warehouse as a British Gas sub-contractor, when another pair of Beatles-obsessed brothers, Chris and Tony Griffiths, looked set to hit the big time.
Their band, The Real People, had been signed to Colombia records for three years, and their first, eponymous album, had sold 100,000 copies.
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In 1992 the Griffiths were on tour with the Inspiral Carpets - for whom Noel Gallagher also worked as a roadie. It was over Pot Noodles in lunch breaks that Noel told them about his new band with Liam - and asked for their help.
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Chris and Tony invited the Gallagher brothers to their home recording studios in Liverpool - but said that before they had even heard their music they knew the duo were going to be stars.
'We had a recording deal at the time and in a better position than they were,' says Chris. 'We wanted to help them out as much as they could.
'But it wasn't about the songs. It was about Liam and his swagger. He had something. I remember the first time we saw him. It was at an end of tour party for Inspiral Carpets. 'Our kid (brother Tony) said: 'Who's he ? He's a star.' He lit up the room.'
The four became good friends as they bonded over music. Chris remembers: ''They would come down on a Friday, stay over on our sofas and then go back on Sunday evening ready for work. They'd would come over and get stoned and listen to records. It was all peace and love – and music.
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'We spent hours and hours listening to music. They would play us The Buzzcocks and we got them into Slade. We were bang into Slade at the time. They were into the Bee Gees.'
'We also taught them how to fall out,' he laughs. 'We were falling out 3 times a day and we still do. But we still work together now.'
As Oasis is set to reunite after a falling out that lasted 16 years, with the first of a 41-date run of gigs kicking off in Cardiff on Friday, Chris remember's going along to their first ever gig, at the Manchester Boardwalk on August 14, 1991.
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'There were only a handful of people there, 50 at most. They were first on and Liam came on wearing sunglasses! We started heckling him. They weren't all great musicians. Guigsy was just getting by on bass and Tony was a standard drummer, but Noel and 'Bonehead' were great guitarists, and Liam was always a star.
"But we took someone from Sony Records with us and they weren't interested.'
That changed, though, after the Griffiths taught the Gallaghers how to use their recording studio, making a demo cassette of their songs which would eventually catch the eye of the music industry.
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Tony remembered the first time Liam tried to record his vocals in their studio. He said: 'It was the first time Liam sang with headphones and he wasn't used to it. Chris would put the head phones on and get Liam to sing along with him.'
'I have him guide vocals and then we took my vocals out,' adds Chris.
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It was out of one jam session that Oasis debut single, Supersonic, emerged. Chris recalls: 'We were setting up to record and started jamming and it sounded really good.
'When we started recording Noel played another song. I said: 'What you were just doing sounds better.' We said they should crack on with the new idea. There were no lyrics, no melody, just an idea and by the end of the day it was finished.
'That was the only version they ever recorded."
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The song includes the lines 'Can I ride with you in your BMW?' and 'I know a girl called Elsa, she's into Alka-Seltzer' . Chris recalls: 'Noel sat at the back of the room and wrote about what was going on around him. We had a BMW and Dave Scott (the in-house engineer) had a dog called Elsa that was always farting! It was huge and intimidating - and could not stop farting.'
Supersonic entered the charts at No 31 and Oasis were on their way.
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'We were buzzing for them,' Chris remembers. 'We were playing 'Supersonic' to everyone we could, saying: 'Listen to this, they are going to be huge. If it wasn't for us doing that and recording the demos it wouldn't happened.'
Another song they had a hand in was Colombia. The track was on the demo tape which the Gallagher brothers sent to music boss Alan McGee, who signed them on his Creation Records label.
The song, which was including on their debut album Definitely Maybe, would also launch their legendary Knebworth live concerts, three years later in August 1996.
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Chris said: 'It started out as an instrumental. It was a long psychedelic guitar dirge that went on for five minutes. I said: 'This needs lyrics.'
'I came up with the first verse melody and first verse lyrics, Noel came up with the second verse and Liam came up with lyrics.'
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Three decades later, The Real People are still making music, with a new album planned for release next year. They continue to champion new acts, including The Kowloons, fronted by Chris's son Bobby.
Chris says: I'm still doing music 24/7. We have our own studio and write songs and produce other bands. If I'm not writing or recording I'm doing Beatles covers around Liverpool pubs.'
Tony said: 'We're proud to have been there to give them the support and the help we did.
"And we are just proud to have been involved with the best album, and the best rock 'n' roll band, of the last 30 years."