AMG Review of R.I.P.: A 12" Singles Collection

Dave Thompson
All Music Guide

Alien Sex Fiend lived their life on 12" singles. Albums, CDs, and live shows fell like rain, but the only date that was really worth noting in your diary was the release of their next slab of seething footlong electro nastiness, and this two-CD collection brings every one of those dates blazing back into the memory. There are 28 slices of noise bleeding out of the discs, and though this doesn't include every mix of every track, there's enough here to send your brain melting back to whichever mid-'80s dancefloor it was where you first encountered the glory that was the Fiend. Of course, a lot has changed since then, as sonic effects that once seemed extraordinary have become routine and mundane, and ideas that were once revolutionary are now as old as dirt. But from "Ignore the Machine" to "Inferno," from "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)" to "Haunted House," and on to such delirious demolitions as "Hurricane Fighter Plane" and "School's Out" (but no "Silver Machine" -- shame!), you will be feeling utterly, wonderfully Zombiefied long before you get to Beavis & Butthead's favorite Sex Fiend anthem. And we can all do time in a Maximum Security Twilight Home together.