As You Were
by Liam Gallagher
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 121 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 121
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 121
  3. Negative: 5 out of 121
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  1. CraigM
    Oct 7, 2017
    7
    While Liam fails to truly separate himself from his Oasis routes, he makes up for this by delivering a rocking good, catchy-chorus filled album that perhaps a little bloated, benefits from a strong vocal presence from the still mad-for it Manchurian. Clearly he doesn't need Noel anymore. Sad for die hard Oasis fans but great for the rest of us who moved on years ago.
  2. gianamar
    Oct 7, 2017
    8
    Liam Gallagher's solo debut "As You Were" never promised to be anything new, just a return to form of good old rock n roll - and his record surpasses that aim. LG takes very noticeable influence from later Beatles material, Rolling Stones bangers and post-Beatles John Lennon. Ballads such as "For What It's Worth" could easily have come from one of Lennon's lost weekend albums, evokingLiam Gallagher's solo debut "As You Were" never promised to be anything new, just a return to form of good old rock n roll - and his record surpasses that aim. LG takes very noticeable influence from later Beatles material, Rolling Stones bangers and post-Beatles John Lennon. Ballads such as "For What It's Worth" could easily have come from one of Lennon's lost weekend albums, evoking memories of "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)" from Walls and Bridges. The only downside of this album is the apparent over-production in songs such as "Wall Of Glass" and "Greedy Soul", both of which carry a significantly bolder sneer in live, distorted guitar-heavy performances. Overall, a top effort from our kid.… Expand
  3. mitbruin
    Oct 6, 2017
    9
    This is a great record! Fans of Oasis in particular, if not White Album-era Beatles in general, will find a lot to like here. Yet the album manages to sound thoroughly modern, and not simply an exercise in nostalgia.
  4. A7sus4
    Oct 7, 2017
    7
    I wasn't expecting much in the way of hearing something far off from what Liam's been delivering since Little James and that's what I got. Having said that, this is a strong set of Liam songs in the styles Liam prefers. For brevities sake: I like it more than any Beady Eye and a good amount of latter day Oasis.

    Now, I kinda hate to do this, but it's Oasis so I have to: Chasing Yesterday    I wasn't expecting much in the way of hearing something far off from what Liam's been delivering since Little James and that's what I got. Having said that, this is a strong set of Liam songs in the styles Liam prefers. For brevities sake: I like it more than any Beady Eye and a good amount of latter day Oasis.

