He lost his voice live in the mid 2000’s bit recently he’s started clawing it back. It’ll never be mid 90’s level but he’s pretty decent live at the moment
Surprised nobody has pointed this out in the comments but the Liam style - both in terms of the full-throated delivery and the looking-up-at-the-mic stance was previously used by Lemmy. Look at any live Motorhead performance from the 70s right up until Lemmy's death and he's doing it. I've never heard Liam express any fondness for the band but the Ace Of Spades video would have been everywhere when Liam was a kid so I'd be amazed if he didn't see it and recalled it when he was looking for a similarly aggressive vocal style.
But they sounded nothing alike. Liam did sound like Johnny Rotten tho, the way he really carefully and exagerateldly pronounces each syllable and sub-syllable
His singing teacher taught him that, and he spoke of it several times in interviews. It helps with power & control as you have pointed out. By putting your arms behind you, your chest & lungs actually expand wider, now able to hold a little bit more air for power vocals.
anyone doubting the effects of smoking/drinking/drugging to your voice; listen to judy garland age 16 then compare to how she sounded 30 yrs later.. she remained a consummate entertainer throughout her life, but by the end she was basically holding her voice together through sheer willpower and scotchtape..
yeah it was good in the 90s and around 2006 his voice was absolutely terrible. In the 2010s and especially during the pandemic, his voice was treated and had time to relax and he's not quite as good as he was in the 90s but his voice has gotten so much better.
Seriously, how do you explain the voice on "All you're dreaming of" in this contest. It is deeper so different, Ok. But it is a return to old form isnt it?
I’m from Brazil and I really love your channel. I’m a big fan of Oasis, especially of Liam Gallagher. I-‘d like tô ask you to tell us the story about Liam Gallagher and Nicole Appleton, the way you told us of Liam and Patsy! Congrats! You’re amazing!
Great video! I'm greatful that Liam gave us his all back in the 90s. Nothing better than Liam belting out songs like he did. I also like all the stages his voice went through, except like 03-06. It's a different sound for each era
when you sang Live Forever in Liam style I've got a goosebumps. That's fucking mega, you're very cool! Thanks for video and respect from Russia Britpop is great
As someone said, Noel over estimated the importance of the music. Liams contribution was overlooked. Look at Jimmy Pages genius on guitar has gone no where since 1980, but Robert Plant has just worked ever since. When did you last hear a new Jimmy Page riff??
Ashcrofts got Soul in his vocals! I mean History's to Slide Aways vocals Wow! He's Class live Catching The Butterfly faded version n This Is Music Haigh Hall. Legend
Thank you as ever James! I'm really enjoying Liam’s recent stuff, and I hope he continues to adapt as he can. It's so great to have your research, helps to dispell the idea that Liam only ever walked off because he was "lazy" or a diva or something. The wear and tear was real. It gives me great joy to see him much recovered and still making music for us.
Great video, thanks James. A few points I would add: - I remember in the late 90s, a vocal coach said in the press that if Liam didn't look after his voice, due to his singing style, his voice would be pretty much finished within a few years - I went to one of the many gigs over the years where Liam walked off stage due to his voice giving up. One of these was whilst on holiday in Florida in 2002, I saw Oasis live at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater. I think Liam lasted two songs before his voice packing in during Some Might Say. Noel sung the rest of the gig. - Despite Liam's voice not being what it was (whose voice is well into their 40s??), I love the fact he gave it everything during their peak period. I will leave you with this video - it sums up the strain, the power and the beauty. How on earth this didn't feature on the recorded version I'll never know: ua-cam.com/video/goDyCMusV7E/v-deo.html - FINALLY, shout out to Maxi Gonzalez (follow him for all sort of Oasis gems), who has taken the Liam vocals for Step Out and added them to an instrumental. Wow. ua-cam.com/video/gVqqpr_wEWM/v-deo.html
Really good work man! I'm going to Manchester for the first time in July, and you videos are helping reignite my passion for Oasis. Thanks and keep up the good work!
He says on the Def Maybe 10th Anniversary dvd that he stood like he did because it helped him to drag more power out of his voice. We’re glad he did though ❤️
Quite literally had a similar problem recently, a week out from a show, I'd been to a party where loads of people were crammed into a fairly small apartment, and the volume levels were insane, with people talking and shouting over each other. I had to do the same thing, and the party lasted a good 12 hours. It was only that night, and certainly the morning after where I truly realized the issue at hand. My entire midrange was gone, only low baritone and high squeals could come out, which was a huge anxiety-starter. I rested my voice that entire week with almost no talking and certainly no singing, and I made it to the show, but even then my voice wasn't 100% yet. It's jarring to imagine how his voice must've felt most of the time, especially as he aged and the damage became clearer. Good job he's treating it better these days now though.
Just watched your video. Love the way you stay humble while still giving plenty of worthy informations. Thanks for this, your voice (talking and singing) is pleasant to hear.
Liam's voice is naturally a light tenor. Usually a voice like his, which is not very common, Is utilized more and best suited to pop music. You can hear in the early Oasis demos that he used a decent bit of falsetto and had a pretty soft onset. I think he pushed his voice a bit to get more of a gritty sound. Word to the wise, tenors... do NOT SMOKE. Your voice doesn't like it and it will leave you if you fuck around with it. Baritones can get away with it for longer without detriment... but they end up paying for it too. It just seems booze, drugs, and smoke, will prematurely knock off a lighter voice first. Liam ended up paying the piper for his " rock and roll" lifestyle. It cost him his instrument. It seems that recently he has got the message and has begun to look after himself more, and it shows in his performances. He is one of the best voices of the 90s, and front men of any Era, and I hope he keeps at it.
This is the thing I always find so bizarre about when people review Liam’s style or technique. His style did not have any real technique to it, it’s just a combination of his accent and his personality. Obviously it didn’t benefit to gig playing night after night in the later years but the sound he managed to achieve on Definitely Maybe is just incredible, one of kind.
I hear ya but when I listen to stand by me I for the life of me can't find out how he sings the line "I've gotta lotta things to learn" especially how his voice does that almost distortion thing when he sings learn.
LIAM HAS HASHIMOTO'S WITH SORE THROATS! Doesn't everyone know Liam has Hashimoto's? It causes many problems including terrible sore throats. But definitely affects VOCAL CHORDS causing vocal changes...and can even affect us regular people when we just talk...much less sing. I stay hoarse! My female voice has deepened. Hashimoto's causes fatigue etc...anyway look it up yourself! I admire Liam so much! He works so hard! You can see him sweating onstage within about 5 minutes from the stress on his vocal chords & the other guys are fine. I damaged my vocal chords! My family keeps asking me what is wrong with my voice. Honey helps mine. Singing & speaking more quietly helps a lot! Liam rocks forever with whatever voice. I still love it!
Great video :) Early in 2020 I went to a gig of his in Hamburg, and sadly his voice gave in and it had to be aborted after 4 songs, but that is (apart from covid obviously) the only gig I heard he had to cancel in quite some time. Also I want to add that it sometimes seems like it is hard for LG to sing in his "new" voice with a loud surrounding in some of the live appearances that are on youtube, especially compared with the recording of the unplugged album or snippets such as "Eh la"
Is there anything you can add about the change Liam made from having one hand on the mic and kinda leaning into it like you can see on early footage available on UA-cam? And how did that transition to the stance we all know? Supersonic on The Word shows his hand on the mic, but by Glasto '94, he's in the Liam stance. And when did he stop doing the falsetto on Live Forever? It's there at Glasto '94 but gone by Live by the sea (April?) '95.
for some reason I feel like Lemmy had something similar in terms of stage posture and body geometry that allowed him to infuse his vocal delivery with such wild energy. and he had a similar life-style to boot, from what i can gather. but then, his was never the task of delivering clear melodic lines, so perhaps we can't see the damage done by said lifestyle as clearly
Excellent content as usual! Liam's voice is the reason I started singing and even joined a band, I always wondered how he got that tone I thought that he have some technique etc... The reality as I see is just to sing like this is the last song you're gonna to sing, like you're going to a war. That's incredible!
