The Generators - Earn Your Stripes

Randale Records

 

After 2003’s “From Rust To Ruin 1997 – 2003” on TKO Records, “Earn Your Stripes” is already the second ‘best of’ released by LA punk rockers The Generators. But unlike 2003’s compilation, “Earn Your Stripes” isn’t just compiled of previous generated efforts, but opens up with four brand new rockers followed by seventeen more hits!

 

Although The Generators are mainly known for their melancholic punk rock, filled with melody, opener “Throw Away The Key” is an angry, fast paced punk attack that barely clocks two and a half minutes and immediately grabs you by the throat! Followed up by the title-track, “Earn Your Stripes”, the band returns to their typical melodic, yet boisterous sound, and doesn’t let go of this on the two remaining newbies “Ton Of Bricks” and “Killing Time”. If you are a fan of The Generators these four tracks are well worth your money alone, although I can also imagine the desire for ‘just’ an EP release if your discography of the band is complete, because the discography that is covered on “Earn Your Stripes” is far from complete.

 

Of course it has to do with copyrights, or other cooperate bullshit, but the “I Used To Fuck People Like You In Prison” Records – era of the band is completely missing on here. Unfortunate, because this era of the band, from 2003 to 2009, included my all-time favorite The Generators full-length “Excess, Betrayal…… And Our Dearly Departed”. It does include some other ‘golden oldies’ like “Yankee Boy”, “Ninety Nine”, “Moving Target”, “Burning Ambition”, “Hanoi 68”, “Tyranny” and “Destroy Hollywood” though, with the latter one taken from the 2015 reissue of the band’s debut album “Welcome To The End” on Dr. Strange Records.

 

As said, the four new tracks are well worth the money alone and the artwork of Stan Corona looks fantastic, especially on LP, but it does suck that a good chunk of the band’s career can’t be featured on a release like this for whatever reason.