Heathen Chemistry
Encyclopedia
Heathen Chemistry is the fifth studio album by the English rock
band Oasis
, released in 2002.
The album was written and recorded with a back-to-basics sound with a more rock feel to it; the more crude and simple sound differs from the musical grandiosity of their previous records, Be Here Now and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
, being more comparable to their early work.
Heathen Chemistry would prove to be last album to feature the band's longtime drummer, Alan White
, who left in early 2004, with Noel Gallagher claiming White's commitment to the band was not adequate. He was effectively replaced with Ringo Starr
's son, Zak Starkey
.
The name Heathen Chemistry was taken from a second hand T-shirt that Noel had stumbled across.
. Front man Liam Gallagher
contributed three songs, and new bassist Andy Bell
and rhythm guitarist Gem Archer
contributed one song each as well.
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:
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.
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, as all the instrumentals of this album were given actual titles as opposed to "Instrumental 1", etc., and the name stuck once the track was finished.
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. However, listeners of the commercially released album heard slight differences to two tracks, "Little by Little" and "Better Man."
The length of track 11 is 38:03, this is because of a hidden track called "The Cage", which begins after 30 minutes of silence.
The album has sold around one million copies in the UK, being certified triple platinum, and 154,000 copies in the US. 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 was the 11th biggest selling album of 2002 in the UK with just over 800,000 copies sold.
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.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, released in 2002.
The album was written and recorded with a back-to-basics sound with a more rock feel to it; the more crude and simple sound differs from the musical grandiosity of their previous records, Be Here Now and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants is the fourth studio album by English rock band Oasis, released on 28 February 2000. The album is the 16th fastest selling album in UK chart history, selling over 310,000 copies in its first week...
, being more comparable to their early work.
Heathen Chemistry would prove to be last album to feature the band's longtime drummer, Alan White
Alan White (Oasis drummer)
Alan White is an English drummer, best known as being the drummer of the English rock group Oasis between 1995 and 2004, performing on four studio albums, two compilation albums and one live album. He joined the band in May 1995 after the band's original drummer Tony McCarroll was removed from...
, who left in early 2004, with Noel Gallagher claiming White's commitment to the band was not adequate. He was effectively replaced with Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
's son, Zak Starkey
Zak Starkey
Zak Starkey is an English rock drummer. He is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Starr's first wife Maureen Starkey Tigrett. He is also well known for his unofficial membership in the English rock band The Who, with whom he has performed and recorded since 1996. He is also the third...
.
The name Heathen Chemistry was taken from a second hand T-shirt that Noel had stumbled across.
Recording
Heathen Chemistry was recorded during 2001–early 2002 and is the first Oasis album to have significant writing contributions from members other than chief songwriter Noel GallagherNoel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
. Front man Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
contributed three songs, and new bassist Andy Bell
Andy Bell (musician)
Andrew Piran "Andy" Bell is a Welsh musician, currently playing guitar in the band Beady Eye. He is a songwriter, singer, producer, DJ and former member of the early 1990s shoegazing band, Ride, and later, Hurricane #1...
and rhythm guitarist Gem Archer
Gem Archer
Colin Murray "Gem" Archer is a member of the English rock band Beady Eye. He is, however, best known for his work with Heavy Stereo and Oasis. He joined Oasis as rhythm guitarist in November 1999, and handled lead guitarist for acoustics as well. He also contributed towards the writing of some of...
contributed one song each as well.
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."
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.
The title of the album, according to Noel, came from a t-shirt he bought in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are 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, as all the instrumentals of this album were given actual titles as opposed to "Instrumental 1", etc., and the name stuck once the track was finished.
Release
The release of the album was overshadowed by an Internet leakInternet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
of all 11 songs almost three months prior to release, which was evident at a Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
show the group performed where fans knew the words to several new songs before the album's release. However, listeners of the commercially released album heard slight differences to two tracks, "Little by Little" and "Better Man."
The length of track 11 is 38:03, this is because of a hidden track called "The Cage", which begins after 30 minutes of silence.
