The group was founded by Richard 23 and Luc Van Acker with Al Jourgensen as their producer. According to Jourgensen, the band got their name after a fight in a Chicago bar in 1983. Jourgensen, Richard 23 and Luc Van Acker celebrated the formation of the new band with a few drinks. The evening then ended up in a brawl, with bar stools being thrown through the establishment's windows. As he was throwing the trio out, the owner, a man Jourgensen recalls was named Dess, shouted, "I'm calling the police! You guys are a bunch of revolting cocks!" The trio subsequently decided to use the name for their band.
Their first release was No Devotion on Wax Trax! Records in 1985. The single was quickly followed by an album, Big Sexy Land (1986), featuring a mix of industrial, hard rock, and EBM with dominating sampling and strong synthesized beats.
Losing Richard 23 due to creative differences, the group's remaining two members were augmented by a rapidly changing set of musicians centered on Chris Connelly (Cocksure, Bells Into Machines, Murder Inc., and Damage Manual), Paul Barker (Ministry, Lead Into Gold, Flowering Blight, and Bells Into Machines), and Bill Rieflin (Ministry, Pigface, R.E.M., and King Crimson), with around twenty others as irregular contributors or guest artists.
The following live album, You Goddamned Son of a Bitch (1988), featured a return to Ministry-like industrial rock - the Big Sexy Land tracks embedded in shouting and noise. This trend continued on Beers, Steers, and Queers (1990), layering sample over sample and pushing ever further into distortion. Linger Ficken' Good (1993) was released by Sire Records and was a tamer affair, most tracks returning to the less layered material. Included was a cover of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?," also released as a single. A tour was planned but cancelled, and the band quietly came to an end in 1994.
In 2004, Jourgensen and Phildo Owens (Skatenigs, Snow Black) revived the group. They released an album entitled Cocked and Loaded (2006). Caliente (Dark Entries), a cover of sorts of Dark Entries by Bauhaus, with vocalist Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers), was featured on the soundtrack to Saw II in 2005.
After assembling a touring line up to open for Ministry on the MasterBaTour of 2006, Jourgensen chose vocalist Josh Bradford (Stayte, Simple Shelter, V.H.S.), keyboardist Clayton Worbeck (Stayte, Simple Shelter), and guitarist Sin Quirin (Society 1, Ministry and ReVamp) as the new full-time members for the Revolting Cocks, now simply being called RevCo. The group recorded Sex-O Olympic-O and officially released the album on March 3, 2009. It was followed up by the last RevCo album Got Cock?, released on April 13, 2010.
In celebration of Wax Trax! Records, the "Wax Trax! Records Retrospectacle: 33 1/3 Year Anniversary" was held from April 15-17, 2011 at the Metro in Chicago, Illinois, United States. As a part of the lineup, Chris Connelly, Paul Barker and Luc Van Acker performed Revolting Cocks songs with various guests. For their performance on the 17th, Richard 23 joined them on stage to sing lead vocals on No Devotion.
In 2014, Chris Connelly and Jason Novak (Acumen Nation, DJ? Acucrack, Iron Lung Corp) formed Cocksure, a project that bridges the gap between Wax Trax! era industrial dance music and the future sounds of mass corruption. The project is very influenced by the early RevCo sound, and has been described as "where the Revolting Cocks left off in 1994."
Previous Members:
Al Jourgensen - production, programming, and various instruments (1985–1993, 2004–2010)
Luc Van Acker - vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards (1985–1991, 2006)
Richard 23 - vocals, programming (1985–1986)
Bill Rieflin - drums, keyboards, programming (1986–1993)
Paul Barker - bass, keyboards, programming (1987–1993)
Chris Connelly - vocals, programming (1987–1993)
Phildo Owen - vocals, programming (1989–1991, 2004–2006)
Duane Buford - keyboards (1993)
Josh Bradford - vocals (2006–2010)
Sin Quirin - guitars, bass, keyboards (2006–2010)
Clayton Worbeck - keyboards, bass (2006–2010)
Live Lineups:
--------- 1987 ---------
Al Jourgensen - keyboards, vocals, guitar
Paul Barker - bass, keyboards
Luc Van Acker - guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards
Chris Connelly - vocals, keyboards
Bill Rieflin - drums
--------- 1988 ---------
Al Jourgensen - keyboards, vocals, guitar
Paul Barker - bass, keyboards
Luc Van Acker - guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards
Chris Connelly - vocals, keyboards
Bill Rieflin - drums
Nivek Ogre - vocals
--------- 1990 ---------
Al Jourgensen - guitar, backing vocals
Paul Barker - bass
Chris Connelly - vocals
Phildo Owen - vocals
Jeff Ward - drums
Mark Durante - guitar, backing vocals
Michael Balch - keyboards
Kevin "Doc" Sullivan - keyboards, backing vocals
Trent Reznor - vocals
--------- 1991 ---------
Al Jourgensen - guitar, backing vocals
Paul Barker - bass
Chris Connelly - vocals
Phildo Owen - vocals
Bill Rieflin - drums
Mark Durante - guitar, backing vocals
Michael Balch - keyboards
Luc Van Acker - vocals
--------- 2006 (Ministry's MasterBaTour) ---------
Al Jourgensen - guitar, backing vocals
Phildo Owen - vocals
Luc Van Acker - vocals
Josh Bradford - vocals
Sin Quirin - guitar
Clayton Worbeck - keyboards
Anna K - bass
Seven Antonopoulos - drums
--------- 2009 (Ministry's LubricaTour) ---------
Josh Bradford - vocals
Sin Quirin - guitar
Clayton Worbeck - keyboards, guitar
Murv Douglas - bass
Aaron Rossi - drums
