•
Rating:
There is no doubt that among the bands that left an indelible mark on the punk imagination, interpreting the hardcore style of the Eighties, Bad Religion is certainly among the hottest names along with Minor Threat, Black Flag, and Dead Kennedys.
After their formative experiences which were rougher and contemporaneous with the sounds of those years created by teenagers ("How Could Hell Be Any Worse?" the debut album was released in 1982), their experiments with synthesizers and temporary disbandment, the end of the decade represented a new and fundamental beginning for Bad Religion.
"Suffer" (1988) and especially "No Control" (1989) masterfully codified the lexicon of the new Californian melodic hardcore dictionary for the decade that followed—epicness and freedom became synonymous with Bad Religion.
Punk transcended its mere protest to elevate itself to an analysis and high-level reflection on contemporary man and society and their vices.
If "No Control" represented the paradigm, the secular sacred scripture to be studied at school during music lessons instead of recorder scores, "Generator" picks up where the previous "Against The Grain" (1990) left off by expanding the horizon with more melodic refinement.
"Generator" leaves its decisive footprints thanks also to its solidity and compactness showcased in just 11 songs (despite the 17 on the previous album) and the wide range of solutions adopted. These characteristics allow us to place it on the same qualitative level as its predecessor.
And while not giving up the timeless races filled with vigorous solos over vast open spaces and green fields ("Fertile Crescent" with a memorable guitar work – "Too Much to Ask" – "Heaven is Falling," practically an over-vitamined and accelerated folk), they are accompanied by more experimental episodes for them like "The Answer," which showcases a subdued and melancholic Greg, and "Two Babies in the Dark," where a more classic soft-rock narrative demonstrates, if it were necessary, that Bad Religion's bow can unleash powerful and precise arrows even if they are different from each other without missing anything.
The repertoire also includes the initial tongue-twister of the title track (summarizing archetype of the credo), the superb pair "No Direction" - "Tomorrow," and the choral goodbye to 1993 and "Recipe For Hate" with "Only Entertainment." "Atomic Garden" will go down in history as the first song for which a music video was recorded, but it risks almost being overshadowed by so much quality.
The recordings of the album date back to the spring of 1991, although it was not marketed until 1992, always for the usual Epitaph.
The lyric writing process was highly influenced by the Gulf War, which was taking place in those very years in the Middle East between allied forces and Iraq. The lyrics, as usual, always above average, feature reflections on various themes dear to them, such as the environment and man as the common denominator.
With "Generator," closing the 1988-1992 four-year period, Greg, Brett, Jay, Greg, and Bobby lay down their cards, giving yet another demonstration of a now mature, intelligent punk that was distant from the original one, a triumphant and epic fresco closing a magical and unforgettable period.
A long reign that has successfully reached today's times and still continues.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Generator (03:21)
Like a rock, like a planet
Like a fucking atom bomb
I'll remain unperturbed by the joy and the madness
that I encounter everywhere I turn,
I've seen it all along,
in books and magazines,
like a twitch before dying,
like a pornographic scene,
there's a flower behind the window,
there's an ugly laughing man,
like a hummingbird in silence,
like the blood on my door,
it's the generator
oh yeah, oh yeah, like the blood on my door,
wash me clean and I will run until I reach the shore,
I've known it all along like the bone under my skin,
like actors in a photograph,
like paper in the wind,
there's a hammer by the window,
there's a knife on the floor,
like turbines in darkness,
like the blood on my door,
it's the generator
02 Too Much to Ask (02:45)
A refreshing plunge
A drink of palatable water
A deep inspiration
On a warm summer day
A safe stroll
In the middle of the road community
A neighbor who in times of need
Will not turn away
I ain't no politician
I am a citizen
And I wonder if I'm living
Too far out of bounds
Community protection
Rehabilitation
Police that serve without
Legitimate right to maim
Global awareness
Ecological guilt
Cultural and
Environmental awakening
I ain't no optimist
I try to be a realist
I wonder if I'm thinking
Too far out of bounds
Is it too much to ask?