You fucking nailed it man. That's it. I think it's so incredible how hard he pushed himself. He's like a professional wrestler. He kills himself physically doing this. That's truly believing for you.
Fantastic analysis video. 90's Liam is phenomenal live or in the studio. The 00's were not a great decade for Liam he was clearly struggling almost to the point by the latter part of the decade where he sounded like a different person. However his solo years have seen a huge improvement and particularly now in 2021 where his festival performances recently have been almost as impressive as the 90's just with a richer tone. His Reading festival performance was class I would urge people to check that out if they haven't and the live on the river Thames last year. I personally have seen him live in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2018. 2018 was by far his best performance.
Excellent video, liams stance I always considered natural. I've always found myself doing it when singing but without a mic, there isn't much need to bend the knees but with the mic, I always saw how Liams posture only ever changed when digging deep with those knee bends... I love your work as always!
Yeah, Liam's 92-95 was pristine but I think I preferred his 97-98 voice (think G-mex). Then he kinda lost it but as of lately, he is sounding really good again. Could you make a video on Noel's vocal evolution throughout the years?
Liam’s a baritone who then got Hashimptos disease which squashes the larynx and permanently reduces your vocal range. He always sand from chest voice and reached for high notes. I’m a bass. Then lowest bass with one of those voices so deep I’m like a cinema advert. Since I was 13! Women love my speaking voice. But I love to sing. If I train my voice every day for a month I can shape a nice mixed voice. But two weeks without constant care I’m stuck in chest voice. Kurt Cobain had a higher register and sang naturally with mixed voice with a serious rasp. Noel is a tennor. He can reach higher notes with ease. He has a higher speaking voice and singing voice. He also sings only with his chest voice but being a tennor he can reach moderately high notes. But don’t expect Robert Plant notes. For that you need mixed voice. Sorry Liam has a serious autoimmune disease which changes your vocal range forever. It’s not his fault. Despite the narrative Noel likes to spread.
such a heart-warming conclusion, well said; edit. addition: when u drink, the alcohol often comes up your esophagus and even affect your vocal chords and damage them
Great video James! A little story: I once sang an entire gig as 'Liam' over WhatsApp voice messages just as a joke for my friends. Three songs in and my voice started to hurt, I had to start pulling out early on words just like Liam would do live in the 2000s. This continued to happen on and off until about the tenth song, after that my voice became accustomed to the singing style and became a bit raspier for the remainder of the gig, like a mixture between his 2000 voice and his modern voice but not as deep. I couldn't imagine singing like that for as long as Liam did, I'm amazed he didn't destroy his voice even more than he did. Still, it was good fun to do once!
Cheers Aidan! Ha yeah it's fun to do a bit of Liam singing now and again - but as long as you arent drinking at the same time, and as long as you listen to your body and warm up and warm down - and stop when anything hurts haha Dont want to end up sounding like Marge Simpson
This is a fabulous video, James. You've done a public service to all new singers and put on Liam's early vocal style the equivalent of a public health warning. Vocals are often the least-discussed element of rock music and I think you've made a superb contribution here to opening the whole subject up for discussion. I wonder if, in the spirit of that discussion, I could offer a few remarks based on my own experience of singing in rock and alt rock genres. I sang for years in a tribute to Free and would say that Paul Rodgers's voice is definitely one of the most powerful and expressive rock tenor voices on record. He's got all the clout of Liam but never sings in that head-uptilted posture. If you listen to the first Free album you can tell he hasn't yet fully discovered his head voice. He's singing mostly from his chest, like Liam does. He's also doing a lot of 'closed throat' singing, which gives the gravelly rasp often prized in rock--and taken to a further extreme in metal. The singers of the classic rock era who carried on doing that--Robert Plant, Ian Gillan, Joe Cocker, Roger Daltry, Rod Stewart--all damaged their voices to some degree. Rodgers gradually learned how to shift the force of his breath into his falsetto range and also, to hold himself back when singing live. This is where a second factor, I think, becomes crucial, and that's monitoring. If you can't hear yourself properly, as you know, you tend to oversing and your voice will almost certainly give out. If you're able to arrange the monitoring so you've got plenty of headroom and can increase the monitor volume (in-ear or otherwise) as the gig goes on, you will always know how loud you're singing and can keep some of your fire in reserve. The third thing that can get in the way of this, though, is 'rock n roll' mythology: the belief that you should live hard, not fuss, just get up there and belt it out. If Liam had been required to sing a wider range of notes than in a lot of Oasis songs perhaps he would have found that his posture became a hindrance not a help. James Dean Bradfield sings high and can belt it, but he's got a different range and can use his head voice. He avoids the uptilt. Your video is getting these things into public discussion for just about the first time I've seen. A voice is a really delicate, but very strong, instrument and deserves as at least as much attention as guitars, tone-woods, pick ups, amp valves, cables and pedals. Thank you again. I'd expect this video to do a huge amount of good.
Hi Steve - I think you're right when it comes to the R&R mythology - the whole 'screw any fine detail, I'm just gonna get up there and rock' mentality. Many bands put that on as a bit of a show, just as part of the whole R&R theatre, whereas other musicians (like Liam) actually live it... and cause massive damage to themselves in the process
I remember seeing a video of him performing at the Brit awards or something like that a few years back & was heartbroken because his voice was completely shot. He looked shot. Then, a few years later, he done an ‘unplugged’ style gig in what appeared to be a cathedral with an orchestra behind him & he sounded as good as new ❤️ Going seeing him in Dublin in a few weeks. Can’t wait 😎
Excellent analysis... However, I think there might be one other consideration and, oddly enough, it's a psychological one? It's nerves, or specifically, confidence. In the early days of Oasis, Liam went out there in the full knowledge that he was 'just' the singer. (All the others were technically proficient musicians, but he was just the bloke at the front who sang melody and lyric that he didn't write or compose. He must have been aware of that.) The fact that his brother, with whom he had 'issues', was seen widely as the 'talented' one must have burned him... It's reasonable to suppose that the drinking, the drugs and the 'bolshie' persona were all ways to cope with a base nervousness and insecurity. In order to compensate for this, and, I believe, channeling those feelings of insecurity, this meant that HE HAD TO use his voice as he did in order to 'stamp' his own contribution upon the work and make his input essential. Which he most certainly did! Although his entire public persona was about a confident arrogance, I rather think there was more going on. (He had to PROVE IT every time he went out...) He was never granted the 'easy recognition' that Noel almost immediately, and deservedly, was. As 'just the singer' he needed to give 110% just to keep up with his own band! (His idol was John Lennon, yet he himself didn't write songs or play an instrument... I'm sure that irony was not lost on him...) I think that cost him... The funniest thing is that it's impossible to imagine anybody else singing those Oasis songs! (If Liam decided that his 'voice' and delivery were going to be AS ESSENTIAL to the band's sound as any other element, then HE FUCKING DID!!!) You can hear where Liam 'borrows' from other vocalists he liked, The Beatles/Lennon, obviously, but also John Lydon and even Mark E Smith, but his sound was all his own. Unless you're singing OPERA, singing in a rock band is about much more than singing in tune and hitting the note. (Liam Gallagher intuitively knew that...) And he delivered. xx SF
I dunno yano, personally I think 2000-2002 is my fav era of his voice, that gravel sound you mentioned I love it, heathen Chemistry he sounds absolutely unbelievable… same on sotsog absolutely mega ! I think for me he started sounded off just before dont believe the truth came out … but from 1993-2002 that’s a solid 9 years in my opinion of gold… ok he might have had a sore throat and cancelled a few gigs in the 2000s period but when he was on fire in that era it was next level.. the 2000 Japan gig yokohoma was unreal, and 2002 yoyogi.. both unreal shows… rock in rio 2001 too ! And obviously the 2000 at Wembley, many great gigs in that 2000s era for me !
