Oasis Rare Recording Archive Set for Auction Despite Band Objections

An archive containing over 100 hours of rare Oasis recordings, including live concerts, rehearsals, and candid conversations between Noel and Liam Gallagher, is set to be auctioned on October 3 with a guide price of up to £1.6 million, despite formal concerns raised by the band.

The Sound Engineer’s Archive and Littleton Auctions Details

The extensive collection was amassed by Huw Richards, who served as the band’s sound engineer from the release of their 1994 debut album, Definitely Maybe, until 2001. The comprehensive hoard comprises 209 Digital Audio Tape (DAT) cassettes, 73 analogue cassettes, and three MiniDiscs, capturing a defining era of 1990s British rock history. Littleton Auctions, based in Evesham, Worcestershire, has catalogued the archive with a guide price ranging between £1.2 million and £1.6 million ahead of the October 3 sale date. The auction will take place online and in person on October 3rd.

Beyond the audio tapes, the auction lot features a wide variety of memorabilia spanning the band’s peak touring years. The sale includes internal tour itineraries, original setlists, a band-played Epiphone guitar, as well as an original Kangol Oasis Tour parka and a bespoke pair of Adidas Kegler Super Ostrich trainers, one of only 100 pairs ever made and given to Noel. Owain Richards has explained that the tapes have been in his care for over two decades, but now feels like the right time to pass them on to people who’ll understand exactly what they are.

Band Objections, Legal Stance, and Provenance

The band’s camp has made its dissatisfaction with the upcoming public sale clear.

“The Oasis camp is aware of the auction and has expressed concerns, which is entirely understandable given the scale and significance of the material,”

Ben Homer, Managing Director of Littleton Auctions, via The Guardian

Homer maintained that the auction house is operating strictly within the bounds of the law, noting that his team is handling everything with full transparency and proper legal process. He added that their focus is simply on presenting these items responsibly, with verified provenance, and allowing collectors and institutions to engage with an important part of British music history.

Owain Richards, the sound engineer’s son who is selling the collection, noted that he had previously been in discussions with Oasis’s management after the band sought some of the recordings. Those discussions ultimately fizzled away, and the band wanted the tapes returned rather than sold elsewhere. Oasis retain the intellectual property rights, meaning the archive cannot be commercially exploited without the band’s cooperation.

Historic Recordings and the 1996 Loch Lomond Discovery

Among the most valuable artifacts in the collection is what is believed to be the only recording of Oasis’s 1996 concert on the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland. The archive also contains recordings of numerous rehearsals and soundchecks, as well as informal conversations involving the Gallagher brothers and members of the touring crew.

Oasis Rare Recording Archive Set for Auction Despite Band Objections — Photo: faroutmagazine.co.uk

Owain Richards, who is also a sound engineer, said that his father had meticulously preserved the recordings, which date from a period when concertgoers were far less likely to make their own recordings on mobile phones, noting that it really is a piece of history. He said the audio remained in sufficiently good condition to be mastered for a live album. The auction comes as interest in Oasis continues to grow since the band’s reunion last year, when Noel and Liam Gallagher returned to the stage together for the first time in 15 years.

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