Generator - Bad Religion

...of Epitaph records, Brett Gurewitz. Generator is their sixth album and it signalled the beginning of their entry to the mainstream music industry of the time. The album consista of 11 tracks and runs at around half an hour in length, although two further tracks have subsequently been added on recent re-releases of the album.

=== The Album ===

[Track 1 - Generator]

The song beats the album into life with ...
...with a fair bit of melody as far as ounk bands go. The lyrics are quite evocative and do well to conjure up plenty of mental images. I havent heard this album in some time and I'm enjoying going back over this track.

[8/10]

[Track 2 - Too Much To Ask]

This track starts off mellow with a tentative bassline but soon shifts up the gears with typical rapid punky drumming. The track isn't exactly brilliant ... more

Bad Religion are a Californian political punk rock band formed in 1980 and fronted by vocalist and owner of Epitaph records, Brett Gurewitz. Generator is their sixth album and it signalled the beginning of their entry to the mainstream music industry of the time. The album consista of 11 tracks and runs at around half an hour in length, although two further tracks have subsequently been added on recent re-releases of the album.

The Album

[Track 1 - Generator]

The song beats the album into life with its ponding drums and Brett delivers the album's title vocals with a fair bit of melody as far as ounk bands go. The lyrics are quite evocative and do well to conjure up plenty of mental images. I havent heard this album in some time and I'm enjoying going back over this track.

[8/10]

[Track 2 - Too Much To Ask]

This track starts off mellow with a tentative bassline but soon shifts up the gears with typical rapid punky drumming. The track isn't exactly brilliant but it has pleasant harmonies in places and lyrics very typical of the band.

[5.5/10]

[Track 3 - No Direction]

I barely remember this track upon listening again. The lyrics have brought back the memories though and I'm not sure if it's time or abuse of my brain cells which made me forget. The guitar playing is a nice exhibition of talent and the lyrics dominate the track but not much else is offered. I think I know why I practically forgot this one.

[5/10]

[Track 4 - Tomorrow]

A heavy start to this song with frequent drums and almost metal guitars. The lyrics on this album tend to be what makes the song's half decent as they are structured well with the music and slot into the beat nicely. Once again, decent lyrics which are almost poetic but only a mediocre track.

[6/10]

[Track 5 - Two Babies In The Dark]

A slightly different vibe to this track and some cryptic and emotive lyrics. The guitar tends to eclipse the drumming for a change on this track and the lyrics are delivered a little more thoughtfully, consequently the track is much easier to disect and lyrics easier to take in. Better but not great.

[6.5/10]

[Track 6 - Heaven Is Falling]

Very punk rock from the outset, especially the drumming and a nice bridge from the guitar inbetween verses. Once again, class lyrics and this is one of the better tracks so far.

[7/10]

[Track 7 - Atomic Garden]

The guitaring is decidedly different to a lot of the other tracks, same can't be said for the drums though. The song talks of a nuclear holocaust if I'm not mistaken and this kind of critical stance is characteristic of most of their lyrics. The song is slightly uninspiring but the lyrics are pensive and intriguing.

[5.5/10]

[Track 8 - The Answer]

The tempo is slightly reduced in this track and the lyrics are delivered in the style of a story or monologue. The instruments are definitely calmer but still are some way short of acoustic. A decent track but nothing to stand out really.

[5.5/10]

[Track 9 - Fertile Crescent]

The sog formula on this album is wearing a bit thin at times, becoming a little labourious and uninspiring. taht said, this song is one of the better ones due to its vocal peaks towards the chorus.

[6.5/10]

[Track 10 - Chimaera]

One again, I'd say the formula is wearing a little thin musically as the tune of the song is fairly reminiscent of the earlier tracks but once again, this track has some of the stronger vocals and better lyrics but it's lacking that certain je ne sais quoi.

[6/10]

[Track 11 - Only Entertainment]

This is where my album comes to a close, and thankfully, this track is laid out differently to many of those that preceeded it. The guitar creates a different vibe to the track and once again, the vocals are the strongest are of the song. A nice hook to this chorus and refreshing change of pace, just a shame it came so late on.

[7/10]

Overall

This album is defintely decent, good when compared to its punk competitors but not Bad Religion's best work. I can see why this album drifted away into a relative obscurity within my collection. It was only the title track which caused me to remember it, but unfortunately the first track, 'Generator' is by far the best and only a couple of the other tracks come close. Some of the songs are a little samey to say the least but the vocal style and content provided by Brett gurewitz is enough to give this album a fair amount of credibility.

Not for everyone by any means but still has its good points. I wish ciao did half stars because I'd give this two and a half, but unfortunately from Mr Gurewitz and the band it's only going to get two from me because I think it's current 4-star rating is a little generous.

Thanks for reading, especially if you've never even heard of these guys. 

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