With Oasis dismembered following the Gallagher brothers' final brawl in Paris in 2009, chief songwriter Noel preps a solo album while the remaining members carry on as Beady Eye. On Different Gear, the group attempts stripped-down, Stones-y rock but ends up with Be Here Now-style guitar bluster and Liam's blithely boilerplate lyrics ("I like what I see with my eyes shut," he sings on "Wind Up Dream"). Beady Eye are best when they keep it spry, as on "Bring the Light," which is full of girl-group harmonies and furious Jerry Lee piano. It's the kind of thing Noel never would have allowed — which was probably the point.

Listen to "Four Letter Word":

Gallery: The Week's Hottest Live Shots

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.