Post by Osmosis on Jan 9, 2022 20:35:38 GMT
Liam Gallagher (William John Paul Gallagher) (21 September 1972)
Member Of: Oasis (1991 - 2009), Beady Eye (2009 - 2014), Solo (2017 - Present)
Vocal Range: G2 - G♯5
Voice Type: Mad Fer It
{Vocal Summary}Often hailed as the last great rock star, Liam Gallagher is the former frontman and lead singer of Oasis – the band that took the UK by storm in 1994 with their relatable working-class roots and infectious self-belief. The band would go on to conquer most of the world and that was in large part due to Liam’s instantly recognisable timbre and powerful stage presence, as well as the media attention given to his antics on and, disproportionally, off stage.
In early demos from 1991-1992, his vocals mirrored that of Ian Brown but he soon gained access to his upper register with the help of The Real People in 1993 and unlocked a crystal clear voice that soared over the room - nailing G4s and G♯4s with ease. As 1994 marched on however he would carve out his own indelible style - one that is often described as a cross between Johnny Rotten and his oft proclaimed idol, John Lennon. He would crane his neck upwards into the mic, hands behind his back and roar and snarl his way through every song like it was his last - competing against the booming distorted guitars that typified Oasis live performances with nary a vibrato to be found. He became renowned for his distorted foreward placement and nasal delivery which he used to inject palpable attitude into every song. His tendency to elongate vowels to add expressiveness to phrases became another staple of his vocal performances - the word “shine” in particular, being a fan favourite. 1995 would see him abandoning falsetto parts live and in the studio for many a year (until about 2005), claiming it was unconducive to a Rock 'n' Roll performance. This was a clear indicator of the direction he was taking as a singer - in your face rock 'n' roll belting. The years 1994-1996 saw Liam at what many consider to be his vocal peak and this coincided with the band playing its best music to its biggest crowds.
It is no secret that Liam’s voice has since deteriorated over the years and a lack of vocal training (and restraint) is cited as one of the predominant factors. Problems with his singing approach. which he applied to near every song, began moving into the late 90s, which saw him struggling to project notes G4 and higher with the same chesty intensity and volume as lower notes. He developed a noticeable rasp that got more prominent with each subsequent tour. Most of the songs containing these notes were abandoned or were played in a lower key, such as “Some Might Say” and “My Big Mouth”, circa the year 2000. Though powerful, particularly in performances like "My Generation", his style was unsustainable. Despite this he continued to force his voice to give the fans the sound that made him famous, causing to reach an all time low in 2006. Following 2006, he adopted a 'shouty' style of singing where he would cut notes short and hold them with minimal sustain. The nasal quality of his voice became increasingly present to allow him to continue hitting the high notes in the band's setlist. This overtly nasal sound would typify much of his Beady Eye days.
With Liam's recent comeback as a solo artist he has started to take better care of his voice with less substance abuse and better vocal preparation prior to concerts. His two solo albums As You Were and Why Me? Why Not. regularly showcase songs with notes G4 and above, more so than any album since Be Here Now which indicate his increasing ability to access his upper register (at least in the studio), albeit with a thinner, less powerful mix. Ballads like "Once" are an excellent example of this and where he finds his strength in these late years. As well as renewed exploration of his upper register, his lower has become more prominent since the Beady Eye era, with many of the lead melodies frequenting the lower 3rd octave. Live, he has become a staple in the UK festival scene and although he appears to be falling into the same vocal troubles as always, he is not going anywhere, even if his voice does.
In early demos from 1991-1992, his vocals mirrored that of Ian Brown but he soon gained access to his upper register with the help of The Real People in 1993 and unlocked a crystal clear voice that soared over the room - nailing G4s and G♯4s with ease. As 1994 marched on however he would carve out his own indelible style - one that is often described as a cross between Johnny Rotten and his oft proclaimed idol, John Lennon. He would crane his neck upwards into the mic, hands behind his back and roar and snarl his way through every song like it was his last - competing against the booming distorted guitars that typified Oasis live performances with nary a vibrato to be found. He became renowned for his distorted foreward placement and nasal delivery which he used to inject palpable attitude into every song. His tendency to elongate vowels to add expressiveness to phrases became another staple of his vocal performances - the word “shine” in particular, being a fan favourite. 1995 would see him abandoning falsetto parts live and in the studio for many a year (until about 2005), claiming it was unconducive to a Rock 'n' Roll performance. This was a clear indicator of the direction he was taking as a singer - in your face rock 'n' roll belting. The years 1994-1996 saw Liam at what many consider to be his vocal peak and this coincided with the band playing its best music to its biggest crowds.
It is no secret that Liam’s voice has since deteriorated over the years and a lack of vocal training (and restraint) is cited as one of the predominant factors. Problems with his singing approach. which he applied to near every song, began moving into the late 90s, which saw him struggling to project notes G4 and higher with the same chesty intensity and volume as lower notes. He developed a noticeable rasp that got more prominent with each subsequent tour. Most of the songs containing these notes were abandoned or were played in a lower key, such as “Some Might Say” and “My Big Mouth”, circa the year 2000. Though powerful, particularly in performances like "My Generation", his style was unsustainable. Despite this he continued to force his voice to give the fans the sound that made him famous, causing to reach an all time low in 2006. Following 2006, he adopted a 'shouty' style of singing where he would cut notes short and hold them with minimal sustain. The nasal quality of his voice became increasingly present to allow him to continue hitting the high notes in the band's setlist. This overtly nasal sound would typify much of his Beady Eye days.
With Liam's recent comeback as a solo artist he has started to take better care of his voice with less substance abuse and better vocal preparation prior to concerts. His two solo albums As You Were and Why Me? Why Not. regularly showcase songs with notes G4 and above, more so than any album since Be Here Now which indicate his increasing ability to access his upper register (at least in the studio), albeit with a thinner, less powerful mix. Ballads like "Once" are an excellent example of this and where he finds his strength in these late years. As well as renewed exploration of his upper register, his lower has become more prominent since the Beady Eye era, with many of the lead melodies frequenting the lower 3rd octave. Live, he has become a staple in the UK festival scene and although he appears to be falling into the same vocal troubles as always, he is not going anywhere, even if his voice does.
