Eugenius
Following the 1989 breakup of Scottish indie popsters the Vaselines, leader Eugene Kelly assembled a new band, Eugenius, and earned a major-label deal with the advocacy of Kurt Cobain. In contrast to the Vaselines' minimalism, Eugenius had a fuller, more traditional guitar pop sound, but carried much the same simple, amateurish, innocent charm. When Kelly assembled the first version of the band in 1990, it was called Captain America, and featured BMX Bandits guitarist Gordon Keen, Vaselines bassist James Seenan, and Teenage Fanclub drummer Brendan O'Hare. However, it wasn't a serious venture at first; Kelly joined the BMX Bandits for their 1991 Star Wars album, and didn't focus full-time on Captain America until Nirvana invited them to open dates on their 1991 European tour.
Captain America issued an EP, Wow!, on the British indie Paperhouse in 1991. By the time of their 1992 follow-up EP, Flame On, Marvel Comics had gotten wind of the band's name and forced a change due to trademark infringement. Kelly selected Eugenius -- not just a play on his own name, but also the name of a pretender to the Roman throne -- and, with Cobain continuing to praise his music in interviews, caught the attention of Atlantic Records. In the meantime, he watched several rhythm section members -- drummers Francis MacDonald (Teenage Fanclub) and Andy Bollen, bassist Joe McAlinden -- come and go. Eventually, Eugenius' lineup solidified around bassist Raymond Boyle and drummer Roy Lawrence, who played on the majority of the group's 1992 Atlantic debut, Oomalama.
Oomalama received generally excellent reviews, but its sweet pop appeal was out of step with the booming grunge fad, and despite Cobain's seal of approval, Eugenius didn't resemble Nirvana enough to attract the majority of their fan base. They did, however, reach a much wider audience than the Vaselines ever had. In its wake, Atlantic issued a six-song live EP called It Ain't Rocket Science, It's Eugenius!, which included two Vaselines re-recordings for newcomers. In 1994, Eugenius returned with the single "Caesar's Vein," which was followed in short order by their second album, Mary Queen of Scots. Met with lukewarm critical response this time around, it failed to build the band's cult audience any further. Kelly disbanded Eugenius in 1995 and moved on to a very sporadic solo career, issuing several singles and compilation tracks.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
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Mary Queen Of Scotts
Pop - Released by Rhino Atlantic on 13 Nov 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Flame On (Recalled Single)
Rock - Released by Fire Records on 1 Jan 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Story
Electronic - Released by iM Electronica on 30 Dec 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cherry (feat. Don Macki)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Homegrown Klik on 17 Sep 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Cherry (feat. Don Macki) [Radio Edit]
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Homegrown Klik on 17 Sep 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Running Home
Electronic - Released by iMD-EuGenius Music on 4 Mar 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Forever Young (Instrumental)
Electronic - Released by iM Electronica on 2 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Best Friends
Electronic - Released by iM Electronica on 10 Feb 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Summer In Kos
Electronic - Released by iM Electronica on 10 Feb 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Destination
Electronic - Released by iM Electronica on 23 Jun 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -