Oasis album free on the internet three months early

Sony reacted with fury yesterday after the long-awaited new Oasis album was posted on the internet in its entirety and was available for free to millions of fans.

The bootlegged version appeared to have been recorded by a hidden device and became available three months before its release date.

Earlier this month, five tracks from Heathen Chemistry appeared on the net – "Hindu Times", "Songbird", "Stop Crying Your Heart Out", "She Is Love" and "Little By Little". Now all the songs have appeared.

Some reviews have already been published on the basis of the bootlegged album, which fans can download for free from MP3 audio files.

A spokesman for the band's management, Ignition, said: "The MP3s of Oasis tracks in circulation on the net appear to be illicit recordings (probably made with a hidden Walkman or similar device) of early mixes of the tracks for the band's new album, which were made some time ago. The recordings are of very poor quality and are not of the final album mixes."

A spokesman for Sony said the company would try to close down the sites featuring the music.