    Now, I kinda hate to do this, but it's Oasis so I have to: Chasing Yesterday still wins for best post Oasis Gallagher release, but if the preview is any indication, this record could prove better than Noel's next one.    … Expand
  5. Shakermaker
    Oct 12, 2017
    10
    Liam's performance is impeccable. in a world of auto-tune and over production it's refreshing to hear a voice that has its imperfections yet still remarkable. Amateur guitar playing Oasis fans will love this album, because you will want to learn every song. Track 5, "For What Its Worth", is Liam's apology to Noel, which at first spin brought me to tears. Lyrics are heart felt, spillingLiam's performance is impeccable. in a world of auto-tune and over production it's refreshing to hear a voice that has its imperfections yet still remarkable. Amateur guitar playing Oasis fans will love this album, because you will want to learn every song. Track 5, "For What Its Worth", is Liam's apology to Noel, which at first spin brought me to tears. Lyrics are heart felt, spilling out the truth of his mistakes and his demons. Thank you for this album Liam.… Expand
  6. yass
    Oct 12, 2017
    10
    Liam Gallagher is back. After the mixed feelings about Beady Eye, this album is complete. Mixing rock n roll tunes with beautiful ballads, this is the best music Liam has done since Dig Out Your Soul.
    Personal favourites: Greedy Soul, When I'm in Need, Bold, and the three Bsides whitch could have easily been on the album. Mad fer it
  7. Methusalah
    Oct 11, 2017
    7
    The first album from a Gallagher I've wanted to listen to more than once since the 90s. I honestly wasn't expecting much, but this is really quite pleasant to listen to.
  8. Ricko
    Mar 2, 2018
    8
    "Definitely Maybe" was the first album I bought, way back in 94. I was an Oasis fan through to the end and have been following the careers of both Gallagher brothers since they split albeit not with the attention I once had for the pair. I like all of Noel's solo albums and rank his second solo effort amongst his best work. I also bought the Beady Eye stuff but was left more than a"Definitely Maybe" was the first album I bought, way back in 94. I was an Oasis fan through to the end and have been following the careers of both Gallagher brothers since they split albeit not with the attention I once had for the pair. I like all of Noel's solo albums and rank his second solo effort amongst his best work. I also bought the Beady Eye stuff but was left more than a little disappointed with the odd decent song but generally uninspired and recycled material. Expectations can do funny things to how you perceive things. I often go to Radiohead as an example of this. They could release an 8/10 album and I'd be gutted with the quality. The reverse is true here. I was fairly dubious about a solo Liam Gallagher album but himself and his crack team of producers/co writers have nailed it (relatively speaking) with "As You Were". Lets not get carried away, it's a 100 miles off peak Oasis, its far from timeless but it's got some really great singles on it. Despite having 2 or 3 passenger tracks, I can't think of that many straightforward balls-out rock n roll records that topped this in 2017. A comeback to match Balboa in Rocky III, turned on at full blast "As You Were" sounds vital at times. Whether it will still sound good in 5 years time is another story. I think much of it will.… Expand
  9. TheHeadshrinker
    Oct 13, 2017
    9
    This album is a pleasant surprise, surpassing my expectations. Liam delivers some great vocals, reminding everyone why he was/still is one of the best rock and roll singers around. Liam's vocals are probably the best he's performed since the first 3 Oasis albums. The album is very well put together and flows effortlessly. This is definitely a big step up from Beady Eye, the songs are soThis album is a pleasant surprise, surpassing my expectations. Liam delivers some great vocals, reminding everyone why he was/still is one of the best rock and roll singers around. Liam's vocals are probably the best he's performed since the first 3 Oasis albums. The album is very well put together and flows effortlessly. This is definitely a big step up from Beady Eye, the songs are so much stronger.… Expand
  10. guitarmaniac004
    Oct 21, 2017
    5
    Wall of Glass is pretty good. My favorite song on this thing is China Town. But the rest of the songs on this album are pretty lifeless and way too similar too each other. There's nothing that stands out about this album. It's not bad, but its way too safe. Same instrumentals on most songs, middle of the road lyrics. Actually, no, this whole album is middle of the road.

    Not a bad album,    Wall of Glass is pretty good. My favorite song on this thing is China Town. But the rest of the songs on this album are pretty lifeless and way too similar too each other. There's nothing that stands out about this album. It's not bad, but its way too safe. Same instrumentals on most songs, middle of the road lyrics. Actually, no, this whole album is middle of the road.

    Not a bad album, just boring for the most part.    … Expand
  11. prodigalsuun
    Oct 9, 2017
    7
    “In my defense all my intentions were good,” Liam shouts in his familiar sneery delivery in “For What it’s Worth”, the second single from his first ever solo album “As You Were”, something Liam himself said he would never consider doing.

    “Solo record are you **** tripping dickhead I’m (sic) not a **** he tweeted, later calling himself just that once the record was announced. These    “In my defense all my intentions were good,” Liam shouts in his familiar sneery delivery in “For What it’s Worth”, the second single from his first ever solo album “As You Were”, something Liam himself said he would never consider doing.

    “Solo record are you **** tripping dickhead I’m (sic) not a **** he tweeted, later calling himself just that once the record was announced.

