Oasis booted U2 from Abbey Road - with cash

Baby, you're a rich man U2
Baby, you're a rich man U2

Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher is a man used to getting his way - and he isn't about to let a superstar band like U2 muck things up for him.

When Gallagher wanted to get down to work on Oasis's new album last December, he hit a snag as he found out that London's legendary Abbey Road Studio was booked by the members of U2. So he did what any rock star millionaire would do. He paid off the owners of the facility made famous by The Beatles.

"U2 were booked in there with [producer] Rick Rubin," says Gallagher. "I was like, 'U2? U2 have to have a fucking six-hour meeting [to decide] whether to get tea or coffee in the rehearsal room! They are not coming in here any time in the next five years.'

"The guy from Abbey Road was like, 'I've got it block-booked for the exact time you want it," Gallagher continues. "We actually went down to Abbey Road with a bag of money and said, 'We can pay for the studio now.'"

And apparently he got his way. As they say, all you need is cash.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.