Generation Terrorists

Before it appeared, the band had said their debut would be the greatest rock album ever and would sell around sixteen million copies. It did not, but it reached number 13 in the UK, spent 28 weeks in the top 100 and was eventually certified Gold. It did not chart in the United States.

It was recorded by tracking over 23 weeks at Blackbarn Studios. Producer Steve Brown chose not to use live drums, so Sean Moore programmed most of the drum tracks on a machine. Music is by Bradfield and Moore, and lyrics are by Edwards and Wire. They move between global capitalism and personal despair. "Nat West-Barclays-Midlands-Lloyds" is a critique of overseas banking credit policies, "Little Baby Nothing" is a duet between Bradfield and Traci Lords, and "Motorcycle Emptiness" attacks consumerism. The working title was Culture, Alienation, Boredom & Despair. The cover is a picture of Edwards' arm and chest bearing the words "generation terrorists".

The Quietus judged in retrospect that among its messy feast of ideas it remembers to be fun. Andy Gill of the Independent noted that contemporary reviews had derided it as sub-Clash, but said that it now has an astringent edge. A 20th anniversary edition appeared on 5 November 2012.