Significant High Notes
G♯5 ("Wigwam")
G5 ("Ain't Got Nothin'" Demo)
F♯5 ("Wigwam")
F5 (“Ain’t Got Nothin'”, "Wind Up Dream")
E5 ("Cigarettes & Alcohol" Live 100 Club London 1994, "Morning Glory")
E♭5 ("Eyeball Tickler", "Shoot Down")
D5 ("Ain't Got Nothin'", "Back After the Break", "Cigarettes & Alcohol", "Fade In-Out", "Headshrinker", "Rock 'n' Roll Star" Live BRIT Awards 2007/Live The Warehouse Club Leeds 1994, "Vocal Warm Up" Lord Don't Slow Me Down Film 2007)
C♯5 (“Ain't Got Nothin'", "Bonehead's Bank Holiday", "Once”)
C5 ("Step Out" Liam on Vocals, "Was Not Meant to Be", "Wigwam")
B4 ("Bonehead's Bank Holiday", "Live Forever" Definitely Maybe/Sawmill Studios 1994, "Moscow Rules")
B♭4 (“My Generation”, "Once", "Paper Crown", "The River", "Standing on the Edge of the Noise", "Too Good for Giving Up", "Wind Up Dream")
A4 (“All Around the World”, "Be Here Now" Live Performances, "The Beat Goes On", “Cigarettes & Alcohol" Live Corestates Centre Philadelphia 1996, "Columbia” Definitely Maybe/Sawmill Studios 1994/Live Sheffield Arena England 1995/Live Astoria Theatre London 1994, “Cum on Feel the Noize”, “Digsy’s Dinner”, “For What It’s Worth”, "Four Letter Word", “Gun", "Hello”, “I Am the Walrus" Sawmill Studios 1994, "I Hope, I Think, I Know", "I'm a Wheel", “Man of Misery", "My Big Mouth”, “My Generation”, “Now That I've Found You", "Rockin' Chair”, “Shockwave”, “Some Might Say”, “Step Out" Liam on Vocals, "Was Not Meant to Be")
G♯4 (“All Around the World”, "Are You Mad Fer It?" Live Earls Court 1st Night 1997, "The Beat Goes On", “Beatles and Stones", "Cigarette’s & Alcohol”, "Cloudburst", "C'mon You Know", "Day Tripper" Live Electric Ballroom London 1996, "Digsy's Dinner" Live Gleneagles Hotel 1994, "Doesn't Have to Be That Way", "Everything's Electric", "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel", “I Get By”, “Listen Up”, “Love Like A Bomb”, “Lyla”, "Morning Glory" Live Yogogi National Gymnasium Japan 2002, "Once", "Pass Me Down The Wine”, "Roll It Over”, “She’s Electric”, “Stay Young" Live Hammerstein Ballroom NYC 1997, "Universal Gleam", "Wigwam")
G4 ("Acquiesce" Live Knebworth Park 1st Night 1996/Live Irvine Ampitheatre 1997, “All Around the World", "All My People/All Mankind”, “All You’re Dreamin Of”, “Alright”, "Bless You", “Bonehead’s Bank Holiday”, “Champagne Supernova" First Union Centre Philadelphia 1999, "C'Mon People (We're Making It Now)" Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1, "Columbia" Live The Bataclan Paris 1995, “Come Back to Me”, “Come Together" Live Glen Helen Ampitheater California 2017, “Don’t Go Away”, "Fade In-Out" Live Earl's Court 2nd Night 1997, “For What It’s Worth”, “The Girl in the Dirty Shirt”, "Glimmer”, “Gone”, “Greedy Soul”, “Halo”, “Headshrinker”, "Hello", “The Hindu Times" Live Stadio del Tennis di Roma 2002, "I Am the Walrus" Sawmill Studios 1994, (I Got) the Fever”, “I’m Outta Time” Dig Out Your Soul/Demo, “Invisible Sun”, “(It’s Good) To Be Free” Live Deep Ellum Dallas 1995, “Let There Be Love”, “Let’s All Make Believe”, “Live Forever”, “Man of Misery”, “Mars to Liverpool", "Meadow”, “Morning Glory”, “Moscow Rules", "My Big Mouth", "My Generation”, "My Sister Lover", "Natural Mystic" Live Bethnal Green Working Men's Club London 2017, “Nothing Nowhere", "Now That I’ve Found You”, “One of Us”, “Paper Crown”, “The River”, “Rockin' Chair”, “Round Are Way”, "Shockwave”, “Slide Away”, “Sweet Children", "Three Ring Circus", “The Turning”, "Up In The Sky" Definitely Maybe/King Tut's Wah Wah Hut 1993, “Wall of Glass”, “Why Me? Why Not." Live Performances/Why Me? Why Not.)
F♯4 (“A Bell Will Ring", "Across the Universe”, “All Around the World” Be Here Now/Live Earls Court 2nd Night 1997, “Beatles and Stones”, “Be Here Now”, “Be Still”, “Bold" Live Performances/As You Were, "Bring It On Down" Live Poole Lighthouse Dorset 2004, "Champagne Supernova”, “Chinatown”, “Cigarette’s & Alcohol”, "Cloudburst", "C'mon You Know", “Day Tripper" Live Electric Ballroom Live Version, “Diamond in the Dark", "Digsy’s Dinner”, "Doesn't Have to Be That Way", “Don’t Bother Me”, "Don't Go Halfway", “D'You Know What I Mean?”, "Everything's Electric", "Eyeball Tickler", "Fade Away", “Flick of the Finger”, “For Anyone”, “Girls in Uniform”, “Greedy Soul”, “Go Let It Out" Live Teenage Cancer Trust 2002, "Guess God Thinks I’m Abel”, “Hey Now”, "The Hindu Times”, “Hung in a Bad Place”, "I Hope I Think I Know", “I Never Wanna Be Like You”, “I Will Believe (Live)”, "I'm a Wheel", “It’s Gettin' Better (Man!!)”, “Iz Rite", "Keep The Dream Alive”, “Listen Up”, “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down" Liam on Vocals”, “Love You Forever", “Lyla" Jonathon Ross Show 2005. “Meaning of Soul" BRIT Awards 2007, "Misunderstood”, "The Morning Sun" Demo, "Mother Nature's Song", “Once”, "One Day at a Time", “Put Yer Money Where Your Mouth Is”, “The Quiet Ones”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”, “Roll It Over”, “Roll With It" Live Corestates Centre Philadelphia 1996, "Round Are Way”, "Sad Song" Mauldeth Road West Demo 1992, “Second Bite of the Apple”, “Shakermaker”, “She’s Electric”, “Shine A Light”, "Shoot Down", "Soldier On", “Some Might Say”, “Sons of the Stage”, “Stand by Me", "Start Anew”, “Stay Young”, “Step Out" Liam on Vocals, “Stop Crying Your Heart Out”, "Strange Thing (Demo)", “Street Fighting Man”, “Supersonic”, “Turn Up the Sun" Live The Point Theatre Dublin 2005, "Too Good for Giving Up", "Underneath the Sky", “Universal Gleam”, “Wave", "When I’m in Need”, “Wigwam”, "Within You Without You", “Wonderwall”, "World's In Need", “The World’s Not Set in Stone", ”You Better Run”)
F4 (“All My People/All Mankind”, “Are You Experienced?" Live Koko London 2023, "Bag It Up”, "Better Days", “Bring the Light”, "C'Mon People (We're Making It Now)" Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1, "Come Back to Me”, “Comin' On Strong" Demo 1992, "Cum On Feel the Noize”, "Don't Look Back In Anger" Glastonbury 2017, “Fade In-Out”, “Gas Panic!”, “Glimmer”, “Go Let It Out”, “Halo”, “Headshrinker”, “Hello”, “I Can See a Liar”, “I Get By”, “I’ve All I Need”, “The Joker", “Jumpin' Jack Flash" Live Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow 2024, "Let’s All Make Believe”, “Listen Up”, "Lord Don't Slow Me Down" Liam on Vocals, "Make It Up as You Go Along", "Natural Mystic" Live Bethnal Green Working Men's Club London 2017, "The Nature of Reality”, “Now That I’ve Found You”, “One of Us”, “The River”, “Rockin' Chair”, “Roll With It”, “Shockwave”, "Shoot Down", "Show Me Your Love" In Studio 2004, "Slide Away" Sheffield Arena England 1995, “Soldier On”, "Standing on the Edge of the Noise", “Supersonic”, “Three Ring Circus", "Too Good for Giving Up", "Universal Gleam”, “Wind Up Dream”)