Richard Ashcroft is a vocalist that seems to get better with age. His current stuff can get strange but his voice is incredible. I don't know if you like The Verve/Richard Ashcroft I would love to hear your opinion.
I don’t blame them, there’s no way around Liam Gallagher’s voice. This dude is *unable* to sing. He genuinely makes Julian Casablancas sound like Roy Orbison.
I'm glad I am not the only one that noticed it. I figured that out a long time ago myself. I am a huge Oasis fan, and I would try to imitate Liam as a kid. The posture was part of the imitation, of course. When I did that imitation, I noticed that it gave me the ability to sing in a completely different way. I never understood the mechanics behind it, but I definitely figured out that his posture served a purpose. That is also why he keeps his arms behind his back. That makes a difference as well.
something I learned playing saxophone that I don't hear singers talking about anything like enough: listen to the sound you're making. sing one note and think really hard about the sound, where it's coming from and how you control it. make it easy for yourself, don't push from the wrong places. if the impetus is from your diaphragm (i.e.: your guts) and you're not locking up your throat/vocal chords/abdominal or chest muscles (there are more ways to do this wrong than to do it right....) your body will do what it needs to to make the sound you're aiming at. you might end up posing like Liam, you might not. it's a personal thing. but the sound is the sound. it takes time to figure it out though, so be patient!
...be ready to sound shit while you're figuring it out, too. if you expect it yo sound good within a short space of time you'll fuck your technique. listen to yourself and be patient, can't stress that enough!
Hell, "Champagne Supernova" is a nearly 8 minute song, with Liam singing for at least 5 minutes of that. Two or three takes of the song is like playing 5 or 6 songs of normal length. That's tough for any singer, trained or not.
Great video. Love this stuff. When I was a teen in the 90's in America, I thought I was in the Twilight Zone - I thought everything about Liam was cool & what I aspired to be. Meanwhile, Liam was so unpopular here - everyone thought he was an ass - and that was the first thing brought up whenever Oasis ever came up (he did self destruct over here post-Knebworth). Anyway, it's cool how all this appreciation of Liam's frontman greatness validates my impression of him back then.
Cheers Eric! Yeah the UK lad culture just didn't translate properly to the States! I remember when I was living there it just seemed odd from the US perspective haha
@@JamesHargreavesGuitar Yeah, I don't think the UK liked Lynyrd Skynyrd too well either. Also, Americans never heard Some Might Say or the best Oasis rockers on the radio, so they saw them as soft rock which did not match Liam's swagger.
In the 90s Liam was supposed to be the hardcore anti social guy and Noel was supposed to be the nice one. I’ve followed Oasis for years and I now feel Liam is actually a nice bloke, albeit a little bit childish and Noel is far more mature but is big headed and arrogant. I feel really sorry for Liam. He had the gift, and he lost it, in front of everyone, and even so, he’s still a legend and will pack out arenas. Even when he couldn’t sing, he was still no1, why? Because he’s Liam Gallagher.
Noel's big headed and arrogant because he wrote the songs and that will be his legacy. Liam took his voice for granted and ruined it. Noel was asked once why songs were done in a particular key and his answer was because Liam has to be able to sing them. The songs were not originally wrote for liams voice so he had to alter the key in the latter years so that they could be performed live because Liam just wouldn't be able to do them in the key that they were originally wrote when Noel was sitting down with his guitar to write a song. He would have wrote it the way he wanted to then changed the key and then when performing them by himself he would sing them in that key aswell for consistency and because that wasn't a problem for him because he can sing much better and has a better vocal range since Liam sadly destroyed his voice. It's sad because it's true 😢
That's similar in a way to what happened to Robert Plant's voice. Sometime between "Led Zeppelin IV" and "Houses of the Holy" his voice deteriorated. This became a major problem for the band as he couldn't deliver the range or power he had previously. Playing live night after night is a major factor as you indicated.
i tried the tied hands behind the back strategy Liam does which he says amplifies his voice and its actually legit! (im not a vocalist) but i just wanted to try it out and it works
the tied hands behind the back is an important aspect i dont think you put enough emphasis on, i tried multiple variations but for pure amplification, tied hands is best. lighten tension or remove hand hold altogether, and it modifies the "amplification level".
one thing i also noticed, is that my core strength and back strength (i work out) also came into play and if i increased tension in the core and back it had an effect
If he had sung the way he did on the All Around The World rehersal video, then he wouldn't have damaged his voice so much. I think it's because he was aiming for that raspy voice that resulted in the destruction of his vocal cord.
When he bend his knees is because that way the body is more relaxed and makes the head go up a bit to give the throat more space and air to sing. I went to singing classes and that was one of the first things I had to learn. The problem with him is that he was constanly ruining his voice doing drugs and smoking and basically screaming from his lungs instead of doing a good posture on his throat. He also isn't the first of singing that way, where do you think he learned that posture? John Lennon on his early live shows with the Beatles basically was doing the same but without screaming that much and on a different head position. What Liam was doing is just screaming so he had to get away of the mic obviously. By their 3rd album Noel knew the voice of his brother was fucked up so he had to go to a vocal teacher at the end of the 90's. His voice was gone at this point. He used the chest throat voice so much that even changing to the head voice would just let him without oxigen, that is why he don't sing "falsetto" after She's Electric or Live Forever, when his voice was much younger and perfect. His voice turned much darker, deeper and nasal, and he of course had and has problems with retaining the air on his body. I personally like the songs of the band after the 3rd album, I think he sounds ok on the albums, but is clear that his voice was slowly dying when his brother had to sing more and more songs. There is also a psychological factor there; Liam is and always was angry at his brother for the fact that he sings songs he can't sing. I also read that Noel on the last album made some songs more high up just to make fun of Liam singing range. Freddy Mercury had a lot of cracks like Liam had on concerts, belive it or not. Liam tried to sing the songs the same way they were on the albums, and that is just impossible for some songs, just look at how Paul McCartney sings Moon berry moon delight, not even him could sing all the songs like that. Rock music singers usually have this problem because almost all of them don't really know how to sing well, this is why mostly all of the rock singers who pushed their voice like that sounded bad on live and can't barely sing nowdays. David Bowie used an insane voice on his alien albums and a few years later he had to sing those songs on a very different way because his vocal teacher knew his voice would be gone after a few years if he pushed his voice like that. John Lennon used a lot of effects to make his voice sound more thin and high when actually his voice was very deep. These people knew that they couldn't push their songs like they did on studio. That was the chronicle of a death foretold for Liam.
I've become a real fan of your videos lately James - especially the Oasis track by track breakdowns. So much so, you've actually made me sign up to youtube properly so I can subscribe to your content! Keep up the great work sir.
