Heathen Chemistry is the fifth studio album by Englishrock bandOasis. It was released on 1 July 2002 byBig Brother Recordings. It is the first Oasis studio album recorded with guitaristGem Archer and bassistAndy Bell, who both joined the band after work on previous albumStanding 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.
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 songwriterNoel Gallagher. Front manLiam Gallagher contributed three songs, and new bassistAndy Bell and rhythm guitaristGem 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 debutDefinitely Maybe.[7]
The title of the album, according to Noel, came from a T-shirt he bought inIbiza 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.
The cover image was taken by photographer Andrew Macpherson,[8] who was commissioned bySimon 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 Métro train at the Gare de Lyon Métro station, on February 13th 2002.[9]
The release of the album was overshadowed by anInternet leak of all 11 songs almost three months prior to release, which was evident at aLas Vegas show the group performed where fans knew the words to several new songs before the album's release.[10] 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 four times platinum selling over 1.2 million in the UK,[11] and 154,000 copies in the US.[12][13] 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.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
