Liam Gallagher has been without older brother Noel for a while now, but finally, as promised, he’s continued on regardless. Taking the remnants of Oasis and giving it a new name, Beady Eye, he’s just put out their first offering, Different Gear, Still Speeding. In general, it’s a Beatles / rock and roll love fest combined with Oasis’ old sound. While there are a few parts that are weak, there are also bits and pieces that drag you right into the eye of Liam Gallagher’s new beast.
Four Letter Word starts it all off with some great riffs, but Liam’s vocals sound a little schooled and affected and the lyrics are poor. The freak out guitar solo at the end is ace though. It’s a similar story with Millionaire, although it’s likeable enough. They say write about what you know, but if Liam thinks many of the people that caught onto Oasis during it’s height can associate much with a singer that calls “Love them like a millionaire” he’s got another thing coming.
The Roller is a John Lennon inspired song. While there’s more of the self-aggrandising lyrics that makes Millionaire fall down, they work a lot better here. Again the guitar riffs are class.
Beatles and Stones is a rock and roller that’s more throw away than hit the dance floor. An early cut off of the guitar solo at the end finishes any chances of the song being saved.
Wind Up Dream is also easily skipped, except for the harmonica sections, but Bring the Light can be set to repeat for a while to take the edge off. It’s had a lot of radio play, but the more it’s played, the better it sounds. The hand claps, tambourine and simple boogie-woogie piano progression pull everything together well and the lyrics are the strongest on the album. The video’s pretty decent too (is below), with some great go-go dancing.
For Anyone has a Beatles-like early 60s feel and probably sounds best in a field with high grass. Kill For A Dream is slow paced chill, but the nananananahs make it sound a bit daft in the end.
Standing on the Edge of the Noise has got a bit of Sweet’s Wig-Wam Bam about it, but the drum solo in Wig Wam makes it all worth while (even the sha-la-las). It goes on for a while, but it only gets better towards the end, so not a bad thing.
Three Ring Circus is OK, though nowhere near great, but The Beat Goes On has got a good feel to it with a weaving mix of organ, acoustic guitar and piano. Liam’s vocals and lyrics work well too.
The Morning Sun seeps into you like a hypnotic, psychedelic trance with sliding guitar riffs and chest tugging, rumbling drum rolls that speed up brilliantly at the end. Liam Gallagher’s vocals are again at thier best, and with lyrics like, “You go your way and I go mine”, it’s easy to see what he’s trying to say.
The 60s love-in on Beady Eye’s Different Gear, Still Speeding works well, but falls down every now and again as Liam Gallagher’s ego is left unchecked without Noel around to say when things don’t quite work. However, despite this, you’ve got to take your hat off to Liam for putting together a good album without the song writing skills of his big brother.
Beady Eye, Different Gear, Still Speeding album review: 3.5/5