I don't know whether he was the first in the posture, probably yes, but not in the style. The first time I heard him singing I was instantly reminded of John Lennon on Good Morning, Good Morning, specially the end bit "I've got nothing to saaaaay but it's okaaaay". Liam of course took it to another level, but I'm convinced that, being a huge Lennon fan, he was somehow inspired by what Lennon on GMGM. I love Liam's voice and style, anyone trying to copy him sounds fake.
Was the American Singer you mentioned Tom Keifer of Cinderella? Some might say they were a cheesy hair band but that mans voice was out of this world. Great video!!
"The first three songs I can sing them like Freddie Mercury" shows Freddie Mercury "..and then I am absolutely trashed through the rest of the gig" shows Sting XD
i honestly don't think I've heard anyone who comes close to mid 90s liam the range is mental. you don't hear wonderwall on x factor coz no can touch it over 1 billion streams on spotify
The reason you don’t hear it on x-factor is because none of their songs are example of exemplary singing. I’m not going to hate on his voice, it works for the band and their songs. But I’m always a bit stunned at the amount of people who slog Liam off, going on about what an amazing singer he is. He’s nowhere near the upper echelon of incredible vocalists.
Great video! I actually sing in an Oasis Cover act, and I find I cannot get that Classic Liam grit on my voice without a pint and a few cigs before hand 😅 I’m not, however, performing every night, usually once/twice a week so my voice gets time to rest I suppose. Big up for the vid 🙏
Liams voice in the early years of Oasis was very Ian Brown-esque listen to the early demos, he sounds so different. But it later developed into the John Lennon/Johnny Rotten style we know and love.
@@lebigfin5251 now you’re straying from your point where you said he never had them. All I said was he took coaching in the early 2000s. You disputed, I provided info. Vocal sound is an opinion and you’re entitled to yours my friend.
He needs the open throat for the sustained notes. He also has the nose resonace adding to the characteristic sound. Combine this with his taste for leaning in the words and his natural bending (not vibrato or single cycle virbrato) He uses volume, resonance and a tinny bit of pitchbend to make his distinctive sound. The sound we all like but are bored to death with. Suits the past but is pretty limited having only this style. I love only a hand full of songs (really love them for that sound cutting trough the wall of sound and having a proper lead function)
Lemmy stood in the same stance as well mate. That's how that SOB belted those tunes out the way he did.... maybe Liam will sound like Lemmy when he's 60 haha
Lemmy from Motörhead would often sing with the microphone positioned almost above his head, so he would sing with his chin up and get a similar effect that Liam does
I used to push my voice pretty hard for years, coupled with smoking and drinking too. I’ve chucked them both, and also use in ear monitors now. I have much better control over my voice.
john does sound similar to liam at times also especially on the his first solo and during the roof top he pulled back his neck close to the way liam stands so maybe liam took that and twicked it and made it his
Interesting explanation of that change. I wondered if it was brought about by lack of use, so rather the opposite explanation occured to me. He certainly had a lot of power, but it must have been physically exhausting
Thanks for the video! Another factor to consider could be the songs' required vocal range. It seems to me that Noel has a slightly higer voice and since he wrote the songs, the notes suit him fine but are a bit of a stretch for Liam. His raw style of singing might complement also an effort to reach those high notes slightly out of his comfort. And in studio it's easier to calmly get it "right" and then rest, on tour it's never ending pain. Different singers can have widely different ranges but anyone who sings can feel how much of a difference even transposing a half-step can affect the performance. Forcing his voice this way, in his style, adding smoke, alcohol and no "proper" technique was unfortunately not a long term game.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
He lost his voice live in the mid 2000’s bit recently he’s started clawing it back. It’ll never be mid 90’s level but he’s pretty decent live at the moment
Yeah I like his vocal tone more recently 👍👍 really warm and cool
worth noting thanks to lockdown he's had a year off too. sounded class on the thames
His performance recently on Jonathan Ross was next level. So glad he’s got his voice back.
Liam ruined his voice from Drinking Smoking and Drugs.
2 years later and actually, recently his voice sounds like he did in the 90s 👌👌
You can listen to Liam’s voice a million times over and you’ll still be in awe of it
Where’s part 3
@@coleevans9484 gotta be coming soon I bet
@@coleevans9484 it’s in the making fellas, cheers for the interest
Dude can sing 👍👍
@@JamesHargreavesGuitar just a tad 😂
Surprised nobody has pointed this out in the comments but the Liam style - both in terms of the full-throated delivery and the looking-up-at-the-mic stance was previously used by Lemmy. Look at any live Motorhead performance from the 70s right up until Lemmy's death and he's doing it. I've never heard Liam express any fondness for the band but the Ace Of Spades video would have been everywhere when Liam was a kid so I'd be amazed if he didn't see it and recalled it when he was looking for a similarly aggressive vocal style.
I was thinking the very same thing.
But they sounded nothing alike.
Liam did sound like Johnny Rotten tho, the way he really carefully and exagerateldly pronounces each syllable and sub-syllable
His singing teacher taught him that, and he spoke of it several times in interviews. It helps with power & control as you have pointed out. By putting your arms behind you, your chest & lungs actually expand wider, now able to hold a little bit more air for power vocals.
anyone doubting the effects of smoking/drinking/drugging to your voice; listen to judy garland age 16 then compare to how she sounded 30 yrs later.. she remained a consummate entertainer throughout her life, but by the end she was basically holding her voice together through sheer willpower and scotchtape..
It's funny how Noel's voice has improved over time with cigarettes..
@@craigmcgill7705 yeah in 2015 but it improved from 1994 until then even with smoking
Noel quit smoking decades ago!!!!
@@5732noel 2015
Some vocals are just more sensitive to damage
@@craigmcgill7705 He quit because he had a massive hangover that lasted for two weeks
Lemmy from Motorhead also had the same mentality when it came to body stature/pose while singing
Liam's voice nowadays is pretty damn great though. So thats nice.
Yeah, solo stuff sounds v cool
yeah it was good in the 90s and around 2006 his voice was absolutely terrible. In the 2010s and especially during the pandemic, his voice was treated and had time to relax and he's not quite as good as he was in the 90s but his voice has gotten so much better.
Seriously, how do you explain the voice on "All you're dreaming of" in this contest. It is deeper so different, Ok. But it is a return to old form isnt it?
There's a lot of voice enhancing equipment used these days
I think is voice got better now because I don't think he smokes and drinks as much as he use to.
I’m from Brazil and I really love your channel. I’m a big fan of Oasis, especially of Liam Gallagher. I-‘d like tô ask you to tell us the story about Liam Gallagher and Nicole Appleton, the way you told us of Liam and Patsy! Congrats! You’re amazing!
Great video!
I'm greatful that Liam gave us his all back in the 90s. Nothing better than Liam belting out songs like he did.
I also like all the stages his voice went through, except like 03-06. It's a different sound for each era
when you sang Live Forever in Liam style I've got a goosebumps. That's fucking mega, you're very cool! Thanks for video and respect from Russia
Britpop is great
Thanks so much! Kind of you to say 👍👍👍
I keep returning to 4:47, completely nailed!
As someone said, Noel over estimated the importance of the music. Liams contribution was overlooked. Look at Jimmy Pages genius on guitar has gone no where since 1980, but Robert Plant has just worked ever since. When did you last hear a new Jimmy Page riff??
Richard Ashcroft certainly used plenty of vibrato. What a set of pipes he has.
I thought exactly the same as you watching it. He was Godly, and it stood out compared to the others back then.
