Liam Gallagher knew he would create uproar when he described his album with John Squire as the best record since "Revolver" by the Beatles.
Indeed, the web went wild.
"That's my biggest kick that I get out of it," says Gallagher in an interview with dpa in London. "All them little squares sitting there going, 'how fucking dare you say that'? Obviously Revolver is great, but this is great as well. You know what I mean?"
Gallagher, former frontman of Oasis frontman, is famous for being "gobby," bold and outspoken. He sees himself as a loudmouth but has always delivered.
Now a solo artist, he fills major venues, including the iconic Knebworth festival, without his brother Noel, performing there twice in June 2022.
During Oasis classic "Champagne Supernova," John Squire came out on stage as a guest just as he did when Oasis played at Knebworth in 1996. The brief appearance with the Stone Roses guitarist got things rolling, although at the time, Gallagher was planning to take a break.
The singer is quick to say that creating an album with Squire was not on his bucket list - though he acknowledges how much the project means to him.
"Stone Roses is my favourite band. The reason why I'm sitting here now in a nice house. And that is because the Stone roses, when I first saw them, they blew my mind. And they made me want to join a band and want to stop doing what I was doing out on the streets and just fucking knuckle down and get into a band. So without them, God knows where I'd be."
Oasis is now on that level. Squire, 61, wrote the songs without his 51-year-old colleague - which was fine with Gallagher. "I'm quite happy being a singer. That's what I do," says Gallagher. "My ego's not that out of control where I'd want to interfere with something just for the sake of it to get a credit."
The album was recorded in Los Angeles in the studio of Greg Kurstin, who produced the album simply called "Liam Gallagher & John Squire" and also played bass and piano.
Released on March 1, the album is made up of 10 unfiltered, gritty, old-school rock 'n' roll songs. From the anthemic "Raise Your Hands" to blues rocker "I'm A Wheel" and psychedelic "Just Another Rainbow" to the more emotional "Mother Nature's Song," not a single weak track is included.
Squire says he didn't consciously plan to make a classic rock 'n' roll album. "I'm not that good at songwriting, that I can choose what I'm going to do."
That sounds a little modest for one of the leaders of the influential Madchester scene. After all, he wrote classics like "She Bangs The Drums" and "Fools Gold" for the currently inactive Stone Roses, who are immensely popular in Britain.
Despite the classic sound, everything sounds fresh and totally timeless. It's truly a great rock record following in the tradition of classic British bands like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Faces or the Kinks. "I'm sure people sit there and go: 'I've heard it all before'," says Gallagher. "Good, but you're going to fucking hear it again."
In stark contrast to the extroverted Oasis frontman, Squire speaks slowly and quietly. Speaking to dpa, each time he takes a moment to think before answering a question.
Both men come from Manchester, love classic guitar rock and are also keen on parkas, but still, they are an unlikely duo. "John's very quiet, I guess, and I'm very loud and that," Gallagher says. "But I'm pretty chilled as well, in places. And John's a bit of a cheeky monkey as well."
Both say the collaboration went smoothly and will continue in the longer term. "It's really easy. The demoing and the planning, the recording, the promotion, everything has been smooth," says Squire and laughs. "We agree on everything? It's disturbing."
Their joint tour next spring did not take long to sell out. Now, the guitarist, a successful painter alongside his musical career, is already writing his second album.
When asked whether he shares his musical partner's bold comparison with "Revolver," Squire dodges the question with a wink. "I think it's a good quote," he says.
Liam Gallagher, meanwhile, goes a step further. "I love the Beatles and I love the stones and all that stuff, but I think it's definitely up there," he says. "Obviously I'm winding people up at that, but, yeah, if people take that seriously, then I think that's their problem, ain't it?"
