Oasis full speed ahead with new album

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oasis are making quick, early progress on recording their first studio release in three years, singer Liam Gallagher said on Tuesday.

He said studio work began last week on the band's seventh album since forming in 1991 and everything should be done by mid-December. After Christmas, the band will come to Los Angeles to mix the album aiming for a release around August.

As with Radiohead, Oasis are free of major-label shackles --but don't expect them to follow Radiohead's example, and allow fans to download the album from the Web for whatever price they feel like paying.

Gallagher, peppering his speech with expletives, told Reuters it would be over his "dead body" before he went into a studio and worked hard to release his work for nothing.

As was the case with 2005's "Don't Believe the Truth," the band is collaborating with producer Dave Sardy, and all the members have contributed compositions, not just primary songwriter and guitarist Noel, Liam's older brother.

Liam declined to reveal the titles of his songs, but said they are pugnacious in spirit.

Gallagher said "without a doubt" the untitled released would compare to the seventh U.K. albums of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, "Revolver" and "Beggars Banquet" respectively.

"There's lots of cool parts, man. Really, we're throwing