diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 68eec660..cb975f47 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ compile
 README
 stamp-enum-types
 stamp-marshal
-/ChangeLog*
 /build/autotools/*.m4
 !/build/autotools/introspection.m4
 !/build/autotools/as-linguas.m4
diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..146a9583
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+Cogl does not distribute a static Changelog with releases because we feel that
+the Git log does a better job of tracking all the detailed source code changes
+that are made to Cogl.
+
+If you just want a high level overview of what has changed between Cogl
+releases then please see the NEWS file that we distribute.
+
+You can clone Cogl via Git using:
+
+$ git clone git://git.gnome.org/cogl.git
+
+You can see the log using:
+
+$ git log
+
+Or you can look at the log for a particular release by specifying
+a release tag name like:
+
+$ git log 1.7.2
+
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 1ef067be..4df69eb5 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -18,6 +18,4 @@ DISTCLEANFILES=
 
 DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS = --enable-gtk-doc --enable-maintainer-flags --enable-profile
 
-# .release requires .changelog rules
-include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.changelog
 include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.release
diff --git a/build/autotools/Makefile.am.changelog b/build/autotools/Makefile.am.changelog
deleted file mode 100644
index ac71b31e..00000000
--- a/build/autotools/Makefile.am.changelog
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,78 +0,0 @@
-# Taken from Cairo - build/Makefile.am.changelog
-# Modified to fit the Cogl build environment
-
-CURR_CHANGELOG_VERSION=1.$$(echo "($(COGL_1_MINOR_VERSION)+1)/2*2" | bc)
-# examines $version
-PREV_CHANGELOG_VERSION=$$(if test "x$$(echo "($$version-0.1)*2/2"|bc)" = "x$$(echo "$$version*2/2"|bc)"; \
-			  then echo "$$version-$$(echo "$$version" | sed 's/[0-9]/0/g;s/[0-9]$$/2/')"; \
-			  else echo "$$version-1.0"; \
-			  fi | bc | sed 's/[.]0*/./;s/^0[.]\?$$/initial/;s/[.]$$/.0/')
-
-CHANGELOGS = ChangeLog \
-	`version=$(CURR_CHANGELOG_VERSION); \
-	version=$(PREV_CHANGELOG_VERSION); \
-	while test "x$$version" != xinitial; do \
-		echo ChangeLog.pre-$$version; \
-		version=$(PREV_CHANGELOG_VERSION); \
-	done`
-
-CLEANFILES += $(srcdir)/ChangeLog.cache-*
-
-changelogs:
-	@$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) $(CHANGELOGS)
-
-dist-hook: changelogs
-	changelogs="$(CHANGELOGS)"; \
-	for changelog in $$changelogs; do \
-		cp $(srcdir)/$$changelog $(distdir)/ 2>/dev/null || \
-		cp $$changelog $(distdir)/; \
-	done
-
-$(srcdir)/ChangeLog:
-	@if test -d "$(srcdir)/.git"; then \
-		version=$(CURR_CHANGELOG_VERSION); \
-		prev=$(PREV_CHANGELOG_VERSION).0; \
-		nearest_tag=`git describe | sed 's/-.*//'`; \
-		before=$(srcdir)/ChangeLog.cache-$$prev..$$nearest_tag; \
-		after=$(srcdir)/ChangeLog.cache-$$nearest_tag..; \
-		$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) $$before $$after && \
-		echo Creating $@ && \
-		{ echo '# Generated by configure.  Do not edit.'; echo; \
-		  cat $$after; echo; cat $$before; } > $@; \
-	else \
-		test -f $@ || \
-		(echo A git checkout is required to generate $@ >&2 && \
-		 echo A git checkout is required to generate this file >> $@); \
-	fi
-
-DISTCLEANFILES += ChangeLog.cache-*
-
-ChangeLog.cache-*..: .git
-
-ChangeLog%: $(srcdir)/ChangeLog%
-
-$(srcdir)/ChangeLog.cache-% $(srcdir)/ChangeLog.pre-%:
-	@echo Creating $@
-	@if test -d "$(srcdir)/.git"; then \
-	  (cd "$(srcdir)" && \
-	  version=$$(echo "$@" | sed 's/.*ChangeLog\([.].*-\)\?//'); \
-	  if echo "$@" | grep -q '^ChangeLog[.]cache'; then \
-		spec=$$version; \
-	  else \
-		to=$$version; \
-		test "x$$version" = x && version=$(CURR_CHANGELOG_VERSION); \
-		from=$(PREV_CHANGELOG_VERSION); \
-		test "x$$to" = x || to=$$to.0; \
-		test "x$$from" = xinitial || from=$$from.0; \
-		spec=$$from..$$to; \
-	  fi; \
-	  echo "spec=$$spec"; \
-	  $(top_srcdir)/build/missing --run git log --stat "$$spec") > $@.tmp \
-	  && mv -f $@.tmp $@ \
-	  || ($(RM) $@.tmp; \
-	      echo Failed to generate $@, your $@ may be outdated >&2); \
-	else \
-	  echo A git checkout is required to generate $@ >&2; \
-	fi
-
-.PHONY: changelogs ChangeLog $(srcdir)/ChangeLog
diff --git a/build/autotools/Makefile.am.release b/build/autotools/Makefile.am.release
index cbee6f03..c29533b1 100644
--- a/build/autotools/Makefile.am.release
+++ b/build/autotools/Makefile.am.release
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ release-tag:
 	  fi \
 	fi
 
-release-check: release-verify-even-micro release-verify-sane-changelogs release-verify-news
+release-check: release-verify-even-micro release-verify-news
 	TAR_OPTIONS="$(TAR_OPTIONS)" $(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) distcheck
 
 release-verify-news:
@@ -49,14 +49,6 @@ release-verify-news:
 	   false); else :; fi
 	@echo "Good."
 
-release-verify-sane-changelogs: changelogs
-	@echo -n "Checking that the ChangeLog files are sane..."
-	@if grep -q "is required to generate" $(CHANGELOGS); then \
-	  (echo "Ouch." && \
-	   echo "Some of the ChangeLogs are not generated correctly." && \
-	   echo "Remove ChangeLog* and make changelogs" && false); else :; fi
-	@echo "Good."
-
 release-verify-even-micro:
 	@echo -n "Checking that $(VERSION) has an even micro component..."
 	@test "$(COGL_1_MICRO_VERSION)" = "`echo $(COGL_1_MICRO_VERSION)/2*2 | bc`" || \
@@ -165,5 +157,4 @@ release-publish: release-check
 	release-publish \
 	release-tag \
 	release-upload \
-	release-verify-even-micro \
-	release-verify-sane-changelogs
+	release-verify-even-micro