Product Description
A popular band in both the United States and United Kingdom allows a respected music writer unprecedented access to the tour bus, backstage dressing rooms, and the five members' lives, resulting in an intimate portrait of the controversial group. Original. 35,000 first printing.

Amazon.com Review
The best band since the Beatles? Naah. Okay, the best Beatlesque band since the Beatles, not counting Badfinger? I say maybe. In any case, Paolo Hewitt's breathless, ungrammatical bio is a treat, mainly for its day-by-day documentation of exactly how the Brothers Gallagher just can't seem to get along. These belligerent Mancunians bicker, denounce each other to the press, and resort to fisticuffs at the drop of a hat. Noel is always giving Liam right proper stick, or vice-versa. And while the other band members end up with second-banana roles, they don't lag far behind in the hedonism derby, as witness this pharmaceutically-enhanced performance in Manchester: "By the time they got on-stage, they were seriously gone. Bonehead played with three cigarettes in his mouth, Noel was E'd up, Guigsy fell off the stage and McCarroll forgot to tighten the nuts on his cymbals so when he first hit them, his drum kit half- collapsed." The rest is history.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 27 reviews)

Best Oasis Biography

I can't believe some of these reviews for this book. I've read a lot of books about Oasis and this is by far the best I've come across. I absolutely love Paolo Hewitt's style; it is not boring, cliche, etc. like some others have described it. If you only read one book about this band this is definitely the one to read.
April 08, 2007

If you have ever wanted to know the story behind some of the best songs.

I have had this book since '98, I picked it up my freshman year of college and just added to the pile of "will read one day." Well that time finally came around and I am a little peeved at myself for not reading it sooner. For anyone that is an Oasis fan, this is a great book to get some background information. It is written a little funny, because it jumps back and forth between past and the then present. Besides that I loved it and highly recommend it. I have always been a fan of the music and this helped me understand the beginning of the band. You also get the back story on some of their best material. If you ever wondered what went into the first 2 albums and a little of the 3rd then this it. Happy reading. Oh yeah, I am a Liam fan and I wish the book had more of his side but I understand that Noel started the band so its fair enough. I cant wait for the day when Liam gets to tell his side, I am sure it will be a hilarious one. Cheers
April 14, 2006

Badly written hero worship

Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis is trite, incongruous and overly long hero worship. The book jumps from one minor story to the next - in some places it jumps forward and back in time - but somehow does not read as a whole work. Imagine a (badly written) 400 page magazine article about a rock band and you will grasp the overall feel of this book. Hewitt seemingly glorifies Oasis's worst behavior (Noel's and Liam's fights, tantrums, moodiness and hardcore drug use). The book talks glowingly of Noel Gallagher, as a songwriter and musician, lumping him in with the greats; Lennon/McCartney, Jagger/Richards, Paul Weller, Pete Townshend and Burt Bacharach. While he is, indeed, a talented individual, Noel would be the first to admit that he is not in the same league as those music giants. There are some great stories in this book and diehard Oasis fans will get some enjoyment out of it. But, unless you love all things Oasis, don't waste your time on this book.
November 22, 2005

Literary Classic

Dearest Fan,

I am writing on behalf of my beloved girlfriend who happens to be the second biggest Oasis fan ever. The first, would happen to be, me: Jowy Pettippas!

Anywho, I would just like to say I haven't read a greater book than "Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis" since the literary classic: "Where's Waldo". You know, the one where he goes to Thailand and tracks down those crazy Water Bison traders, only to be attack by a poor misguided group of Tibetan monks and a single camel trader. Now that was a great book.

Anyway, the illustrations were the best part... almost as great as the cover, maybe even the back. I think the best part may have been the pages in between the two. Maybe, or um, definitely maybe the introduction, or like, the conclusion. Hey! I just wrote "Hey!" and that didn't make any sense.

"...and then Zorrack pulled my pants down. There was Jello everywhere, yes, even there."

Yeah, that's what Noel said about the book. I think he's dreamy. Well, almost as dreamy as his brother. Not that one, the other one.

Right, so, yeah. Better than the Koran, almost as good as "The Song of Roland", but not as not gooderest than bettered books. I miss kristina.

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October 13, 2003

Bloody boring

For a book about a band who wear their excesses on their nostrils, there's very few lurid tales. We get superficial, one-dimensional analysis of their Irish-Mancunian roots, and the story of their childhoods and family backgrounds . We get directionless, frequently irrelevent details. Such as full transcripts of Noel-Liam arguments about nothing. Little morning glory, lots of boring story.....
May 31, 2002

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