- Eugenius (band)
Infobox Musical artist
Name = Eugenius
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Background = group_or_band
Alias = Captain America
Origin =Bellshill ,Lanarkshire ,Scotland
Genre = pop,indie rock
Years_active = 1990 - 1995
Label = Paperhouse, Creation, Atlantic
Associated_acts =The Vaselines , BMX Bandits,Teenage Fanclub , The Painkillers
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Current_members =
Past_members = Eugene Kelly
Gordon Keen
James Sheenan
Andy Bollen
Raymond Boyle
Roy LawrenceEugenius (also known as Captain America) was a
pop rock band fromGlasgow ,Scotland that existed from 1990-1995, centred around former Vaselines singer/guitaristEugene Kelly and featuring members of BMX Bandits andTeenage Fanclub .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.cite book |last=Strong |first=Martin C. |title=The Great Alternative & Indie Discography |year= 1999 |publisher=Canongate |isbn=0-86241-913-1 ]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 singerKurt Cobain having been a fan of The Vaselines). Kelly also joined Nirvana on stage during their 1991Reading 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".Scott, Danny (1991) "Fall Into Bliss" (Nirvana feature), Lime Lizard, November 1991, p.40-42] 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".Reekie, Innes (1992) "Eugenius" (feature/interview), Siren magazine, issue 14]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. "Flame On" also landed the band in legal trouble, due to the use of theC&A clothing chain's logo on the sleeve.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". But with their harmonic "pop" sound they failed to catch on with fans ofgrunge . 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.
Discography
ingles/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 ConditionAlbums
*"Oomalama" (1992) Paperhouse/Atlantic
*"Mary Queen of Scots" (1994) Creation/AtlanticReferences
External links
* [http://www.geocities.com/velvetbean/ Fan site, last updated in 2005]
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