REVOLTING COCKS ‘Beers,Steers & Queers’
Rykodisc (2005)
If you think about it, it is actually really simple to establish an opinion
as to how good, or not, an album really is. You will either have to deal
with a good quality release of a band whose style and sound could or could
not be to your liking, which is what all music journalists are craving for,
or you could end up having to listen to an awful release which, regardless
of the style and genre, is not serious enough and ends up putting you off
completely. What will you do, though, if you ever come across a release that
is so professionally made, yet its sole purpose is to entertain in a really
funny an simplistic way, that deprives the listener from considering it to
be as 'serious' as the rest of the 'normal' releases?
Well, this is a problem that anyone that decides to listen to 'Beers, Steers
& Queers' is going to have to face. The name of band, which released an
album with such a weird title is the Revolting Cocks-what, you’re not
impressed? What would you say if I told you that this band was formed in
1986 by Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Chris Connelly (ex Fini-Tribe) and the
Belgian phenomenon Luc Van Acker? Hmm, I see that I did manage to draw your
attention after all! These three well-known gentlemen, with the addition of
Richard 23 (Front 242) and Paul Barker (ex-Ministry) have released quite a
few albums under that name, one of which was 1990’s 'Beers, Steers &
Queers', which is now re-released by Rykodisc with three additional tracks
form a 12' release, plus a previously unreleased track that’s entitled
Cattle Grind (Studio-Mix). OK, all that sounds really good, but what on
earth is this release all about?
It would be quite optimistic on my part to try to categorise this release.
What I will say, which I think is quite representative of this seventy four
minute album, is that 'Beers, Steers & Queers' is the creative result of Al
Jourgensen’s mentally-disturbed alter ego.
The music is predominantly ‘industrial’ orientated, but there is also a variety of different and
unusual musical elements which have blended in and have contributed to
making this album such an unusual release. The most typical example of what
I have just described is the opening track 'Beers, Steers & Queers' where
Rap and record-scratching samples are mixed with Cowboy yells and industrial
sounds - the album that every rapper who was lucky enough to meet Billy the
Kid in some lousy derelict bar of a remote US ghost town should have in
his/her record collection! Are there more songs like that on this album -
you bet!
The following track, '(Let’s Get) Physical From 12' is based on a similar
pattern, even though it will somehow sound less absurd and better structured
than the opener. 'In the Neck' was quite a surprise, because if you were to
exclude the classic Ministry references and the weird vocals, you will
realise that this could have easily been a big hit on the dance floor of an
80s disco. The first song that I really enjoyed listening to was 'Stainless
Steel Providers', mainly because of the nice melodic bass that is actually
doing all the work here, as well as the act that this is the first
properly-structured song of the album.
The band continues to experiment with sounds and styles on all the remaining songs of the album, two of which did
manage to stand out for me - these are 'Can’t Sit Still' and the
fourteen-minute long 'Get Down'. Additionally, the band has included two
'alternative' versions of the same-titled composition, which are simply
there to entertain the 'chosen few', same as the other bonus track '(Let’s
Talk) Physical- From 12', which features a seven-minute ordeal with Chris
Connelly simply screaming 'Talk'(I cannot even begin to imagine what he was
on when he was recording this 'song').
And now comes the crucial moment when I have to say what I think of the
album-well, I have to say that there were moments when I found it quite
enjoyable - please don’t ask me why, because I don’t think that I can really
explain it. If you try to compare 'Beers, Steers & Queers' with any average
release, you will do it a great injustice. Jourgensen and Co did not have
such an intention when they recorded it, so I suggest that if you decide to
buy it, you enjoy it for what it is. Now, if I was to find out that the
majority of the people who are going to invest in it will be fans of
Ministry, I will not be surprised.
***
Review by John Stefanis
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