E4 (“Acquiesce”, “Across the Universe”, “Alive (Demo)”, “All You’re Dreaming Of”, “Alright”, “Back After the Break”, “Bag It Up”, “Ballroom Figured”, “The Beat Goes On”, “A Bell Will Ring”, "Better Let You Know" Live Boardwalk Manchester 1992, “Better Man”, "Bless You", “Born on a Different Cloud” "Bring It On Down" Live Gleneagles Hotel 1994, “Carnation”, “Cast No Shadow”, “Champagne Supernova”, “Chinatown”, “Cigarette’s & Alcohol”, "C'Mon People (We're Making It Now)" Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1, “Columbia”, “Colour My Life", "Come Together" Live Glen Helen Amphitheatre California 2017, "Diamond in the Dark", “Digsy’s Dinner”, “Don’t Go Away”, "Don't Go Halfway", "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman" TRNSMT 2018, “D’You Know What I Mean?”, "Eyeball Tickler", "Evil Eye", “Face the Crowd”, “Fade Away”, “Fade In-Out”, “For Anyone”, “For What It’s Worth”, “Four Letter Word”, “The Girl in the Dirty Shirt”, “Girls in Uniform”, “Gone”, “Guess God Thinks I’m Abel”, “Half the World Away" Live Sheffield Arena 2024, "Headshrinker”, “Hey Now”, “The Hindu Times”, “I Am the Walrus”, “I Believe in All”, "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama", "I'm a Wheel", "I'm Free" A1pple Music Home Session 2022, “I Will Believe (Live)”, “I’m Just Saying”, "I'm Outta Time", “Invisible Sun”, “(It’s Good) To Be Free”, “(I Got) The Fever”, “Iz Rite”, “Just Another Rainbow", "Let There Be Love”, “Little James”, “Live Forever” Definitely Maybe/Live World Memorial Hall Kobe Japan 2000, "Lock All the Doors" Demo 1992, “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down" Liam on Vocals, “Love Like A Bomb”, “Love You Forever", "Lyla”, “Man of Misery”, “Married with Children”, “The Meaning of Soul”, “Millionaire”, “Morning Glory”, "Moscow Rules", “My Big Mouth”, “My Sister Lover”, “Nothing Lasts Forever", "One Day at a Time", "Pass Me Down the Wine”, “(Probably) All in the Mind”, “Up in the Sky", “Raise Your Hands", "Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”, “Roll It Over”, "The Roller", “Scorpio Rising”, “Second Bite of the Apple”, "See the Sun (Demo)", "She’s Electric”, "Sh*telife" BRIT Awards 1996, “The Shock of the Lightning", "Slide Away”, “Soon Come Tomorrow”, “Stand by Me”, “Stay Young”, “Street Fighting Man”, “Thank You For the Good Times”, "Underneath the Sky”, "Untitled" Live Acoustic 1997, "Up in the Sky", “Was Not Meant to Be", "Wave", "Whatever”, "Whatever/Octapus's Garden/All the Young Blues/Changes", "Who Feels Love", "Why Me? Why Not.”, "Within You Without You", “Wonderwall”, “Won’t Let You Down”)
Significant Low Notes
E3 (“Alive (Demo)”, “Ballroom Figured”, “Be Still”, “Better Let You Know" Live Boardwalk Manchester 1992, "Carnation", "Champagne Supernova”, “Cigarette’s & Alcohol”, “Colour My Life", "D’You Know What I Mean?”, "Don't Go Halfway", “Gone”, “Headshrinker”, "Hung in a Bad Place", "I'm Free", “I’m Outta Time”, “It’s Gettin' Better (Man!!)”, “(It’s Good) To Be Free”, "Iz Rite”, “Love Like a Bomb", “Love You Forever", "Married with Children”, “Mars to Liverpool", "The Meaning of Soul", "Moscow Rules", "Mother Nature's Song", "Must Be the Music" Live Boardwalk Manchester 1992, "Natural Mystic" Live Bethnal Green Working Men's Club London 2017, “Raise Your Hands", "Reminisce", "Roll With It”, “She’s Electric”, “Soldier On", “Songbird”, "Supersonic", "Take Me" Live Boardwalk Manchester 1992, "Was Not Meant to Be", "Wave", "When I’m In Need”, “Wonderwall", "World Outside My Room”)
E♭3 (“Beatles & Stones”, “D'You Know What I Mean?" Live 2002, "I'm So Bored", “Jumpin' Jack Flash" Live Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow 2024, "Off At the Next Exit", "Once”, "The River”, "Sweet Children")
D3 (“Across the Universe”, "Alice" Demo 1991, “All You're Dreaming Of”, “Arkayla (I Will Show You)", "Back After the Break”, “Bag It Up”, “Ballroom Figured”, “The Beat Goes On”, "Chinatown", "C'Mon People (We're Making It Now)" Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1, “Comin' On Strong" Demo 1992, "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman" Live TRNSMT 2018, "Face the Crowd", "Halo”, "I Will Show You" Live Boardwalk Manchester 1992, "Invisble Sun", "Just Another Rainbow", "Life in Vain" Live Boardwalk Manchester 1992, "Listen Up", "Live Forever", "Make It Up as You Go Along", "Meadow", "Nothing Nowhere", “Paper Crown”, “The Quiet Ones”, “Scorpio Rising”, “Standing on the Edge of Noise”, “The Turning”, "Underneath the Sky")
C♯3 (“Cigarettes & Alcohol" Live Astoria Theatre London 1994, "Digsy's Dinner" Live T In the Park 1994, "Doesn’t Haven’t to Be That Way”, "Eh La", “Flick of the Finger”, “Iz Rite", "Lyla" Live The Point Theatre Dublin 2005, "Soul Love”, "Wave", "World's In Need")
C3 ("Alice" Demo 1991, “All My People/All Mankind”, "All You're Dreaming Of" Studio/Live The Jonathon Ross Show 2020, "The Beat Goes On", “Blue Moon”, "C'Mon People (We're Making It Now)" Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1, “Half the World Away" Live Sheffield Arena 2024, “Millionaire”, “One of Us”, “The River" Live Tokyo Summer Sonic 2023, "To Be Where There’s Life”)
B2 ("Alice" Demo 1991, “Back After the Break”, "Life in Vain" Live Boardwalk Manchester 1992, "Married with Children", "More Power", "One of Us" Live O2 Ritz Manchester 2020, "World's In Need")
B♭2 ( “Glimmer”, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" Live 2024, "Sh*telife" BRIT Awards 1996)
A2 (“Ain't Got Nothin'", "Blue Moon", “Columbia" Sawmill Studios 1994, "Gone”, "I Am the Walrus" Sawmill Studios 1994)
G♯2 ("Once")
G2 ("Glimmer")
{Questionable Notes}F♯6 ("I Am the Walrus" Live Glastonbury 1994 [1a] [2d] [3a])
G♯5 ("Ain't Got Nothin''" Demo [1a])
D5 ("My Generation" Studio/TOTP 2002 [1f], "World Outside My Room" Live Rome 2011 [1a])
B4 ("I Am the Walrus" Live Knebworth Park 1st Night 1996 [1c], "Iz Rite"[1a])
B♭4 ("All Around the World" Live Earls Court London 1st Night 1997 [1c])
A4 ("Born on a Different Cloud" Live Yogio National Gymnasium Tokyo Japan 2002 [1f], "Don't Go Halfway" [2a], "Too Good for Giving Up" Live Rockfield Studios England 2022 [1a])
G4 ("A Bell Will Ring" V Festival 1st Night 2005 [1a], "It's Gettin' Better (Man!!)" Live Air Studios 1997 [2c])
E♭3 ("It's Gettin' Better (Man!!)" Adelaide Entertainment Centre 1998 [1c])
C♯3 ("Bless You" [1d], "Supersonic" Live Gleneagles Hotel Scotland 1994 [1c])
G♯2 ("The Joker" [1b], "Universal Gleam" [1d])
A2 ("Go Let It Out" [1b])
F♯2 ("Gone" [1b])
B1 ("Soliquoy: Don't Look Back in Anger" Live V Festival 2005 [2c])
E1 ("Off At the Next Exit" [1e])
......................................................
[1] Questionable Quality
a. Short woos/shrieks
b. Brief vocal dips
c. Aimless high/low range slide
d. Anacrusis
e. Vocal fry
f. Cracked note
[2] Questionable Legitimacy
a. Pitch shifted
b. Probably doesn't get there
c. No musical context
d. Representivity
[3] Questionable Identity
a. Amp feedback
Questionable notes are any notes with a questionable significance. In short, this spoiler acknowledges notes that I am aware exist, but do not want to contribute to the singer's range. These involve (but are not limited to) weak vocal fry, uncontrolled slides, very short notes, notes hit at an ambiguous pitch and notes where it is unclear who is singing.
…………………………………………………G♯5 ("Ain't Got Nothin''" Demo [1a])
D5 ("My Generation" Studio/TOTP 2002 [1f], "World Outside My Room" Live Rome 2011 [1a])
B4 ("I Am the Walrus" Live Knebworth Park 1st Night 1996 [1c], "Iz Rite"[1a])
B♭4 ("All Around the World" Live Earls Court London 1st Night 1997 [1c])
A4 ("Born on a Different Cloud" Live Yogio National Gymnasium Tokyo Japan 2002 [1f], "Don't Go Halfway" [2a], "Too Good for Giving Up" Live Rockfield Studios England 2022 [1a])
G4 ("A Bell Will Ring" V Festival 1st Night 2005 [1a], "It's Gettin' Better (Man!!)" Live Air Studios 1997 [2c])
E♭3 ("It's Gettin' Better (Man!!)" Adelaide Entertainment Centre 1998 [1c])
C♯3 ("Bless You" [1d], "Supersonic" Live Gleneagles Hotel Scotland 1994 [1c])
G♯2 ("The Joker" [1b], "Universal Gleam" [1d])
A2 ("Go Let It Out" [1b])
F♯2 ("Gone" [1b])
B1 ("Soliquoy: Don't Look Back in Anger" Live V Festival 2005 [2c])
E1 ("Off At the Next Exit" [1e])
......................................................
