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)
Jack in the Crack
Revolting Cocks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
hack is the flak
the rhythm in the rack
nick knack paddy whack
give the kids something to slack
the crack
jack in the crack
jack in the crack (x2)
jack in the crack (x2)
ugly
so ugly
ugly
so ugly
this is not real
reject what i feel
defect what you preach
jack in the crack (x2)
jack jack jack
jack in the crack (x2)
jack in the crack (x2)
terminate
terminate
masturbate
?
?
?
?
to the crack
jack in the crack (x2)
wanna see crack
jack in the crack (x3)
wanna see
jack in the crack
The lyrics of the Revolting Cocks song "Jack in the Crack" are open to interpretation, but they seem to be about rebellion, hedonism, and sexual desire. The first verse establishes a mood of darkness and danger with the phrase "turn the lights down" and the word "hack," which suggests violence or hacking into something. The reference to "the rhythm in the rack" could be interpreted as a metaphor for the beat of sexual desire, and "nick knack paddy whack" seems to be a nonsensical phrase that could refer to playful rebellion or something that is easily accessible.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Jack in the Crack" multiple times and seems to be a call to hedonistic pleasure or rebellion, with the word "jack" suggesting masturbation or rebellion. The second verse repeats the word "ugly," which could refer to the ugliness of society or the negative aspects of human nature. The line "this is not real" suggests that the singer is rejecting reality in favor of a more primal, instinctive desire.
The third verse includes four lines that are difficult to interpret but seem to suggest some kind of violent or rebellious action, followed by a reference back to "the crack," which could be interpreted as a metaphor for desire or the gap between the self and reality. The final repetition of "wanna see crack" could refer to a desire to break through societal norms and experience something raw and unrestrained.
Line by Line Meaning
turn the lights down
Let's set the mood by dimming the lights
hack is the flak
Trouble is coming, and it's going to be messy
the rhythm in the rack
There's a beat that's pumping in this place
nick knack paddy whack
Here's a little something to take your mind off things
give the kids something to slack
Let these young folks loosen up and enjoy themselves
the crack
Let's all focus on that one thing that's gonna make this night memorable
jack in the crack
Let's all indulge in that special something that's gonna make us forget our worries for a while
ugly
This situation is not attractive
so ugly
This situation is truly unpleasant
this is not real
I can't believe what's going on right now
reject what i feel
I'm trying to avoid my emotions
defect what you preach
I don't agree with your ideology
terminate
Stop what you're doing right now
masturbate
Let's take care of some personal needs
?
Unknown
?
Unknown
?
Unknown
?
Unknown
to the crack
Let's all head to that special something we've been waiting for
wanna see crack
I'm curious about that special something we've been talking about
jack in the crack
Let's all indulge in that special something that's gonna make us forget our worries for a while
wanna see
I'm interested in what's going on here
jack in the crack
Let's all indulge in that special something that's gonna make us forget our worries for a while
Contributed by Zachary J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.