LIAM GALLAGHER and JOHN SQUIRE together for "Just Another Rainbow" (Listen to the song)

Liam Gallagher has teamed up with John Squire, one of the most influential guitarists and songwriters ex-Stone Roses, for a project together. The first single of the collaboration is Just Another Rainbow.

A few seconds are enough to identify “Just Another Rainbow” as the work of the duo, since the motif of John’s guitar, with its immediately unforgettable psychedelic hues, flows into Liam’s unmistakable voice, full of passion, personality and conviction. From here it becomes exactly what you’ve come to expect from this duo: layers of guitar that transition effortlessly from an infectious melodic rush reminiscent of “I Am The Resurrection” to an intensity that echoes “Love Spreads,” all topped off with the signature quality of Liam star.

QUOTES

John says:

For me the most obvious interpretation of ‘Just Another Rainbow’ is that it’s a disappointment, and the feeling is that you never get what you really want. But I don’t like explaining songs, I think that’s the listener’s privilege, it’s whatever you want it to be.

For me it’s also one of the most important songs we’ve done together, which is strange.”

Liam adds:

I think John is a great songwriter. Everyone always talks about him as a guitarist, but for me he is also a great songwriter, there’s no doubt.

There isn’t enough of his music out there, whether with the Roses or on his own. It’s nice to see that he’s back writing songs and they’re fucking good.

The melodies are mega and the guitars are matter of fact. But I think even when you take away all the fucking guitars, you can play the songs acoustically and they’ll still blow your mind.”

COLLABORATION

Although this is the duo’s first collaboration, the first time they were in a room together was in 1989. Liam, then 16, attended a Stone Roses concert at Manchester’s International 2, around the time of the release of their self-titled debut album, a show he describes simply as “life-changing.” It was another four years before they met, when both bands were recording in Monmouth, Wales: Oasis had just started work on what would become “Definitely Maybe,” while the Stone Roses were busy in sessions for “The Second Coming”. When John hears “Definitely Maybe” for the first time he knows that it was something special right from the first bars of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”.

Their friendship continued in the years that followed, most notably with the writing of “Love Me and Leave Me” for John’s next band, The Seahorses, who also toured as guests of Oasis. But it wasn’t until John took to the stage at Liam’s massive Knebworth Park show for a performance of ‘Champagne Supernova’ that the prospect of working together on something more substantial became a reality.

With John excited by both the prospect of working with Liam and the thrill of performing in front of a large audience again (the Stone Roses’ last concert was now six years ago), the idea quickly took shape. John sent Liam the first three songs (Liam’s review? “All mega”) and then quickly wrote more, with the duo then collaborating remotely by sending each other references. They were all the greatest: Hendrix. The Pistols. The Faces. Bob Marley, The Bee Gees.

From that moment on, the project got underway. Liam arrives at John’s studio in Macclesfield and vows to complete vocals for two demos a day, a promise he keeps, and they soon find themselves with a catalog of killer songs to choose from. From there they headed to Los Angeles for three weeks of sessions with famed producer Greg Kurstin, who plays bass on the record, and drums by Joey Waronker (Beck, REM, Atoms for Peace). The two formed a shared musical intuition that felt so natural it made you think they had always been a band.

There will be much more music to come – and there may even be some live shows but for now “Just Another Rainbow” lives up to the high expectations that come with a collaboration of this kind.