Ashcrofts got Soul in his vocals! I mean History's to Slide Aways vocals Wow! He's Class live Catching The Butterfly faded version n This Is Music Haigh Hall. Legend
Yeah that's a good call. He definitely wasn't the standard indie singer tho, was very much his own style
Simon Fowler has one hell of a voicd
I like to think of LG's voice as , Lennon + Ian Brown + Johnny Rotten + Madferrit!
Nice, I can see that
Ian brown can’t sing live!
Thank you as ever James! I'm really enjoying Liam’s recent stuff, and I hope he continues to adapt as he can. It's so great to have your research, helps to dispell the idea that Liam only ever walked off because he was "lazy" or a diva or something. The wear and tear was real. It gives me great joy to see him much recovered and still making music for us.
Great video, thanks James. A few points I would add:
- I remember in the late 90s, a vocal coach said in the press that if Liam didn't look after his voice, due to his singing style, his voice would be pretty much finished within a few years
- I went to one of the many gigs over the years where Liam walked off stage due to his voice giving up. One of these was whilst on holiday in Florida in 2002, I saw Oasis live at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater. I think Liam lasted two songs before his voice packing in during Some Might Say. Noel sung the rest of the gig.
- Despite Liam's voice not being what it was (whose voice is well into their 40s??), I love the fact he gave it everything during their peak period. I will leave you with this video - it sums up the strain, the power and the beauty. How on earth this didn't feature on the recorded version I'll never know: ua-cam.com/video/goDyCMusV7E/v-deo.html
- FINALLY, shout out to Maxi Gonzalez (follow him for all sort of Oasis gems), who has taken the Liam vocals for Step Out and added them to an instrumental. Wow. ua-cam.com/video/gVqqpr_wEWM/v-deo.html
Love that Liam version of Step Out 👍👍
Really good work man! I'm going to Manchester for the first time in July, and you videos are helping reignite my passion for Oasis. Thanks and keep up the good work!
He says on the Def Maybe 10th Anniversary dvd that he stood like he did because it helped him to drag more power out of his voice. We’re glad he did though ❤️
Ah interesting! Im actually waiting for that to arrive in the post. Live by the Sea dvd just arrived minutes ago
Quite literally had a similar problem recently, a week out from a show, I'd been to a party where loads of people were crammed into a fairly small apartment, and the volume levels were insane, with people talking and shouting over each other. I had to do the same thing, and the party lasted a good 12 hours. It was only that night, and certainly the morning after where I truly realized the issue at hand. My entire midrange was gone, only low baritone and high squeals could come out, which was a huge anxiety-starter. I rested my voice that entire week with almost no talking and certainly no singing, and I made it to the show, but even then my voice wasn't 100% yet. It's jarring to imagine how his voice must've felt most of the time, especially as he aged and the damage became clearer. Good job he's treating it better these days now though.
Liam Gallagher’s voice is a national treasure
Preach
No.
Got FA to with national
@@curly_wyn p
11:32 i think you’ve missed an important note there. This isn’t Liam’s natural voice breaking randomly. This is him when he’s really sore
No! Liam’s voice is in rag!
Liams voice sounds as if its slowly repairing nowadays but nothing will ever beat the early sound wish i was around to hear it 😭
1994 was peak Liam imo
94-97 was his peak. But he sounds a lot better now then it has in the last 15 years
@@zlrs0113 He sounds surprisingly good for how much strain he put on his voice in the past
Yeah I feel the same mate! Never had enough money to go see Oasis back in the day sadly
@@27scole what are you on about?
Just watched your video. Love the way you stay humble while still giving plenty of worthy informations. Thanks for this, your voice (talking and singing) is pleasant to hear.
These are well made videos, thank you.
Liam's voice is naturally a light tenor. Usually a voice like his, which is not very common, Is utilized more and best suited to pop music. You can hear in the early Oasis demos that he used a decent bit of falsetto and had a pretty soft onset. I think he pushed his voice a bit to get more of a gritty sound. Word to the wise, tenors... do NOT SMOKE. Your voice doesn't like it and it will leave you if you fuck around with it. Baritones can get away with it for longer without detriment... but they end up paying for it too. It just seems booze, drugs, and smoke, will prematurely knock off a lighter voice first. Liam ended up paying the piper for his " rock and roll" lifestyle. It cost him his instrument. It seems that recently he has got the message and has begun to look after himself more, and it shows in his performances. He is one of the best voices of the 90s, and front men of any Era, and I hope he keeps at it.
So pleased to have found your channel
Good god, James. You’ve done it again. One of my favourite channels on UA-cam, any genre.
Thanks so much C.I. for your kind words! Massive appreciation 👍👍👍🎸🎸🎸
This is the thing I always find so bizarre about when people review Liam’s style or technique. His style did not have any real technique to it, it’s just a combination of his accent and his personality. Obviously it didn’t benefit to gig playing night after night in the later years but the sound he managed to achieve on Definitely Maybe is just incredible, one of kind.
I hear ya but when I listen to stand by me I for the life of me can't find out how he sings the line "I've gotta lotta things to learn" especially how his voice does that almost distortion thing when he sings learn.
Yes his voice is incredible his stand is natural for him, “2023 he sounds older but still awesome” his voice lacks nothing he still sounds like Liam
Jesus .. I've never come across such a plausible scientific explanation and assessment as this of Liam gallaghers voice - incredible!
LIAM HAS HASHIMOTO'S WITH SORE THROATS! Doesn't everyone know Liam has Hashimoto's? It causes many problems including terrible sore throats. But definitely affects VOCAL CHORDS causing vocal changes...and can even affect us regular people when we just talk...much less sing. I stay hoarse! My female voice has deepened. Hashimoto's causes fatigue etc...anyway look it up yourself! I admire Liam so much! He works so hard! You can see him sweating onstage within about 5 minutes from the stress on his vocal chords & the other guys are fine. I damaged my vocal chords! My family keeps asking me what is wrong with my voice. Honey helps mine. Singing & speaking more quietly helps a lot! Liam rocks forever with whatever voice. I still love it!
sudoku
Great video :)
Early in 2020 I went to a gig of his in Hamburg, and sadly his voice gave in and it had to be aborted after 4 songs, but that is (apart from covid obviously) the only gig I heard he had to cancel in quite some time.
Also I want to add that it sometimes seems like it is hard for LG to sing in his "new" voice with a loud surrounding in some of the live appearances that are on youtube, especially compared with the recording of the unplugged album or snippets such as "Eh la"
Yeah I think he's still got alot of great live gigs under his belt, but he does still have to cancel now and again. Better than it used to be tho!
Live Forever - Live Paris In-Store is probably one of the best live performances I've heard so far
Nice
Is there anything you can add about the change Liam made from having one hand on the mic and kinda leaning into it like you can see on early footage available on UA-cam? And how did that transition to the stance we all know? Supersonic on The Word shows his hand on the mic, but by Glasto '94, he's in the Liam stance. And when did he stop doing the falsetto on Live Forever? It's there at Glasto '94 but gone by Live by the sea (April?) '95.
for some reason I feel like Lemmy had something similar in terms of stage posture and body geometry that allowed him to infuse his vocal delivery with such wild energy. and he had a similar life-style to boot, from what i can gather. but then, his was never the task of delivering clear melodic lines, so perhaps we can't see the damage done by said lifestyle as clearly
Excellent content as usual! Liam's voice is the reason I started singing and even joined a band, I always wondered how he got that tone I thought that he have some technique etc... The reality as I see is just to sing like this is the last song you're gonna to sing, like you're going to a war. That's incredible!