[1] Questionable Quality
a. Short woos/shrieks
b. Brief vocal dips
c. Aimless high/low range slide
d. Anacrusis
e. Vocal fry
f. Cracked note
[2] Questionable Legitimacy
a. Pitch shifted
b. Probably doesn't get there
c. No musical context
d. Representivity
[3] Questionable Identity
a. Amp feedback
Questionable notes are any notes with a questionable significance. In short, this spoiler acknowledges notes that I am aware exist, but do not want to contribute to the singer's range. These involve (but are not limited to) weak vocal fry, uncontrolled slides, very short notes, notes hit at an ambiguous pitch and notes where it is unclear who is singing.
*Boldface marks notable passages and examples of the singer's capabilities.
*Blue marks notes sung in a soft falsetto.
*Italics mark non-melodic notes.
*Underlines mark notes in backing vocals or otherwise obscured.
{Best Vocal Performances}Top 10 Studio Vocals
Top 10 Live Vocals
- Champagne Supernova
- Rockin' Chair
- Slide Away
- She's Electric
- I Hope, I Think, I Know
- Some Might Say
- D'You Know What I Mean?
- Morning Glory
- Listen Up
- Don't Go Away
Top 10 Live Vocals
- Cigarettes & Alcohol - BBC Radio 5 1993
- Some Might Say - White Room 1995
- Headshrinker - Deep Ellum Dallas 1995
- Rockin' Chair - Blackpool Empress Ballroom 1995
- Be Here Now - GMEX 1997
- Hello - Earl's Court 2nd Night 1995
- Champagne Supernova - Anaheim California 1999
- Stop Crying Your Heart Out - Yoyogi National Gymnasium Tokyo 1st Night 2002
- Supersonic - Glasgow Tramshed 1994
- Morning Glory - Roskilde 1995
{Album Ranges}Oasis
Definitely Maybe (1994): B2 - G♯4 - B4
(What's The Story) Morning Glory? (1995) : E3 - A4 - E5
Be Here Now (1997): E3 – A4 - D5
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000): G3 – G♯4
Heathen Chemistry (2002): E3 – F♯4
Don’t Believe the Truth (2005): E3 – G♯4
Dig Out Your Soul (2008): A2 – G4 - D5 - F5
Beady Eye
Different Gear Still Speeding (2011): C3 – G♯4 - C5 - F♯5
BE (2013): C♯3 – F♯4
Solo
As You Were (2017): D3 – A4 - B♭4
Why Me? Why Not. (2019): G♯2 - A2 – A4 - B♭4 – C♯5
C'Mon You Know (2022): B2 - G♯4 - C5
Liam Gallagher & John Squire (2024): D3 - G4 - A4
Definitely Maybe (1994): B2 - G♯4 - B4
(What's The Story) Morning Glory? (1995) : E3 - A4 - E5
Be Here Now (1997): E3 – A4 - D5
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000): G3 – G♯4
Heathen Chemistry (2002): E3 – F♯4
Don’t Believe the Truth (2005): E3 – G♯4
Dig Out Your Soul (2008): A2 – G4 - D5 - F5
Beady Eye
Different Gear Still Speeding (2011): C3 – G♯4 - C5 - F♯5
BE (2013): C♯3 – F♯4
Solo
As You Were (2017): D3 – A4 - B♭4
Why Me? Why Not. (2019): G♯2 - A2 – A4 - B♭4 – C♯5
C'Mon You Know (2022): B2 - G♯4 - C5
Liam Gallagher & John Squire (2024): D3 - G4 - A4
{Detailed Vocal Timeline & Analysis}Foreword: This timeline documents and analyses Liam Gallagher's changing voice throughout the years complete with links of songs to track key developments. The series entitled "The Birth, Life, Death and Rebirth of Liam Gallagher's Voice" was an instrumental resource in making this timeline and due credit goes to the other of the video series - youtuber and Oasis enthusiast Fakest Radio. So too was the comprehensive live show chronicalling being undertaken by Shakermaker. Another usuful resource was James Hargreaves' youtube channel 'James Hargreaves Guitar', specifically for the input of The Real People into the band's development and the detailing of The Munich Brawl in 2002.
1991-1993: At the age of 19 Liam Gallagher’s approach to vocals was very much an imitation of his inspiration Ian Brown. The songs written by Liam and founding bandmate Paul Arthurs (Bonehead) tended to peak at E4 and mostly featured Brownesque drawling in his lower range, the demo of ‘Alice’ being a prime example. In 1992, Oasis became close friends with Liverpool band the Real People who had a hand in coaching Liam to sing and help him develop his own voice. The impact on his voice can be heard as early as the footage of the band’s rehearsal of ‘All Around the World’ in 1993. Liam is seen projecting his voice with more power and clarity than what could be heard in 1991 and more than any other time in his career. Rhythm guitarist Bonehead's partner described Liam as a 'nightingale' the first time she heard him, and when listening to the soaring high notes of "Cigarettes & Alcohol", it is easy to see why. He had not yet developed all the ‘Liamisms’ that would come to be the life and death of his voice, but the foundations were set and the makings of a confident singer full of attitude was there for all (and Alan McGee) to see as early as 1993 at King Tut’s Wah-Wah Hut. The way was up.
1994: This year marked Oasis’ sprint to stardom and saw Liam come into his own as a vocalist. In some ways it stands in stark contrast to the rest of his career. His voice was crystal clear with minimal distortion, he held the microphone with both hands and would flip into falsetto, that was stronger than Noel's even today, on an ad hoc basis. It was also a time where he was the sole singer of the band, with brother Noel not even being given a microphone. The band’s first professionally recorded performance at the Gleneagles Hotel in February 6th 1994 is cited by many as the real Oasis experience, featuring Tony McCarroll on the drums, Bonehead with a full head of hair and a Liam unencumbered by excessively long tours. The vocals were a little rough around the edges, particularly on high notes and with regards to pitch at times but this early spring period from the Gleneagles concert to the Lomax concert in April stand in contrast to the rest of his career. The characteristic elongation of vowels was an early edition to his repertoire (as early as the Maida Vale sessions in December 1993 in fact) but other trade mark features would present as ’94 marched on. Liam is commonly classified as a baritone but the clear high notes around this time sound very tenor in colour. From the gigs we have available, it seems that from the Lomax gig onwards, he started having noticable cracks/roughness when reaching for top notes especially when compared to earlier performances. He would also drop the falsetto parts on "Up in the Sky" and "Live Forever" from time to time which led to some awkward silences given that Noel had not been given a microphone on stage yet. I speculate this to be from tour fatigue, because the rough nights would be contrasted with the likes of the Astoria Theatre gig in London August 18th where he demonstrated the ability to cleanly get on top of high notes without excessive strain and still possessed the childlike tone that characterised early 1994. This tone would disappear after the Borderline gig performed for the "Cigarettes & Alcohol" video shoot. The Netherlands Lowlands Festival is significant in that is marks the last time he would use flasetto in a live setting (barring an abandoned attempt in 1995 and three isolated incidences in 2002, 2005 versions of "Love like a Bomb" and 2007) and is the gig where he adopted his iconic stance that would see him through the rest of his career.
Greater amounts of distortion started to creep into his voice following this change together with increasing strain that created some lacklustre performances in in latter half of the year, particularly in Japan. The months of September and October seemed to be a sort of transition period, where he moved into the aggressive style that would characterise the remainder of his career. Like mid 1994 he would have on and off nights but the delivery and timbre at the year's end was very different to the vocals heard at the start of the year which lends credence to the notion that the increased distortion in his voice was a conscious decision on Liam's part to make his voice sound tougher, or more 'rock 'n' roll' so to speak. Whether it was that or a coping mechanism with the fatigue the tour was having on him is difficult to say at this stage. I lean towards the former explanation. Taken as a whole, this year is one of his strongest with bad nights being few and far between.
