Heathen Chemistry

Lore & Background

The title Heathen Chemistry came from a T-shirt Noel bought in Ibiza featuring 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 Noel saw during a photo shoot for Q magazine's '100 Greatest Guitarists' edition. The name was given to the track when it was just an instrumental and stuck once the track was finished. The cover was shot by photographer Andrew Macpherson, commissioned by Simon Halfon to spend a week in Paris with the band in February 2002. The photograph depicts an informal moment as the band members wait for a subway train at the Gare de Lyon Métro station on 13 February 2002.

Reader's Guide

Released on 1 July 2002, Heathen Chemistry went straight to number one on the UK Albums Chart and reached the top 10 in a dozen other countries. It was certified 4× platinum by the BPI for sales of 1.2 million units in the UK, and sold 154,000 copies in the US, where it peaked at number 23. The album spawned four singles, each making 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 band's only double-A side single), and 'Songbird' (the first Oasis single written by Liam Gallagher). This was the last Oasis studio album to include four singles released in the UK.

A Return to Rock Roots

Recorded at Wheeler End Studios and Olympic Studios in London between 2001 and early 2002, Heathen Chemistry marked a change in sound from the band's previous album, the more psychedelic sounding Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, and the grand production and massive sound on the band's third album Be Here Now. Instead, it has a more back-to-basics rock sound found on the band's first two studio albums. The album is notable for being the first Oasis album where members other than Noel Gallagher made a significant contribution to the songwriting, a trend which would continue in subsequent Oasis albums. Frontman Liam Gallagher contributed three songs, with new bassist Andy Bell and rhythm guitarist Gem Archer each contributing one song each.

A New Era of Collaboration

Heathen Chemistry is the first Oasis album to have significant writing contributions from members other than chief songwriter Noel Gallagher. Liam Gallagher contributed three songs, including 'Songbird,' which was the first Oasis single written by him. New bassist Andy Bell and rhythm guitarist Gem Archer each contributed one song each. The album features the UK number one hit 'The Hindu Times,' as well as the singles 'Little By Little'/'She Is Love' (the band's only double-A side single), 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out,' and 'Songbird.' The four singles were all top five hits in the UK.

Commercial Triumph Amidst Leaks

Heathen Chemistry's release 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. However, listeners of the commercially released album heard slight differences to two tracks, 'Little by Little' and 'Better Man.' Despite the leak, the album was a commercial success, going to number one on the UK Albums Chart and reaching the top 10 in a dozen other countries. It was certified 4× platinum by the BPI for sales of 1.2 million units in the UK, and sold 154,000 copies in the US, where it entered at number 23.

Critical Reception and Hidden Depths

Heathen Chemistry received mixed reviews upon release, although it was seen as a return to form from critics following the reviews of the two previous albums. On Metacritic, it has a score of 55 out of 100, based on reviews from 22 critics. Some reviewers noted 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.' NME gave it an 8/10 rating and Rolling Stone gave it three out of five stars.

However, a number of other reviewers offered scathing assessments, notably Drowned in Sound, Pitchfork, and Stylus Magazine. In 2017, Liam Gallagher ranked Heathen Chemistry as his least favourite Oasis album. The eleventh track, 'Better Man,' is followed by thirty minutes of silence before a hidden track, 'The Cage,' is played. The Japanese and digital versions removed the 30-minute silence and featured an additional track.

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