Looking back he could always play. But somehow, Colin Murray Archer, rhythm guitarist with Oasis, never seemed cut out for greatness.
Don’t get me wrong, as he sat behind me in class at school, he had all the markings of talent, but as an artist rather than a musician. We nicknamed him Gem (with a hard g as in gifted.) A childish pseudonym of footballer Archie Gemmill, though we never believed him capable of such heights!
Gem on stage with one of his first bands It was only later, when we both moved onto Durham New College that I began to appreciate Gem’s strumming status.
Contrary to some Oasis biographies, Gem’s first band was actually The Edge. Started at Willington Parkside School in County Durham, they existed in varying incarnations of Jeff Walker, Gem’s high-spirited, best friend also on guitar, with a local doctor’s son Michael Chesters on drums.
Early talent
Though Gem’s lyrics were strong enough, sadly his voice wasn’t, and so once at Durham New College he recruited a lead singer in the scream of Simon Scott, an eclectic performer a la mode of New York Dolls. Had anyone made it big back then, truly my bets would have been on Simon.
After leaving their graphic design course, the boys bummed off to Newcastle, regaling the local pubs and clubs there with their renegade tinny sound.
Next I heard of Gem, he was giving it large as a doorman at a venue in London, the Bull and Gate, taking to the stage as I recall in the form of The Contenders. He faded largely from the Northern consciousness, until out of the blue in November 1999, a press release announced he was the new addition to Oasis, replacing a disillusioned Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs.
Cartoon from Gem's early days on guitar My immediate circle was stunned. The local chatter was of how miraculously our classmate, who had sat shoulder to small town shoulder with us, had suddenly been relieved of at least five years of his actual age! Later the Oasis media machine changed his date of birth to match that of Noel.
Now father of two to Libby and Joel, it remained to be seen if Gem’s finger fluctuations could endear him to an Oasis ear, eager for earlier glories.
Live on stage
An Oasis live appearance had much eluded me until recently, when camera in hand, I grabbed the chance to check out their more mature manifestations.
The Arena in Newcastle, impressive in its impersonality, sweated to the beat of an early summer heat. Mr Cool Liam Gallagher, insisted upon keeping his jacket on at all times as a plethora of people swooned, quite literally before him.
"Gem is a man of many talents and facets. "
I had expected a plucky plugging of the new album, but was pleasantly swayed by the sometimes languid lyrics of the gutsy guitars to the old tunes, our good times. Our rock and roll stars drank their champagne supernovas with ease and aplomb.
Memories
From the sidelines I watched Gem. His features much the same as I remembered, his grace with a guitar an easy alliance with Noel.
I tried to muster the memories of old, but sadly for me, in all their new democratic form, Oasis can never hit the heights of the first three albums. Can the wonder of Wonderwall ever be climbed over?
I would guess Gem’s best lyrical contribution to Oasis to date would stand as ‘A Bell Will Ring’, but personally I am much more impressed by his outstanding, and more personal, past performance with his boyhood Buddha Paul Weller.
Gem is a man of many talents and facets. He has his roots in the North, but is very firmly fumbling to find his feet out of it. Oasis seem ever determined to be remembered as a Liam and Noel duo, but their success has been scaffolded by a succession of shadow musicians such as Gem, whose talent often outshines that of the fame-hungry front men.
A distinct dislike of interviews, and with not a backward nod to his northern contemporaries, Oasis may seem reluctant to look back in anger, while Gem, now a rock n roll star, seems reluctant to look back at all.....
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The Edge, The Contenders and Whirlpool
Archer began his musical career in a group called The Edge in the early 80's. They released two singles Take A Walk and Little Girl Blue.
He later moved on to Whirlpool in the mid-80s. In 1987, when Whirlpool were auditioning for a drummer, he stumbled across a young Alan White (then just 15 years old) who impressed everyone at the audition. Archer remembers "I thought he was mega but the others were worried what a 15-years-old kid on the road and on the lager would be like. I rang his dad and told him, Sorry. But don't worry he's fantastic. He'll go all the way". Archer's words were to prove true when White joined Oasis in 1995. Archer was to join him 12 years after their initial meeting.