    These tweets, included with one hell of a PR push and songs (co) written by a handful of proven and professional songwriters have created a buzz around this album that arguably no post-Oasis release has even seen. It’s an album that shatters expectations and may change the longstanding narrative of one of rock and rolls last, greatest and always-but-more-so recently embattled frontmen. Yet, it also makes the listener question how genuine the subject matter is, and if all his noise outside of music contradictorily deadens it’s appeal.    … Expand
  12. Igor_Ferreira
    Oct 8, 2017
    8
    Taking a few cliches and a few letters of lyrics, Liam showed that he knows to turn himself. The disc is very solid and good from start to finish, even with some cliches as mentioned above. I would highlight the track "I have everything I need", which, without clichés, Liam does, in my opinion, one of the best better than the album with a beautiful band. It's a good album, above the media,Taking a few cliches and a few letters of lyrics, Liam showed that he knows to turn himself. The disc is very solid and good from start to finish, even with some cliches as mentioned above. I would highlight the track "I have everything I need", which, without clichés, Liam does, in my opinion, one of the best better than the album with a beautiful band. It's a good album, above the media, I would say.… Expand
  13. Music_Observer
    Nov 2, 2017
    7
    The first three songs were very lame and uninviting, but this work had an important turnaround in engaging musical tactics after that, mostly being quite harmonically fun with a few strong and enjoyable melodic choruses until the end, however the whole album didn’t end up amounting to anything too exciting or astonishing. My Score: 123/180 (Good) = 6.8/10
  14. NeutralMilkH
    Oct 12, 2017
    8
    Track-by-track review (basically, I critique every track)
    Wall of Glass-When I first heard this song as a single, I didn’t quite think it was necessarily impressive. However, as an energetic start to the album with the volume turned up really high, this sounded **** awesome. It’s just **** mesmerizing. (10/10)
    Bold-With this track, Liam continues to deliver over-the-top rock music. I    Track-by-track review (basically, I critique every track)
    Wall of Glass-When I first heard this song as a single, I didn’t quite think it was necessarily impressive. However, as an energetic start to the album with the volume turned up really high, this sounded **** awesome. It’s just **** mesmerizing. (10/10)
    Bold-With this track, Liam continues to deliver over-the-top rock music. I actually did like the chorus, although at some points I heard some slight straining in his vocals. (but that could just be me.) Other than that, the only thing that bothered me was the vocal break in the song after the instrumental, pretty great otherwise. (8/10)
    Greedy Soul-Probably my least favorite so far, it’s at this point that I started noticing that the lyrics were mostly unremarkable and the verses reminded me of too many other songs. However, Liam still delivers on the chorus and the guitar solo does a pretty solid job of switching it up a little bit. Good feedback on the guitar at the end. (7/10)
    Paper Crown-Yet another track with a great chorus, however, Liam overshadows the acoustic instrumental at some points. The instrumentals after the first chorus didn’t quite mesh well with how Liam was singing the song, the drumming was just a bit off to me I guess. However, the lyrics were far better compared to the last song, so this deserves the same score. (7/10)
    For What it’s Worth-A solid track, I really connected to the lyrics on this one much better than all of the other previous songs. Can’t say I have any problems with the instrumentals in this song, they are very suitable to Liam’s voice and don’t **** anything up (unlike Ringo Starr’s new album.) The chorus is a bit straining on Liam’s voice considering that it’s a falsetto, but he still nails it for the most part. (9/10)
