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Rating: In 1989, perhaps the wildest group of the so-called "post-hardcore" was born, and certainly one of the most spectacular both technically and emotionally of the nineties. Two veterans of the seminal Scratch Acid, bassist David Sims (also of Rapeman) and singer David Yow, founded the Jesus Lizard with Duane Denison. The group, whose name is inspired by a type of basilisk that walks on water, reveals itself from their first 12" "Pure" as a slap in the face to the already extreme American alternative scene (various Fugazi, Melvins, and Nirvana were bewildered by them). The sound structure of the first EP is somewhat rough; the songs, punctuated by a drum machine, appear as degenerate offspring of Albini's madness in "Big Black." What strikes the listener the most is the sense of chaos and depravity that reigns. Sim's bass is more metallic than ever, Denison's guitar in fact coins a style that might initially seem unkempt but is actually a revolution in the instrument. Yow, whose last name is at the very least onomatopoeic, is perhaps the most extreme singer in rock history. Saying he can't sing is an understatement. He rather seems like a psychopath in a perpetual nervous breakdown, so real and natural do his delusions seem. Not to mention his live acts during concerts, where this stage animal (or rather, beast) freely unleashes his barbarism. No concert is recalled where he doesn't expose his genitals, sometimes even during the first song. The Jesus Lizard could very well be the representation of a homicidal maniac's mind. "Pure" is followed by "Head," their first professional work in terms of recording. From here on, the band can also rely on a drummer, Mac mcNeilly, who proved to be a virtuoso of the instrument. The two mini albums are merged into "HEAD+PURE," under Touch&GO.
It begins with the sick riff of "One Evening" with Denison's guitar repeating the same truncated sequence until the inevitable explosion. Perhaps the track is the most musical of the album, and that says a lot... With "S.D.B.J." Yow's ordeal begins. His screams seem those of an apocalyptic preacher amidst the total apathy of the instruments. The subsequent "My Own Urine" and "If You Had Lips" give free rein to Yow's most perverse passions. Disgusting and horrifying images are literally spat over a sonic mosaic of impeccable quality. This would become the band's trademark. "7vs8" is perhaps Yow's most brutal vocal delirium. It seems like someone is tearing his vocal cords with red-hot pliers so much does he scream. Denison is applause-worthy. With "Pastoral" we have a sly pause, a poignant instrumental that flows quietly but introduces a sequence of deadly tracks starting with the spectacular rhythm section of "Waxeater" and ending with the sonic delirium of "Killer mcHann." "Blockbuster" is an industrial dance with almost hip hop echoes and becomes one of the group's anthems (Melvins would later cover it).
The masterpiece of the album is perhaps the subsequent "Bloody Mary," a concentration of stunning emotional violence. A sinister melody accompanies the desperate scream "Mary, Mary, get away!!". Two supersonic runs like "Sarlet" and "Rabid Pigs" showcase an industry disfigured by hardcore, while Yow, once again, shows us how little man and beast differ as far as instinct is concerned. The finale is a trip, with the bewildering "Happy Bunny Goes Fluff Fluff," an instrumental where the guitar distortions create a metallic cloud that envelops something that could only be defined as chaos. With "Head/Pure," not only do the Jesus Lizard give birth to one of the most important and sincere musical projects of the 90s, but they also give rise to a "primitivist" movement that we could conceptually compare to the "Pop Group." Yow's psychodramas, Denison's extraordinary inventiveness on guitar, and the rhythmic section of Sims and mcNeilly creating a sturdy and flexible backbone, have created a powerful and refined combo, which unfortunately dissolved in 1999.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
04 If You Had Lips (03:13)
Hey shitmouth
I love you
hey shitmouth
I love you
a number of years
have passed between our
legs
taste your buttery muffin
hey shitmouth!
I've never known anyone who bent so much to me
I never
I've never known anyone who bent so much to me
I never
When you smile
I can smell your breath
I see the shit
on your teeth
man, I'd love to catch ya
if you had lips I'd kiss ya
I pray the Lord to curse ya
hey shitmouth
I love you
will you bury me?
