Back the Way We Came, Vol. 1 [Deluxe Edition]

by Noel Gallagher, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Overview

As a compilation title, Back the Way We Came is so clever it's a wonder it's never been used before. It's also a title that fits Noel Gallagher, who has specialized in finding the unexpected within the familiar. He sharpened these skills as the leader of Oasis and carried them over into his High Flying Birds, the group of pros he assembled after he got fed up dealing with the amateurish antics of his brother Liam. Back the Way We Came arrived upon the tenth anniversary of the first album from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and, as a record, it has a surprisingly cohesive narrative. The first disc contains songs from the first two HFB albums, records Noel made when he was determined to be tasteful and controlled in a way Oasis never was. The second opens with "Black Star Dancing," a non-LP disco single from 2019 that announces how Gallagher wound up making brighter, vibrant music after he got his muso ambitions out of his system. It's an interesting trajectory -- and one that bodes well for his next decade -- and it makes for a more absorbing listen than nearly all of the High Flying Birds albums, its consistency due in part to how the second disc collects all his non-LP angles from the back half of the 2010s, a move that also is decidedly consumer-friendly. (If that wasn't enough to hook fans, there's an edition of Back the Way We Came with a third disc containing instrumentals, remixes, demos, and acoustic versions of the core HFB catalog, odds, and ends that are surprisingly satisfying when gathered together.) ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/25/2021
Label:	Sour Mash
UPC:	5052945057033
Rank:	86678

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Noel Gallagher   Primary Artist,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds   Primary Artist
Paul Weller   Organ
Paul Stacey   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards,Mellotron,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Synthesizer)
Piney Gir   Vocals (Background)
Beverley Skeete   Vocals (Background)
Trevor Mires   Trombone
Jon Graboff   Pedal Steel
Luis Jardim   Percussion
Jim Hunt   Saxophone,Clarinet (Bass)
Michelle John   Vocals (Background)
Andrea Grant   Vocals (Background)
Beccy Byrne   Vocals (Background)
Keefus Ciancia   Keyboards
Johnny Marr   Guitar (Electric)
Jason Falkner   Guitar (Bass)
Jeremy Stacey   Drums
Janet Ramus   Vocals (Background)
Joe Auckland   Trumpet
Steve Hamilton   Saxophone
Mark Neary   Double Bass,Musical Saw
Sara Jane Skeete   Vocals (Background)
Martin Slattery   Piano,Tin Whistle
David Temple   Conductor
Chris Sharrock   Drums
Louise Marshall   Vocals (Background)
Samuel Dixon   Guitar (Bass)
Gary Alesbrook   Trumpet
Mary Pearce   Vocals (Background)
Vula Malinga   Vocals (Background)
Emre Ramazanoglu   Drums
Alastair White   Trombone
Mikey Rowe   Piano,Keyboards
Pete Lockett   Percussion
Andrew Kinsman   Saxophone
David Holmes   Loops
Emma Brammer   Vocals (Background)
Lucita Jules   Vocals (Background)
Amy Ashworth   Vocals (Background)
Jessica Greenfield   Vocals (Background)
Ysee   Vocals (Background)
Adelaide McKenzie   Vocals (Background)
Charlotte Courbe   Spoken Word
Una McGeough   Vocals (Background)
Georgina McGeough   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Paul Stacey   Producer
Craig Silvey   Mixing
Chris Gehringer   Mastering
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Noel Gallagher   Composer,Producer,Sleeve Design,Instrumentation
Dave Sardy   Mixing,Producer,Drum Programming
Ian Cooper   Mastering
Simon Halfon   Sleeve Design
John Davis   Mastering
Rosie Danvers   String Arrangements
Damien Chennells   Engineer
Steve Markwick   Choir Arrangement
Lawrence Watson   Photography,Portrait Photography
Emre Ramazanoglu   Mixing,Programming
Alastair White   Brass Arrangement
David Holmes   Producer,Programming
Matt Crockett   Cover Photo