Generator
Studio album by
Bad Religion
ReleasedMarch 13, 1992
RecordedMay 1991
StudioWestbeach Recorders, Hollywood, California
Genre melodic hardcore[2]
Length30:04
LabelEpitaph
ProducerBad Religion
Bad Religion chronology
80–85
(1991)		 Generator
(1992)		 Recipe for Hate
(1993)

Generator is the sixth studio album by the punk rock band Bad Religion. Although the album was completed in the spring of 1991, it was not released until 1992; the band was not happy with the artwork and packaging, and went through several ideas that were eventually scrapped.[3] Generator was the band's first release with drummer Bobby Schayer, who replaced Pete Finestone during the Against the Grain tour.

Generator includes some fan favorites and concert staples, such as, "Generator", "No Direction", "Heaven Is Falling", "Atomic Garden", and "The Answer". The album was promoted with Bad Religion's first music video, which was filmed for the song "Atomic Garden".[4]

Background and production

Following the release of Bad Religion's fifth studio album Against the Grain (1990), drummer Pete Finestone left to focus on his other band the Fishermen. His position was filled by fan Bobby Schayer.[5]

Writing sessions for Generator began around late 1990/early 1991. After Schayer joined in April 1991, the band immediately started work on their follow-up to Against the Grain. With an intended release date of mid-to-late 1991, they recorded it at Westbeach Recorders in Hollywood, California in May of that year.

Generator was recorded almost live in the studio,[3] because, at the time, guitarist Brett Gurewitz had moved Westbeach to larger premises, and for the first time, the entire band could play in the studio at the same time. He stated that it was "time to change" and the band "did it in a different studio, but as far as the songwriting, it was a deliberate effort to try something different".[3]

Generator marked a shift in songwriting-style for the band. Although many songs hold true to their hardcore-punk roots ("Generator", "Tomorrow", "Fertile Crescent"), select tracks suggested the band moving towards a slower, more experimental route ("Two Babies In The Dark", "The Answer"), as well as a darker one ("Atomic Garden"). While not as dark, this experimental period would continue through their next album, 1993's Recipe For Hate.

Reissue

Along with Bad Religion's first five albums (minus Into the Unknown), Epitaph Records released a remastered version of Generator on April 6, 2004, with two exclusive tracks that were taken from the split 7-inch with Noam Chomsky issued by Maximum Rock'N Roll in 1991. These versions feature Finestone on drums, making it his final recordings with Bad Religion.

Reception and awards

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Alternative Rock8/10[6]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(1-star Honorable Mention)[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[9]

Author Dave Thompson, in his book Alternative Rock (2000), wrote that the band "offer up complexity and experiment while the slower tempos actually let you hear what the band are singing about — a valid consideration for a band with so much to say."[6]

According to The Bad Religion Page, 100,000 copies of the album were shipped.[3] By April 1992, Generator had sold approximately 85,000 copies, becoming Bad Religion's second best-selling album at the time (their previous album Against the Grain had sold 90,000 copies, while Suffer and No Control sold approximately 88,000 and 80,000 respectively).[10]

In October 2011, the album was ranked number three on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.[11]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Generator"Gurewitz3:21
2."Too Much to Ask"Graffin2:45
3."No Direction"Graffin3:14
4."Tomorrow"Graffin1:56
5."Two Babies in the Dark"Gurewitz2:25
6."Heaven Is Falling"Gurewitz2:04
7."Atomic Garden"Gurewitz3:10
8."The Answer"Graffin3:21
9."Fertile Crescent"Graffin2:08
10."Chimaera"Graffin2:28
11."Only Entertainment"Graffin3:12
Total length:30:04

2004 CD reissue bonus tracks

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Fertile Crescent"Graffin2:18
13."Heaven Is Falling"Gurewitz2:18
Total length:34:40

Personnel

See also

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 "Generator - Bad Religion". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ "The 15 best punk albums of 2002, from Sleater-Kinney to the Used". Alternative Press Magazine. December 20, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Generator -the album". The Bad Religion Page. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Epitaph Records: Videos". Epitaph.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  5. ↑ Thompson 2000, p. 169
  6. 1 2 Thompson 2000, p. 170
  7. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000-10-15). "Bad Religion: Generator". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 9780312245603.
  8. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.
  9. ↑ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 9780679755746.
  10. ↑ "Any Religion Is Better Than None". The Big Takeover. April 1992. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  11. ↑ Grassi, Tony. "Photo Gallery: The Top 10 Guitar Albums of 1992". GuitarWorld.com. Retrieved 2011-10-24.

Sources

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