Olympian (album)
1995 studio album by Gene
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Olympian is the 1995 debut album by British rock band Gene, released on 20 March 1995 by Costermonger Records.
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| Olympian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 March 1995 | |||
| Recorded | Autumn 1994 | |||
| Studios | Townhouse 3, London | |||
| Genres | Britpop, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 40:31 2:19:12 (2014 remastered & expanded reissue) | |||
| Labels | Polydor (US and Europe) Costermonger (UK) | |||
| Producers | Phil Vinall, Miti Adhikari | |||
| Gene chronology | ||||
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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 and the Small Faces.[4][5]
The album reached number 8 in the UK albums chart].[6]
The image used for the cover is a still from Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [8] |
| God Is in the TV | 5/5[9] |
| The Guardian | [10] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 9/10[11] |
| NME | 5/10[12] |
| Q | [13] |
| Rolling Stone | [14] |
| Spin | 6/10[15] |
| Vox | 8/10[16] |
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."[7]
Track listing
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
- 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
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[17] | Silver | 60,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||