Eugenius
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
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 bands 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 groups 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 Cobains seal of approval, Eugenius didnt 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 Aint Rocket Science, Its Eugenius!, which included two Vaselines re-recordings for newcomers. In 1994, Eugenius returned with the single Caesars 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 bands cult audience any further. Kelly disbanded Eugenius in 1995 and moved on to a very sporadic solo career, issuing several singles and compilation tracks.
