Last year, I had the good fortune to be invited to a showcase concert for Slipdisc Records in Chicago. As I was walking in, someone at the label was there throwing copies of Slip This On And Rock Hard, a compilation album of acts on the label, into the hands of concert attendees. (They were also handing out - I swear, I'm not making this up - condoms that had the same packaging as the cover image. When asked if I wanted a few, I said, "I'm married. What would I need these for?")

Only recently did I re-discover this disc in the hallowed halls of the Pierce Memorial Archives, and decided to do as the title suggested. If you're interested in finding out what the industrial/alternative scene is like these days, this disc would be a great place to start.

The seven bands featured on this disc cannot easily be shoved into one particular category. The Clay People are just as much hard rock as they are industrial; the same could be said for Rorschach Test (who happened to be the band that impressed me the most at the show that night), who check in on this album with "Satan" (a great cut off their Unclean disc) and a remix of "Sex" (originally done by Berlin). As for The Clay People, the live rendition of "Car Bomb" is killer; this was another performance that stood out in my mind that evening.

But industrial music is more than just heavy electronics and screaming; many of the other bands featured on Slip This On And Rock Hard demonstrate this. 13 Mg. impresses with "Way Down", and even though a 12-minute "beat mix" of "Sinister" might scare some people off, the time passes rather quickly. (That being said, I think it still could have been lopped down a couple of minutes.)

Other bands waiting to make their acquaintances with you on this disc are N17 ("Version 1.2," "Kontrol"), Nihil ("Nowhere To Hide," "Under Me"), Mary's Window ("Penny Red," "Strychnine") and Final Cut ("It Comes Too," "Shake").

But as good as these performances are, I'd be hard-pressed to say that any of them would have inspired me to go out and purchase their corresponding albums. Sure, I loved the two Rorschach Test cuts and Final Cut impresses with "Shake" - but for me, this sampler is just enough to satisfy my tastes. If you're big into the alternative or industrial world, then this disc might just make you want to pick up the full albums. (Then again, chances are you would already have them.)

Slip This On And Rock Hard is just enough industrial to keep any listener going for a while - and somehow, I don't think that was the intention of the record company.

Rating: B-

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