The album has sold around one million copies in the UK, being certified triple platinum, and 154,000 copies in the US. 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 was the 11th biggest selling album of 2002 in the UK with just over 800,000 copies sold.
It spawned four singles, each of which made the top three in the UK charts: "The Hindu Times
The Hindu Times
"The Hindu Times" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was the first single released from their fifth album Heathen Chemistry on 15 April 2002. It was written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. Noel got the name "The Hindu Times" from a t-shirt he saw in a charity shop...
", their sixth number one single in the UK, "Stop Crying Your Heart Out
Stop Crying Your Heart Out
"Stop Crying Your Heart Out" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was released as the second single from their fifth studio album, Heathen Chemistry, on 17 June 2002...
","Little By Little/She Is Love
She Is Love
"She Is Love" is a song by English rock band Oasis, first released as the ninth track on their fifth studio album, Heathen Chemistry. In September 2002, it was released with "Little by Little" as the first double A-sided single by the band, peaking at #2 in the UK Singles Chart...
", the double A-side sung by Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
, and "Songbird
Songbird (Oasis song)
"Songbird" is a song by English rock band Oasis, from their fifth studio album Heathen Chemistry. The song was released as the fourth single from that album on 3 February 2003 and peaked at #3 in the UK charts. It is included on Oasis' 2006 compilation album Stop the Clocks...
", the first single written by Liam.
Reception
Reception for the album was generally positive, many noting that it was better than the last effort, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. A review on Sputnik Music quoted "Give it a try with unprejudiced mind and I'm sure you'll at least 'like it' if not 'love it'. The album may not be very successful commercially, but if the songs are nice, who cares about being a commercial success?", and gave the album 3.5/5 stars http://sputnikmusic.com/review/36223/Oasis-Heathen-Chemistry. The same review also listed "Songbird" as one of the album's highlights.Track listing
Oasis
- Liam GallagherLiam GallagherWilliam John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
– lead vocals - Noel GallagherNoel GallagherNoel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
– guitars, vocals - Gem ArcherGem ArcherColin Murray "Gem" Archer is a member of the English rock band Beady Eye. He is, however, best known for his work with Heavy Stereo and Oasis. He joined Oasis as rhythm guitarist in November 1999, and handled lead guitarist for acoustics as well. He also contributed towards the writing of some of...
– guitars - Andy BellAndy Bell (musician)Andrew Piran "Andy" Bell is a Welsh musician, currently playing guitar in the band Beady Eye. He is a songwriter, singer, producer, DJ and former member of the early 1990s shoegazing band, Ride, and later, Hurricane #1...
– bass - Alan WhiteAlan White (Oasis drummer)Alan White is an English drummer, best known as being the drummer of the English rock group Oasis between 1995 and 2004, performing on four studio albums, two compilation albums and one live album. He joined the band in May 1995 after the band's original drummer Tony McCarroll was removed from...
– drums
Additional musicians
- Paul StaceyPaul StaceyPaul Stacey is a British guitarist and producer, best known for his work with Oasis and The Black Crowes.Paul Stacey's early work included the 1990s band, The Lemon Trees and Denzil....
– mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
on track 1, piano on tracks 2, 3 and 11, hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
on track 6 - Mike Rowe – piano on tracks 4 and 10, pump organ on track 9, hammond organ on tracks 8, 9 and 10
- Johnny MarrJohnny MarrJohnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
– guitar soloGuitar soloIn popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
on track 8, slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
on track 10, guitars on track 11, backing vocals on track 11 - London Session OrchestraLondon Philharmonic OrchestraThe London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
– stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
on track 4
Charts
| Country | Peak position |
Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | 3x Platinum |
| Australia | 4 | Gold |
| Canada | 5 | Gold |
| France | 8 | |
| Germany | 4 | |
| Ireland | 1 | |
| Netherlands | 32 | |
| New Zealand | 16 | |
| Sweden | 2 | |
| United States | 23 | |