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Heathen Chemistry

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Heathen Chemistry
Studio album by
Oasis
Released1 July 2002 (2002-07-01)
Recorded2001–2002
StudioWheeler End, Buckinghamshire and Olympic, London
Genre
Length47:54 (76:36 with hidden track)
LabelBig Brother
ProducerOasis
Oasis chronology
Familiar to Millions
(2000) 		Heathen Chemistry
(2002) 		Don't Believe the Truth
(2005)
Singles from Heathen Chemistry
  1. "The Hindu Times"
    Released: 15 April 2002[1]
  2. "Stop Crying Your Heart Out"
    Released: 17 June 2002[2]
  3. "Little by Little" / "She Is Love"
    Released: 19 September 2002[3]
  4. "Songbird"
    Released: 3 February 2003[4]

Heathen Chemistry is the fifth studio album by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 1 July 2002 by Big Brother Recordings. It is the first Oasis studio album recorded with guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell, who both joined the band after work on previous album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants had been completed. It is the last album to feature longtime drummer, Alan White, who left in early 2004, with Noel Gallagher citing White's lack of commitment to the band as the reason for leaving.

Recording

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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. Front man Liam Gallagher contributed three songs, and new bassist Andy Bell and rhythm guitarist Gem Archer contributed one song each as well.[5]

Although most of the song's 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.

Release

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The release of the album 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.[8] However, listeners of the commercially released album heard slight differences to two tracks, "Little by Little" and "Better Man".

The length of track 11, "Better Man" is 38:03; this is because of a hidden track called "The Cage", which begins after 30 minutes of silence. In the Japanese and digital versions, "Better Man" and the hidden track "The Cage" were separated and the 30-minute silence was removed.

The album was certified triple platinum in UK,[9] and 154,000 copies in the US.[10][11] 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.

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic55/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Blender[14]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[15]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[16]
The Guardian[17]
Los Angeles Times[18]
NME8/10[19]
Pitchfork1.2/10[20]
Q[21]
Rolling Stone[22]
Spin4/10[23]

Reception for the album varied wildly. On Metacritic it had a score of 55 out of 100 based on reviews from 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12] 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".[14] However, a number of other reviewers offered scathing assessments of the album; notably, Drowned in Sound,[24] Pitchfork,[20] and Stylus Magazine.[25]

In 2017, Liam Gallagher ranked Heathen Chemistry as his least favourite Oasis album.[26]

Track listing

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Heathen Chemistry track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Hindu Times"Noel Gallagher3:46
2."Force of Nature"N. Gallagher4:51
3."Hung in a Bad Place"Gem Archer3:28
4."Stop Crying Your Heart Out"N. Gallagher5:03
5."Songbird"Liam Gallagher2:07
6."Little by Little"N. Gallagher4:52
7."A Quick Peep" (Instrumental)Andy Bell1:17
8."(Probably) All in the Mind"N. Gallagher4:02
9."She Is Love"N. Gallagher3:09
10."Born on a Different Cloud"L. Gallagher6:08
11."Better Man" (song ends at 4:20, includes hidden track "The Cage", which begins at 33:13)L. Gallagher / N. Gallagher38:02
Total length:76:36
Japanese and digital version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Better Man"L. Gallagher4:20
12."The Cage"N. Gallagher4:50
13."(You've Got) the Heart of a Star"N. Gallagher5:24
Total length:53:18

Notes In the Japanese and digital versions, "Better Man" and the hidden track "The Cage" were separated and the 30-minute silence was removed.

Personnel

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Oasis

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Additional musicians

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Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for Heathen Chemistry
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[61] Gold 20,000^
Australia (ARIA)[62] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[63] Gold 50,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[64] Platinum 20,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[65] Platinum 200,000^
Sweden (GLF)[66] Gold 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[67] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[69] 3× Platinum 1,104,616[68]
United States — 154,000[70]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 15 April 2002: Singles". Music Week. 13 April 2002. p. 31.
  2. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 17 June 2002: Singles". Music Week. 15 June 2002. p. 31.
  3. ^ "オアシス – リトル・バイ・リトル／シー・イズ・ラヴ" [Oasis – Little by Little / She Is Love] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 7 November 2002. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  4. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 3 February 2003: Singles". Music Week. 1 February 2003. p. 20.
  5. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon. "Oasis Turn to Heathens, Hedonism for Inspiration on New LP" Archived 12 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine. MTV. 3 April 2002.
  6. ^ "Noel 'livid' as Liam delays new Oasis album", NME Online, 11 October 2001
  7. ^ Downey, Ryan J. "Oasis Set Up U.S. Tour Whether Liam Likes It Or Not" Archived 4 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. MTV News. 16 May 2002.
  8. ^ Goldner, Jonathan. "Oasis Badger 'Thieving' Fans At Las Vegas Gig" Archived 13 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. MTV. 29 April 2002.
  9. ^ Heathen Chemistry certification Archived 30 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  10. ^ Cohen. Jonathan. "Oasis Pledges New 'Truth' In May" Archived 11 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine. billboard.com. 7 March 2005.
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