The one guitarist Liam Gallagher lauds as “the best since Jimi Hendrix”
In 2019, Liam Gallagher named the man he considered the greatest guitarist since Jimi Hendrix, and no, it wasn’t his brother Noel, obviously. Nor was it Andy Bell, the precocious musician who followed him from Oasis to Beady Eye, and neither was it Paul Arthurs, the rhythm guitarist who has collaborated closely with Liam on his solo career. If you’re guessing Paul Weller, you’re also wrong, although the Gallagher brothers were happy to acquiesce lead duties to the former Jam frontman on the (What’s The Story) Morning Glory standout ‘Champagne Supernova’.
No, the man Liam considers the best since Hendrix is another of his collaborators: John Squire. The formidable musician led The Stone Roses, creating a new form of guitar music in the process. He pioneered a new searing style, making it hard to argue with Liam too much on this one, especially when you consider the swagger of ‘Shoot You Down’, the layered invention of ‘Fool’s Gold’, and the raw purge of ‘Love Spreads’.
Prior to their latest collaboration, the album creatively titled Liam Gallagher John Squire, Squire had performed publicly with Liam on two occasions: the first was at Oasis’ stint at Knebworth in 1996, and the second was more recent, plunging into the backdrop of ‘Champagne Supernova’ as Liam attempted to reclaim his crown at the venue that sealed the legacy for Oasis.
Clearly, Liam thinks very highly of the guitar player, especially when you consider his reluctance to offer praise to his heroes whose surname isn’t Lennon or Lydon (basically, the two men who influenced his vocal style). Liam and Noel Gallagher credit The Stone Roses with their success, as both The Stone Roses and Oasis grew up in Manchester, and the former fertilised a scene that was rich for the music industry’s pickings when Madchester was suddenly all the rage.
In fact, Liam even admitted to spying on The Stone Roses, just as Oasis were recording their excellent debut, Definitely Maybe. “I’m on about a proper combine harvester,” Liam said, demonstrating his eagerness to spot the band. “You’ve got to get a ladder up to and it’s miles up. Off we f***ing go, crawling down the road with the big f***ing lights on. It looked bonkers.”
He continued: “We drove it in, turned the lights off and rolled out like something out of The Professionals. We could hear some f***ing bassline and drums. We got caught, we went in and had a little chat.” For those of you who are too young to remember The Professionals (which is probably almost everyone reading this magazine), it was a serial that saw Lewis Collins embark on a series of ludicrous adventures in the name of justice.
Back to The Stone Roses: Squire’s most recent efforts with his old band did little to show his level of invention, particularly since ‘All For One’ offered him nothing to do but parrot the anodyne nursery rhyme like melody, but since then, his appearances alongside Liam on stage have shown the raw power that has always existed behind his fingerprints.
It’s unlikely that The Stone Roses will reunite for the third time as Ian Brown continues to disappear further down controversial rabbit holes, so it’s best to remember Squire’s past achievements by listening to the glorious debut and underappreciated sophomore album with the band. As Liam Gallagher says, he’s one of the best musicians in the world, so it would be a shame to taint his former glory by focusing on what has become of his once magnificent band.
But can Liam Gallagher play guitar?
Yes, Liam Gallagher can play guitar, but not to a particularly professional standard (hence his brother, Noel, taking on the lead guitarist role in Oasis). He has written songs like ‘Songbird’, but largely he doesn’t contribute to tracks instrumentally. At the very start of Oasis, before Noel had joined, he was working on learning the instrument and writing songs for his fledgling band, but as soon as his brother arrived and brought established chops into the picture, he decided not to compete, downed tools and took up the spotlight with his arms crossed behind the microphone.
Since then he’s barely picked up the guitar, but he hasn’t looked back to the days when he did much either.