Olympian (album)

Olympian is the 1995 debut album by British rock band Gene, released on 20 March 1995 by Costermonger Records.

Olympian
Studio album by
Gene
Released20 March 1995
RecordedAutumn 1994 - Townhouse 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)

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 reminds of The Smiths' sleeves.

The album reached number 8 in the UK albums chart, selling 70,000 copies and gaining a silver disc.

The image used for the cover is a still from Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The Guardian[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Spin6/10[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

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
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References
  1. "BEST DAYS: HERE ARE 10 ESSENTIAL BRITPOP ALBUMS TURNING 20 IN 2015". Vanyaland. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  2. "10 Essential Britpop Albums". Treble. 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. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Olympian – Gene". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  7. Sullivan, Caroline (24 March 1995). "CD of the week: Gene". The Guardian.
  8. Cohen, Jason (29 June 1995). "Gene: Olympian". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 23 May 2003. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  9. Bernstein, Jonathan (June 1995). "Gene: Olympian". Spin. Vol. 11 no. 3. pp. 103–04. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
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