Alien Sex Fiend recorded a cassette (The Lewd, the Mad, the Ugly and Old Nick) with Youth of Killing Joke, which brought them to the attention of the UK music press, along with the appearance of their track "R.I.P." on the Batcave club compilation, The Batcave: Young Limbs and Numb Hymns 1983, released by London Records in 1983.
They signed to the Cherry Red sub-label Anagram Records, releasing their first single, "Ignore the Machine", in August 1983. The single was immediately successful on the UK Independent Chart, reaching No. 6. Their debut studio album, Who's Been Sleeping in My Brain, was released by Anagram on 1 November 1983, followed by Acid Bath in 1984. They released the world's first 11" single, "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)", that October.
The band also recorded two BBC Peel Sessions in 1984. At the May session, they recorded "Attack!!!", "Dead and Buried", "Ignore the Machine" and "Hee Haw"; at the August session, "In God We Trust", "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)" and "Boneshaker Baby".
In October 1985, their third studio album Maximum Security reached No. 100 on the UK Albums Chart and remained there for the week of 12 October. They also had two top 100 singles with "Dead and Buried" in August 1984 (No. 91) and a reissued "Ignore the Machine" in March 1985 (No. 99). Throughout the early 1980s, their work was frequently in the UK Indie Chart and remained a fixture on American college radio.
The band also became popular in Japan, and in 1985, they released a live album recorded there, Liquid Head in Tokyo. Freshwater left later in 1985, and the band continued as a trio, supporting Alice Cooper on his "The Nightmare Returns" tour in 1986 and releasing "It" the Album that October. The band was reduced to a duo of the Wades when James left following the release of 1987's Here Cum Germs.
In early 1988, the band, as the Dynamic Duo, recorded a one-off 12" single "Batman Theme" with recording and live engineer Len Davies, before continuing as Alien Sex Fiend, incorporating electronics and sampling even more into their sound on the album Another Planet, released in November 1988. They reverted to a four-piece with the 1989 addition of two prior guest collaborators, drummer/guitarist Andrew Wilson (a.k.a. Rat Fink Jr., formerly of the Turnpike Cruisers) and keyboardist/guitarist Simon "Doc" Milton, who made their official debut on that year's Too Much Acid? double-live album. Their seventh studio album, Curse, was released in October 1990.
Fink and Milton departed in 1992, following that year's Open Head Surgery album and its subsequent tour (documented on The Altered States of America live album).
The Wades then became a duo once again and provided the soundtrack for the Digital Image Design game Inferno in 1994.
In the mid 1990s, the band's video for "Zombified" appeared on the MTV show, Beavis and Butthead, subjected to their usual commentary.
In 1996, the Wades launched their own 13th Moon label, issuing three further albums: Nocturnal Emissions (1997), Information Overload (2004) and Death Trip (2010).
On 9 November 2018, Alien Sex Fiend released Possessed, their first album in eight years, on Cherry Red.
Music style
Alien Sex Fiend has been described as gothic rock, deathrock and industrial. Glenn Danzig has cited the group's sonorous and echoing sounds as having influenced the mixing for several of the recordings for his group Samhain.
Later projects
Fink published a book in 2000, Once Upon a Fiend, recalling his experiences in the band. He later drummed for Blackpool bands United States of Mind and Dog Food before joining Uncle Fester in 1999, who changed their name to UFX in 2006. Fink currently serves as frontman of Vince Ripper and the Rodent Show, a duo also featuring Vince "Ripper" Cornwall. They perform Alien Sex Fiend and the Cramps material, and have released two albums, It's Fun to Be a Monster and Boneyard a Go Go!!!.
Albums
Who's Been Sleeping in My Brain (1983)
Acid Bath (1984)
Maximum Security (1985)
"It" the Album (1986)
Here Cum Germs (1987)
Another Planet (1988)
Curse (1990)
Open Head Surgery (1992)
Inferno (1994)
Nocturnal Emissions (1997)
Information Overload (2004)
Death Trip (2010)
Possessed (2018)
Breakdown and Cry
Alien Sex Fiend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No problem. No problem
No problem. No problem
No problem
Right. Right. Right
My cigarette burns yellow then it burns blue
Downtown Saturday, uptown Monday morning
The telephone rings, it leaves me yawning.
This ain't no show, this is for real
The candles all burn for you, love, just for you
While the ceiling goes round and round
And round and round and round
And round for me.
Lights out. Shall we go to sleep?
Is it just a show? Is it just a dream?
Digging tunnels under your back door
Should I ride the carpet?
Should I lock the door?
The fool on the hill knows all′s not well
Keep a candle burning for me
You're at peace, the rope is tight
I watch you change colour in broad daylight.
