The Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda Files: Prick’s Attempted Industrial Revolution

Time for another installment of the Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda Files, where we search through our record collection in search of a lost gem.

Artist: Prick Album: Prick, 1995 What happened: After Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral affirmed industrial music’s chart capacity, the field was wide open for followers. Trent Reznor’s own label, nothing, went sniffing around, and while bringing to the world’s attention Marilyn Manson and German British electro-rap group Pop Will Eat Itself, actually did some good by discovering Cleveland’s Kevin McMahon, at the time recording under the name Prick. Why it should have been a hit: Prick’s eponymous debut–produced by Reznor and engineered by Alan Moulder (Spiral, Siamese Dream)–was singer-songwriter industrial, sung with an English affect highly reminiscent of Marc Bolan. “Other People,” with background vocals from Reznor, was the single, but “I Apologise” is the album’s true winner. Alternating strummed acoustic guitars with red-needle screaming, McMahon tries to win back an ex-lover through sheer volume. We’ll never know if he succeeded, though; Prick was dropped by nothing parent company Interscope before a follow-up could be recorded.

Prick – Other People [MP3, link expired] Prick – I Apologise [MP3, link expired]