Could it be the earth is shrinking?
I can see the walls closing in
No one can take much for granted anymore
Remote control
Three cars for every family
Corruption at the expense
Of the simple majority
A violent crash
A plunder of the third world
Any wretched ploy
That bolsters our economy
I ain't no blind supporter
I'm a conscious citizen
And I know that we are living
Too far out of bounds
I ain't no politician
I ain't no blind supporter
I ain't no metropia
I am a citizen
And wonder if I'm living
Too far out of bounds
Is it too much to ask?
Can we keep the earth from sinking?
I can see the walls closing in
No one can take much for granted anymore
(You better not take it for granted anymore)
I'm not taking nothing for granted anymore
03 No Direction (03:14)
A sullen figure walks along a dusty road
his life was holy and he couldn't bear the load
he left his people and a simple life behind
he raised his torso and he looked into the sky
shouting his questions
looking for directions
"what do I do now?"
now a confused school girl stares at the TV tray
the stresses of maturing compound every day
she glances up to see her favorite video
and gets ideas from Madonna's nasty clothes
in need of affection
she craves a direction
her heroes offer her
everyone is looking for something
and they all assume somebody else knows what it is
no one can live with the decisions of their own it seems
so they look to someone else
to tell 'em what to be
tell 'em what to wear
tell 'em what to say
tell 'em how to act and think and compel others compulsively
until the world is all like them
a righteous student came and asked me to reflect
he judged my lifestyle was politically incorrect
I don't belive in self important folks who preach
no Bad Religion song can make your life complete
prepare for rejection
you'll get no direction from me
you'll get no direction from me
04 Tomorrow (01:56)
Every day we profit so
Leaning toward the great unknown
Asking how it pertains to tomorrow
Aim for places we've not been
Trample paths that go between
Yesterdays foundations and tomorrow
It's the way they say it's got to be
We spear ahead and forge our destiny
Who do they represent? Who do you belive?
Aake a sound decision for others to heed
Try to set a faster pace
Try to build a master race
One that will make a contribution
To Tomorrow
It's the way they say it's got to be
We put aside our fears and make history
The clothes are in the dryer
And the writing's on the wall
we're trying everything we can
to stop this fall
everyday we profit so
leaning toward the great unknown...
06 Heaven Is Falling (02:04)
As I walk beneath the valley
I shall fear no evil
just thank the King George and his rainbow cabinet
today murder is legal
God I know that it's wrong
to kill my brother for what he hasn't done
and as the planes blacken the sky
it sounds like heaven is falling
it sounds like heaven is falling
you promise me a new day a'dawning
I see a thousand points of light
like so many points of hatred, shame and horror
God I want to be a man
but I don't want to die with a rifle in my hand
and as the planes blacken the sky
it sounds like heaven is falling
it sounds like heaven is falling
you promise me a new day a'dawning
well nothing here looks new to me
but a score of mothers' sons
caught between the devil and the deep blue sea
07 Atomic Garden (03:10)
everybody wants to dance in a playpen
but nobody wants to play in my garden
I see the hippies on an angry line
guess they don't get my meaning
I'm enchanted by the birds in my blossoms
I'm enamored by young lovers on the weekend
I like the Fourth of July
when bombs start flashing
and I wish I had a shiny red top
a bugle with a big brass bell would cheer me up
or maybe something bigger that could really go pop!
so I could make the gardening stop
come out to play
come out to play
and we'll pretend it's Christmas Day
in my atomic garden
all my scientists are working on a deadline
so my psychologist is working day and night time
they say they know what's best for me
but they don't know what they're doing
and I'm glad I'm not Gorbachev
'cause I'd wiggle all night
like jelly in a pot
at leats he's got a garden with a fertile plot
and a party that will never stop
I hope there's nothing wrong out there
I'm watching from my room inside my room
08 The Answer (03:21)
long ago in a dusty village
full of hunger, pain and strife
a man came forth with a vision of truth
and the way to a better life
he was convinced he had the answer
and he compelled people to follow along
but the hunger never vanished
and the man was banished
and the village dried up and died
at a time when wise men peered
through brass tubes toward the sky
the heavens changed in predictable ways
and one man was able to find
that he thought he had found the answer
and he was quick to write his revelation
but as they were scrutinized
in his colleagues eyes
he soon became a mockery
don't tell me about the answer
'cause then another one will come along soon
i don't believe you have the answer
i've got ideas too
but if you've got enought naivete
and you've got conviction
then the answer is perfect for you
an urban spall sits choking on its discharge
overwhelmed by industry
searching for a modern day savior from another place
inclined toward charity
everyone's begging for an answer
without regard to validity
the searching never ends
it goes on and on and on for eternity...
