“Liam Gallagher John Squire.”

“There should be a lot more music by John Squire out in the world.”

For every 10 crazy things that Liam Gallagher says, you can count on one or two undeniable clear-eyed truth bombs. It’s been seven long years since the Stone Roses reunion sputtered to an awkward close. Had John Squire hung up his Stratocaster for good? Then in 2022, the Oasis ex-frontman coaxed Squire to come out of hiding and join him on stage for a requisite exquisite rundown of “Champagne Supernova.” The collaboration inspired Squire to go full Nick Fury and put a team together, sending a few tracks to Gallagher here and there that eventually became an album’s worth of material.

The surprise is that Liam Gallagher John Squire exists at all. But that’s where the surprises end. The giveaway is right there in the name of the album. It is what it is and that’s the point. While brother Noel has been more experimental and exploratory with his High Flying Birds, Liam has built a solid solo career on giving the people exactly what they want. In this case “the people” are Stone Roses and Oasis fans. 

Album opener “Raise Your Hands” is a stomping arena-ready Britpop banger complete with audience instructions embedded right in the chorus.

“Raise your hands/ We’re alive,” Gallagher sings in defiance of the uncertainty and disappointment of everyday life. It’s the sort of all-together-now celebration of melancholy in which the Roses, Oasis and countless other Manchester bands specialize. By the time the “nah-nah-nah-naaaah’s” arrive after the first of two (!) guitar solos, the charm is irresistible. If you’re not already wearing your bucket hat and getting your parka out of storage, it’s only a matter of time.

The next two songs provide further proof of Gallagher’s thesis: The world most certainly needed more John Squire. “Mars To Liverpool” ramps down the guitar heroics ever so slightly, avoiding the excess that was so problematic on the Roses’ Second Coming and his post-Roses Seahorses project. It’s a showcase of hooks and melody where you find yourself singing along by the second chorus, as if you’ve known it all your life.

“One Day At a Time” wouldn’t be out of place on side two of What’s The Story Morning Glory. It’s glides along at mid-tempo, with some great dynamics in the chorus where the band all but drops out to showcase Gallagher’s voice.

That voice has aged to a prime stage where there’s a new depth and richness to it, but it’s still unmistakably Liam Gallagher. The maturity in his vocals serve the songs well, despite Squire’s occasionally juvenile lyrics. Liam Gallagher singing “Thank you for your thoughts and prayers/ And fuck you too” in 1994 would have been a perfect fit. But 2024 Liam is too old for that. Hearing him sing “You should’ve fucked me when you had the chance” is embarrassing.

“Just Another Rainbow” both accents and transcends John Squire and Liam Gallagher’s strengths. The swirling psychedelia harkens back to the Stone Roses perfect debut album, like a slightly edgy cousin to “Waterfall.” At some point during Squire’s thrilling two-minute guitar solo, it might occur to you that despite the enormous influence on music the guys had, no one really makes music like this anymore. Need some more 1994 in your 2024? Yes please.

Much of that nostalgia works as designed. The Stone Roses and Oasis were instrumental in creating The ’90s as we know them, after all. But it’s also fair to look back in anger at how both bands colossally blew it from time to time. There are echoes of that familiar disappointment sprinkled around the album.

“Love You Forever” and “You’re Not The Only One” plod along over classic rock grooves and predictable chord progressions that evoke some of the more frustrating moments of Second Coming. “I’m A Wheel” kicks off in a blues dirge that breaks character for a moment with a fantastic chorus before meandering back through a dull Clapton-esque sludge.

Despite those missteps, this teamup is an endeavor worthy of continuing. The closing track, “Mother Nature’s Son” has an acoustic George-Harrison-like pastoral beauty to it. It drips with honey more than vinegar and provides a quick glimpse of Liam Gallagher and John Squire making music outside of the shadow of their legacies. If things don’t implode in hotel room fisticuffs, there is much territory left to explore. Wouldn’t that be a surprise?

Follow Skott Bennett at Twitter.com/skottbennett.