Different Gear, Still Speeding

Different Gear, Still Speeding
Studio album by
Beady Eye
Released23 February 2011
RecordedJune–November 2010
StudioRAK, London
GenreBritpop
Length51:34
LabelBeady Eye
Producer
Beady Eye chronology
Different Gear, Still Speeding
(2011) 		BE
(2013)
Singles from Different Gear, Still Speeding
  1. "Bring the Light"
    Released: 22 November 2010
  2. "Four Letter Word"
    Released: 17 January 2011
  3. "The Roller"
    Released: 21 February 2011
  4. "Millionaire"
    Released: 2 May 2011
  5. "The Beat Goes On"
    Released: 11 July 2011

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.[1] 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.[2] On Different Gear, Still Speeding, all members contributed to the instrumentation, much like the later albums of Oasis.[3]

Background and recording

Shortly after Oasis split, Liam Gallagher said the remaining members of the group met up to go through "some demos we have knocking about", indicating that part of the material pre-dated Beady Eye's formal formation.[4] In a separate 2011 band interview, Gallagher said: "It was important not to sit and dwell on the past", adding that Oasis had come off tour "on fire", while Gem Archer said it was best to begin again "straight off the back of a load of gigs".[5]

The same interview contained direct comments from all four members about the album's development. Andy Bell said that "some of the songs go back a few years and some are brand new", and added that recording at RAK Studios felt "exciting and new".[5] Archer said the group had "the songs almost in order of how we wanted the album to play out", while Chris Sharrock described the finished record as sounding like "a debut record by a band just starting out with a huge appetite for music", adding: "that's exactly what it is."[5] Liam Gallagher said the group were "buzzing, confident" and going into the sessions "to enjoy it and have fun".[5]

The band also described the record as collaborative in both writing and arrangement. Bell said the songs were "initially written individually", but were then worked on collectively, while Archer said that although each member could identify songs they had started, "they are actually all of our songs".[5] Bell added that producer Steve Lillywhite was effective at capturing live takes quickly, and Archer said the use of live vocals helped the band avoid a mechanical, piecemeal recording process.[5] Gallagher likewise said that recording more directly helped prevent the music from sounding "soulless".[5]

In discussing the album's influences, Gallagher said that the Rolling Stones were "a big one on this record" and Bell called the La's "a musical touchstone".[5] Archer added that the Rolling Stones' "Child of the Moon" and Little Richard were among the reference points that came up in the studio.[5] Contemporary coverage in The Guardian similarly described the album as being "in thrall to the Stones, the La's ... and, of course, the Beatles".[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic65/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
American Songwriter[9]
Clash7/10[10]
The Fly[11]
Los Angeles Times[12]
NME7/10[13]
PopMatters7/10[14]
Q[15]
Spin7/10[16]
Uncut6/10[17]

Reviews of the album have been generally mixed-to-favourable. According to review aggregator site Metacritic, the album has an average score of 65%.[7]

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?,[18] 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.[19] 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.[20][21] The BBC and The Independent both commented that the album bests Oasis' later music, if not lacking innovation from the previous group,[22] while The Sun praised the album's simplicity and variety, citing "Bring the Light" as a surprising highlight, a comment that NME repeated.[13] 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.[23]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gem Archer, Andy Bell, and Liam Gallagher.

No.TitleLength
1."Four Letter Word"4:17
2."Millionaire"3:19
3."The Roller"3:34
4."Beatles and Stones"2:56
5."Wind Up Dream"3:27
6."Bring the Light"3:39
7."For Anyone"2:15
8."Kill for a Dream"4:39
9."Standing on the Edge of the Noise"2:52
10."Wigwam"6:39
11."Three Ring Circus"3:09
12."The Beat Goes On"4:45
13."The Morning Son"6:03

iTunes Bonus Tracks

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Man of Misery"Liam Gallagher2:38
15."Sons of the Stage"Gordon King, Tony Ogden4:38

Japanese Edition

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Sons of the Stage"Gordon King, Tony Ogden4:38
15."World Outside My Room"L. Gallagher, G. Archer, A. Bell4:20

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.[24] Japanese copies included the music video for "The Roller".[25] 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".

No.TitleLength
1.""RAK Them Out – Documental"" 
2.""Bring The Light – Video""3:41
3.""Four Letter Word – Video""4:22
4.""Sons of the Stage – Video""4:46

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[3]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] Gold 191,000[54]

Release history

Region Date Label
Japan[56] 23 February 2011 Sony Music
Germany 25 February 2011 Beady Eye Records
Republic of Ireland
United Kingdom[57]
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

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  2. ^ McCormick, Neil (9 November 2011). "Liam Gallagher: not a day goes by when I don't think about Oasis". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  3. ^ a b Different Gear, Still Speeding (Booklet). Beady Eye. Beady Eye. 2011. BEADYCD2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ "Q&A: Liam Gallagher Doesn't Mind If You Compare Beady Eye to Oasis". Vanity Fair. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Beady Eye Interview". Stop Crying Your Heart Out. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  6. ^ Salmon, Chris (17 February 2011). "After Oasis, Beady Eye begin their journey". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Reviews for Different Gear, Still Speeding by Beady Eye – Metacritic". Metacritic.
  8. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Different Gear, Still Speeding – Beady Eye". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  9. ^ Dunham, Nancy (7 March 2011). "Beady Eye: Different Gear, Still Speeding". American Songwriter. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
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  13. ^ a b "NME Reviews – Album Review: Beady Eye – Different Gear, Still Speeding (Beady Eye Records)". NME. 23 February 2011.
  14. ^ Kott, Crispin (3 March 2011). "Beady Eye: Different Gear, Still Speeding". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  15. ^ Beady Eye's Different Gear, Still Speeding was always going to be one of the most important records Liam Gallagher would ever make. The gobsmacking reality is that it's also among the best. [March 2011, p. 102]
  16. ^ "Beady Eye, 'Different Gear, Still Speeding' (Dangerbird)". Spin.
  17. ^ It does still summon some of the spirit and occasionally the joyfulness that should attend a first record. [Mar 2011, p.90]
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