Olympian (album)

Olympian
Studio album by
Gene
Released20 March 1995
RecordedAutumn 1994
StudioTownhouse 3, London
GenreBritpop, alternative rock
Length40:31
2:19:12 (2014 remastered & expanded reissue)
LabelPolydor (US and Europe)
Costermonger (UK)
ProducerPhil Vinall, Miti Adhikari
Gene chronology
Olympian
(1995) 		To See the Lights
(1996)

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

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Chicago Tribune[7]
God Is in the TV5/5[8]
The Guardian[9]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[10]
NME5/10[11]
Q[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
Spin6/10[14]
Vox8/10[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

All tracks are written by Gene

No.TitleLength
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
US Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
12."For the Dead"3:26
13."Be My Light, Be My Guide"4:03
Total length:48:02

Personnel

Gene
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

Certifications for Olympian
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[16] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "BEST DAYS: HERE ARE 10 ESSENTIAL BRITPOP ALBUMS TURNING 20 IN 2015". Vanyaland. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  2. ^ "10 Essential Britpop Albums". Treble. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  3. ^ "The Story of Britpop in 60 Albums". www.mojo4music.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  4. ^ "10 Classic Albums That Wouldn't Be The Same Without The Smiths' 'Meat Is Murder'". NME. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Album A&E - Gene, 'Olympian'". NME. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  6. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Olympian – Gene". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  7. ^ Ryan, Mo (29 September 1995). "Gene: Olympian (Polygram)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (24 March 1995). "CD of the week: Gene". The Guardian.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Sutherland, Steve (18 March 1995). "Greek Smithsology". NME. p. 49.
  12. ^ Aston, Martin (April 1995). "Gene: Olympian". Q. No. 103.
  13. ^ Cohen, Jason (29 June 1995). "Gene: Olympian". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 23 May 2003. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  14. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (June 1995). "Gene: Olympian". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 3. pp. 103–104. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  15. ^ McLean, Craig (April 1995). "Le Nerd Rossiter". Vox. No. 55. p. 93.
  16. ^ "British album certifications – Gene – Olympian". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 March 2022.