1995: This was the year Liam really came into his own as a singer and frontman and it is arguably his best year as he showed greater confidence and pitch control when attacking songs. He adopted Motorhead singer Lemmy’s school of belting where one would crane their neck upwards into the mic and howl with full intensity. He would use this technique to carry his chest voice all the way up to A4. The bravado and energy he injected into the songs recalled that of John Lydon’s anarchist sneer and remained palpable with every note.
His voice remained strong and open throughout the entirety of the year, though the sound did change gradually as he added more and more distortion to his vocals leading to a tougher rock ‘n’ roll sound. In this vein, falsetto had to go, because in the words of Mr Gallagher - ‘falsetto is gay’. Many would agree this was his peak year, both live and certainly in the studio. The Earls' Court gigs are probably the best vocals he has done for a full length live show ever. The only minor blight is perhaps that he started handing off vocal duties to brother Noel – all falsetto, as well as the sustained E4s in the refrain of ‘Morning Glory’ after the first 4 performances of the song. The number of parts handed to Noel would increase as Liam’s voice declined.
1996: The Liamisms that had been developed over the course of 1995 became the mainstay of the second half of the morning glory tour. It is generally considered one of Liam’s best years, particularly during the spring, with many even claiming the Maine Road gigs to feature his best live vocals. However, signs of fatigue were starting to show, and the wear and tear of touring and the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle were beginning to set in – with his voice giving up in 'Live Forever' as early as January, 3 months before the Maine Road gigs. Other examples of this include the appearance at the Electric Ballroom in London with Ocean Colour Scene just after Maine Road, where his voice was so raspy it almost sounded like it was from 2002, and then his avoidance of the MTV unplugged gig late August following their victory lap round the UK playing at venues such as Knebworth and Loch Lomond citing a 'sore throat'.
During the second half of the year he seemed to force as much rasp and sneer as possible into this performances, leading to an overtly nasal vocal delivery that would see him through to the end of the year. Increasing amounts of vocal duties were handed off to Noel as the Morning Glory tour progressed, with Noel now singing the ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ shouts during the coda of “Columbia”. Regardless of one’s taste for timbre and delivery, one thing is for sure - drunk Liam in 1996, sounds worse than methodone infused Liam in 1994. With all that said, he still sounded great in the latter half of 1996, with the 'blistering A4s' in My Big Mouth being a particular stand out. He also was able to reach the G#4 in 'Listen Up' better at this time than during 1994 and so, even though the quality of his voice was not as good, he was still hitting the pitches better than during the Definitely Maybe tour for the most part. The Loch Lomond also features an almost pitch perfect chorus of "Some Might Say", second only to the official recorded version. From a technical stand point, he had mastered his vocal style at this point in time.
1997-1999: 1997 is considered by many to be the last of his prime years. The year started at the Irvine Ampitheatre much like late 1996 with a high degree of nasality in combination with a little added rasp, that could also be heard in his studio performances pre tour. By mid september he was sounding noticeably tired and developed a bad habit of shouting/screaming almost every high note, particularly those from their third album such as "Be Here Now" which led to some absolutely wild, vocal shredding, performances. Where as in 1995/1996 it was used as an artistic flair to add exuberance to phrases, in 1997 it was a sign of either the drugs being taken, or the damage touring was having on his voice with shouting being used to continue reaching the required high notes. Be Here Now features the highest percentage of notes F#4 and above in the entire Oasis catalogue. It is one thing for the songs to be high, but another entirely to have to sing said songs for 2 hours night after night. The extended notes in songs like 'Wonderwall' were cut short and vomited out also in a gruff almost distinterested manner. This led performances to being a bit disjointed, sometimes overly aggressive, other times laxodasical. In general, this year was absolutely wild and took a huge toll on the vitality of his voice. If I had to say when his prime ended, I would say some time in September prior to his 25th birthday. In 1998 his voice was on shaky grounds. The first gig of the year was abandonded early after Liam's voice gave out twice, once on "Some Might Say" and again on "Fade In-Out". Some strong performances were found there-after January but his voice was in tatters come their visit to Japan, prone to voice breaks and in need of a rest. That rest would come in the form of 1999 where they would play a grand total of 4 shows all in North America with a whopping 4 song setlist. The vocals here recalled the power and presence of his glory years but with a noticeable rasp. This year marked his transition into the ‘rattlesnake era' as coined by youtuber Fakest Radio.
2000-2001: The year 2000 was kicked off to a strong start with standout performances being conducted in the Maida Vale studio and later with Jool’s Holland. However, the latter performance is notable because it has perhaps Liam's most infamous voice cracks in 'Some Might Say' which causes him to improvise the chorus melody the second time round. The song would be performed by Oasis for the last time in its original key a few gigs later in Japan, barring a peculiar appearance in early 2001 in Las Vegas. The explosive high notes were no longer possible to sustain. Songs with high notes reaching above G4 had been abandoned gradually as time went on but with the loss of setlist mainstay 'Some Might Say', a change in the wind was coming. Liam’s voice was noticeably deeper than in the 90s and some speculate this was the year the effects of his Hashimoto disease, an autoimmune disorder that can have a profoundly detrimental effect on your vocal chords, began to set in.
His voice would be hit and miss throughout the year both within individual performances and between gigs with problems presenting as early as the third gig of the tour in Fukuoka Japan - one of his worst performances in the year. This gig was then followed 2 days later by the universally praised Yokohama gig featuring arguably the best versions of “Stand By Me” and “Wonderwall” to date. His voice held up in the main until their biggest gigs of the year in Wembley, then much like in the Be Here Now era, gave in to hoarseness for the duration of 2001. The only exception to this were the gigs situated after long tour breaks like Rock In Rio which gave his voice time to rest. "Slide Away" re-entered the setlist this year but unlike in 1996 there were no G4s to be found, with Liam singing the 'slide away' vocal line in the coda as opposed to the ‘take me there’ part as he had done previously. Brother Noel would take on this part for the rest of the band’s lifetime.
2002-2004: 2002 saw Liam’s voice at its absolute raspiest, truly embodying the rattlesnake moniker. Some say this was his vocal peak and there is a strong argument to be made if you look at stellar performances in the early parts of the year such as the performance at Stadio del Tennis di Roma in Italy, if you have a fondness for this gritty strained style. However, regardless of the level of vocal rasp one prefers, bad nights were frequent and anything above G4 was all but inaccessable, with "Some Might Say" being a struggle even when played in C♯3 - thereby indicating a definite loss of range. And it was, sadly, all downhill as the year came to a close, when Kermit started to rear his ugly green head. November 30th is significant because marks the fight with Italian gangsters in a Munich hotel where Liam lost his upper central incisors. Some speculate this to be the cause of the Kermit voice. Whether that is the case or not, Liam’s voice was about to irreversibly change, and all for the worst. Little happened gigwise in 2003 however, the contrast with 2002 is remarkable. His voice was even raspier than 2002 and his high notes readily showcased our little green friend. This was probably his worst year so far. 2004 was unremarkable featuring only 2 gigs. His voice was well rested but still suffered mishaps such as the performance of "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" at Glastonbury as well as the missed the high note on ‘My Generation’.
2005-2007: The year started strong with Liam adopting a noticeably different lighter and more nasal approach to singing, best showcased by the in-studio performances of 'Wonderwall' in the early parts of the year or even on that year's record with "Let There be Love". There was rasp this year, but it wasn’t overpowering like in 2002/03. He started to cut phrases short and run out of breath, a noticeable example being the verses of ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ as well as slur words. However, his voice was still in decent shape and giving good performances such as the massive US show in Madison Square Garden in June (whoever said Oasis didn't have fame in the USA?). However, crica July he fatigued from shouting recklessly, much like in the years 1997 and 2000, and Kermit took over completely moving into 2006.
In 2006, every song was an uphill battle with two broken legs and you’re not quite sure whether to laugh or cry. Words were slurred to incomprehensible degrees; notes were missed more often than hit and the entire affair just sounded like a man in pain. He would unhealthily shout at the end of phrases almost to inject some kind of articial energy that was lost from his voice. It was diabolical, and the lowest moment of his career by far. In 2007, Oasis only performed at the Brit Awards. Here he was a very shouty version of how he was in early 2005 and although it was an improvement over 2006, that is hardly saying much.
