Liam Gallagher John Squire
Liam Gallagher John Squire
★★★★
PARLOPHONE
Back in 2011, The Stone Roses announced their return at a press conference in London’s West End, promising not only gigs, but a follow-up to their long-gestated second LP. While multiple shows and tours followed, only two pieces of music found their way out of the recording studio: Beautiful Thing, a deliciously slinky groove of a sort that The Second Coming could have done with more of, and All For One, a more rousing rocker who’s spangled guitar licks brought to mind John Squire’s post-Roses outfit The Seahorses.
Speaking in this month’s MOJO, Squire revealed the difficulties of recording just two songs with his old bandmates, stating that “an album would have been beyond us.”
Which poses a fascinating question: were some of the ideas on Squire and Liam Gallagher’s new Manc super-duo album originally for the third Roses LP that never was?
No one’s letting on if so, yet Gallagher fits effortlessly in his hero Ian Brown’s shoes here, his quartz-edged voice the perfect plating for Squire’s roving Led Zeppelin guitar gymnastics set atop melodious, mid-Beatles-y songs.
READ MORE: Liam Gallagher: “We put an offer on the table for Oasis and Noel said no”
Sometimes, as on Mother Nature’s Song, we’re back in the Roses’ chiming Mersey Paradise; elsewhere, as with the lysergic pop of Just Another Rainbow and I’m Bored, the Fabs are mercilessly plundered (namely, Rain and Paperback Writer).
What’s really interesting, however, is hearing Liam being stretched stylistically, most notably on I’m A Wheel. Wings’ Let Me Roll It by way of John Lennon’s Cold Turkey, it’s a blistering 12 bar blues workout from Squire with Liam delivering lines like “this isn’t happening, lock all the doors, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for” with relish. Indeed, much of the joy to be had comes from Gallagher voicing Squire’s nastiest lyrics. One Day At A Time's “You should have fucked me when you had a chance” being the prize exhibit.
Both Gallagher and Squire have said to MOJO that there may another album to follow this. Hopefully, that proves to be a more realistic prophecy than the one the Roses made, because this is too much fun to be a one-off.
PARLOPHONE. Out March 1
ALSO AT: Rough Trade/HMV/Hive
Portait: Tom Oldham
Read MOJO's exclusive interview with Liam Gallagher and John Squire plus our verdict on all the month's best new albums, reissues, books and films in the latest issue of MOJO, on sale now. More information and to order a copy HERE!
