Linger Ficken' Good...And Other Barnyard Oddities

Album review

What turned out to be the last Al Jourgensen/Paul Barker project of worthwhile note -- in Ministry or out of it -- was very much in keeping with the Revolting Cocks' self-proclaimed role as the joke band of the Wax Trax-associated scene. Admittedly, not everything worked as such -- jokes work best if the music that goes with it is interesting and holds the attention, which was always a bit of a problem with RevCo. However, as a major label debut and final bow all at once, Linger Ficken' Good is often entertaining and sometimes utterly, ridiculously wonderful. Most notable is another devolved cover version -- after more or less tackling Olivia Newton-John's "Physical," this time around they did a much more recognizable take on Rod Stewart's disco hit "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Keeping the pace but adding some sleazy horns and organ in place of the original synth melody, Chris Connelly and Jourgensen split the verse/chorus duties; Connelly's Scottish, sleepy suaveness doesn't forget the humor, as several lyrical tweaks involving rubbers and KY jelly make clear. Nearly everything else, the kicking "Crackin' Up" aside, is basic if okay-enough time-killer material that won't surprise anyone familiar with the Jourgensen/Barker vision of things, concentrating more on the dank dancefloor stuff rather than the thrash, while Connelly acquits himself well enough. The album starts on a weird note, with none other than Timothy Leary doing a William Burroughs impersonation on "Gila Copter" -- why they couldn't call in Burroughs to work with them directly again is unclear -- but the final title track makes for a funny conclusion. Over a finger-snapping swing/jump blues arrangement, various voices ask "Who's your favorite Cock?" while another uncredited person proceeds to question and trash the band as a whole. And why not?

© Ned Raggett /TiVo