| Generator | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Bad Religion | ||||
| Released | March 13, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | May 1991 at Westbeach Recorders, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 30:04 | |||
| Label | Epitaph | |||
| Producer | Bad Religion | |||
| Bad Religion chronology | ||||
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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. It was also the band's first release with drummer Bobby Schayer, who replaced Pete Finestone during the Against the Grain tour. The album was originally planned for release sometime around mid to late 1991, but was delayed until March 1992 as to not compete with then-current album Against the Grain.
Like Bad Religion's first four 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 here. This was the first video Bad Religion ever released.
Contents |
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]
According to The Bad Religion Page, 100,000 copies of the album were shipped.[1]
| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| PopMatters | (favorable) [3] |
In October 2011, the album was ranked number three on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.[4]
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