Revolting Cocks
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Revolting Cocks | ||
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Background information | ||
Origin | USA | |
Genre(s) | Rock Industrial Alternative rock |
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Years active | 1985 - Present | |
Label(s) | Wax Trax 13th Planet Records |
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Members | ||
Mark Baker Paul Barker Billy Gibbons Gibby Haynes Al Jourgensen Rick Nielsen Mike Scaccia Clayton Worbeck Josh Bradford Jello Biafra Luc Van Acker Robin Zander Jeff Ward |
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Former members | ||
Chris Connelly Paul Barker Bill Rieflin |
Contents |
[edit] History
Revolting Cocks, also known as RevCo, is an American industrial band that began as a musical side-project for Alain Jourgensen (Ministry) and Luc Van Acker.
The origin of the group's name is uncertain. One story claims that the name was the result of the original lineup participating in a night of extremely heavy drinking which resulted in a bar owner throwing the drunk group out and calling them a bunch of "revolting cocks." Another, possibly equally apocryphal, tale goes that Al Jourgensen and Chris Connelly were drinking in a bar where they were accused by girls who overheard their discussion and called them "revolting cocks." Still another rumor is that the name was originally that of a Belgian street gang based in Brussels.
The group was founded in 1985 by Jourgensen and Belgians Luc Van Acker, Patrick Codenys and Richard 23 (Front 242). The first release was No Devotion on Wax Trax records.
Losing Richard 23 and Patrick Codenys after some creative differences, the group's remaining two members were augmented by a rapidly changing set of musicians centered around Chris Connelly (Fini Tribe, later Damage Manual), Paul Barker (Ministry), Duane Buford, and Bill Rieflin (who is now playing for REM), with around twenty others as irregular contributors or guest artists.
The single was quickly followed by an album Big Sexy Land in 1986, followed by a live album You Goddamned Son of a Bitch in 1987 and Beers, Steers, and Queers in 1989. After a hiatus, Linger Ficken' Good, was released in 1993 - this would be Revolting Cocks' last album for over 10 years.
The first album was a mix of industrial, dance and techno, with sampling and strong synthesized beats dominating. The live album, with the change in personnel, featured a return to Ministry-like industrial - the Big Sexy Land tracks embedded in shouting and noise. This trend continued on Beers, Steers and Queers, layering sample over sample and pushing ever further into distortion. Linger Ficken' Good was released by Sire records and is a tamer affair, most tracks returning to the less layered material and only occasionally producing Ministry noise. Included was a cover of Rod Stewart's Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, also released as a single.
In 2004, the band released iterations of "Prune Tang" to disappointing responses from fans. An album titled "Purple Head" was due in 2004, but was delayed until 2006 with a change in title, "Cocked & Loaded." The first single, "Caliente (Dark Entries)," a cover of sorts of "Dark Entries" By Bauhaus, with vocalist Gibby Haynes, was featured on the soundtrack to Saw II in 2005.
The Revolting Cocks are also known for their perverse lyrics and raunchy live shows. Due to their content, they were a target for angry moralists in the late '80s/early '90s. In the mid '80s, their song "No Devotion" was put on the PMRC's "banning list", and in 1990, Britain's Home Secretary Douglas Hurd tried to stop the band from performing in the UK by refusing them work permits. They have also been offensive to the songwriters/performers in which they chose to cover and satire, such as Olivia Newton-John and Rod Stewart (though the former denied them permission entirely to perform their work outright).
[edit] Members
- Seven Antonopoulos (drums; live 2006-)
- Kim Assaley (backing vocals, 1993; tours of 1990-1991)
- Mark Baker (drums, backing vocals; 2004-)
- Paul Barker (bass, keyboards, programming, voices; 1987-1993)
- Roland Barker (saxophone; 1993)
- Jello Biafra (voices, backing vocals; 2006)
- Josh Bradford (vocals; live 2006-)
- Stevie Banch (vocals, songwriter, guitar,bass,programmer, backing vocals; 2006)http://www.spyderbaby.net"
- Duane Buford (keyboards; 1993)
- Chris Connelly (vocals; 1987-1993)
- Billy Gibbons (guitar; 2006-)
- Gibby Haynes (voices; 2006-)
- Al Jourgensen (voices & various instruments; always a member)
- Patty Jourgensen (backing vocals; 1993)
- Anna Kjellberg (bass; live 2006-)
- Timothy Leary (voices; 1993)
- Rick Nielsen (guitar; 2006-)
- Phil Owen (voices, 1990 & 2005-; tours of 1990-1991, 2006-)
- Kevin Ogilvie (voices, 1990; tours of 1990-1991)
- Louanne Ponder (backing vocals; tour of 1987)
- Trent Reznor (backing vocals; tour of 1990)
- Richard 23 (vocals; 1985-1986)
- Bill Rieflin (drums, programming; 1985-1993)
- Mike Scaccia (guitar; 1990-1993, 2004-)
- Sin (guitar; live 2006-)
- Louis Svitek (guitar; 1993)
- Gina Tubetop (backing vocals; tour of 1987)
- Luc Van Acker (keyboards; 1985-1993, vocals, remixing; live 2006)
- Jeff Ward (drums; 1990-1993)
- Clayton Worbeck (keyboards, remixing; live 2006-)
- Robin Zander (backing vocals; 2006-)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Big Sexy Land (1985)
- You Goddamned Son of a Bitch - Live (1988)
- Beers, Steers, and Queers (1990)
- Linger Ficken' Good (1993)
- Cocked and Loaded (2006)
- Cocktail Mixxx (2007)
[edit] Singles
- "No Devotion" (1985)
- "You Often Forget" (1986)
- "Stainless Steel Providers" (1989)
- "(Let's Get) Physical" (1989)
- "Beers, Steers, and Queers (The Remixes)" (1991)
- "Crackin' Up" (1993)
- "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" (1993)
Ministry |
Al Jourgensen |
Tommy Victor | Paul Raven | Joey Jordison | John Bechdel | Mike Scaccia |
Paul Barker | Bill Rieflin | Chris Connelly | Kevin Ogilvie | Martin Atkins | Louis Svitek | Rey Washam | William Tucker | Max Brody | John Monte | Stephen George |
Discography |
Major Releases: With Sympathy | Twitch | The Land of Rape and Honey | The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste | Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs | Filth Pig | Dark Side of the Spoon | Animositisomina | Houses of the Molé | Rio Grande Blood | The Last Sucker |
Live, Remix and Compilation albums: Twelve Inch Singles | In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up | Greatest Fits | Sphinctour | Early Trax | Side Trax | Rantology | Rio Grande Dub |
Side projects and crossovers |
Special Affect | Revolting Cocks | Pailhead | Lard | 1000 Homo DJs | PTP | Acid Horse | Pink Anvil | Lead Into Gold | Pigface | Skrew |
[edit] External links
- Ministry website
- Revolting Cocks MySpace
- 13th Planet Records
- Stevie Banch from Spyder Baby website
- Fabryka Industrial Rock webzine Interview with Phil Owen (2006)