    When I’m in Need-Much more quiet than all of the other songs, didn’t really fit Liam’s voice though considering how huge it sounded prior to this song. I find the instrumentals to be unremarkable in this one, but the lyrics help carry it along to be more than mediocre. (7/10)
    You Better Run-At this point of the album, it’s just starting to roll along rather than expand on the explosiveness on the beginning of the album… I don’t have a problem with the song, but it’s just starting to get repetitive. (6/10)
    I Get By-Cool start… I was thinking that this would be better as a wild instrumental song, but instead, we’re back into the norm of this album. The album at this point is really starting to lack subtlety… here’s the thing, you can have big rock songs if you balance them out with subtle tracks… since this song still has some cool guitar parts, consider this score to be generous. (6/10)
    Chinatown-Of course, the second I talk about subtlety, this song comes on, lol. Other than the vocal effects, I’m really enchanted by the sweet acoustics and lyrics of this song as Liam actually attempts to be a tad bit more thoughtful for once. (9/10)
    Come Back to Me-I found the vocal delivery to be really refreshing on this track, considering that there were actually some pauses for once in between words in the sentences that created a nice melodic pace in the song. The song itself is quite sonically cool… I actually don’t have a problem with this one. (10/10)
    Universal Gleam-Interesting that he used the word gleam, since it means “temporary light” and says that he will NEVER let “you” down… despite this odd lyricism this track is still quite charming in some ways and I like the break around the three minute mark. (7/10)
    I’ve All I Need-Really like the start of this for some reason… the vocal delivery is pretty good, certainly more memorable than most of the other songs actually. However, the chorus isn’t quite as slowed down compared to the rest of the song… not in a breakdown kind of way, just in a way where he talks fast for a bit but doesn’t really do much to accompany that change… it sounds pretty **** cheesy. Other than that, pretty good verses and instrumentation. (8/10)
    All right, let’s see what the final score is.
    Final Score: 7.8/10 or an 8/10
    The album is pretty inconsistent at points, but it’s a relatively inoffensive listen with some sweet surprises in store. I hope you’ve found this review to be helpful.    … Expand
  15. tbone747
    Oct 10, 2017
    8
    As a long-time Oasis fan/apologist, this album was exactly what I expected from Liam. Lyrics didn't really take the forefront, but were less cliché ridden than the songs on his previous Beady Eye albums. There was a good mix of slow, ballad-y songs and sneering rock tunes. I still enjoy Noel's High Flying Birds albums more, but this album is a really solid effort from Liam.
  16. Bangmeister
    Oct 15, 2017
    7
    Liams new solo album "As You Were" is a pleasant surprise. It's much better than the Beady Eye albums and the best songs on the album even rival Noel's best solo efforts. The songs vary a bit in quality which is why I have "only" scored it a solid 7 but Oasis fans will definelty (maybe) enjoy this. Happy that we are now getting quality albums from both brothers!
  17. MusicalButter
    Nov 21, 2017
    6
    Liam Gallagher isn't going to another direction apart from the 90's Oasis-y style in this album, however, it contains memorable lyrics, solid vocals and a genuinely cool sound all together. Mixed in with a rash of distorted guitars and smashing drums, it proves a solid album for a solid reputation for Liam Gallagher.

