The Jesus Lizard - Biography
When indie label Touch & Go announced that no more new albums would be issued with their 27-year-old name on the sleeve, Pitchfork Media paid tribute by posting a 1994 concert video of one of the label's more characterizing bands, The Jesus Lizard. From watching that footage, it feels like the Jesus Lizard can hardly be explained. At times, they sound like a nihilistic, coked-up Fugazi. They could play straightforward, nearly accessible tunes that rivaled their contemporaries in Nirvana. Other times, they could sound just plain nasty, and a little scary, like the Birthday Party, one of vocalist David Yow's major influences. The Jesus Lizard recorded four albums for Touch & Go, always with producer Steve Albini, whose spare technique was practically a fifth instrument for the band. But when they left Touch & Go, a disappointed Albini left them, and their sound was never the same.
The Chicago band was formed in 1987 by Yow, guitarist Duane Denison, and bassist David Sims. Previously, Yow and Sims played together in Scratch Acid, a cacophonous hardcore band based out of Austin, TX. Upon the demise of that band, Sims became a member of Steve Albini's band, Rapeman. Because Rapeman was an on-and-off affair, with a schedule that barely kept Sims busy, the bassist started his own band, the Jesus Lizard, with Yow and Denison. Taking a cue from Albini's first group, Big Black, the Jesus Lizard used a drum machine at first, neglecting to find a real drummer. One would assume that a drum machine would lessen the impact of the band's music, but what little they did record with it actually sounded pretty good. Just as it had with Big Black, the drum machine provided a relentless, flawless attack. The band's first single, “Chrome,” was a two-song medley consisting of songs by noisy industrial band, Chrome. Signed to Touch & Go, the band released their Albini-produced debut EP, Pure, in 1989.
For 1990's Head (Touch & Go), the Jesus Lizard had replaced their drum machine with Mac McNeilly, giving the songs an added authenticity. Just a year later, the band returned with their follow-up, Goat (1991 Touch & Go), possibly the best set of their career. Yow had come into his own as one of the most bizarre and unlikely frontmen. No longer was he just an unintelligible ranter who longed to sound like Nick Cave in his Birthday Party days. He now had presence all his own. The reviews had vastly improved from their previous LP, and there was still a great deal of word-of-mouth helping the band to expand their cult audience.
A band that had no trouble continuing the expansion of their own cult audience (because they were now too big to have a cult audience), Nirvana, had just released Nevermind and would now follow it up by putting out a split single with the Jesus Lizard. That single, “Puss”/ “Oh the Guilt” (the former song being Jesus Lizard's) made it onto the band's third studio album, Liar (1992 Touch & Go). Although it can't be definitively referred to as their best album, Liar was certainly a tad more accessible than the band's previous efforts, yet still very manic and disturbing. Although it wasn't quite as out there as Goat, it was still much weirder than any album that came out of Chicago, Seattle or anywhere else in '92, proving that the Jesus Lizard was still far ahead of its time. That October, Pure and Head were reissued on one disc, making for the perfect introduction to their work. The next year, the band released their new single, “Lash.”
In 1994, Show (Collision Arts/Giant), the resulting album from the band's one-album deal with Giant Records, was released. Hearing their music today, it's a wonder why a major label would sign the Jesus Lizard in the first place, but after Nirvana, it seemed as if majors were signing up anything that sounded remotely angsty and alternative. Apparently, the story goes that the famed rock club CBGB was hosting a long list of bands that had played the club over the years to commemorate its 20th anniversary. The shows went on for two weeks, and they were recorded for a planned album that would be financed by Warner Bros subsidiary Collision Arts/Giant. The plan did not take, but the label knew that their recorded Jesus Lizard performance was special, and so they approached the band about releasing it on its own. Not seeing a downside, the band agreed. After word got out, they quickly learned that the downside of the move was an onslaught of criticism from fans and peers alike. Steve Albini, for one, could no longer respect the band for going against what he stood for and thought they stood for as well.
The Jesus Lizard recorded one more album for Touch & Go, which meant it was Albini's last time working with them too. Down (1994 Touch & Go) was not as good as Liar, perhaps not even as good as Goat, but the album bore this band's unmistakable mark, and when a band's sound is that unique and defined, it's pleasurable enough to simply hear them be themselves. In that respect, Down is a thrilling listen. It holds even more importance now that we know the Jesus Lizard would never again match this greatness.
The reason for the coming decline was the offer extended to them from Capitol Records, an offer the band accepted. Albini was angry enough with them for the live album they put out through Giant, and now that they had signed a genuine major label contract, he decided he would never again work with them. The band enlisted producer GGGarth Richardson, who had albums by L7 and the Melvins to his credit, bands that had at least noisiness in common with the Jesus Lizard. Unfortunately, the absence of Albini is noticeable, and the presence of a new and lesser producer is equally noticeable, on Shot (1996 Capitol). That disappointment could have been gotten around had the band offered anything new on the LP, but their playing and songwriting was extremely similar to that found on previous recordings. After recording the album, McNeilly quit the group.
The Jesus Lizard hired drummer Jim Kimball and had a new album ready two years later. Blue (1998 Capitol), put a bigger emphasis on melody than any previous Jesus Lizard album, while still bringing the customary noise. It was a fitting swan song for this always-challenging band. A little over a year after its release, the group announced that they were breaking up.