Breakdown is on it's way
Breakdown in the month of May
Breakdown and cry, lay down and die
Goodbye, goodbye.
Breakdown is on it′s way
Breakdown in a month or a day
Breakdown and cry, lay down and die
Goodbye, goodbye.
Right! Right! Right!
I′m a dinosaur of the working class
Antiseptic mouthwash
And a suppository up my arse
When we do right no-one remembers
We do wrong no-one forgets
Deliver me from evil
Deliver me a paper
And this fool on the hill knows all's not well
No, not well
Keep a candle burning bright - right!
Breakdown is on it′s way
Breakdown in the month of May
Breakdown and cry, lay down and die
Goodbye, goodbye.
Breakdown is on it's way
Breakdown in a month or a day
Breakdown and cry, lay down and die
Goodbye, goodbye
The lyrics of Alien Sex Fiend's song Breakdown and Cry seem to be quite cryptic, referencing a variety of disparate images and situations. However, the repetition of "no problem" and "right" throughout the song suggests a sense of denial or repression, with the singer attempting to convince themselves that everything is fine despite the chaos and confusion surrounding them.
The surreal imagery in the lyrics further emphasizes this sense of disorientation - for instance, the line "My cigarette burns yellow then it burns blue" seems to capture the sense of an unstable or shifting reality. The references to firing blanks, digging tunnels, and watching someone change color also suggest a sense of paranoia or confrontation. Meanwhile, the repeated refrain of "breakdown is on its way" seems to suggest that the singer's attempts to deny their problems will ultimately be futile.
Overall, the lyrics of Breakdown and Cry are somewhat difficult to interpret in a straightforward way, but the repetition of certain phrases and the use of surreal, disorienting imagery create a sense of unease and confusion that seems to reflect the singer's psychological state.
Line by Line Meaning
No problem. No problem
Everything is under control. No worries at all
Right. Right. Right
I agree with you completely
My cigarette burns yellow then it burns blue
My emotions are all over the place
I'm heading due south, was it blanks we fired at you?
I am moving on but do not know why it did not work out with you
Downtown Saturday, uptown Monday morning
We had fun once but now it's back to the daily grind
The telephone rings, it leaves me yawning.
Even something as exciting as a phone call can't keep me from feeling bored
This ain't no show, this is for real
This is not just a performance, this is reality
The candles all burn for you, love, just for you
I am trying to show my love for you with these romantic gestures
While the ceiling goes round and round
I am feeling dizzy and disoriented
And round and round and round
This feeling of confusion is never-ending
Lights out. Shall we go to sleep?
Time to call it a night
Is it just a show? Is it just a dream?
I am questioning the reality of my situation
Digging tunnels under your back door
I am trying to sneak around behind your back
Should I ride the carpet?
Should I take a risk and see where this takes me?
Should I lock the door?
Should I protect myself from unforeseeable danger?
The fool on the hill knows all′s not well
Even the most foolish person can sense that something is wrong
Keep a candle burning for me
Please wait for me, I will return eventually
You're at peace, the rope is tight
You have found inner peace but are still bound by external restraints
I watch you change colour in broad daylight.
I have started to see you in a different light, and it is confusing me
Breakdown is on it's way
A mental breakdown is coming soon
Breakdown in the month of May
It may happen next month
Breakdown and cry, lay down and die
I will be overwhelmed with emotion and feel like giving up
Goodbye, goodbye.
Farewell
I'm a dinosaur of the working class
I am old-fashioned and out of touch with today's world
Antiseptic mouthwash
I am looking for ways to clean up my act
And a suppository up my arse
I am doing things that are not natural to me to try to be better
When we do right no-one remembers
We are only remembered for our mistakes, not our successes
We do wrong no-one forgets
Our failures are etched in people's memories for a long time
Deliver me from evil
Please help me escape from my troubles
Deliver me a paper
I need to read something to distract myself from my problems
Writer(s): Nicholas Ian Wade, Christine Elizabeth Mary Wade, David John James, John Freshwater
Contributed by Christian G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sulphuric Overlord69
As a metalhead I have to agree. When I want weird music on a trip,this is up there on the playlist. L.S.D.
Daria_doe
Such an awesome band, and one of their best songs (in my opinion, at least). =)
Andy Corrigan
I love everything they do!
Alberto Rodriguez
exelente banda
Belly sayuri
AMOOOOO!!!! TENHO TODOS OS VINIL E CDS
ROCKETRONNIE
Saw them mighty ASF last year still awesome. But tracks like this remind just how good they are.
Rebecca Tingle
Love this so much. Haven't heard it in a while though. :)
Jordan Nickel
This is so awesome, I love it!!!
Le Naturel
The best band ever!
riotribunal
Minha favorita é "She's a Killer" .