Some solo artists and bands pay their co-writers off a songwriting credit. If it is Liam on his own, I just can't see how this album is going to stand on its own considering his songwriting history. Very minimal influences restricted to retro acts which come off as derivative and more often than not, a neat idea is repeated ad nauseum to the point where songs just don't sound complete. And while he has a good handful of tunes that are good, there is no bonafide 'great' song of his.

If it is the same standard Liam fare we've had from him over the past years, then undoubtedly some folk will lap it up. But if he expects to make a statement for himself and avoid the pitfalls of Beady Eye, then he can forget it. It goes back to that old Einstein quote "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”.

He needs to sound contemporary and heavy hitting, and he needs to stop with the Lennon sound and other blatant cliches. Like many here, I share the same musical heroes as Liam, and I don't need to listen to a pastiche of great music I already love. God knows why Noel or Liam think we do. You usually see ridiculous tropes thrown out that contemporary music is 'shite' - well, those people just aren't looking hard enough. But whether people like contemporary music or not is not really the point, because at the end of the day, derivative retro sounding records just won't cut the mustard in the musical world of today.

I can only hope that the people he has been rumoured to be working with do bring the best out of him, and I hope they've been involved in the creative process. Nobody wants that great voice of his to go to waste - nobody is asking him to go 'grime' or whatever, but just like in the 90s with Noel, he was the voice of modern music that hinted to the past, rather than being trapped in it. Liam's retro derivativeness isn't just something which he suffers from, Noel equally suffers from such narrow mindedness. Noel gets away with it more so because his songwriting is more accomplished but both brothers will slowly sink without a trace if they don't move forward with the times and drag them out of their 60s/70s induced stupor. Which ever one of the brothers will be able to release an album that sounds a bit more progressive and modern could very well be the Gallagher brother who sees greater success.

Whether the classic Gallagher stubbornness that anchors both brothers prevails or more open minded Gallagher projects surprise us is yet to be seen. Fingers crossed it is the latter.

Ashcroft's last album is shit, I hope (I think, I know) that Liam can do better.

For me, Liam's biggest problem is his laziness. There is a consensus that Noel is the lazy one but sometimes, Liam seems like he can't be arsed about his songwriting, and that's shame. There are a lot of songs where he has a good idea but the tune simply doesn't evolve or the rest of the song fuck it up.

I don't hate Liam's songwriting, actually there are quite a few tracks I do like from him (Songbird, Born On A Different Cloud, Evil Eye, Soul Love, Soldier On, The Boy With The Blues) but if I am trying to be objective, there are a lot of duds aswell.

I agree with what matt said about Liam's sounding sometimes like pastiches of the old heroes (Lennon, Davies, Mavers). There is a thing I don't understand, though: it's the term "sounding modern".
For me, a tune is about immediate emotions that are expressed through the melody.
I am fine with a more interesting production, with new sonic experiences but if the songs are not there, it won't go far.

For instance, there is a big chance that a kid in 2030 will hear Wonderwall, Some Might Say, Supersonic for the first time and think "this is fuckin' brilliant". On the other hand, he will not give a fuck about "In The Heat of The Moment" or "What A Life!".


I have the impression that some of you except so much Liam to not write a decent melody, that you're actually wishing he would hide the shit under a modern peoduction.

Apparently, the album is gonna be stripped back and that's good news to me. Let's the song speaks for itself.

I can't think off hand of any examples from Ashcroft and Marr, but Weller has contributed songs to other people's records such as this from his long time cohort Steve Cradock's OCS album in 2007-



Going back to Liam Gallagher's album I think it depends on the producer as far as advice on arrangements and structures go, and of course if the song quality is there. If the songs stand up on their own then he doesn't need contributions from other songwriters, but it depends on how good Liam actually is on his own as during his Oasis and BE days it was never clear how much help (if any) he had received from band mates.

Whichever way he goes with the songwriting though I personally am looking forward to a new record with him performing on it, although based on what I have heard so far and his BE/Oasis contributions I am expecting it to sound like Liam Gallagher contributions to the latter two bands without Andy, Gem, Noel, etc. on the record.

IMO, Liam's best song came out 15 years ago.




Oh and this too.

Why are people hoping for a co-songwriter ?

Liam is not Robbie Williams, he doesn't need Guy Chambers or whatever. He's written some good tunes in the past and if, for once, he really worked his ass off, then he's capable of releasing a solid 10 track record.

I don't want him to become the Elvis Presley of the 21st century. Fuck that. Write your tunes solo or get a proper band.

Solo artists + professional songwriters are evil.

Opening the door to other songwriters is losing the heart and soul of music, then it become a product. What was good in Oasis is that Noel was able to give Liam some tune he could mean. That couldn't happen with any other songwriter bar Liam writing for Liam.

Liam doesn't need another songwriter, he needs the the right producer to develop the songs and get them to the next level, it's all good. the melodies are usually good, they just need a bit more work. Gem and Andy probably never told him that, but maybe this time someone did. during the BE cycle, his songs, he's had 7 of them and they were the best.

Gem and Andrew not being involved is the biggest opportunity for Liam to make a good record here. Those two dragged him down with their, quite appalling, songwriting. And Gem is the deluded bloke ever, claiming BE was a whole new genre for crying out loud.

Now hes trimmed the excess, an album of just his ideas with a few gentle nudges from experienced people (so say) and already the forecast is better than hos last two efforts.

As much as I like Gem I have to agree with this. Like Liam he seems to live in a bubble where the Beatles are the only band that really matter and this way of thinking has definitely had a detrimental effect on his, Liams and Oasis' music over the last 15 or so years.

I really want Liams album to sound as fresh and modern as possible and not a cringe Beatles/Lennon pastiche that will only arm the critics that Liam has already gained from the Beady Eye albums.

"You're blinded by what you idolise" is the most honest lyric that has ever come out of Liams mouth!

I've said it before but he was in various signed bands since the eighties as a performer and songwriter with limited or no success, even after having Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller plug Heavy Stereo in 1996 including a Loch Lomond support slot with Oasis. A stroke of good fortune in knowing the right people at the right time got him the gig in Oasis, where he had an outlet for his songs which up until that point had failed to connect with most industry people or the general public.

A nice guy from what I've heard and a decent enough guitarist, but certainly never in my book a genuine contender as a songwriter and destined for journeyman status until that phone call from Noel Gallagher.

I hope his album sounds at least good and that he stops being the lazy ass he was/is about his writing.
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