2008-2009: His voice thinned considerably in 2008 and he developed the frustrating and unsatisfying habit if pulling away from the mic at the end of every single phrase. He was able to hold a tune at the start of the year with these concessions but his wavered at the Wembley concerts that year and things took a nosedive in 2009, where he was barking through most songs without any kind of sustain. Although 2006 performances are comically bad, there was still a raspy intensity to it. 2009 did not even have that. His voice this year was a whimpering shell of its former self. Tensions were high in the band, and this was evidently reflected in their live performances. The end was nigh.
2011-2014: Liam Gallagher performed with Beady Eye from the years 2011-2014 and not much changed. The rasp and Kermit was gone but his voice was instead dominated by nasality, the performance of 'Wonderwall' at the 2012 London Olympics being an excellent showcase. His voice was up and down throughout this time period, with standout performances being few and far between. His voice was just too thin to muster any kind of brilliance or to do justice to the Oasis songs of old. Surprisingly though, he still demonstrated ability to hit the Bb4 high note in 'My Generation' at the back end of 2014 post Beady Eye, even if not as well as at the turn of the millennium.
2017-2023: Beady Eye was considered by most accounts an unsuccessful venture and so after their split in 2014, Liam decided to go solo in 2017. The 2-year break from touring gave him time to recover his voice enabling him to give his best in studio vocals since SOTSOG. His solo career would be characterised by two voices. In the studio, he would use a quieter and lighter mix to reach high notes while live, he would revert to the approach of old and sings with large amount of rasp and pulls his chest voice up on high notes. His solo discography features the most notes G4 and higher since Be Here Now which makes live performances a self-inflicted struggle. He lost the vitality in his voice to pull his chest up to these notes at the turn of the millennium and I suspect that his refusal to adopt a new approach is because of his desire to continue giving fans the sound they became accustomed to in the Oasis days, even if that means burning out his voice on the backend of tours same as always. He also has had to make several concessions to continue using this style, namely, all but abandoning sustained notes and singing with pronounced nasality.
His voice is probably in the best shape it has been since early 2005 and certainly the most consistent it has ever been with the only major blight being 2020 when his voice burned out following two long tours. He seems to take better care of his voice off the stage these days as well by laying off the cigarettes and alcohol which helps, however, the note selection in his songs is leading to less than stellar live performances and a change in approach will be necessary to truly harken back to the Oasis glory days.
1991-1993: At the age of 19 Liam Gallagher’s approach to vocals was very much an imitation of his inspiration Ian Brown. The songs written by Liam and founding bandmate Paul Arthurs (Bonehead) tended to peak at E4 and mostly featured Brownesque drawling in his lower range, the demo of ‘Alice’ being a prime example. In 1992, Oasis became close friends with Liverpool band the Real People who had a hand in coaching Liam to sing and help him develop his own voice. The impact on his voice can be heard as early as the footage of the band’s rehearsal of ‘All Around the World’ in 1993. Liam is seen projecting his voice with more power and clarity than what could be heard in 1991 and more than any other time in his career. Rhythm guitarist Bonehead's partner described Liam as a 'nightingale' the first time she heard him, and when listening to the soaring high notes of "Cigarettes & Alcohol", it is easy to see why. He had not yet developed all the ‘Liamisms’ that would come to be the life and death of his voice, but the foundations were set and the makings of a confident singer full of attitude was there for all (and Alan McGee) to see as early as 1993 at King Tut’s Wah-Wah Hut. The way was up.
1994: This year marked Oasis’ sprint to stardom and saw Liam come into his own as a vocalist. In some ways it stands in stark contrast to the rest of his career. His voice was crystal clear with minimal distortion, he held the microphone with both hands and would flip into falsetto, that was stronger than Noel's even today, on an ad hoc basis. It was also a time where he was the sole singer of the band, with brother Noel not even being given a microphone. The band’s first professionally recorded performance at the Gleneagles Hotel in February 6th 1994 is cited by many as the real Oasis experience, featuring Tony McCarroll on the drums, Bonehead with a full head of hair and a Liam unencumbered by excessively long tours. The vocals were a little rough around the edges, particularly on high notes and with regards to pitch at times but this early spring period from the Gleneagles concert to the Lomax concert in April stand in contrast to the rest of his career. The characteristic elongation of vowels was an early edition to his repertoire (as early as the Maida Vale sessions in December 1993 in fact) but other trade mark features would present as ’94 marched on. Liam is commonly classified as a baritone but the clear high notes around this time sound very tenor in colour. From the gigs we have available, it seems that from the Lomax gig onwards, he started having noticable cracks/roughness when reaching for top notes especially when compared to earlier performances. He would also drop the falsetto parts on "Up in the Sky" and "Live Forever" from time to time which led to some awkward silences given that Noel had not been given a microphone on stage yet. I speculate this to be from tour fatigue, because the rough nights would be contrasted with the likes of the Astoria Theatre gig in London August 18th where he demonstrated the ability to cleanly get on top of high notes without excessive strain and still possessed the childlike tone that characterised early 1994. This tone would disappear after the Borderline gig performed for the "Cigarettes & Alcohol" video shoot. The Netherlands Lowlands Festival is significant in that is marks the last time he would use flasetto in a live setting (barring an abandoned attempt in 1995 and three isolated incidences in 2002, 2005 versions of "Love like a Bomb" and 2007) and is the gig where he adopted his iconic stance that would see him through the rest of his career.
Greater amounts of distortion started to creep into his voice following this change together with increasing strain that created some lacklustre performances in in latter half of the year, particularly in Japan. The months of September and October seemed to be a sort of transition period, where he moved into the aggressive style that would characterise the remainder of his career. Like mid 1994 he would have on and off nights but the delivery and timbre at the year's end was very different to the vocals heard at the start of the year which lends credence to the notion that the increased distortion in his voice was a conscious decision on Liam's part to make his voice sound tougher, or more 'rock 'n' roll' so to speak. Whether it was that or a coping mechanism with the fatigue the tour was having on him is difficult to say at this stage. I lean towards the former explanation. Taken as a whole, this year is one of his strongest with bad nights being few and far between.
1995: This was the year Liam really came into his own as a singer and frontman and it is arguably his best year as he showed greater confidence and pitch control when attacking songs. He adopted Motorhead singer Lemmy’s school of belting where one would crane their neck upwards into the mic and howl with full intensity. He would use this technique to carry his chest voice all the way up to A4. The bravado and energy he injected into the songs recalled that of John Lydon’s anarchist sneer and remained palpable with every note.
His voice remained strong and open throughout the entirety of the year, though the sound did change gradually as he added more and more distortion to his vocals leading to a tougher rock ‘n’ roll sound. In this vein, falsetto had to go, because in the words of Mr Gallagher - ‘falsetto is gay’. Many would agree this was his peak year, both live and certainly in the studio. The Earls' Court gigs are probably the best vocals he has done for a full length live show ever. The only minor blight is perhaps that he started handing off vocal duties to brother Noel – all falsetto, as well as the sustained E4s in the refrain of ‘Morning Glory’ after the first 4 performances of the song. The number of parts handed to Noel would increase as Liam’s voice declined.
1996: The Liamisms that had been developed over the course of 1995 became the mainstay of the second half of the morning glory tour. It is generally considered one of Liam’s best years, particularly during the spring, with many even claiming the Maine Road gigs to feature his best live vocals. However, signs of fatigue were starting to show, and the wear and tear of touring and the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle were beginning to set in – with his voice giving up in 'Live Forever' as early as January, 3 months before the Maine Road gigs. Other examples of this include the appearance at the Electric Ballroom in London with Ocean Colour Scene just after Maine Road, where his voice was so raspy it almost sounded like it was from 2002, and then his avoidance of the MTV unplugged gig late August following their victory lap round the UK playing at venues such as Knebworth and Loch Lomond citing a 'sore throat'.
