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)
The Rockabye
Revolting Cocks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come on over mine tonight
Do or die, it's a rockabye
Come on over mine tonight
Get your filthy hands off my ice cream
Put your filthy mind in my hands
And nobody understands
And I can see you through my windows
Collecting dirt outside
Spinning in circles with feathers and bones
Diseased and paralyzed
Do or die, it's a rockabye
Come on over mine tonight
Do or die, it's a rockabye
Come on over mine tonight
I licked my way to heaven
I broke my arms for worse
I want to go where fever flows
And spiders go to church
Barking up the wrong leg
Spitting at your friends
Your filthy hands forever stained
The rockabye defends
Do or die, it's a rockabye
Come on over mine tonight
Do or die, it's a rockabye
Come on over mine tonight
Do or die, it's a rockabye
Roll on over mine tonight
Revoltling Cocks' song "The Rockabye" is a blend of distorted guitar riffs, electronic beats and industrial growls, as well as startling and cryptic lyrics. The first two lines of the song, which are repeated several times throughout the song, seem to herald danger and risk, suggesting that the listener must either fully commit or forfeit everything. It insists on taking on life at full throttle, with all its unexplainable gravity.
The following lines, "Get your filthy hands off my ice cream / Put your filthy mind in my hands" create a semantic dissonance that holds the listener's attention, which can be interpreted to mean that the author is tired of people trying to take over his life and is at the same time suggesting that people trust him in leading them. The lyrics "When you open your mouth, it's a smokescreen / And nobody understands" seems to suggest that communication has now become vague and ineffective.
The rest of the song continues on this theme until the phrases "Barking up the wrong leg / Spitting at your friends" transition to a moment of reflection, leading up to the final "Do or die, it's a rockabye / Roll on over mine tonight" suggesting a sense of acceptance in this uncertain, incomprehensible world.
Line by Line Meaning
Do or die, it's a rockabye
Life or death, it's a test you must pass; a lullaby to soothe the difficult times.
Come on over mine tonight
Join me at my place tonight, where we can face challenges and celebrate life together.
Get your filthy hands off my ice cream
Stop trying to take things that are mine, leave them for me to enjoy on my own.
Put your filthy mind in my hands
Let me take control of your thoughts and emotions, trust me to guide you through the chaos.
When you open your mouth it's a smokescreen
You're always hiding something behind your words, making it difficult to understand your true intentions.
And nobody understands
Despite your efforts, no one really knows what you're going through or what you're trying to achieve.
And I can see you through my windows
I observe you and your actions from afar, piecing together the puzzle that is your life.
Collecting dirt outside
You're dirty and unwelcome, standing outside where you don't belong.
Spinning in circles with feathers and bones
You're lost in your own mind, obsessing over trivial matters that mean nothing in the grand scheme.
Diseased and paralyzed
You're physically and mentally ill, trapped in a state of helplessness and despair.
I licked my way to heaven
I overcame obstacles and challenges to get to where I am today.
I broke my arms for worse
I suffered greatly and was willing to make sacrifices for the sake of progress and self-improvement.
I want to go where fever flows
I want to be in the midst of excitement and passion, surrounded by people who have a fire in their hearts.
And spiders go to church
Even the most unlikely things can find a place where they belong, so don't be afraid to explore and experiment.
Barking up the wrong leg
You're going about things the wrong way, wasting your time and energy on something that won't bring you success or happiness.
Spitting at your friends
You're deliberately trying to hurt those who care about you, pushing them away instead of letting them help you.
Your filthy hands forever stained
Your actions have consequences, and you'll always carry the guilt and shame of your past mistakes.
The rockabye defends
During tough times, the comfort of music and friendship can defend us from the struggles of life.
Roll on over mine tonight
Come to me and let us face the challenges of life together, enjoying each other's company and finding comfort in the rockabye.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALIEN JOURGENSEN, PAUL G. BARKER, WILLIAM FREDERICK RIEFLIN, CHRISTOPHER JOHN CONNELLY, ROLAND A. BARKER, LOUIS JAMES, JR. SVITEK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
last Koresh
One of the best tracks on the album.
TexasChainSaw_Marla
Fuckin Classic! ❤
Sebensuí A. Sánchez
The last album/masterpiece from Rev. Co.
Neil Inwood
Beautiful, no other words xx
Alexa a Capella
Who the f gave it the 1 dislike!?!
last Koresh
Why do people concern themselves so deeply with what people don't like?
pablo diablo
this song would have fit perfectly on Filth Pig.
Eric Dufresne
Oh for sure!
Villa Kepuh Warung Nongkrong
Dreamy ❤
Brent
Raise your hand if you’ve listened to this frying