The British Army has recalled 300 promotional videos featuring music by rock band Oasis after the songs were used without the band’s permission, the Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.
The singles “Wonderwall” and “Hello” from the Gallagher brothers’ hit 1995 album “What’s the Story Morning Glory” were featured on the soundtrack to a video produced for the Highlanders regiment.
An MOD spokesman said the Highlanders were unaware they needed the band’s permission to use the music until it was “brought to their attention.”
Media reports said lawyers for the Britpop veterans ordered the Edinburgh-based regiment to remove the songs or face legal action after Noel Gallagher refused to allow the music to be used.
The reports said the army then sought approval from the band’s record label but it was denied. The MOD spokesman declined to confirm this.
“They (the videos) were done innocently and without any sort of intention to infringe on copyrights. Now that it has been brought to (the regiment’s) attention, they are pulling back the videos,” the spokesman told Reuters.
He would not confirm the reports of threatened legal action from the band.
A spokesman for Oasis was not immediately available for comment.
The video, which was shown in shopping malls and schools, was filmed while the regiment was conducting a recent exercise in Kenya, the MOD spokesman said.
Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, who achieved massive chart success and a reputation for rock-star excess in the early 1990s, are making a comeback after seeing their popularity wane in the past few years.
“Hindu Times,” the band’s first single in nearly two years went straight to the top of the charts when it was released in April. Their new album “Heathen Chemistry” is due to be released on July 1.
