Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher has claimed that the band paid off the owners of the Abbey Road Studio in London so they could record their new album there.

According to the guitarist, the studio was already booked by U2 for when the band wanted it last December.

"U2 were booked in there with (producer) Rick Rubin. I was like, 'U2? U2 have to have a fucking six-hour meeting (to discuss) whether to get tea or coffee in the rehearsal room! They are not coming in here any time in the next five years',” he told Mojo Magazine.

"The guy from Abbey Road was like, 'I've got it block-booked for the exact time you want it.'

"We actually went down to Abbey Road with a bag of money, and said, 'We can pay for the studio now'."

Oasis's new studio album 'Dig Out Your Soul' is released on October 6th. It will be preceded by the first single, 'The Shock Of Lightning', which is out on September 28th.

(by Jason Gregory)