Different Gear, Still Speeding is the debut studio album by the English rock band Beady Eye, initially released in Japan on 23 February 2011, and released in the UK on 28 February 2011. It debuted at number three in the UK Albums Chart selling 66,817 in the first week. As of August 2012, the album has sold 174,487 copies in the UK. On Different Gear, Still Speeding, all members contributed to the instrumentation, much like the later albums of Oasis.

Critical reception

Reviews of the album have been generally mixed-to-favourable. According to review aggregator site Metacritic, the album has an average score of 65%.

Reviewing for Rolling Stone, Stacey Anderson, who gave the album 2.5 out of 5 stars, said "On Different Gear, the band attempts stripped down, Stones-y rock but ends up with 'Be Here Now'-style guitar bluster and Liam's blithely boilerplate lyrics". Drowned in Sound awarded the album 4/10 saying that "By and large it radiates the stolid competence of a band on auto-pilot, with a few flashes of likeable enthusiasm." The Independent on Sunday gave it 2/5 stars. Simon Goddard, reviewing for Q, gave the album four-out-of-five stars and described it as "the strongest record Liam's made" since (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, while Garry Mulholland, in his three-star review for Uncut, denied that the album "remotely matches" Definitely Maybe, but felt the album was a step in the right direction. Mojo also gave the album four stars out of five, citing Gallagher's singing as a highlight. The Fly, however, remarked that the album was "dull", and a disappointment, while Scotland on Sunday added that Noel Gallagher is missed as a songwriting partner. The BBC and The Independent both commented that the album bests Oasis' later music, if not lacking innovation from the previous group, while The Sun praised the album's simplicity and variety, citing "Bring the Light" as a surprising highlight, a comment that NME repeated. The album is generally agreed to have surpassed expectations, with Mojo remarking that the album "shaped up better than many imagined," and Q saying that it "decimates all negative preconceptions."

As of January 2012 UK sales stand at 165,864 copies according to The Guardian.

Track listing

iTunes Bonus Tracks

Japanese Edition

Special edition There is a special edition of the album, which includes a DVD with music videos for "Bring the Light", "Four Letter Word" and "Sons of the Stage" (a cover of a song by Oasis favourites World of Twist), as well as a documentary entitled RAK Them Out. Japanese copies included the music video for "The Roller". A Japan-only "Limited Tour Edition" includes a bonus DVD featuring highlights from the concert in Paris on 13 March 2011, containing twelve songs in 52 minutes, and music videos including "The Beat Goes On".

Personnel Personnel per booklet.

Beady Eye Liam Gallagher – vocals Gem Archer – guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals Andy Bell – guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals Chris Sharrock – drums Additional musicians Victoria Akintola, Nomvula Malinga – backing vocals on "Bring the Light" and "Kill for a Dream"

Production Beady Eye, Steve Lillywhite – producers Beady Eye, Jonathan Shakhovskoy – mixing Jonathan Shakhovskoy – engineer Helen Atkinson – recording assistance Rich Cooper – mixing assistance John Davis – mastering Steve Gullick – photography Lawrence Watson – photography Paul 'Spooner' Heywood – photography Paul Heywood – photography House@Intro – album art

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2011) Peakposition South Korean Albums (Gaon) 12

Year-end charts Chart (2011) Position UK Albums (OCC) 69

Certifications

Release history Region Date Label Japan 23 February 2011 Sony Music Germany 25 February 2011 Beady Eye Records Republic of Ireland United Kingdom Italy 28 February 2011 Spain United States/Canada 1 March 2011 Dangerbird Records Australia 11 March 2011 Liberation Music Argentina 18 March 2011 Sony Music Brazil Croatia 21 March 2011 Sony Music / Menart

References

External links Different Gear, Still Speeding – on Rdio Different Gear, Still Speeding – on Spotify