Thanks Petia! Yes, but dont drink alcohol, make sure you properly warm up and warm down, don't push it too hard and stop if/when it hurts!
You fucking nailed it man. That's it. I think it's so incredible how hard he pushed himself. He's like a professional wrestler. He kills himself physically doing this. That's truly believing for you.
Love the topics you choose, this is something I've often thought about myself.
Cheers Pauly!
Kurt and Liam owned the 90s. Two best singers period.
Fantastic analysis video. 90's Liam is phenomenal live or in the studio. The 00's were not a great decade for Liam he was clearly struggling almost to the point by the latter part of the decade where he sounded like a different person. However his solo years have seen a huge improvement and particularly now in 2021 where his festival performances recently have been almost as impressive as the 90's just with a richer tone. His Reading festival performance was class I would urge people to check that out if they haven't and the live on the river Thames last year. I personally have seen him live in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2018. 2018 was by far his best performance.
Excellent video, liams stance I always considered natural. I've always found myself doing it when singing but without a mic, there isn't much need to bend the knees but with the mic, I always saw how Liams posture only ever changed when digging deep with those knee bends... I love your work as always!
Yeah, Liam's 92-95 was pristine but I think I preferred his 97-98 voice (think G-mex). Then he kinda lost it but as of lately, he is sounding really good again.
Could you make a video on Noel's vocal evolution throughout the years?
I can’t believe how much he sounded like Liam there especially in the fist word
Thanks! I'll take that haha
Liam’s a baritone who then got Hashimptos disease which squashes the larynx and permanently reduces your vocal range. He always sand from chest voice and reached for high notes.
I’m a bass. Then lowest bass with one of those voices so deep I’m like a cinema advert. Since I was 13! Women love my speaking voice.
But I love to sing. If I train my voice every day for a month I can shape a nice mixed voice. But two weeks without constant care I’m stuck in chest voice.
Kurt Cobain had a higher register and sang naturally with mixed voice with a serious rasp.
Noel is a tennor. He can reach higher notes with ease.
He has a higher speaking voice and singing voice. He also sings only with his chest voice but being a tennor he can reach moderately high notes. But don’t expect Robert Plant notes. For that you need mixed voice.
Sorry Liam has a serious autoimmune disease which changes your vocal range forever. It’s not his fault. Despite the narrative Noel likes to spread.
such a heart-warming conclusion, well said; edit. addition: when u drink, the alcohol often comes up your esophagus and even affect your vocal chords and damage them
Great video James!
A little story:
I once sang an entire gig as 'Liam' over WhatsApp voice messages just as a joke for my friends. Three songs in and my voice started to hurt, I had to start pulling out early on words just like Liam would do live in the 2000s.
This continued to happen on and off until about the tenth song, after that my voice became accustomed to the singing style and became a bit raspier for the remainder of the gig, like a mixture between his 2000 voice and his modern voice but not as deep.
I couldn't imagine singing like that for as long as Liam did, I'm amazed he didn't destroy his voice even more than he did. Still, it was good fun to do once!
Cheers Aidan! Ha yeah it's fun to do a bit of Liam singing now and again - but as long as you arent drinking at the same time, and as long as you listen to your body and warm up and warm down - and stop when anything hurts haha
Dont want to end up sounding like Marge Simpson
This is a fabulous video, James. You've done a public service to all new singers and put on Liam's early vocal style the equivalent of a public health warning. Vocals are often the least-discussed element of rock music and I think you've made a superb contribution here to opening the whole subject up for discussion. I wonder if, in the spirit of that discussion, I could offer a few remarks based on my own experience of singing in rock and alt rock genres. I sang for years in a tribute to Free and would say that Paul Rodgers's voice is definitely one of the most powerful and expressive rock tenor voices on record. He's got all the clout of Liam but never sings in that head-uptilted posture. If you listen to the first Free album you can tell he hasn't yet fully discovered his head voice. He's singing mostly from his chest, like Liam does. He's also doing a lot of 'closed throat' singing, which gives the gravelly rasp often prized in rock--and taken to a further extreme in metal. The singers of the classic rock era who carried on doing that--Robert Plant, Ian Gillan, Joe Cocker, Roger Daltry, Rod Stewart--all damaged their voices to some degree. Rodgers gradually learned how to shift the force of his breath into his falsetto range and also, to hold himself back when singing live. This is where a second factor, I think, becomes crucial, and that's monitoring. If you can't hear yourself properly, as you know, you tend to oversing and your voice will almost certainly give out. If you're able to arrange the monitoring so you've got plenty of headroom and can increase the monitor volume (in-ear or otherwise) as the gig goes on, you will always know how loud you're singing and can keep some of your fire in reserve. The third thing that can get in the way of this, though, is 'rock n roll' mythology: the belief that you should live hard, not fuss, just get up there and belt it out. If Liam had been required to sing a wider range of notes than in a lot of Oasis songs perhaps he would have found that his posture became a hindrance not a help. James Dean Bradfield sings high and can belt it, but he's got a different range and can use his head voice. He avoids the uptilt. Your video is getting these things into public discussion for just about the first time I've seen. A voice is a really delicate, but very strong, instrument and deserves as at least as much attention as guitars, tone-woods, pick ups, amp valves, cables and pedals. Thank you again. I'd expect this video to do a huge amount of good.
Hi Steve - I think you're right when it comes to the R&R mythology - the whole 'screw any fine detail, I'm just gonna get up there and rock' mentality. Many bands put that on as a bit of a show, just as part of the whole R&R theatre, whereas other musicians (like Liam) actually live it... and cause massive damage to themselves in the process
What a brilliant video! Well done. Think you’ve got it spot on
Thanks JG!
I remember seeing a video of him performing at the Brit awards or something like that a few years back & was heartbroken because his voice was completely shot. He looked shot. Then, a few years later, he done an ‘unplugged’ style gig in what appeared to be a cathedral with an orchestra behind him & he sounded as good as new ❤️ Going seeing him in Dublin in a few weeks. Can’t wait 😎
Maaay....beeeyyy i don't really wanna knooowwww how your gaaaarden GG..RR..OO..WWW..LLL..SSS as it soaks ya to the boowwwnne!!
That was in Hull with the orchestra and last year in Blackburn two fantastic gigs, wish I’d gone 💙
Excellent analysis... However, I think there might be one other consideration and, oddly enough, it's a psychological one? It's nerves, or specifically, confidence. In the early days of Oasis, Liam went out there in the full knowledge that he was 'just' the singer. (All the others were technically proficient musicians, but he was just the bloke at the front who sang melody and lyric that he didn't write or compose. He must have been aware of that.) The fact that his brother, with whom he had 'issues', was seen widely as the 'talented' one must have burned him... It's reasonable to suppose that the drinking, the drugs and the 'bolshie' persona were all ways to cope with a base nervousness and insecurity.
In order to compensate for this, and, I believe, channeling those feelings of insecurity, this meant that HE HAD TO use his voice as he did in order to 'stamp' his own contribution upon the work and make his input essential. Which he most certainly did! Although his entire public persona was about a confident arrogance, I rather think there was more going on. (He had to PROVE IT every time he went out...) He was never granted the 'easy recognition' that Noel almost immediately, and deservedly, was.
As 'just the singer' he needed to give 110% just to keep up with his own band! (His idol was John Lennon, yet he himself didn't write songs or play an instrument... I'm sure that irony was not lost on him...) I think that cost him...
