speed of dark

Speaking of beloved Scottish bands (see previous post Trashcan Sinatras), Eugenius comes to mind. We had just started Speed of Dark in August when I read a post on Eugenius at Aquarium Drunkard, and I was delighted to finally come across someone else who appreciates this band's chapter in alternative rock history. I determined then that I would follow up with my own post, and I'm just getting around to it.

Eugenius was formed by Edinburgh native Eugene Kelly and was active from only about 1990 to 1995. Kelly's previous band with Frances McKee, the Vaselines, was a favorite of Kurt Cobain's (Nirvana). Nirvana covered three Vaselines' songs: "Molly's Lips," "Son of a Gun," and "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" covered as "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam." It's a mark of Cobain's own genius that he was able to see the potential in the rather wimpy renditions by the Vaselines and power them up to his own vision. He continued to support both the Vaselines and Eugenius until his unfortunate death. I have posted here both versions of "Molly's Lips" for comparison.

My favorite Eugenius song, and one of my favorite songs ever, is "Blue Above the Rooftops." I love that long guitar riff, and the words are cheerful and not as obscure as many of Kelly's lyrics are. You can really hear Nirvana's influence on both this and on "Mary Queen of Scots."

the Vaselines: Molly's Lips from The Way of the Vaselines (1992)
Nirvana: Molly's Lips" from Incesticide (1992)

from Mary Queen of Scots (1994):
Eugenius: Blue Above the Rooftops
Eugenius: Mary Queen of Scots

The Vaselines are available on iTunes, but Eugenius albums are not. Amazon carries Eugenius CDs, and various mp3 sites across the web have some downloads.

Eugenius fan page on MySpace where more songs can be streamed.

Eugene Kelly is still involved in the Scottish rock scene and was listed as a band member on Reindeer Section's MySpace page and on their second album, Son of Evil Reindeer.