During the second half of the year he seemed to force as much rasp and sneer as possible into this performances, leading to an overtly nasal vocal delivery that would see him through to the end of the year. Increasing amounts of vocal duties were handed off to Noel as the Morning Glory tour progressed, with Noel now singing the ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ shouts during the coda of “Columbia”. Regardless of one’s taste for timbre and delivery, one thing is for sure - drunk Liam in 1996, sounds worse than methodone infused Liam in 1994. With all that said, he still sounded great in the latter half of 1996, with the 'blistering A4s' in My Big Mouth being a particular stand out. He also was able to reach the G#4 in 'Listen Up' better at this time than during 1994 and so, even though the quality of his voice was not as good, he was still hitting the pitches better than during the Definitely Maybe tour for the most part. The Loch Lomond also features an almost pitch perfect chorus of "Some Might Say", second only to the official recorded version. From a technical stand point, he had mastered his vocal style at this point in time.
1997-1999: 1997 is considered by many to be the last of his prime years. The year started at the Irvine Ampitheatre much like late 1996 with a high degree of nasality in combination with a little added rasp, that could also be heard in his studio performances pre tour. By mid september he was sounding noticeably tired and developed a bad habit of shouting/screaming almost every high note, particularly those from their third album such as "Be Here Now" which led to some absolutely wild, vocal shredding, performances. Where as in 1995/1996 it was used as an artistic flair to add exuberance to phrases, in 1997 it was a sign of either the drugs being taken, or the damage touring was having on his voice with shouting being used to continue reaching the required high notes. Be Here Now features the highest percentage of notes F#4 and above in the entire Oasis catalogue. It is one thing for the songs to be high, but another entirely to have to sing said songs for 2 hours night after night. The extended notes in songs like 'Wonderwall' were cut short and vomited out also in a gruff almost distinterested manner. This led performances to being a bit disjointed, sometimes overly aggressive, other times laxodasical. In general, this year was absolutely wild and took a huge toll on the vitality of his voice. If I had to say when his prime ended, I would say some time in September prior to his 25th birthday. In 1998 his voice was on shaky grounds. The first gig of the year was abandonded early after Liam's voice gave out twice, once on "Some Might Say" and again on "Fade In-Out". Some strong performances were found there-after January but his voice was in tatters come their visit to Japan, prone to voice breaks and in need of a rest. That rest would come in the form of 1999 where they would play a grand total of 4 shows all in North America with a whopping 4 song setlist. The vocals here recalled the power and presence of his glory years but with a noticeable rasp. This year marked his transition into the ‘rattlesnake era' as coined by youtuber Fakest Radio.
2000-2001: The year 2000 was kicked off to a strong start with standout performances being conducted in the Maida Vale studio and later with Jool’s Holland. However, the latter performance is notable because it has perhaps Liam's most infamous voice cracks in 'Some Might Say' which causes him to improvise the chorus melody the second time round. The song would be performed by Oasis for the last time in its original key a few gigs later in Japan, barring a peculiar appearance in early 2001 in Las Vegas. The explosive high notes were no longer possible to sustain. Songs with high notes reaching above G4 had been abandoned gradually as time went on but with the loss of setlist mainstay 'Some Might Say', a change in the wind was coming. Liam’s voice was noticeably deeper than in the 90s and some speculate this was the year the effects of his Hashimoto disease, an autoimmune disorder that can have a profoundly detrimental effect on your vocal chords, began to set in.
His voice would be hit and miss throughout the year both within individual performances and between gigs with problems presenting as early as the third gig of the tour in Fukuoka Japan - one of his worst performances in the year. This gig was then followed 2 days later by the universally praised Yokohama gig featuring arguably the best versions of “Stand By Me” and “Wonderwall” to date. His voice held up in the main until their biggest gigs of the year in Wembley, then much like in the Be Here Now era, gave in to hoarseness for the duration of 2001. The only exception to this were the gigs situated after long tour breaks like Rock In Rio which gave his voice time to rest. "Slide Away" re-entered the setlist this year but unlike in 1996 there were no G4s to be found, with Liam singing the 'slide away' vocal line in the coda as opposed to the ‘take me there’ part as he had done previously. Brother Noel would take on this part for the rest of the band’s lifetime.
2002-2004: 2002 saw Liam’s voice at its absolute raspiest, truly embodying the rattlesnake moniker. Some say this was his vocal peak and there is a strong argument to be made if you look at stellar performances in the early parts of the year such as the performance at Stadio del Tennis di Roma in Italy, if you have a fondness for this gritty strained style. However, regardless of the level of vocal rasp one prefers, bad nights were frequent and anything above G4 was all but inaccessable, with "Some Might Say" being a struggle even when played in C♯3 - thereby indicating a definite loss of range. And it was, sadly, all downhill as the year came to a close, when Kermit started to rear his ugly green head. November 30th is significant because marks the fight with Italian gangsters in a Munich hotel where Liam lost his upper central incisors. Some speculate this to be the cause of the Kermit voice. Whether that is the case or not, Liam’s voice was about to irreversibly change, and all for the worst. Little happened gigwise in 2003 however, the contrast with 2002 is remarkable. His voice was even raspier than 2002 and his high notes readily showcased our little green friend. This was probably his worst year so far. 2004 was unremarkable featuring only 2 gigs. His voice was well rested but still suffered mishaps such as the performance of "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" at Glastonbury as well as the missed the high note on ‘My Generation’.
2005-2007: The year started strong with Liam adopting a noticeably different lighter and more nasal approach to singing, best showcased by the in-studio performances of 'Wonderwall' in the early parts of the year or even on that year's record with "Let There be Love". There was rasp this year, but it wasn’t overpowering like in 2002/03. He started to cut phrases short and run out of breath, a noticeable example being the verses of ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ as well as slur words. However, his voice was still in decent shape and giving good performances such as the massive US show in Madison Square Garden in June (whoever said Oasis didn't have fame in the USA?). However, crica July he fatigued from shouting recklessly, much like in the years 1997 and 2000, and Kermit took over completely moving into 2006.
In 2006, every song was an uphill battle with two broken legs and you’re not quite sure whether to laugh or cry. Words were slurred to incomprehensible degrees; notes were missed more often than hit and the entire affair just sounded like a man in pain. He would unhealthily shout at the end of phrases almost to inject some kind of articial energy that was lost from his voice. It was diabolical, and the lowest moment of his career by far. In 2007, Oasis only performed at the Brit Awards. Here he was a very shouty version of how he was in early 2005 and although it was an improvement over 2006, that is hardly saying much.
2008-2009: His voice thinned considerably in 2008 and he developed the frustrating and unsatisfying habit if pulling away from the mic at the end of every single phrase. He was able to hold a tune at the start of the year with these concessions but his wavered at the Wembley concerts that year and things took a nosedive in 2009, where he was barking through most songs without any kind of sustain. Although 2006 performances are comically bad, there was still a raspy intensity to it. 2009 did not even have that. His voice this year was a whimpering shell of its former self. Tensions were high in the band, and this was evidently reflected in their live performances. The end was nigh.
2011-2014: Liam Gallagher performed with Beady Eye from the years 2011-2014 and not much changed. The rasp and Kermit was gone but his voice was instead dominated by nasality, the performance of 'Wonderwall' at the 2012 London Olympics being an excellent showcase. His voice was up and down throughout this time period, with standout performances being few and far between. His voice was just too thin to muster any kind of brilliance or to do justice to the Oasis songs of old. Surprisingly though, he still demonstrated ability to hit the Bb4 high note in 'My Generation' at the back end of 2014 post Beady Eye, even if not as well as at the turn of the millennium.
2017-2023: Beady Eye was considered by most accounts an unsuccessful venture and so after their split in 2014, Liam decided to go solo in 2017. The 2-year break from touring gave him time to recover his voice enabling him to give his best in studio vocals since SOTSOG. His solo career would be characterised by two voices. In the studio, he would use a quieter and lighter mix to reach high notes while live, he would revert to the approach of old and sings with large amount of rasp and pulls his chest voice up on high notes. His solo discography features the most notes G4 and higher since Be Here Now which makes live performances a self-inflicted struggle. He lost the vitality in his voice to pull his chest up to these notes at the turn of the millennium and I suspect that his refusal to adopt a new approach is because of his desire to continue giving fans the sound they became accustomed to in the Oasis days, even if that means burning out his voice on the backend of tours same as always. He also has had to make several concessions to continue using this style, namely, all but abandoning sustained notes and singing with pronounced nasality.
