REVOLTING COCKS / Big Sexy Land (1986)

The Cocks' début album sounds dated now, but when put it into context, of the scene during the mid 80s, it was definitely treading new ground. I revisit it from time to time but not nearly as often as subsequent albums.
It's dominated by a combination of bass lines, samples and repetition of synthesized beats, a mix that they'd eventually put to better use some years later. I wouldn't recommend Big Sexy Land to anyone who isn't interested in the history of Industrial Dance/EBM, because that's solely where its limited charms lie.
Resident Cocks were Luc Van Acker, Richard 23 and Al Jourgensen.

Songs of Note: We Shall Cleanse the World; No Devotion

2½ refrained refrains out of 5

VARIOUS ARTISTS / Pure Devotion (1992)

Pure Devotion was a low-price sampler for the now defunct Wax Trax record label. If you don't know Wax Trax, they were responsible for giving many of the early Industrial and Electronic bands their break. The PD compilation was my introduction to a number of them: Pigface, Revolting Cocks, Skrew, Crowforce, Hyperhead, Excessive Force, and more. It's the kind of album that you'd lend to people in order to introduce them to some new sounds. I give it a spin every now and again for nostalgia purposes, and usually fall in love with it all over again. It's a little slice of history, both the musical and the personal kind.

Songs of Note:
ACID HORSE / No Name, No Slogan; LEAD INTO GOLD / Faster Than Light

4 holes in the wall out of 5

REVOLTING COCKS / Sex-O Olympic-O (2008)

Revolting Cocks (shortened to Rev Co on the album sleeve) dropped the ball; has the joke worn thin? Sex-O is essentially the same repetitive drum machine, fuzzy guitars, dance-hall disco-beats and intentional cheesy 80s synth that they were so good at years ago, but it's tedious, uninspired and duller than white paint. I'm sincerely happy for Grandpa Jourgensen that he was able to give up the coke, but perhaps he should've given up the Cocks as well. Drugs and creativity go hand in hand, it's a sad fact, and without the first acting as a trigger, sometimes the magic just doesn't happen. Sex-O is painful to listen to. I'll stick with the older albums.

Songs of Least Fail: Wizard of Sextown; Hookerbot3000

1 revolting collection of songs out of 5

REVOLTING COCKS / Linger Ficken' Good… and other Barnyard Oddities (1993)

Revolting Cocks started life as a comedy side project of members of Ministry and Front 242. They turned their usual industrial sound into slow and sleazy repetitive beats that were disco-friendly and appealed to people outside of their usual audience. The LFG album is filled with danceable grooves and funky bass lines but is a lot more distorted and industrial than before. It blurs the line a little and is, I feel, the best that the band ever got. The final track is either pure genius or worthless absurdity… or both. Overall, it's a good album for sleazy parties.

Songs of Note: Crackin' Up; Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

4 pimped intellects out of 5