| Olympian | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Gene |
| Cover: | 'Olympian' by Gene (album cover).jpg |
| Released: | 20 March 1995 |
| Recorded: | Autumn 1994 |
| Studio: | Townhouse 3, London |
| Genre: | Britpop, alternative rock |
| Length: | 40:31 2:19:12 (2014 remastered & expanded reissue) |
| Label: | Polydor (US and Europe) Costermonger (UK) |
| Producer: | Phil Vinall, Miti Adhikari |
| Next Title: | To See the Lights |
| Next Year: | 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.
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.
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."