As You Were

by Liam Gallagher

Overview

Always operating in the shadow of his brother Noel, Liam Gallagher had difficulty separating himself from Oasis. Maybe that's his fault, since he retained nearly the entire lineup of Oasis for Beady Eye, the group he formed after splitting with his sibling in 2009, but that band never gained traction -- which had the unfortunate side effect of slowing Liam's momentum. He pulled the plug on Beady Eye in 2014 and spent a couple of years regrouping, re-emerging in 2017 with As You Were. The very title suggests Gallagher is picking up where Oasis left off, a sentiment that also applied to Beady Eye's 2011 debut, Different Gear, Still Speeding, but As You Were is clean and focused in a way Liam has never been on his own. Proud classicist that he is, Gallagher doesn't attempt to adopt a new aesthetic here, but thanks to producer Greg Kurstin -- who won a boatload of Grammys through his work with Adele and has also helmed records for Foo Fighters, Tegan and Sara, Kelly Clarkson, and Elle Goulding -- he does freshen up his sounds. Beady Eye attempted a similar sonic shakeup on their final album, BE, but producer Dave Sitek encouraged a hazy neo-psychedelia, which is the sonic opposite of the clean snap Kurstin brings to As You Were. Clear and modern, buttressed with slight rhythmic loops and digital manipulation, As You Were doesn't sound retro even though it is, in essence, a throwback to a throwback -- a re-articulation of Liam's '90s obsession with the '60s. That production does Gallagher a favor but so does Kurstin's presence as a co-songwriter, helping to rein in Liam's wandering ear and sharpen his melodies. Ranging from the icy onslaught of "Wall of Glass" to the stark swirl of "Chinatown," this is his best record in nearly a decade, and they add up to an album that illustrates exactly who Liam Gallagher is as an artist. Now in his middle age, he's a richer, nuanced singer than he was during Oasis' heyday, yet he's retained his charisma and, unlike his brother, he favors color and fire in his records, elements that not only enhance this fine collection of songs but make this the best post-Oasis album from either Gallagher to date. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/06/2017
Label:	Warner Bros. / Warner Music/Cinram Logistics
UPC:	0190295774929

Tracks

1. Wall of Glass
2. Bold
3. Greedy Soul
4. Paper Crown
5. For What It's Worth
6. When I'm in Need
7. You Better Run
8. I Get By
9. Chinatown
10. Come Back to Me
11. Universal Gleam
12. I've All I Need

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Liam Gallagher   Primary Artist,Lead,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic)
Sally Herbert   Violin,Strings
Drew McConnell   Guitar (Bass)
Michael Kearsey   Trombone
Greg Kurstin   Bass,Drums,Organ,Piano,Tanpura,Harmonica,Mellotron,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Martin Slattery   Keyboards,Saxophone
Michael Tighe   Guitar (Acoustic)
Vicky Akintola   Vocals (Background)
Ian Burdge   Cello
Christian Madden   Keyboards
Rachel Robson   Viola
Andrew Wyatt   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Mark Brown   Saxophone
Tom Pigott-Smith   Violin
Mike Moore   Bass,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Electric)
Ben Edwards   Trumpet
Jay Mehler   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Dan McDougall   Bass,Drums,Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Bridget Sarai   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Sally Herbert   Arranger,Brass Arrangement,String Arrangements
Liam Gallagher   Design,Composer,Art Direction
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing
Richard Woodcraft   Engineer
Dan Grech-Marguerat   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Julian Simmons   Engineer
Greg Kurstin   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Michael Tighe   Composer
Michael Freeman   Mixing,Assistant
David Emery   Mixing,Assistant
Iain Archer   Composer,Producer
Andrew Wyatt   Composer,Producer,Drum Programming,Additional Production
Joseph Rogers   Engineer
Hedi Slimane   Photography
Alex Pasco   Engineer,Producer
Brian Lucey   Mastering
Charles Hicks   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Matt Mysko   Assistant
Ben McLusky   Engineer,Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Geoff Swan   Mixing,Assistant
Julian Burg   Engineer,Producer
Joel Davies   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Davey Badiuk   Programming
Simon Jons   Composer
Andrew Sidney Fox   Composer