Generator (Bad Religion album)
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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 reason that the album's release date was pushed back was because Bad Religion was not happy with the artwork and packaging, and in order to release it, they went through ideas that were scrapped.[1] Generator was the band's first release with drummer Bobby Schayer, who replaced Pete Finestone during the Against the Grain tour. It is also Bad Religion's fourth album (and last, until 2002's The Process of Belief) not to display their classic font on the cover.
Like 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" with Noam Chomsky issued by Maximum Rock'N Roll in 1991. On the same day, they released a DVD reissue of their long-out of print live video Along the Way, which was also released in 1992. These versions feature Finestone on drums, making it his final recordings with Bad Religion. As of 2008, the original CD version of the album is out of print.
A video was made for "Atomic Garden". It is available for watching at Epitaph web site.[2] This was the first video Bad Religion ever released.
The album includes some fan favorites and concert staples, such as, "Generator", "No Direction", "Heaven Is Falling", "Atomic Garden", and "The Answer".
Production and marketing
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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 much darker one ("Atomic Garden"). While not as dark, this experimental period would continue through the next album, 1993's Recipe For Hate.
Writing sessions for Generator began around late 1990/early 1991. After Schayer joined Bad Religion 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,[1] 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".[1]
Reception and awards
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| PopMatters | (favorable) [4] |
According to The Bad Religion Page, 100,000 copies of the album were shipped.[1] 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).[5]
In October 2011, the album was ranked number three on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.[6]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Generator" | Gurewitz | 3:21 |
| 2. | "Too Much to Ask" | Graffin | 2:45 |
| 3. | "No Direction" | Graffin | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Tomorrow" | Graffin | 1:56 |
| 5. | "Two Babies in the Dark" | Gurewitz | 2:25 |
| 6. | "Heaven Is Falling" | Gurewitz | 2:04 |
| 7. | "Atomic Garden" | Gurewitz | 3:10 |
| 8. | "The Answer" | Graffin | 3:21 |
| 9. | "Fertile Crescent" | Graffin | 2:08 |
| 10. | "Chimaera" | Graffin | 2:28 |
| 11. | "Only Entertainment" | Graffin | 3:12 |
2004 CD reissue bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Fertile Crescent" | Graffin | 2:18 |
| 13. | "Heaven Is Falling" | Gurewitz | 2:18 |
- Prior to the recording of the album, these tracks were part of the 7" split with Noam Chomsky, issued by Maximum Rock 'N' Roll as part of an anti-Gulf War benefit.
Personnel
- Greg Graffin – lead vocals
- Greg Hetson – guitar
- Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals
- Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Bobby Schayer – drums, percussion
- Pete Finestone – drums, percussion on tracks 12 and 13
- The Legendary Starbolt – engineering
- Donnell Cameron – engineering
- Joe Peccerillo – assistant engineering
- Eddie Schreyer – mastering
- Norman Moore – art direction, photography
- The Douglas Brothers – photography
- Merlyn Rosenberg – photography
- Gregor Verbinski – photography
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Generator -the album". The Bad Religion Page. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
- ^ "Epitaph Records: Videos". Epitaph.com. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ "Generator". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- ^ Heaton, Dave. "Bad Religion: Generator [remastered] < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- ^ "Any Religion Is Better Than None". The Big Takeover. April 1992. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
- ^ Grassi, Tony. "Photo Gallery: The Top 10 Guitar Albums of 1992". GuitarWorld.com. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
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