Heavy Stereo
When Whirlpool split in the early 90s, Archer graduated to singer and guitarist status with Creation Records signing Heavy Stereo, a glam-rock band. Their only album, 1996's Déjà Voodoo did not enjoy much critical or commercial success. However, Heavy Stereo's next release did receive more attention through demos of new material, a critically acclaimed contribution to The Jam tribute album, Fire and Skill - Songs Of The Jam, and opening on a Paul Weller tour. Archer recalls "We'd got a Paul Weller tour and our new music was our best ever... I thought '99 really might be a good year for us." However, work on the record was put on hold when Archer's mother fell seriously ill.
Oasis
Whilst at home in Newcastle, having returned to care for his mother, Archer - lying in front of the fire - heard a report on The Big Breakfast that Bonehead had left Oasis after a massive row with Noel Gallagher. He claims "I thought, Shit! They'll split now. I was a real fan, and I'm not just saying that. For me, Oasis had breathed life back into rock 'n' roll." He was unaware that Noel Gallagher - who knew Archer from both their days on the Creation Records label - had rung his home in London where it was Archer's son Joel's birthday party. Once Archer's mother had recovered, Gallagher invited him to Olympic Studios, where Oasis were mixing Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. "We went to the pub and I couldn't stand not knowing if I was a part of the band. After less than half a pint of Guinness I said, "What does Liam say?" And Noel said," It's my fucking band. I'll have who I want." Archer claims the rest of Heavy Stereo were pleased for him to join Oasis.
As Archer did not perform on the Giants album, he received no royalties and, for the first few performances, was paid a standard session wage, about £85 a gig, as the new Oasis rhythm guitarist.[citation needed] His first official duty was to appear on the "Go Let It Out" video - on which he played lead guitar, as Andy Bell had yet to take over bass, so Noel played bass with Liam on rhythm - and played his first rhythm guitar set at a session for alternative radio in Philadelphia.
Though Archer is officially referred to as Oasis' rhythm guitarist, his role in Oasis is much more than that. In live setting he and Noel often switch between lead and rhythm guitar and both Noel and Liam Gallagher have praised Archer for his contributions in the studio. Archer also has a role as a songwriter. His first songwriting contribution after joining Oasis was "Hung in a Bad Place", which appeared on Oasis' 5th album Heathen Chemistry and was said to resemble Heavy Stereo. This song was picked up for use in a commercial for Victoria's Secret in the US. His role has expanded on Oasis' most recent album, Don't Believe the Truth, which features Archer's "A Bell Will Ring" and "Love Like a Bomb", the latter of which he co-wrote with singer Liam Gallagher. He also contributed the B-sides "Eyeball Tickler" and "The Quiet Ones" - an acoustic song much like Liam's "Songbird". Archer has said that he finds it quite daunting to submit songs for consideration to the band because of Noel Gallagher's stature as a songwriter, whom he cites as one of his favourite songwriters.
Andy Bell highlights Archer's significance to Oasis saying "Oasis has completely evolved. Noel's old mates left, he's been divorced and really changed his own life around. He still has Liam but his relationship with Liam is different — It's more tempestuous. He needs a less extreme mate and Gem's it. Gem chills Noel out. And that makes Oasis a more stable ship."[citation needed]
Other work
Archer also had a role in making the Nine Inch Nails' record With Teeth in middle-2004 before starting final sessions in October 2004 for Don't Believe the Truth. He also assisted Noel Gallagher in producing the first Proud Mary album, a band signed to Gallagher's Sour Mash record label. Archer and Noel Gallagher assisted in the recording of 'Echoes Around The Sun,' a song off 22 Dreams, the new album by Paul Weller, who is a friend of Gallagher's.
Personal life
Archer is a vegetarian. He is married to Lou, with whom he has a son, Joel, and a daughter, Libby.