Ancient man - he needed
Ancient man - he had it
Man, I'd love to catch ya
If you had lips I'd kiss ya
Pray the Lord to curse ya
Now we two lay together
Will ya bury me?
Will ya bury me?
Will ya bury me?
05 7 vs. 8 (03:35)
What do we owe this extreme pleasure to?
Your presence is so very appreciated
Let us now drop to our knees in praise
and lick from between the toes of your feet
may we rest
with the weight of your fresh steamin' shit
on our backs
on our backs
and lick from between the toes of your feet
asking forgiveness
for things we do naturally
lead us to the river
and pollute us
bleed us and dilute us
until we are clean and dry
(How can your love be repaid?)
lick etc.
07 Waxeater (02:09)
Harry's old man has been away
but now he's back - got home today
It brings me down to see him here
peculiar guy he's kinda queer
Harry's mom is really pissed
she can't recall when last they kissed
she knows he's weird - what he's been doin'
Men and women he's been screwin'
Harry knew something should be done
Harry knew something should be done
Harry knew something should be done
Harry knew and Harry did it!
Weeks ago right after school
Harry found dad nude in the pool
The maid was there giving him head
and Harry wanted to see him dead
Harry's dad's a fuckin' ass and...
Fuckin' ass waxeatin' bastard
Always mean and always plastered
Harry hates that kind of shit,
but Harry knows what dad'll get
Harry's dad fucks dogs and cats
and Harry's dad fucks this and that
and Harry'd dad fucked Harry's brother
but Harry's dad won't fuck Harry's mother
11 Blockbuster (03:30)
Your first mistake was to think you could fuck with the ranch
Here I come, here I come, with my dick in my hand
Do you think you'd like to have a blockbuster up your ass
Do you think you'd like that, well do ya motherfucker
Do ya, motherfucker
Do ya
We'll smash your eggs and then your head and we'll nab your kids
Take 'em outback on the deck and barbeque their ribs
Throw their heads into your ivy, water them with piss
Do you think you'd like that, well do ya motherfucker
Do ya, motherfucker
Do ya
Your first mistake was to think you could fuck with the ranch
Here I come, here I come, with my dick in my hand
Do you think you'd like to have a blockbuster up your ass
Do you think you'd like that, well do ya motherfucker
Do ya, motherfucker
Do ya, motherfucker
Do ya, motherfucker
Do ya
12 Bloody Mary (01:59)
She sits in a tub and relives, stories she never lived
And it makes me feel blank, it makes me feel blank like I missed
Lies in a bath with no water, and a bath full of blood
How happy are ya, to be alive
MARY, MARY, MARY, MARY
GET OUT
It makes me feel blank, it makes me feel blank like I missed
Read the words she wrote, she never lived
Lies in a tub with no water and a bath full of blood
How happy are ya, to be alive
MARY, MARY, MARY, MARY
13 Rabid Pigs (02:09)
Two sweaty sows, quick means to bad ends
I think they think they're smart, I think they think they think
Big pig and little pig, they're dumb as fuck
You can't expect too much from two braindead brickheads
They got no reaction time, they can't seem to duck
So we kick their ugly snouts in, kick their ugly snouts in, kick their ugly
The rotten pigs, wallow in the scum
The time has come to shut them down
But they've chewed off, more than they could chew
They're makin' babies, why do they reproduce
She's got her pack, a piglet papoose
They thrown grenaades, I pull the pins and throw them back and
Blow their fuckin' heads off, blow their fuckin' heads off, blow their ugly
(some incoherent talking)
14 Starlet (02:42)
The wood was ?? (engraved), oh when I get home
He's stealing my shit, oh
There was that house, why is there blood in my hand (incoherent talking afterwards)
Where, where, where did he go, oh where are you goin'
Where did you go, why is there blood on my clothes, without her clothes
I'd like, I'd like your home, there's blood on my sock
Oh, why do I thank the heaven (think they have him) why do I, why do I
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