    Standout (loved this one): For What It's Worth. Great: Wall of    Liam Gallagher isn't going to another direction apart from the 90's Oasis-y style in this album, however, it contains memorable lyrics, solid vocals and a genuinely cool sound all together. Mixed in with a rash of distorted guitars and smashing drums, it proves a solid album for a solid reputation for Liam Gallagher.

    Standout (loved this one): For What It's Worth.

    Great: Wall of Glass, Greedy Soul.

    Eh: Bold, Paper Crown, When I'm In Need, I Get By, I Never Wanna Be Like You, Doesn't Have To Be That Way.

    Not my slice of apple pie: Chinatown.    … Expand
  18. Proserpine
    Nov 28, 2017
    10
    People who know what Liam is about, will get it from start, because this album portraits himself perfectly. And people who don't know him very well, will go through a delightful experience of punky musical pieces, others quite soft and others mid-tempo like Bold, which in my opinion is the archetypal track of this album. Also we all can appreciate the excellent vocal work of Liam likePeople who know what Liam is about, will get it from start, because this album portraits himself perfectly. And people who don't know him very well, will go through a delightful experience of punky musical pieces, others quite soft and others mid-tempo like Bold, which in my opinion is the archetypal track of this album. Also we all can appreciate the excellent vocal work of Liam like we've never heard it before, in this aspect his range has been explored in all directions and it's satisfying to acknowledged it and listen to it.… Expand
  19. Jujinwoo
    Nov 24, 2017
    2
    His voice back and Live is alright.
    His Songwriting skill is improving day by day.
    For example,
    All of the songs on this album are much higher quality than "Little James"
    The first impression was good but too quickly tired of it...
    I do not want to keep listening...
  20. manonwire40
    Nov 24, 2017
    4
    For all of the postering, tweets, catch phrases and potato put downs, the worlds last rock n roll star TM delivers an album that lacks any of the traits of the man himself. The album, backed with major label money and hit makers, sounds far too clean, far too polished to match the man's presence. Without a doubt Liam sounds great in places, but these are songs written to suit his range,For all of the postering, tweets, catch phrases and potato put downs, the worlds last rock n roll star TM delivers an album that lacks any of the traits of the man himself. The album, backed with major label money and hit makers, sounds far too clean, far too polished to match the man's presence. Without a doubt Liam sounds great in places, but these are songs written to suit his range, and the songs themselves are largely disappointing. There are moments where it strives to hit greater heights, but it feels reigned in by it production. Greedy Soul live sounds angry and in your face, here it seems extremely 'meh' - For What Its Worth sounds like a Guy Chambers/ Robbie Williams collaboration, Wall of Glass has been hailed as a great comeback statement but as soon as it ends, its pretty much forgotten. Its a shame because Liams performance deserves better, his drive, his ambition and his determination to be back at the top deserves better than this. The fans are loving that at least one of the Gallagher brothers is looking back and making an album aimed at the nostalgic Oasis fans who long for the return of that band, but as Beady Eye and the latter Oasis albums proved, Liam Gallagher has always been best singing his brothers songs and whilst Noel has found his own skin over the last 8-9 years, Liam is still grasping for the past and for former glories and here, he misses it by some distance thanks to a major label making a soft, clean, radio friendly album full of inoffensive sing-a-longs.… Expand
  21. MiguelGordiano
    Jan 5, 2020
    8
    That was a great kick-start to the solo career of Liam. The album brought many of the former Oasis’ guidelines. It sounds good since the first listen. Personally, the album is very catchy, but the hype was gone in a few days. Best tunes: “Wall of Glass”, “Paper Crown”, and “For What It’s Worth”.
  22. fernaovale
    Jun 20, 2018
    10
    Álbum surpreendente de Liam, mais próximo do Oasis do que qualquer álbum solo de Noel. Rocks diretos e baladas memoráveis. É só rock n roll, mas... eu adoro isso. / Surprisingly good álbum from Liam, closer to Oasis than any album from his brother’s solo carrer. Mixing direct rock n roll songs with inspiring ballads. It’s only rock n roll but... I like it.
  23. Batty84
    Jun 5, 2021
    8
    Unexpected great debut-solo album, the voice is back, amazing ballads, awesome production. Our Kid is back where he belongs.
  24. esawyer6
    May 13, 2022
    8
    A triumphant debut solo album. After the failure of beady eye, few thought they'd ever see LG again, let alone with solo music. His choice to collaborate with songwriters pays off with some incredible tunes

Awards & Rankings

51
#51 Most Discussed Album of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. musicOMH.com
    Oct 16, 2017
    70
    Gallagher is never going to win awards for originality, but he has definitely progressed musically with this solo debut.
    Read full review
  2. Drowned In Sound
    Oct 12, 2017
    40
    Subtlety is an early casualty, lyrics and riffs hitting with all the grace and charm of a sledgehammer.
    Read full review
  3. Record Collector
    Oct 12, 2017
    80
    The swaggering beasts of Wall Of Glass and Bold kick it off and Greedy Soul waves a musical truncheon in your face as producers Greg Kurstin and Dan Grech- Marguerat find the jugular on songs powered by riffs, choruses, hooks and lashings of attitude to keep up with their swaggering frontman.
    Read full review
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