Eugenius (band)
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| Eugenius | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Captain America |
| Origin | Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland |
| Genre(s) | pop, indie rock |
| Years active | 1990 - 1995 |
| Label(s) | Paperhouse, Creation, Atlantic |
| Associated acts | The Vaselines, BMX Bandits, Teenage Fanclub, The Painkillers |
| Former members | |
| Eugene Kelly Gordon Keen James Sheenan Andy Bollen Raymond Boyle Roy Lawrence |
|
Eugenius (also known as Captain America) was a pop rock band from Glasgow, Scotland that existed from 1990-1995, centred around former Vaselines singer/guitarist Eugene Kelly and featuring members of BMX Bandits and Teenage Fanclub.
Contents |
[edit] History
Although the band members were changed several times. The initial line-up was Eugene Kelly (guitar and vocals), Gordon Keen (of BMX Bandits, guitar), James Sheenan (bass), and Andy Bollen (drums), who replaced guest live drummer Brendan O'Hare of Teenage Fanclub. The line-up later changed, with Sheenan replaced by Raymond Boyle, and Roy Lawrence replacing Bollen. Joe McAlinden also contributed bass and violin, and Francis MacDonald drums.[1]
Kelly recruited the band after the separation of The Vaselines. Kelly didn't take the band seriously at first until the band Nirvana invited them to open dates on their 1991 European Tour (Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain having been a fan of The Vaselines). Kelly also joined Nirvana on stage during their 1991 Reading Festival performance, with Nirvana's Chris Novoselic later saying "My favourite part came when Eugene Kelly from The Vaselines came on stage. Eugene's just so cool - he can turn weed into marijuana, sugar into cocaine and diet pills into amphetamines".[2] Kelly said of the Nirvana link, "They also liked Captain America and they just happened to be in a position to help us out, so they did by giving us a bit of promotion whenever they could".[3]
In 1991 the Band released an EP under the name "Captain America", called EP on British independent label Paperhouse, then in 1992 they released their second EP, Flame On, on the same label. The band were forced to change their name due to legal threats from Marvel Comics, and decided on Eugenius.[3] Flame On also landed the band in legal trouble, due to the use of the C&A clothing chain's logo on the sleeve.[3]
After Cobain's countless recommendations, and being renamed in Eugenius the band attracted the attention of Atlantic Records and signed up with them. In 1992, after delays due to the legal situation surrounding their band name, they released their first album, Oomalama, which received highly favourable reviews, although Kelly was less positive about the album, saying "I think the lyrics on this album are shite".[3] But with their harmonic "pop" sound they failed to catch on with fans of grunge. Eugenius simply didn't sound enough like Nirvana to attract the latter's fanbase, although they did attract many more fans than The Vaselines ever did.
In 1994, Eugenius released three EPs, Caesar's Vein, Easter Bunny and the six-song live EP It Ain't Rocket Science, It's Eugenius!. The same year saw the release of the band's second full-length album, Mary Queen Of Scots, but once again they were unable to extend their audience to a significant extent, and in 1995 Kelly disbanded Eugenius, later re-emerging as a solo artist.
Sheenan formed The Painkillers, who released a single, "Tropical Zodiac", for Human Condition records in 1994.[1]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles/EPs
- "Wow" (1991) Paperhouse (as Captain America)
- "Flame On" (1992) Paperhouse (as Captain America)
- "Caesar's Vein" (1993) Creation/Atlantic
- "Easter Bunny" (1993) Creation/Atlantic
- "Womb Boy Returns" (1996) Human Condition
[edit] Albums
- Oomalama (1992) Paperhouse/Atlantic
- Mary Queen of Scots (1994) Creation/Atlantic