Mike Scaccia - guitar (selected dates)
Al Jourgensen - guitar, backing vocals
--------- 2011 (Wax Trax! Retrospectacle - April 15-17) ---------
Luc Van Acker - vocals
Paul Barker - bass
Chris Connelly - vocals, keyboards
Duane Buford - keyboards
Jamie Duffy - guitar
Dan Brill - drums
Richard 23 - vocals
Discography:
1985 - No Devotion (single)
1986 - Big Sexy Land (LP)
1986 - You Often Forget (single)
1988 - You Goddamned Son of a Bitch (live)
1989 - Stainless Steel Providers (single)
1989 - (Let’s Get) Physical (single)
1990 - Beers, Steers, and Queers (LP)
1991 - Beers, Steers, and Queers (The Remixes) (single)
1993 - Linger Ficken' Good (LP)
1993 - Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? (single)
1994 - Crackin’ Up (single)
2006 - Cocked and Loaded (LP)
2007 - Cocktail Mixxx (remix)
2009 - Sex-O Olympic-O (LP)
2009 - Sex-O Mixxx-O (remix)
2010 - Got Cock? (LP)
2011 - Got Mixxx (remix)
Abundant Redundancy
Revolting Cocks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I couldn't care for the damned
I couldn't care any less
I couldn't care, It's a play so
It's a play on me, It's a play on you
It's a play on me, It's a play on....
Abundant redundancy There is no place for you and me
Abundant redundancy I won't leave quietly
Sick of this life and I want to check out
I couldn't care any less
They could not bear any uses
I cannot care any less
Offend their hearts and take the dare
It's a play on me, It's the brewing plans
Fewer uses, we are truthless
Abundant redundancy There is no place for you and me
Abundant redundancy I won't leave quietly
So sick of this life how it's unabated
Sick of this life and I want to check out
Abundant redundancy There is no place for you and me
Abundant redundancy I won't leave quietly Chalk it up to misleading
Chalk it up to my heart bleeding
I couldn't care any more, I couldn't because I'm useless
I couldn't care any more, I couldn't because I'm falling down
And they play off of me
And they play off of you
I'm getting use to this
We are......
Sick of this life as before I stated
Sick of this life and I want to check out
I wanna check out, I wanna check out, I wanna check out
Sick of this life how it's unabated
Sick of this life and I want to check out
Abundant redundancy There is no place for you and me
Abundant redundancy I won't leave quietly
Abundant redundancy There is no place for you and me
Abundant redundancy I won't leave quietly
So sick of this life how it's unabated
Sick of this life and I want to check out
The lyrics of "Abundant Redundancy" by Revolting Cocks portray a feeling of apathy and frustration towards life. The opening lines "I couldn't care any less, I couldn't care for the damned" suggest that the persona feels disconnected and indifferent both to themselves and the world around them. The repetition of "It's a play on me, it's a play on you" implies that they feel trapped in a never-ending cycle of meaningless existence. The chorus "Abundant redundancy, there is no place for you and me, I won't leave quietly" signifies the persona's desire to escape their current situation and move on from the monotony of life.
The second verse amplifies the persona's desperation and a desire to leave their current existence behind. "So sick of this life, how it's unabated, sick of this life and I want to check out" suggests that they are tired of the mundane routine of daily life and want to escape. However, their attempts are met with rejection from society as "fewer uses, we are truthless". The ending lines "I couldn't care anymore, I couldn't because I'm falling down" suggest that the persona has given up on trying to change their situation and has succumbed to apathy.
Overall, "Abundant Redundancy" is a commentary on how modern-day life can feel repetitive and unfulfilling. The lyrics suggest that the persona does not feel valued or significant in a world where they are perceived to have "fewer uses" and "are truthless." The song encourages listeners to break free from the monotony and take control of their lives, especially when it feels like the "abundant redundancy" of daily existence is too much to bear.
Line by Line Meaning
I couldn't care any less
I have no interest or concern
I couldn't care for the damned
I don't care about anyone, including the most unfortunate among us
It's a play on me, It's a play on you
Everything is a game, we are all being manipulated
Abundant redundancy There is no place for you and me
There is too much repetition and we don't belong here
I won't leave quietly
I won't go away without making noise
Sick of this life and I want to check out
I am tired of living and want to die
They could not bear any uses
Other people have no value or purpose
Offend their hearts and take the dare
Provoke them and see what happens
Fewer uses, we are truthless
The less useful we are, the less truthful we become
Chalk it up to misleading
Blame it on being misled
Chalk it up to my heart bleeding
Blame it on being emotionally hurt
I couldn't care any more, I couldn't because I'm useless
I have reached complete apathy because I feel useless
I couldn't care any more, I couldn't because I'm falling down
I am so far gone that I can barely function
And they play off of me
They use me as a pawn
I'm getting use to this
I am becoming accustomed to being manipulated
We are......
We are nothing
I wanna check out, I wanna check out, I wanna check out
I really want to die
So sick of this life how it's unabated
I am exhausted by this unrelenting existence
Contributed by Muhammad J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.