Olympian is the 1995 debut album by British rock band Gene, released on 20 March 1995 by Costermonger Records.
| Olympian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 March 1995 | |||
| Recorded | Autumn 1994 | |||
| Studio | Townhouse 3, London | |||
| Genre | Britpop, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 40:31 2:19:12 (2014 remastered & expanded reissue) | |||
| Label | Polydor (US and Europe) Costermonger (UK) | |||
| Producer | Phil Vinall, Miti Adhikari | |||
| Gene chronology | ||||
| ||||
It is frequently recognized as one of the crowning achievements of Britpop.[1][2][3]
The album sound is noted for being influenced by The Smiths, The Jam & The Small Faces.[4][5] Aesthetically, the album cover is reminiscent of The Smiths' sleeves.[citation needed]
The album reached number 8 in the UK albums chart, selling 70,000 copies and gaining a silver disc.[citation needed]
The image used for the cover is a still from Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [7] |
| God Is in the TV | 5/5[8] |
| The Guardian | [9] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 9/10[10] |
| NME | 5/10[11] |
| Q | [12] |
| Rolling Stone | [13] |
| Spin | 6/10[14] |
| Vox | 8/10[15] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said of the album: "While Gene manages to carve out an identity indebted to the Smiths but not dominated by them, they also fail to produce an album of consistently compelling material – considering that it's a debut album, that's not a fatal flaw. And Gene's best material shows they are capable of transcending their influences."[6]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Gene
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Haunted by You" | 3:41 |
| 2. | "Your Love, It Lies" | 3:18 |
| 3. | "Truth, Rest Your Head" | 5:00 |
| 4. | "A Car That Sped" | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Left-Handed" | 2:20 |
| 6. | "London, Can You Wait?" | 3:11 |
| 7. | "To the City" | 4:00 |
| 8. | "Still Can't Find the Phone" | 3:00 |
| 9. | "Sleep Well Tonight" | 4:36 |
| 10. | "Olympian" | 5:25 |
| 11. | "We'll Find Our Own Way" | 2:24 |
| Total length: | 40:31 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "For the Dead" | 3:26 |
| 13. | "Be My Light, Be My Guide" | 4:03 |
| Total length: | 48:02 | |
Personnel
edit- Gene
- Martin Rossiter - Vocals, Keyboards
- Steve Mason - Guitar
- Kevin Miles - Bass
- Matt James - Drums
- Additional musicians
Electra Strings:
- Sian Bell - Cello
- Jocelyn Pook - Viola
- Jules Singleton - 2nd Violin
- Sonia Slany - Lead Violin
- Pete Thomas - String Arrangements
- Production
- Phil Vinall - Producer
- Pete Hofmann - Engineer
- Andy Vella - Design
- Kevin Westenberg, Melanie Cox and Andrew Carruth - Photography
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Silver | 60,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "BEST DAYS: HERE ARE 10 ESSENTIAL BRITPOP ALBUMS TURNING 20 IN 2015". Vanyaland. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ "10 Essential Britpop Albums". Treble. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ "The Story of Britpop in 60 Albums". www.mojo4music.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ "10 Classic Albums That Wouldn't Be The Same Without The Smiths' 'Meat Is Murder'". NME. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "Album A&E - Gene, 'Olympian'". NME. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Olympian – Gene". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ Ryan, Mo (29 September 1995). "Gene: Olympian (Polygram)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ Scott, Ben P. (7 February 2014). "Gene – Deluxe Editions: 'Olympian'/'To See The Lights'/'Drawn To The Deep End'/'Revelations'/'Libertine' (Edsel Records)". God Is in the TV. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline (24 March 1995). "CD of the week: Gene". The Guardian.
- ^ Wisgard, Alex (23 January 2014). "Gene – Olympian/To See the Lights/Drawn to the Deep End/Revelations/Libertine [Deluxe Reissues]". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ Sutherland, Steve (18 March 1995). "Greek Smithsology". NME. p. 49.
- ^ Aston, Martin (April 1995). "Gene: Olympian". Q. No. 103.
- ^ Cohen, Jason (29 June 1995). "Gene: Olympian". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 23 May 2003. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (June 1995). "Gene: Olympian". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 3. pp. 103–104. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ McLean, Craig (April 1995). "Le Nerd Rossiter". Vox. No. 55. p. 93.
- ^ "British album certifications – Gene – Olympian". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 March 2022.