A collection of unheard Oasis recordings - featuring 63 live shows, hours of rehearsals, and candid chit-chat between Noel and Liam Gallagher - has been yanked from auction after the band took legal action. Because nothing says "definitely, maybe" like a good old-fashioned lawsuit.

The collection, assembled by former sound engineer Huw Richards, was listed in September by Littleton Auctions in Worcestershire, England, with a guide price of £1.2m to £1.6m. Richards worked with Oasis from their 1994 debut Definitely, Maybe until 2001, and the archive includes 209 DAT tapes, 73 analogue cassettes, and three MiniDiscs. It was being sold by his son, Owain Richards.

"Littleton Auctions confirms that the Oasis recordings known as The Desk Tapes have been withdrawn from our October 3 auction in light of legal proceedings," managing director Ben Homer told the BBC. "We are very disappointed that we cannot offer this significant archive as planned." A sentiment shared by anyone who wanted to hear Liam Gallagher's unfiltered thoughts on, say, the catering.

In an interview with the Times in September, Owain Richards - also a sound engineer - called the collection "a piece of history." He noted the audio remained in sufficiently good condition, but since Oasis retained the intellectual property rights, the recordings can't be released by a potential new owner without the band's cooperation. Which is a polite way of saying: you can buy the tapes, but you can't actually do anything with them.

"It is true that Oasis have sued me and my father to try to prevent the auction of the tapes made by my father many years ago," Richards told the BBC on Wednesday. "We have agreed to postpone the auction [of the tapes] to enable the legal dispute to be resolved either by litigation or otherwise in an orderly way." So, either a courtroom showdown or a very British staring contest.

Meanwhile, Littleton Auctions will continue with the rest of its Saturday sale, featuring other music memorabilia: an original Kangol Oasis tour parka from Richards' collection, signed Nirvana photographs, autographs of two Rolling Stones members, and a guitar signed by Brian May. "The rest of the sale is unaffected and will take place as normal," Homer said. "We respect the legal process and will make no further comment on the proceedings at this stage." The parka, presumably, is not subject to a cease-and-desist.

Last month, Noel and Liam Gallagher attended the world premiere of documentary Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger at the Venice film festival, followed by its UK premiere in London. The band also recently announced its Live '27 world tour following their successful reunion tour in 2025. So, plenty of chances to hear the hits live - just not the ones from the Desk Tapes, unless the lawyers say otherwise.