Olympian (album)
| Olympian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
Olympian is the 1995 debut album by British rock band Gene, released on 20 March 1995 by Costermonger Records.
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] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| Rolling Stone |  [8] |
| Spin | 6/10[9] |
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[edit]
All 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)[10] | 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.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline (24 March 1995). "CD of the week: Gene". The Guardian.
- ^ 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. 103–04. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "British album certifications – Gene – Olympian". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