The funniest thing is that it's impossible to imagine anybody else singing those Oasis songs! (If Liam decided that his 'voice' and delivery were going to be AS ESSENTIAL to the band's sound as any other element, then HE FUCKING DID!!!) You can hear where Liam 'borrows' from other vocalists he liked, The Beatles/Lennon, obviously, but also John Lydon and even Mark E Smith, but his sound was all his own.
Unless you're singing OPERA, singing in a rock band is about much more than singing in tune and hitting the note. (Liam Gallagher intuitively knew that...) And he delivered.
xx SF
I dunno yano, personally I think 2000-2002 is my fav era of his voice, that gravel sound you mentioned I love it, heathen Chemistry he sounds absolutely unbelievable… same on sotsog absolutely mega ! I think for me he started sounded off just before dont believe the truth came out … but from 1993-2002 that’s a solid 9 years in my opinion of gold… ok he might have had a sore throat and cancelled a few gigs in the 2000s period but when he was on fire in that era it was next level.. the 2000 Japan gig yokohoma was unreal, and 2002 yoyogi.. both unreal shows… rock in rio 2001 too ! And obviously the 2000 at Wembley, many great gigs in that 2000s era for me !
Richard Ashcroft is a vocalist that seems to get better with age. His current stuff can get strange but his voice is incredible. I don't know if you like The Verve/Richard Ashcroft I would love to hear your opinion.
Yeah he pulled out of mtv unplugged and sat heckling the band from a balcony. I actually love that gig with Noel doing all the singing.
I really appreciate this video. My friends always hates Liam's voice and I stick up for him. Hopefully she'll hear and watch this. He deserves more.
I don’t blame them, there’s no way around Liam Gallagher’s voice. This dude is *unable* to sing. He genuinely makes Julian Casablancas sound like Roy Orbison.
Great video, Lemmy was doing the singing upwards thing in the 80's, again, probably for maximum power.
I think I remember him saying he started off doing because he didn't want to see that he was playing to 3 people and a dog in the early days hahaha
@@themagnanimous1246 LOL!
Cool yeah - John Lydon and Lemmy both
Also, he opens his mouth wide when singing, like you did.
Yeah true
Your videos are so good so informative and enjoyable
I'm glad I am not the only one that noticed it. I figured that out a long time ago myself. I am a huge Oasis fan, and I would try to imitate Liam as a kid. The posture was part of the imitation, of course. When I did that imitation, I noticed that it gave me the ability to sing in a completely different way. I never understood the mechanics behind it, but I definitely figured out that his posture served a purpose. That is also why he keeps his arms behind his back. That makes a difference as well.
something I learned playing saxophone that I don't hear singers talking about anything like enough: listen to the sound you're making. sing one note and think really hard about the sound, where it's coming from and how you control it. make it easy for yourself, don't push from the wrong places. if the impetus is from your diaphragm (i.e.: your guts) and you're not locking up your throat/vocal chords/abdominal or chest muscles (there are more ways to do this wrong than to do it right....) your body will do what it needs to to make the sound you're aiming at. you might end up posing like Liam, you might not. it's a personal thing. but the sound is the sound. it takes time to figure it out though, so be patient!
...be ready to sound shit while you're figuring it out, too. if you expect it yo sound good within a short space of time you'll fuck your technique. listen to yourself and be patient, can't stress that enough!
Hell, "Champagne Supernova" is a nearly 8 minute song, with Liam singing for at least 5 minutes of that. Two or three takes of the song is like playing 5 or 6 songs of normal length. That's tough for any singer, trained or not.
Great video. Love this stuff. When I was a teen in the 90's in America, I thought I was in the Twilight Zone - I thought everything about Liam was cool & what I aspired to be. Meanwhile, Liam was so unpopular here - everyone thought he was an ass - and that was the first thing brought up whenever Oasis ever came up (he did self destruct over here post-Knebworth). Anyway, it's cool how all this appreciation of Liam's frontman greatness validates my impression of him back then.
Cheers Eric! Yeah the UK lad culture just didn't translate properly to the States! I remember when I was living there it just seemed odd from the US perspective haha
@@JamesHargreavesGuitar Yeah, I don't think the UK liked Lynyrd Skynyrd too well either. Also, Americans never heard Some Might Say or the best Oasis rockers on the radio, so they saw them as soft rock which did not match Liam's swagger.
In the 90s Liam was supposed to be the hardcore anti social guy and Noel was supposed to be the nice one. I’ve followed Oasis for years and I now feel Liam is actually a nice bloke, albeit a little bit childish and Noel is far more mature but is big headed and arrogant. I feel really sorry for Liam. He had the gift, and he lost it, in front of everyone, and even so, he’s still a legend and will pack out arenas. Even when he couldn’t sing, he was still no1, why? Because he’s Liam Gallagher.
Noel's big headed and arrogant because he wrote the songs and that will be his legacy. Liam took his voice for granted and ruined it. Noel was asked once why songs were done in a particular key and his answer was because Liam has to be able to sing them. The songs were not originally wrote for liams voice so he had to alter the key in the latter years so that they could be performed live because Liam just wouldn't be able to do them in the key that they were originally wrote when Noel was sitting down with his guitar to write a song. He would have wrote it the way he wanted to then changed the key and then when performing them by himself he would sing them in that key aswell for consistency and because that wasn't a problem for him because he can sing much better and has a better vocal range since Liam sadly destroyed his voice. It's sad because it's true 😢
That's similar in a way to what happened to Robert Plant's voice. Sometime between "Led Zeppelin IV" and "Houses of the Holy" his voice deteriorated. This became a major problem for the band as he couldn't deliver the range or power he had previously. Playing live night after night is a major factor as you indicated.
i tried the tied hands behind the back strategy Liam does which he says amplifies his voice and its actually legit! (im not a vocalist) but i just wanted to try it out and it works
the tied hands behind the back is an important aspect i dont think you put enough emphasis on, i tried multiple variations but for pure amplification, tied hands is best. lighten tension or remove hand hold altogether, and it modifies the "amplification level".
one thing i also noticed, is that my core strength and back strength (i work out) also came into play and if i increased tension in the core and back it had an effect
Start anew by Beady eye is a good change of voice by Liam, he sounds mega live recently like a mtv unplugged hull
Yeah his voice these days is cool
He was taught this by a vocal coach. My mate/lead singer in an old band went to the same teacher.
he was doing it before he even knew vocal coaches existed
I really like this video! Spot on mate!
Lemmy from Motorhead was singing with a high placed mic, head up and throat extended long before Oasis existed.
His voice is awesome,best rock n roll voice ever.legend🇬🇧🙏🏻💙
Watched this because The Brits. Amazed at how good that performance is.
If he had sung the way he did on the All Around The World rehersal video, then he wouldn't have damaged his voice so much. I think it's because he was aiming for that raspy voice that resulted in the destruction of his vocal cord.
Yeah you could be right there
I have question for James does the songs Noel writes need a certain amount of. Guitarist,s ?
Great videos my man. Keep it up!
Many thanks Ray! Will do!
Amazing analysis. The best artists suffer for all of us, whether it’s mentally or physically. And we’re the better for it.
Quality stuff man, the only channel inspiring me to be in a band !
Same! X 🎶
Excellent news! Do it! We need as many new rock & roll musicians as possible
@@JamesHargreavesGuitar see you at the top!
I'm currently Jamming n hashing out ideas in a Band and D'yer wanna be a spaceman was the 1st Tune I ever learnt in what 95? Quality channel
A brilliant analysis with a great conclusion. That's for the continued fantastic content James.