His voice is probably in the best shape it has been since early 2005 and certainly the most consistent it has ever been with the only major blight being 2020 when his voice burned out following two long tours. He seems to take better care of his voice off the stage these days as well by laying off the cigarettes and alcohol which helps, however, the note selection in his songs is leading to less than stellar live performances and a change in approach will be necessary to truly harken back to the Oasis glory days.
{Vocal Timeline "Cigarettes & Alcohol"} For an auditory representation of how his voice has changed over the past 30 + years he has performed I have linked a version of “Cigarettes & Alcohol” for every year of his career. As is apparent by now, his voice changed with the seasons and so to avoid link overload, I have generally tried to select versions of the song from the biggest/most iconic concert from each year. These are not meant to be the greatest performances - they are meant to be representative.
• 1993: “BBC Radio 1 Evening Session”
• 1994 “Live Gleneagles Hotel”
• 1995 “Earl’s Court”
• 1996 “Maine Road”
• 1997 “GMEX”
• 1998 “Budokan”
• 1999 “Cobo Hall, Detroit”
• 2000 “Wembley”
• 2001 “Tweet Centre”
• 2002 “T in the Park”
• 2003 “Arena Treptow”
• 2004 “Glastonbury”
• 2005 “Manchester Stadium”
• 2006 “Hot Festival, Buenos Aires”
• 2007 “BRIT Awards”
• 2008 “Wembley”
• 2009 “River Plate Stadium”
• 2013 “Olympia Theatre“
• 2014 “Enmore Theatre”
• 2017 “BBC Radio 2”
• 2018 “VO5 NME Awards”
• 2019 “Manchester Ritz“
• 2020 “Down by the Thames“
• 2021 “TRNSMT“
• 2022 “Knebworth”
• 1993: “BBC Radio 1 Evening Session”
• 1994 “Live Gleneagles Hotel”
• 1995 “Earl’s Court”
• 1996 “Maine Road”
• 1997 “GMEX”
• 1998 “Budokan”
• 1999 “Cobo Hall, Detroit”
• 2000 “Wembley”
• 2001 “Tweet Centre”
• 2002 “T in the Park”
• 2003 “Arena Treptow”
• 2004 “Glastonbury”
• 2005 “Manchester Stadium”
• 2006 “Hot Festival, Buenos Aires”
• 2007 “BRIT Awards”
• 2008 “Wembley”
• 2009 “River Plate Stadium”
• 2013 “Olympia Theatre“
• 2014 “Enmore Theatre”
• 2017 “BBC Radio 2”
• 2018 “VO5 NME Awards”
• 2019 “Manchester Ritz“
• 2020 “Down by the Thames“
• 2021 “TRNSMT“
• 2022 “Knebworth”
{Conclusions}The most important point from this research (particularly the vocal comparison) is that the most significant change in the quality of his voice was over the course of 1994 when his signature sound was developed. It is my belief that he adopted his style initially to overcome the fatigue he was experiencing on tour but then purposely used it as a way to 'toughen' up his voice to make it sound more rock 'n' roll - leaning fully into the approach from late 1994 through to the end of his career.
The timeline on a whole showcases how unsafe, volitile and unsustainable it is given how progressively and drastically his voice has deteriorated in the subsequent years and can be used as a case study in how not to look after your voice. He was frequently singing out with his comfortable range and the band made minimal effort to accomodate for his apparent difficulty in live settings. Problem songs were allowed to persist in the setlist in their original keys for far too long. Liam rarely, apart from "Slide Away" and "Up in the Sky", dodged high notes by changing the melody to one more suitable for his range in live settings and since he refused to do that, the key should have been lowered on songs to take the load of his voice. 1997 is the year such measures should have been implemented as he was becoming reckless in his approach to access higher notes. Lowering the key after the Irvine gig would have avoided the crash in 1998 and perhaps could have halted or at least slowed the continuing decline that reached its zenith (or ultimate trough) in 2006. With regards to self preservation outside of gigs, even when there were large breaks between concerts, he would burn his voice out by partying and drinking which gave it no time to recover properly. Some will cite his Hashimoto's disease as the predominant reason for his vocal decline, however, there were absolutely measures he and the band could have taken to better preserve his voice.
He has reached a state of stability with his solo career, but his voice is a far cry from the glory years of the 90s and he strains to hit the high notes in the choruses in live settings. If I had to say when he "lost" his voice, it would be the year 2000. After Maine Road '96 he sounded either hyper nasal or hoarse from shouting but the quality of his voice was still there - from 2000 onwards it was a different entity all together and he could no longer sing "Some Might Say" or "D'You Know What I Mean?" in their original keys.
The solutions as I see it for his vocal woes are two-fold:
Option 1 – Persist with his life-long approach to singing and drop each song by a tone/semitone so that the high notes peak at F♯4/G4 tops. He has done this with some songs such as "One of Us", "Listen Up", "D'You Know What I Mean?" and "Roll It Over" but it should be applied more radically to every song. Noel was writing songs that were outwith Liam's comfortable range as early as 1994 and it boggles the mind that the band kept up with playing these songs day in an day out for years after difficulties could be heard early on - look no further than the majority of live performances of "Some Might Say" or "Live Forever". A headscratcher still is why Liam's songwriting team continues to write songs with such high choruses. His team needs to go back to the drawing board with regards to keys and realise that these days, lower is better.
Option 2 – Develop a stronger mixed voice to access high notes with less strain, via close work with a vocal coach.
It is unlikely either option will be explored but regardless of any vocal difficulties, Liam is the most popular he has ever been at this moment in time with 3 UK number 1 albums to his name and his status as one of the top headliners of the UK and European festival scenes. He’s not going anywhere, even if his voice does.
The timeline on a whole showcases how unsafe, volitile and unsustainable it is given how progressively and drastically his voice has deteriorated in the subsequent years and can be used as a case study in how not to look after your voice. He was frequently singing out with his comfortable range and the band made minimal effort to accomodate for his apparent difficulty in live settings. Problem songs were allowed to persist in the setlist in their original keys for far too long. Liam rarely, apart from "Slide Away" and "Up in the Sky", dodged high notes by changing the melody to one more suitable for his range in live settings and since he refused to do that, the key should have been lowered on songs to take the load of his voice. 1997 is the year such measures should have been implemented as he was becoming reckless in his approach to access higher notes. Lowering the key after the Irvine gig would have avoided the crash in 1998 and perhaps could have halted or at least slowed the continuing decline that reached its zenith (or ultimate trough) in 2006. With regards to self preservation outside of gigs, even when there were large breaks between concerts, he would burn his voice out by partying and drinking which gave it no time to recover properly. Some will cite his Hashimoto's disease as the predominant reason for his vocal decline, however, there were absolutely measures he and the band could have taken to better preserve his voice.
He has reached a state of stability with his solo career, but his voice is a far cry from the glory years of the 90s and he strains to hit the high notes in the choruses in live settings. If I had to say when he "lost" his voice, it would be the year 2000. After Maine Road '96 he sounded either hyper nasal or hoarse from shouting but the quality of his voice was still there - from 2000 onwards it was a different entity all together and he could no longer sing "Some Might Say" or "D'You Know What I Mean?" in their original keys.
The solutions as I see it for his vocal woes are two-fold:
Option 1 – Persist with his life-long approach to singing and drop each song by a tone/semitone so that the high notes peak at F♯4/G4 tops. He has done this with some songs such as "One of Us", "Listen Up", "D'You Know What I Mean?" and "Roll It Over" but it should be applied more radically to every song. Noel was writing songs that were outwith Liam's comfortable range as early as 1994 and it boggles the mind that the band kept up with playing these songs day in an day out for years after difficulties could be heard early on - look no further than the majority of live performances of "Some Might Say" or "Live Forever". A headscratcher still is why Liam's songwriting team continues to write songs with such high choruses. His team needs to go back to the drawing board with regards to keys and realise that these days, lower is better.
Option 2 – Develop a stronger mixed voice to access high notes with less strain, via close work with a vocal coach.
It is unlikely either option will be explored but regardless of any vocal difficulties, Liam is the most popular he has ever been at this moment in time with 3 UK number 1 albums to his name and his status as one of the top headliners of the UK and European festival scenes. He’s not going anywhere, even if his voice does.
{Tessitura}
- B2 - F♯4