don't tell me about the answer
'cause then another one will come along soon
i don't believe you have the answer
i've got ideas too
but if you've got enought naivete
and you've got conviction
then the answer is perfect for you (the answer is perfect for you)
09 Fertile Crescent (02:08)
come and see the brilliant light,
don't let your emotions mask your sight,
it's the manifestation of a deeper fight,
that affects me and you,
my optimism was running high,
a new world order was on my mind,
but I couldn't believe it when I heard them say,
they're blowing it away,
and the fertile crescent is burning today,
and baby my emotions are too,
the cradle of humanity has led us all astray,
and we're all in this together don't you know,
'cause our species has nowhere else to go
aggression rears it's ugly head,
retaliation brings further dread,
the two are linked by unseen threads,
that wind back through time,
I don't agree with this outdated trend,
nationalism is an evil friend,
but hatred is instilled by invisible lines,
drawn in our minds,
and the fertile crescent is haunting us today,
and bay our instincts are too,
the ghost of humanity is warning us this way
and I think that we all should heed it don't you know,
'cause we've got nowhere else to go
10 Chimaera (02:28)
you took a time bomb,
and a case of crackers,
and you made a maelstrom of organic debris,
then you took a work bench,
and a rusty anvil,
and you polished them for everyone to see,
you have created an unhealthy monster,
but you're nowhere but nowhere to be found,
so I guess I'll just cope with my provisions,
from now until the day they lay me down
you took a baboon,
and made him perfect,
you took a lion,
and stripped him of his pride,
then you took a million more varieties,
a scalpel and a sartory,
and you stitched up a horrible surprise,
you have created an unsocial monster,
and you're searched for all over the globe,
and most believe that things would sure be better,
if you'd come down here and tell us what you know
who is to blame for this?
someone tell me please,
his handiwork is flawed,
and it's there for all to see,
mutations, aberrations and blatant anomalies,
they multiply and give rise to this...monstrosity,
you took the most abundant smallest bits of matter,
and you instilled them with affinity,
and then you stratified accumulations,
weeded out bad variations,
and blended up your unique recipe,
you have created a powerful monster,
with direction and purpose all its own,
and if you were here,
would things be any different?
or are you just a mosaic of thoughts alone?
11 Only Entertainment (03:12)
transfixated on the big blue screen,
it's your window to the outside,
a melancholy dream,
a medium upon which you build reality,
this episodic currency,
that everybody needs
somebody's delivery lulls you to sleep,
the man behind the weather map,
the editor in chief,
they control two worlds,
power and disease,
and you cannot suppress your curiosity
but see it's only entertainment,
superficial urgency,
posterboard mentality,
only entertainment,
tightly constrained,
the buzz that remains,
is the story of how we run our lives
many are the people poor and suffering,
from the lack of coverage,
from the transmission beam,
and if it ever gets here,
you'll be offended too,
'cause you cannot distinguish,
chicanery from truth,
see it's only entertainment,
a superficial episode,
as life continues to unfold,
only entertainment,
controlled an copied,
they've planted the seed,
that sprouts into your picture of the world,
can't someone protect me (turn away, turn away),
from this electron beam,
hey you, Mr.FCC,
have you no advice for me?
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Lewis Tollani
"Generator saved my life."
"It’s the story of a boy who had become completely impervious to the world... none of the directions he had taken so far had been the right or at least the lucky one."
