Olympian (album)
| Untitled | |
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Olympian is the 1995 debut album by British rock band Gene, released March 20, 1995 under Costermonger Records.
The album reached number 8 in the UK albums chart, selling 70,000 copies and gaining a silver disc.
It is frequently recognized as one of the crowning achievements of Britpop.[2][3][4]
The album sound is noted for being influenced by The Smiths, The Jam & The Small Faces.[5][6] Aesthetically, the album cover reminds of The Smiths' sleeves.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic[7] 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."[8]
The image used for the cover is a still from Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Martin Rossiter/Steve Mason/Kevin Miles/Matt James
| 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" | 3:25 |
| 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
- Miti Adhikari - Producer
- Pete Hofmann - Engineer
- Andy Vella - Design
- Kevin Westenberg, Melanie Cox and Andrew Carruth - Photography
References
- ^ Olympian at AllMusic
- ^ "BEST DAYS: HERE ARE 10 ESSENTIAL BRITPOP ALBUMS TURNING 20 IN 2015". Vanyaland. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ "10 Essential Britpop Albums". Treble. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ "The Story of Britpop in 60 Albums". www.mojo4music.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ "10 Classic Albums That Wouldn't Be The Same Without The Smiths' 'Meat Is Murder'". NME. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "Album A&E - Gene, 'Olympian'". NME. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. AllMusic http://www.allmusic.com/album/olympian-mw0000173286. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/olympian-mw0000173286/credits