Heathen Chemistry

Heathen Chemistry was recorded between 2001 and early 2002 and is the first Oasis album to have significant writing contributions from members other than chief songwriter Noel Gallagher. Frontman Liam Gallagher contributed three songs, with new bassist Andy Bell and rhythm guitarist Gem Archer each contributing one song each.^[5]

Although most of the songs' instrumentation was complete by mid-to-late 2001, Noel indicated that the release date of the album was being needlessly delayed by Liam's apparent reluctance to lay down his vocal parts at recording sessions, and went on to state that he was "livid" at the lack of work being done:

I was really happy with (the album) until recently, but I'm fucking livid now. I finished my bits three-and-a-half months ago, and then we handed it over to Liam, and in three-and-a-half months he's done nothing. Just concentrated on his drinking habit again. It's just drifting at the moment.

All the backing tracks are done and it's a fantastic album of instrumentals. Hand it over to the singer and it just slows down and becomes this one really long, drawn-out, painful process. So, to be honest with you, I don't know when it'll come out now. It's down to him.^[6]

Despite the setbacks during the recording process, when the album was finally complete Noel was confident that it was the group's second-best album to date, behind their debut Definitely Maybe.^[7]

The title of the album, according to Noel, came from a T-shirt he bought in Ibiza which featured a logo reading, "The Society of Heathen Chemists". Similarly, the name of the first single, "The Hindu Times", originated from a logo on a T-shirt that read the same thing, which Noel saw during a photo shoot for GQ's "100 Greatest Guitarists" edition. The name was given to the track when it was just an instrumental and the name stuck once the track was finished.

The cover was shot by photographer Andrew Macpherson,^[8] who was commissioned by Simon Halfon to spend a week in Paris with the band in February 2002. The photograph depicts an informal moment as the band members wait for a subway train at the Gare de Lyon Métro station, on 13 February 2002.^[9]

Heathen Chemistry's release was overshadowed by an Internet leak of all 11 songs almost three months prior to release, which was evident at a Las Vegas show the group performed where fans knew the words to several new songs before the album's release.^[10] However, listeners of the commercially released album heard slight differences to two tracks, "Little by Little" and "Better Man".

The album was certified four times platinum selling over 1.2 million in the UK,^[11] and 154,000 copies in the US.^[12][13] Upon release, Heathen Chemistry went straight to number one in the UK, though it fared rather poorly in the US, only entering at number 23.

It spawned four singles, each of which made the top three in the UK charts: "The Hindu Times", their sixth number one single in the UK; "Stop Crying Your Heart Out"; "Little By Little/She Is Love", the double A-side sung by Noel Gallagher; and "Songbird", the first single written by Liam.

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	55/100[14]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]
Blender	[16]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[17]
The Guardian	[18]
Los Angeles Times	[19]
NME	8/10[20]
Pitchfork	1.2/10[21]
Q	[22]
Rolling Stone	[23]
Spin	4/10[24]

Close

Heathen Chemistry received mixed reviews upon release, although it was seen as a return to form from critics following the reviews of the two previous albums. On Metacritic, it has a score of 55 out of 100, based on reviews from 22 critics.^[14] Some reviewers noted that it was better than the band's last effort, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, with Blender writing that Oasis was "a band back on track".^[16] NME gave it an 8/10 rating and Rolling Stone gave it three out of five stars. However, a number of other reviewers offered scathing assessments of the album; notably, Drowned in Sound,^[25] Pitchfork,^[21] and Stylus Magazine.^[26]

In 2017, Liam Gallagher ranked Heathen Chemistry as his least favourite Oasis album.^[27]

The eleventh track, "Better Man", is followed by thirty minutes of silence before a hidden track, "The Cage", is played.

The Japanese and digital versions removed the 30-minute silence between "Better Man" and "The Cage", and featured an additional track.