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)
Stress
Alien Sex Fiend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get out of bedoh!
It woz good last nite (yeah!)excuse me - where's my head...!(hold it before we get started)i took a couple of valiumand i'm feeling better now...
But now i'm gonna have to getsome milk from that sacred cow(how u feeling doctor?)stress - in the nightstress - every daywe take lots of tablets (yeah!)and it won't go away...
Stress!!
Pressure!
Tension!
Anxiety!
Tension!
Anxiety!
She's at workhe's at home with the kidsstressed out and messed up...
Sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesdaythursday, friday, saturday, sundaymonday!
Tuesday!
Aaaaargh!!!
Stress!!
Stress!!
Pressure!
Tension!
Anxiety!
Pressure!
Tension!
Anxiety!
What you're thinking about soundslike a...
Nightmare.
The song "Stress" by Alien Sex Fiend portrays the struggles of daily life, such as dealing with anxiety, pressure, tension, and stress. The lyrics are straightforward and to the point, with a lot of repetition emphasizing the severity of the issue at hand. The song starts with the singer waking up and realizing that they need to go get milk from a "sacred cow" after taking some valium to feel better. The lyrics then shift to a more general description of daily life, with lines like "Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday" adding to the repetitive nature of the song. The lyrics eventually lead to the repeated exclamation of "Stress!", emphasizing the central problem that the singer is facing.
The song's use of repetition and simple lyrics creates an intense and overwhelming feeling that is meant to capture the essence of stress and anxiety. The song's rhythm and beat are also intense and aggressive, which adds to the overall tone of the song. The use of "she's at work, he's at home with the kids" highlights the fact that everyone experiences stress and anxiety, regardless of social status or gender.
Line by Line Meaning
I wake up!
The singer wakes up from sleep.
Get out of bedoh!
The singer urges themselves to get out of bed.
It woz good last nite (yeah!)
The singer reminisces about the previous night.
excuse me - where's my head...!
The artist realizes they may have misplaced something important or forgotten something.
(hold it before we get started)
The artist interrupts themselves before they can continue.
i took a couple of valium
The singer admits to having taken medication.
and i'm feeling better now...
The singer's medication has had a positive effect on them.
But now i'm gonna have to get some milk from that sacred cow
The artist has to complete a task, perhaps a difficult or unpleasant one.
(how u feeling doctor?)
The artist asks how someone else is feeling (possibly sarcastically).
stress - in the night
The artist experiences stress during the night.
stress - every day
The singer experiences stress every day.
we take lots of tablets (yeah!)
The artist takes medication to alleviate their stress and anxiety.
and it won't go away...
The medication does not entirely solve the problem.
Stress!!
The singer emphasizes the presence of stress in their life.
Pressure!
The singer experiences pressure in addition to stress.
Tension!
The artist experiences tension in addition to stress and pressure.
Anxiety!
The artist experiences anxiety in addition to stress, pressure, and tension.
Pressure!
The singer reiterates their experience of pressure.
Tension!
The singer reiterates their experience of tension.
Anxiety!
The artist reiterates their experience of anxiety.
She's at work
The artist refers to a female person who is at work.
he's at home with the kids
The artist refers to a male person who is at home taking care of children.
stressed out and messed up...
Both the male and female mentioned are experiencing stress and difficulty in their lives.
Sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesdaythursday, friday, saturday, sundaymonday!
The artist recites the days of the week in order, with an emphasis on Monday.
Tuesday!
The singer emphasizes Tuesday specifically.
Aaaaargh!!!
The singer expresses frustration, possibly related to the aforementioned stress and anxiety.
Stress!!
The singer reiterates the presence of stress in their life.
Stress!!
The artist again emphasizes the presence of stress.
Pressure!
The artist again emphasizes the presence of pressure.
Tension!
The singer again emphasizes the presence of tension.
Anxiety!
The singer again emphasizes the presence of anxiety.
Pressure!
The artist once again emphasizes the presence of pressure.
Tension!
The artist once again emphasizes the presence of tension.
Anxiety!
The artist once again emphasizes the presence of anxiety.
What you're thinking about sounds like a...
The singer addresses someone else and implies that their thoughts or words are troubling or not helpful.
Nightmare.
The artist concludes the song with a word that suggests their stress and anxiety have not dissipated.
Writer(s): rat fink, christine wade, nik fiend
Contributed by Harper L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.