Andy Bell worked with his former Oasis bandmate Gem Archer on his upcoming solo album ‘pinball wanderer’.
The Ride star has unveiled his third studio effort – a follow-up to 2022’s ‘Flicker’ – and previewed the album with a cover of The Passions’ post-punk tune ‘I’m In Love With A German Film Star’, featuring vocals by former One Dove frontwoman Dot Allison and guitars from Neu!’s Michael Rother.
The song – which is renamed ‘I’m in love…’ on the eight-track collection – has been covered several times before with Foo Fighters releasing their rendition as a B-side to their 2005 hit ‘Best of You’.
Andy said of the original: “I went through a stage of playing the guitar part for that song at every Ride soundcheck.
“Erol Alkan has always maintained it’s ‘proto shoegaze’, and I agree.”
Andy has long been acquainted with fellow ‘90s star Dot – who fronted electronic group One Dove between 1990 and 1996 – and she returned the “favour” after he played on her 2023 solo album ‘Consciousology’.
Andy shared: “Dot has been a friend of mine for a long time now. Like many people of a certain age, I loved ‘One Dove’, and when I booked her to DJ at a club night in Sweden in about 2004, she levelled the place by playing ‘Ace Of Spades’ by Motörhead at 3am and we became mates. I played on some tracks on her last album ‘Consciousology’, and this was her returning the favour.”
Former Kraftwerk member Michael had initially been asked to remix the cover, but he suggested he should play guitar on it, and Andy says his playing took it to a “whole new level”.
He said: “I met him at his show at the Barbican last February and asked him to remix the song, but instead he decided he wanted to play guitar, which took everything to a whole new level. I was leaving for a tour the next morning and I knew I had to mix the single before I left. Hearing Michael’s guitar parts in the mix was such an incredible feeling; it just fired me up to keep on recording and mixing into the night.”
Andy also revealed how Gem – who he was in Oasis with from 1999 until their split in 2009 – came to be involved in ‘pinball wanderer’.
He said: “The album started from the drums up. I love playing drums and Gem is great at recording them.
“All the melodies and lyrics came out of that.”
It’s not yet been confirmed if bassist Andy and guitarist Gem will be part of the Oasis reunion this year, after formerly estranged brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher put their differences aside to announce the ‘Oasis Live ’25 Tour’, which kicks off on July 4 in Cardiff.
It will mark the first Oasis shows in 16 years after a backstage bust-up between the feuding siblings at their final concert in Paris in 2009 led to their demise.
The unveiling of his new solo record comes after it was revealed that Noel is featured on Andy and fellow former Oasis member Zak Starkey’s supergroup Mantra Of The Cosmos’ new track.
The all-star group – completed by Happy Mondays stars Shaun Ryder and Bez – will release ‘Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous)’ exclusively at Liverpool’s Cavern Club on January 19.
Andy releases ‘pinball wanderer’ on February 28.
The ‘pinball wanderer’ tracklisting:
1. ‘panic attack’
2. ‘I’m in love…’
3. ‘madder lake deep’
4. ‘apple green ufo’
5. ‘pinball wanderer’
6. ‘music concrete’
7. ‘the notes you never hear’
8. ‘space station mantra’