Album Review: Liam Gallagher and John Squire
Liam Gallagher and John Squire
Liam Gallagher and John Squire release their self-titled album on 1st March, but what happens when you combine the legendary guitarist of The Stone Roses with the iconic vocals of Oasis? A kaleidoscopic resurrection occurs.
It goes without saying, if we didn’t have The Stone Roses, then there would be no Oasis and possibly no Liam Gallagher in the capacity that we know and love. Liam himself credits being 16 years old and seeing The Stone Roses at International 2 in Manchester for being life changing and lighting something inside of him. Whilst fans of The Stone Roses were waiting for a follow up to the band’s seminal debut album, Oasis came along in 1994, took the baton from The Stone Roses and ran with it.
There has always been mutual respect and love between both bands so working together was all going to occur at some points in time. Liam Gallagher and John Squire both writting ‘Love Me And Leave Me‘ for John’s band The Seahorses, Squire playing ‘Champagne Supernova‘ with Oasis at Knebworth, then playing Knebworth again with Liam, Beady Eye supporting The Stone Roses at Heaton Park and even the opposite way round, we had Noel Gallagher feature on a ‘Keep What Ya Got‘ with Ian Brown but this is the first time we have had a full album combining two of the most iconic bands not only in Manchester but the UK.
The duo have released two singles so far from the album, ‘Just Another Rainbow‘ came first, It takes mere seconds to identify ‘Just Another Rainbow’ as the work of the duo, as John’s instantly unforgettable psychedelia-tinged guitar motif leads into a classic Liam vocal, full of passion, personality and utmost conviction. And from here it becomes exactly what you’d hope the duo to deliver: layers of guitar that spin seemingly effortlessly from the infectious melodic rush that recalls ‘I Am The Resurrection’ to an intensity that echoes ‘Love Spreads’, all topped by Liam’s signature star quality.
‘Mars to Liverpool‘ Delivers infectious rock ‘n’ roll with an undercurrent of ‘60s-tinged psychedelia, it sees John weaving inventive guitar work, chiming riffs, fluid classic rock solos around Liam’s uplifting vocal delivery.
The album opens with the optimistic ‘Raise Your Hands‘, it’s such a feel good tune it’s impossible not to smile along whilst the groove and vocals hypnotise you, making you feel all fuzzy.
On first listen, some of the lyrics can be a little questionable and ABC-like but after a few listens this actually adds to the charm of the record. It clicks that this was never going to be an album that was written in the hope of an Ivor Novello Award but instead, it’s just two legends coming together to record music they both love and inviting fans who vibe the same way along for the ride.
‘I’m A Wheel‘ is a prime example, after the unexpected blues intro and verse, the chorus seems a bit nursery ryhmm like, “I’m a wheel, keep turning, fire, keep burning, i’m a river, keep running, all the way home, to you” but after a few listens this turns into one of the stand out tunes and possibly the biggest earworm on the album. I guess it’s similar to ‘Diamond in the Dark‘ from Liam’s ‘C’Mon You Know‘ album, not musically but the way on first listen you don’t seem to get it but after a while that track forces its way to the front and becomes one of the stand out tunes.
‘Love You Forever‘ sees the pair head most into The Seahorses territory. This is a chance to hear Gallagher sing with a bit more grit too, the moment he sings “I love you forever and ever, nothing’s gonna change my mind” is prime Liam. Having stepped back into The Seahorses, ‘You’re Not The Only One‘ goes back to Liam’s Beady Eye days with the piano intro.
Like I said about the charming lyrics early on, ‘Make It Up As You Go Along‘ is such a fun tune, it would be interesting to find out if this was just written off the cuff, like they made it up as they went along? This would have been the perfect end to the album, the “Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and fuck you too” being the last lyrics on the record would have been as Liam would say “Biblical“.
Instead the end is left to the most emotional track on the album ‘Mother Nature’s Song‘. Set to a tender acoustic guitar, these are the tracks were Liam is always at his best, a rugged voice to a beautiful melody is always a winner. Liam described this one as making him emotional and you can clearly hear it means the world to him.
It’s amazing to think that in 2024 we are treated to this album which seemingly came out of nowhere, but it will be one that will be remembered for a long time. It’s the perfect record for them summer bbq’s and any festival that the duo play, these tunes will be so fitting for that festival life. It will also be interesting to see them do this live on their upcoming tour, it will be like seeing a new band but one you’re already very familiar with.
The album is now available to pre-order Here:
https://gallaghersquire.lnk.to/album
Physical formats include standard CD and vinyl, a Deluxe split-colour vinyl, a white vinyl stocked by HMV and select indie stores, and an Amazon exclusive orange EcoRecord vinyl.
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