TS: Ministry's "Revenge" vs. Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me"

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In 1983 a young Chicagoan feigned a horrendous European accent over an ooky-spooky synth-pop track and hollered that you did it a-gane, you did it a-gane, you did it a-gane and a-gane and a-gane HO HO! HO HO!

In 1984 the son of Motown's creator feigned a horrendous European accent over an ooky-spooky synth-pop track and hollered that he has no privacy!

By 1988 both had changed their tunes considerably. Neither sang, though one was now yelling. It's tempting to say Rockwell's number is the more crucial track but his intentional jokes about the I.R.S. are nowhere as fun as hearing Al Jourgensen shout stuff like "I walked down the corridor, YES! the corridor" and rhyme "quiet as a mouse" with "rrrrocked the house!" It may not be as famous a number, but I definitely have to go with Ministry in regards to Midwestern faux-eurotrash synth-pop. You?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 31 October 2003 22:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Ministry without a doubt! Getting stalked by the IRS has nothing on a song about getting thrown down the stairs as a precursor to killing your ex.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 31 October 2003 22:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Hot Chocolate. Whoever sang in that band trumped the bad European accent by sounding like a hyper-fey Bowie of ambiguous ethnicity wearing 18th German politician rags.

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 31 October 2003 22:55 (twenty-two years ago)

http://pleazantmusik.org/al.jpg

― Xii (Xii), Friday, 31 October 2003 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Whoever sang in that band trumped the bad European accent by sounding like a hyper-fey Bowie

Er, since they were a British band, this might not have been as hard as it seemed.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 31 October 2003 23:46 (twenty-two years ago)

oh DETAILS NED DETAILS

― donut bitch (donut), Saturday, 1 November 2003 00:57 (twenty-two years ago)

anyway, Ministry. only because Rockwell never really did anything else that entertaining.. while "With Sympathy" had plenty of other darling Al moments.

"Ya juss'en EFFA-GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (ya juss'en effa-geeeeee) EEEEUUUUU-NOO!"

― donut bitch (donut), Saturday, 1 November 2003 00:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Anglo Goth Industrial is so ripe for a comeback.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Saturday, 1 November 2003 01:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh please, Ministry EVERY DAMN TIME!

Shame on you, Anthony, for even suggesting some semblance of equality between them. You should be hit with a fish for that.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 1 November 2003 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

COLD...LOIFE...COLD...LOIFE

― darth nader, Saturday, 1 November 2003 01:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Anglo Goth Industrial is so ripe for a comeback.

The Faint gets played a lot next to VNV Nation, etc. I wonder if it already has returned.

― Xii (Xii), Saturday, 1 November 2003 01:34 (twenty-two years ago)

dude, I was merely noting parallels. I'd totally pick Ministry every time (even though I AIN'T GOT TIME).

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 1 November 2003 01:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, since it's been brought up, I think that first Ministry EP "Cold Life" is a bit of an overlooked new wave/funk crossover great. That slap bass at the beginning of "Cold Life", the song, is hinting at some Graham Central Station aspirations (or similar). And the candy-goth "I'm Falling" is soooo cute. "Primental" needs to be sampled in a hip-hop song somewhere (reused for "I Wanted To Tell her" on the "with Sympathy album"), and "Cold Life Dub" is just the former on lots of echo and acid.

― donut bitch (donut), Saturday, 1 November 2003 03:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Way back when, my local Record Bar (do these still exist?) actually had a return policy - that is, if you didn't like the album, you could trade it in for something else. The only time I used that policy was when I took back a cassette of Ministry's With Sympathy. Guuuhh.

WORK!

for love.

And have you SEEN the video for "Revenge"? It's beyond laughable, and you just end up with a feeling of shame.

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Saturday, 1 November 2003 05:06 (twenty-two years ago)

MMM OOM BOP boom BOP BOP!
MMM OOM BOP boom BOP BOP!
MMM OOM BOP boom BOP BOP!
MMM OOM BOP boom BOP BOP!

O WOI KONT I LIVE A LOIF FA MEEEE...
WHY SHOULD I TIKE THE ABYOOSS THAT'S SURVED
WHY KONT THEY SEE THEY'RE JUS LOIK MEEE...
ITS THE SIME ITS THE SIME IN THE WHOLE WIIDE WEEEEEEEEEERRRLD

― donut bitch (donut), Saturday, 1 November 2003 10:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Ernest, my heart goes out to you that you can't hear the genius. (I will say, though, that "Cold Life" and "Everyday Is Halloween" do beat the _With Sympathy_ Tracks, but not by the gigantic margin that everyone assumes.)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Saturday, 1 November 2003 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Sadly I turned on VH1 Classic just in time to catch the END of the "Revenge" video. I swear to God I've seen "Take On Me" a million times in its entirety while I always catch videos like that and AC/DC's "Jailbreak" in process.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 1 November 2003 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

You're spot-on, there, Anthony. For some reason, they'll play certain "vintage" videos to death, but I've only caught snippets of crucial ones (to my eyes/ears) in fleeting moments. The only part of the video for "Revenge" I remember is Al slowly creeping down a hall, his hair all spiked out.

Bestest video of all time that I've only caugh on VH1 Classic once (and only the last fifteen seconds of it): "All That I Wanted" by Belfegore.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 1 November 2003 22:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Rockwell rules!

(Although that song was extremely dud when "covered" by DJ Bobo 9 years later)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 1 November 2003 23:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Rockwell was devoid of talent, and only had a record deal because Berry Gordy is his father (the primary reason Jacko was available to sing the hook).

Entertaining video, though.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 2 November 2003 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember a story about how someone saw Ministry open for Culture Club in 1983.. and how Al was wearing knickers, or something.

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 2 November 2003 18:18 (twenty-two years ago)

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