Cheers Luke, more than welcome mate
When he bend his knees is because that way the body is more relaxed and makes the head go up a bit to give the throat more space and air to sing. I went to singing classes and that was one of the first things I had to learn. The problem with him is that he was constanly ruining his voice doing drugs and smoking and basically screaming from his lungs instead of doing a good posture on his throat. He also isn't the first of singing that way, where do you think he learned that posture? John Lennon on his early live shows with the Beatles basically was doing the same but without screaming that much and on a different head position. What Liam was doing is just screaming so he had to get away of the mic obviously.
By their 3rd album Noel knew the voice of his brother was fucked up so he had to go to a vocal teacher at the end of the 90's. His voice was gone at this point. He used the chest throat voice so much that even changing to the head voice would just let him without oxigen, that is why he don't sing "falsetto" after She's Electric or Live Forever, when his voice was much younger and perfect. His voice turned much darker, deeper and nasal, and he of course had and has problems with retaining the air on his body.
I personally like the songs of the band after the 3rd album, I think he sounds ok on the albums, but is clear that his voice was slowly dying when his brother had to sing more and more songs. There is also a psychological factor there; Liam is and always was angry at his brother for the fact that he sings songs he can't sing. I also read that Noel on the last album made some songs more high up just to make fun of Liam singing range.
Freddy Mercury had a lot of cracks like Liam had on concerts, belive it or not. Liam tried to sing the songs the same way they were on the albums, and that is just impossible for some songs, just look at how Paul McCartney sings Moon berry moon delight, not even him could sing all the songs like that. Rock music singers usually have this problem because almost all of them don't really know how to sing well, this is why mostly all of the rock singers who pushed their voice like that sounded bad on live and can't barely sing nowdays. David Bowie used an insane voice on his alien albums and a few years later he had to sing those songs on a very different way because his vocal teacher knew his voice would be gone after a few years if he pushed his voice like that. John Lennon used a lot of effects to make his voice sound more thin and high when actually his voice was very deep. These people knew that they couldn't push their songs like they did on studio. That was the chronicle of a death foretold for Liam.
I've become a real fan of your videos lately James - especially the Oasis track by track breakdowns. So much so, you've actually made me sign up to youtube properly so I can subscribe to your content! Keep up the great work sir.
Thanks so much and welcome! 👍👍🎸🎸
Track by track is awesome
I don't know whether he was the first in the posture, probably yes, but not in the style. The first time I heard him singing I was instantly reminded of John Lennon on Good Morning, Good Morning, specially the end bit "I've got nothing to saaaaay but it's okaaaay". Liam of course took it to another level, but I'm convinced that, being a huge Lennon fan, he was somehow inspired by what Lennon on GMGM. I love Liam's voice and style, anyone trying to copy him sounds fake.
the thing was that he just found cigarettes and alcohol
Was the American Singer you mentioned Tom Keifer of Cinderella? Some might say they were a cheesy hair band but that mans voice was out of this world. Great video!!
"The first three songs I can sing them like Freddie Mercury" shows Freddie Mercury
"..and then I am absolutely trashed through the rest of the gig" shows Sting
XD
i honestly don't think I've heard anyone who comes close to mid 90s liam the range is mental. you don't hear wonderwall on x factor coz no can touch it over 1 billion streams on spotify
Yeah he was pretty unique back then. And still is in many ways
The reason you don’t hear it on x-factor is because none of their songs are example of exemplary singing. I’m not going to hate on his voice, it works for the band and their songs. But I’m always a bit stunned at the amount of people who slog Liam off, going on about what an amazing singer he is. He’s nowhere near the upper echelon of incredible vocalists.
Great video! I actually sing in an Oasis Cover act, and I find I cannot get that Classic Liam grit on my voice without a pint and a few cigs before hand 😅 I’m not, however, performing every night, usually once/twice a week so my voice gets time to rest I suppose. Big up for the vid 🙏
Cheers Tyler - as long as you're not hurting your voice man! Take care of that thing!
So you need a touch of cigarettes and alcohol before you go live....
Liams voice in the early years of Oasis was very Ian Brown-esque listen to the early demos, he sounds so different.
But it later developed into the John Lennon/Johnny Rotten style we know and love.
Yeah right after SOTSOG he had to take vocal coaching because he apparently saw a doctor about his vocals falling apart
Ah interesting. Knew it had to be some time in the 2000s
He never had singing lessons
@@lebigfin5251 so the article in the associated press back in 2005 where Lisa Garvey, vocal coach in London, discusses her work with him isn’t real?
@@CraigABuchanan but wouldn’t his voice sound better and not get horrendous
@@lebigfin5251 now you’re straying from your point where you said he never had them. All I said was he took coaching in the early 2000s. You disputed, I provided info. Vocal sound is an opinion and you’re entitled to yours my friend.
He needs the open throat for the sustained notes. He also has the nose resonace adding to the characteristic sound. Combine this with his taste for leaning in the words and his natural bending (not vibrato or single cycle virbrato) He uses volume, resonance and a tinny bit of pitchbend to make his distinctive sound. The sound we all like but are bored to death with. Suits the past but is pretty limited having only this style. I love only a hand full of songs (really love them for that sound cutting trough the wall of sound and having a proper lead function)
Interesting. Quality content
Glad you think so!
@@JamesHargreavesGuitar Would love to hear your take on Paul Weller some time.
I think he modelled the style from Jonny Rotten, who also used to lean back in a similar fashion while singing.
Lemmy stood in the same stance as well mate. That's how that SOB belted those tunes out the way he did.... maybe Liam will sound like Lemmy when he's 60 haha
Lemmy from Motörhead would often sing with the microphone positioned almost above his head, so he would sing with his chin up and get a similar effect that Liam does
I tilted my head back when singing and loads more just comes out. I also know how to make my voice higher or lower just by pushing on my voice box.
Interesting video. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on Axel Rose's voice over the years.
Can't think of many things more tortuous than an Axel Rose vocal analysis
LOL was that sting @13:47 mins where ya illustrated quote "trash" unquote vocals? hahahaa, ya cheeky ledgend.
Lemmy sang with his head in the same position. Totally different style though.
Yeah - Lemmy and Lydon have been pointed out by loads of people
I used to push my voice pretty hard for years, coupled with smoking and drinking too. I’ve chucked them both, and also use in ear monitors now. I have much better control over my voice.
john does sound similar to liam at times also especially on the his first solo and during the roof top he pulled back his neck close to the way liam stands so maybe liam took that and twicked it and made it his
Yeah there could be elements of later-beatles John that are similar, fair play
Absolutely spot on James.
Thanks Dee-Dee! 🤘🤘🤘
Interesting explanation of that change. I wondered if it was brought about by lack of use, so rather the opposite explanation occured to me. He certainly had a lot of power, but it must have been physically exhausting
Roberto Iniesta fron Extremoduro started singing like Liam (before him in 1989) bit over the years his voice started to get more "sweet"
Thanks for the video!
Another factor to consider could be the songs' required vocal range.
It seems to me that Noel has a slightly higer voice and since he wrote the songs, the notes suit him fine but are a bit of a stretch for Liam.
His raw style of singing might complement also an effort to reach those high notes slightly out of his comfort.
And in studio it's easier to calmly get it "right" and then rest, on tour it's never ending pain.
Different singers can have widely different ranges but anyone who sings can feel how much of a difference even transposing a half-step can affect the performance.
Forcing his voice this way, in his style, adding smoke, alcohol and no "proper" technique was unfortunately not a long term game.