Maybe Raspy Liam Clears (I Said Maybe)

3. Bring It On Down. Easily one of their most punk rock-sounding tracks. Choir boy Liam singing a punk rock song? That would sound so out of place. I'm sorry. This isn't the best example, though, because the rasp is actually very minimal here LOL (like Cigs & Alcohol but we will not talk about that anymore 😭 let me glaze in peace), but compared to the Monnow Valley version and early radio sessions? It's surprisingly noticeable. 

There's a part where Liam's voice gets slightly drowned out and buried in the mix, not present in any of the earlier recordings. It weirdly adds so much character and brings out the proper energy needed for this type of song. The difference in instrumentals lowkey carries the song instead of the vocal shift, but that slight vocal fray? It's the final snarl that pushes the song to punk territory. 

Or I'm just reaching 💀 cuz I don't listen to much punk rock (we can tell). 

4. Fade Away (B-side). Now we have finally graduated from the slight baby rasp to the cusp of actual rasp. It's one of those tracks where Liam's rasp is evolving to that sweet spot, not fully unhinged yet, but already with that bite. It feels youthful yet jaded at the same time, which literally is the theme of the song: growing up and losing your dreams.

It's got that half-clean, half-scorched tone that still sounds healthy, but you can tell the rasp is brewing. There's a raw charm to it. You still hear the remnants of the choir boy voice, like in all of the other DM tracks, but this one? You can tell he's cooking something up.

5. Some Might Say. Now we're onto the (What's The Story) Morning Glory? (1995) era, where Liam's baby-rasp voice became more confident and stylized. This is the time when his rasp became the Oasis identity. I'd say 1994-1995 were his cleanest years. He had the mixture of rasp and actual vocal ability. At least he was able to hit those high notes in She's Electric! Though his voice got too bad, he couldn't sing it live - even in 1995.

No deep dive in this track, I just really like his voice here lol. It works best in the verses where he says, "Some might say."

6. Step Out (B-side demo). I don't know if this counts because it's a demo lol, but it's one of the best examples of Liam's rasp, blowing you away. While the studio version does fit Noel's vocal register more (due to the amount of high notes), Liam's voice brings raw power. There's a very noticeable growl when Liam sings "alright" in "It will be alright, step out tonight," which just sells the whole thing. 

It's the kind of voice that makes you pull a stank face and say, "damn, that boy can sing." Funnily enough, Noel sounds more like choir boy Liam in the studio version, and I prefer the rasp more 💀. 

7. D'you Know What I mean? Be Here Now (1997) is one of Liam's peak rasp eras. He absolutely demolished choir boy Liam here. The album would have sounded goofy asf if he sounded like a 16-year-old boy 😭✌. The rasp fits every single song here, so I just put some of my favourites in. Every song REEKS of cocaine, and honestly, the rasp represents that excess. 

8. Stand By Me. Now, THIS one, with the live performances, is one of Liam's best raspy songs. Just like Some Might Say, it works better in the verses. I also don't have much to say about the technicalities of this track; I just really like Liam's voice on it, lol.

9. Gas Panic! Standing On The Shoulders of Giants (2000) is where his voice actually starts wearing thin. The drinking, smoking, cocaine, bad technique, and vocal fatigue started beating him up. His vocal downfall... </3. 1997-2000 were one of his best raspy years, but it finally came and shat on him. Despite that, this one is my favourite raspy Liam song. 

The backstory of the song is quite sad. During the Be Here Now era, Noel suffered from panic attacks and mental health issues due to his overuse of drugs. Liam's rasp here sounds like a man who is worn down and feels hopeless. Instead of the rock n' roll feel, the rasp gave it emotion, which a clean voice wouldn't be able to convey. 

Also, I just genuinely love Liam's rasp here. SOTSOG has his best raspy performances and fits the album just like BHN. Plus, this is one of the rare tracks where you can actually hear the bass... at the cost of Guigsy leaving the band 💀.

10. Go Let It Out. She go Let it ouuuuut, she go let iiiiiiiin. That's it. The rasp in those lines? Beautiful. 

"And then she takes the furniture. She takes this. She takes that"

11. The Hindu Times. Heathen Chemistry (2002) is where the damage has finally taken its toll 💔. Autotune doing wonders for bro. At this point, the rasp isn't just a stylistic choice; it's a survival instinct. The rasp is now fully ingrained into his voice, and choir boy Liam can no longer be resurrected. And yet, on this track specifically, it shines.

You can actually tell he's struggling to sing here lol (ok that isn't a laughing matter but let's be real, it does sound funny). It’s the sound of a voice clinging to life and crying for help. God help the 2000s live performances 💀. That desperate energy mirrors the band's late-era resolve. Though to give him some grace, he did have a disease called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid. This affected his voice BADLY; combined with the bad vocal cord care and lifestyle, it only got worse. The rasp literally was survival.

The tragic beauty of the rasp </3.

Okay, so the list is getting pretty long, so I'm just gonna stop this here LOL. These were my favourites, for now. Maybe one day I’ll spiral into a part 2: the last 2 Oasis albums, Beady Eye chaos, and Liam’s solo comeback (>ᴗ•). I may have been a bit harsh towards raspy Liam in my last post (see my debut post: Hot Take: Choir Boy Liam > Raspy Liam. Live Forever Monnow Valley Version is PEAK.), but you know what? Maybe he deserved his redemption arc (I said MAYBE).

You get the gist: the rasp hits if the vibe fits. Otherwise, choir boy Liam takes the cake.